American Policy Toward Overseas Chinese In Southeast Asia In Early Cold War Era (1945-1960)

In the early years of Cold War, American policy toward overseas Chinese in Southeast Asia has experienced gradations. By discussing the policy-making process, the content, the characteristics and the influence of the policy, we can light the essence that America contains communism in Southeast Asia and China.The paper consists of four parts, including the preface, the text body, the epilogue and the bibliography. And the text body has four chapters.The preface includes the reasons for choosing title, the purport, the current state, the basis, basic thoughts, some new ideas and shortcoming of the research.The first chapter of the text body analyses the factors affecting the attention that America pays to overseas Chinese in Southeast Asia. There are four main factors:overseas Chinese in Southeast Asia identify themselves as Chinese nationals; the establishment of the nations in Southeast Asia; New China wins political identification of overseas Chinese in Southeast Asia in the first years after the formation of the PRC; Cold War begins to spread to Southeast Asia.The second chapter of the text body states how Truman Administration recognizes the identity of overseas Chinese in Southeast Asia and Truman Administration’s policy toward them. This chapter is one focus of the paper. America studies the issue of overseas Chinese in Southeast Asia from the perspective of Cold War, identifying them as potential "fifth column". Based on such cognition, America begins to take a series of measures against overseas Chinese to strengthen the non-Communist states in Southeast Asia. The measures include offering economic, technical and military assistance to Southeast Asian countries, carrying out "Information and Education Exchange Program" and encouraging to the Taiwan authorities seek the support of overseas Chinese in Southeast Asia to some extent. From the perspective of Truman administration’s policy toward overseas Chinese in Southeast Asia, the measures are complementary.The third chapter of the text body discusses Eisenhower Administration’s policy toward overseas Chinese in Southeast Asia. This chapter is another focus of the paper. During Eisenhower administration, American policy toward overseas Chinese in Southeast Asia has showed significant periodic adjustments and changes. Such adjustments and changes relate to the changes of international situation of Cold War and the contradictory of the policy itself. The changes of Eisenhower Administration’s policy toward overseas Chinese in Southeast Asia can be divided into three periods. The first is from1953to1954. During this two years, Eisenhower Administration has inherited how Truman Administration recognizes the identity of overseas Chinese in Southeast Asia, and the development of the policy toward overseas Chinese in Southeast Asia is from focusing on the implementation of aid policy and "Information and Education Exchange Program" to placing more weight on the implementation of "Information and Education Exchange Program" and placing much reliance on the Taiwan authorities to take actions. The second period is from1955to1959. America attempts to seek a balance on the issue of overseas Chinese in Southeast Asia between U.S. policy toward Taiwan and U.S. policy toward Southeast Asia. And with the development of the situation, America tends to encourage overseas Chinese in Southeast Asia to increase integration into their local governments. The third period is from1960to the end of Eisenhower Administration. On the basis of revising previous documents, U.S. National Security Council formulates new documents and make a clear emphasis on encourage overseas Chinese in Southeast Asia to increase integration into the host countries.The forth chapter of the text body is about the evaluation of U.S. policy toward overseas Chinese in Southeast Asia in early Cold War era. First, the paper analyzes the characteristics of it, including serving the American Cold War strategy, being of consistency and contradiction, seeking the concealment of policy and that the Taiwan authorities plays an important role in win the support of overseas Chinese in Southeast Asia. And then the paper discusses the influence of U.S. policy toward overseas Chinese in Southeast Asia in early Cold War era. In the circumstances of Cold War, U.S. policy toward overseas Chinese in Southeast Asia becomes an excuse that Southeast Asian countries use as to implement radical, forced assimilation to Chinese policy. Both the forced assimilation to Chinese policy Southeast Asian countries implement and the policy that America encourages overseas Chinese in Southeast Asia identify themselves to the host countries quicken the process of political identification of overseas Chinese in Southeast Asia to the host countries. To eliminate bad effects that how America recognizes the identity of overseas Chinese in Southeast Asia brings and safeguard the interests of overseas Chinese and the prestige of the new China, China hit back American attack by solving the dual nationality of overseas Chinese and encouraging overseas Chinese to comply with the law of the host country.At the end of this paper, the author refines the idea of the paper, points out the inadequacies of the paper and gives some suggestions on further study of this topic.