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It is common knowledge that Franklin Delano Roosevelt created the entire post World War Two COLD WAR situation by coddling the murderous communist dictator, Joseph Stalin. Roosevelt and Churchill arguably may not have realized what they were doing at the time, when they ceded the eastern European territories to the vicious forces of communist tyranny creating the Warsaw Pact and Iron Curtain. A little known and debated fact is that Roosevelt alone made a decision in the Pacific Theater, which may have had even graver(sic) consequences!
After the Teheran conference of the " BIG 3 " in 1943 and before the Yalta conference of February 4 - 12, 1945, Roosevelt was faced with a serious decision to be made on the course of the war in the Pacific against the Japanese. This decision was on how best to proceed in capturing territories in preparation to an invasion of the Japanese home islands. Roosevelt would ultimately not live long enough to see the consequences of his decision.
In July 1944 Roosevelt met in Hawaii with Admiral Chester W. Nimitz and General Douglas MacArthur. Both of these military leaders had completely different ideas on how to proceed against Japan. The decision Roosevelt would make still echoes through Asia at this very moment!
MacArthur, ripe to return to the Philippines and make good on his, " I shall return ", promise, urged the invasion of the islands as a precursory measure to secure bases for long range aircraft to continue bombing the Japanese home islands.
Nimitz argued that the Philippines be by-passed and instead the island of Formosa and the Chinese mainland coast be taken to offer relatively short ranged aircraft the opportunity to pound the Japanese home islands into dust.
As we all know now, MacArthur won the arguement and the Philippines were invaded and not by-passed. Formosa was not invaded and the Chinese coastland remained in independent hands. This may possibly have encouraged the Russians to launch their belated attacks against Japanese forces in the waning days of the war?
My contention is this:
If Roosevelt had taken Nimitz's advice and occupied both Formosa and the Chinese coast opposite the Japanese home islands, Mao Tse-Tung, Chairman of the Chinese Communist Party from 1943 to 1976, would not have been able to throw Chiang Kai-shek, President of the Republic from 1943 to 1950, out of power. Possibly, Mao would not have risen any higher than being a communist bandit leader? One thing is for certain, with numerous American aircraft bases along the Chinese coastline ( and the possible presence of United States troops and aircraft ), Chiang would have had considerable more war material with which to resist the eventual communist Chinese onslaught!
How is that for some food for thought?
In closing, try this one on for size. With no Red China there may have been a better outcome to the Korean conflict or no aborted war in Vietnam at all!
- Bongo ( Next stop? )
