| This study examines the overall U.S. strategy for containing China through the Korean War. Focusing at the level of national policy and its translation into military strategy, it highlights on the impact of the Korean War and how strategists reacted to events in Asia. Through use of national intelligence estimates as well as those of unified commands, this study develops U.S. perceptions of both Chinese and Soviet capabilities and intentions in East Asia. It then addresses how strategists attempted to solve the security problem in the region.;Although U.S. war plans designated Asia as a "strategic defense" theater in the event of a global war, the Korean War upset this scenario. Large numbers of U.S. forces were diverted to Asia and the Pacific, and remained after the Korean armistice. Conversely, unified commanders in the Pacific and Asia consisted argued for additional U.S. forces they believed could have played a decisive role in their theaters. This dilemma was never resolved, leaving a compromise strategy that pleased few while accomplishing the goal of containment. |
