A Study Of The Shift Of The Focus Of The US East Asia Strategy After In The Early Years Of The Cold War (1947-1949)

In the early stage of the Cold War,the transition of the strategic center of gravity of East Asia was an important part of the history of the cold war in the United States(the U.S.).In just a few years,the U.S.gave up supporting China to become one of the Four Great Powers and turned to support Japan to become East Asia’s bridgehead against the Communist Party.The rapid turn in the center of gravity of the East Asian strategy reflects the dramatic changes in the U.S.government’s internal diplomatic guidance strategy,and the realization of the new containment policy reflects the expansion of the authority of the Planning Division under the State Council headed by George Kennan.The big discussion about Draft Borton is the trigger of the strategic transition of focus.At the end of 1946,the director of the Far East Division of the State Council,Hugh Borton,was commissioned to issue a draft to make peace with Japan,known as Draft Borton.Because the United States still adheres to Roosevelt’s strategy over East Asian during this period,the draft has been criticized by various forces in the United States government under the rapidly changing post-war new international situation,thus has not been fully released until now.In the process of criticizing Draft Borton,a newly formed force from the State Council Policy Planning Division,headed by George Kennan,suddenly appeared.On the issue of making peace with Japan,he submitted the No.10 document and the No.13 document of PPS.In addition,the U.S.re-examined the relative position of China and Japan in the East Asian strategy under the premise of containment policy,which made this big discussion triggered by Draft Borton stop silently.The strong rise of the Policy Planning Division marked the transform of the leading right of East Asia policy in the system under the State Council,and at the same time,the center of the East Asian strategy of the U.S.has completed its preliminary transform.The change of Japan policy marks the establishment of the strategic center of gravityin East Asia.In order to pursue a new policy towards Japan,George Kennan visited Japan in March 1948.During his visit to Japan,Kennan discussed the issue of Japan with MacArthur-led allies,which was the highest commander in Japan and the military forces represented by the Army and the Navy.After drawing to some extent the opinions of General MacArthur and the military,Kennan submitted the No.28 document of PPS,which was regarded as not only a turning point of Japan policy,but also the beginning of the U.S.’new policy towards Japan.After supplementing other opinions within the government,the No.28 document of PPS finally became the blueprint for the No.13 document of NSC,the official policy agenda for the U.S.in the early Cold War.The U.S.’ East Asian strategic focus has finally been established after the release of No.13/2 document of NSC.Therefore,Japan has also become the bridgehead of the U.S.against the Soviet Union in the context of the Cold War.The U.S.’ policy towards China had been a relative chaos since 1947,which has been lagging behind the transition of policy towards Japan.The dramatic changes in China’s situation after the Cold War have made the evaluation of the U.S.’ interests in China always in a state of constant debate and repeated swings.With the beginning of the prelude to the Cold War,policymakers had to reassess the interests of the U.S.around the world,which made China’s status decline.In the No.13 document of PPS,the Policy Planning Division of the U.S.has already proposed to abandon the Chiang Kai-shek government.However,due to restrictions from the military and the Sinophile,the United States was increasingly tied to the same ship by the Chiang Kai-shek government.In the fall of 1948,the No.39 document of PPS issued by the Policy Planning Department attempted to return the U.S.’ policy towards China to the containment policy track,which is the beginning of the policy of disengagement.Subsequent series of documents finally established the policy of disengagement,such as the No.39/1 document of PPS,the No.34/1 document of NSC,the No.39/2 document of PPS.However,the sudden whereabouts of the Chiang Kai-shek government’s situation has also caused the policy of disengagement to lose its realistic basis.With the determination of the destiny of the Kuomintang government,and the People’s Republic of China joined the socialist camp,the U.S.has since implemented a thorough policy which was a containment to China,that marks the final completion of the transition of the strategic focus of East Asia.The strategic transition of the U.S.in East Asia is a concrete manifestation of the containment policy.George Kennan as the “Father of containment” and the first director of the Policy Planning Division,played an extremely important role in this stage of Americanrealism diplomacy.The confrontation process of the various forces within the U.S.government not only provided new ideas for studying the history of the Cold War,but also had far-reaching significance in the process of transitioning the strategic focus.