China
is viewed today as a political and financial threat to the United
States. How that came to be, after China had been an ally of the
United States, is documented in this book. Peraino takes readers
through the aftermath of World War II with the conflict between Mao
and Chiang and the American attitude towards it.
Even
though Madam Chiang had come to Washington D.C. to press the case for
her husband, she could not convince Truman to support the Nationalist
government in China. Mao rose in power, eventually forcing Chiang to
retreat to Taiwan. Mao decided to align himself with the Soviets and
the future of China was cast.
I
was surprised at the White Paper Acheson crafted and Truman approved.
It placed all the blame on Chiang's leadership. Even though the U.S.
had waited and watched and then neglected to be involved in China's
civil war, it was not to blame for the fall of the country to
communist rule, the document declared. There were some who disagreed, such as Congressmen
Judd and Lodge. They attempted to fund financial aid to help keep
communists from taking over Southeast Asia. Though the amendment was
defeated, “the initiative had set in motion a series of events that
would profoundly alter American life – a first step into the morass
of Southeast Asia's wars.” (189)
I
recommend this book to readers who would like to understand the
changes that took place in Asia after World War II and in particular the events of 1949.
My
rating: 4/5 stars.
Kevin
Peraino is a veteran foreign correspondent, was a writer and bureau chief
at Newsweek
for a decade, a finalist for the Livingston Award for foreign
reporting, and was part of a team that won a National Magazine Award
in 2004. He has written for several publications.
Crown,
400 pages.
I
received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher. My
comments are an independent and honest review.
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