Mr. X and the Pacific

J. Heer Paul

Description

George F. Kennan is well known as the preeminent American expert on the Soviet Union during the Cold War and the author of the doctrine of containment. In Mr. X and the Pacific, Paul J. Heer chronicles and assesses Kennan's work in affecting US policy toward East Asia. Heer traces the origins, development, and bearing of Kennan's strategic perspective on the Far East during his time as director of the State Department's Policy Planning Staff from 1947 to 1950. The author follows Kennan's career and evolution of his thinking as he subsequently became a prominent critic of American participation in the Vietnam War. Mr. X and the Pacific offers readers a new view of Kennan, revealing his importance and the totality of his role in East Asia policy, his struggle with American foreign policy in the region, and the ways in which Kennan's legacy still has implications for how the United States approaches the region in the twenty-first century.

Sujets

• Lettres et linguistique
• USA
• East Asia
• Cold War
• International relations
• History of Asia
• Far East
• États-Unis

Informations

• Publié par: Cornell University Press
• Date de parution: 15 mai 2018
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781501711169
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 6 Mo

Extrait

MR. X AND THE PACIFIC

MR. X AND THE PACIFIC George F. Kennan and American Policy in East Asia

PaUL J. HEER

CORNELL UNIVERSITY PRESS ITHACA AND LONDON

Copyright © 2018 by Cornell University

All rights reserved. Except for brief quotations in a review, this book, or parts thereof, must not be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the publisher. For information, address Cornell University Press, Sage House, 512 East State Street, Ithaca, New York 14850.

First published 2018 by Cornell University Press

Printed in the United States of America

Library of Congress CataloginginPublication Data

Names: Heer, Paul J., 1959–author. Title: Mr. X and the Pacific : George F. Kennan and American policy in East Asia /  Paul J. Heer. Description: Ithaca : Cornell University Press, 2018. | Includes bibliographical references and index. Identifiers: LCCN 2017028411 (print) | LCCN 2017028879 (ebook) | ISBN 9781501711169 (pdf) | ISBN 9781501711176 (ret) | ISBN 9781501711145 | ISBN 9781501711145 (cloth :alk. paper) Subjects: LCSH: United States—Foreign relations—East Asia. | East Asia— Foreign relations—United States. | Kennan, George F. (George Frost), 1904–2005. | United States—Foreign relations—1945–1953. Classification: LCC DS518.8 (ebook) | LCC DS518.8 .H34 2018 (print) | DDC 327.7305—dc23 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2017028411

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Cover design by Scott Levine Portrait of George F. Kennan by Harris & Ewing, photographers, 1947. Courtesy of the Library of Congress. Map of East Asia executed by Office of Strategic Services, 1945. Courtesy of the Library of Congress.

For Melissa, Charlie, Kevin, Zane, Brett, and Paulus

Contents

List of Illustrations Acknowledgments

Introduction. A Strategic Vision Interrupted

ix xi

1

1. Encounters with East Asia: Inheritance of a Strategic Perspective 8 2. China: “Minimum Aid” and “Maximum Flexibility” 25 3. Japan: “The Father of ReverseCourse Policy” 50 4. Ebb Tide: Acheson Takes the Helm 89 5. Prelude to the Korean War: Applying the “Strategic Concept” on the East Asian Periphery 112 6. e”jeonurctaorCnddnarrErongecnanthofIALabyrioKer:a“ 151 7. Aftermath of Korea: The End of a Strategic Vision for East Asia 183 8. Vietnam: “My Piece Has Been Spoken” 199

Conclusion:LegaciesofEngagementwithEastAsia

Notes Bibliography Index

213

237 281 295

Iustrations

George F. Kennan xvi Map of East Asia in 1947 4 John Van Antwerp MacMurray 10 John Paton Davies Jr. 15 George C. Marshall 28 General Douglas MacArthur 64 Dean G. Acheson 93

i

x