Episode 10: Sino-American Talks Part 2 concludes our take on where the Sino-American diplomacy led as 1949 became 1950. It provides a crucial bit of background to how the US reacted to the actual signing of the Sino-Soviet Treaty, so make sure you have a listen in, and as always, be sure to let me know what you all thought!

The increasing supremacy of the communists, as well as the difficulties posed by the British, were among the complications that the Truman administration faced when its face, Dean Acheson, (pictured here at work with NATO) attempted to continue with the wedge approach. As we learned last time, Acheson believed that only by accepting the facts of the day and abandoning the doomed Chiang Kai-shek could US interests in Asia and across the world be upheld. Unless America abandoned Chiang, it could never pose as a friend to Mao, and thus Acheson attempted, in a last ditch effort in autumn 1949, to be that friend.

Mao was in indeed looking for a friend, but as we have learned, Acheson's efforts came as too little too late. Worse, the Soviets managed to detonate their own atom bomb in August, reducing the American supremacy in world affairs. Pressure was mounting on Acheson to wrest something from Mao, just as it was mounting on Mao to reach an agreement with Stalin. As we know, only one of these outcomes could come to pass, and Beijing would side with their ideological allies rather than the suspicious Washington.

Acheson didn't know it yet, but his failure here would lead him to trumpet an even more radical policy than appeasing the Chinese. If the Soviets and Chinese wanted to be in cahoots, then America would allow it and confront the problem head on, but first she needed to re-arm. The march towards Korea was beginning.

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Music used:

"Goodnight Angeline", by the Four Harmony Kings, in 1921. This gem can be found by going to: http://freemusicarchive.org/music/The_Four_Harmony_Kings/Antique_Phonograph_Music_Program_02032015/Goodnight_Angeline_-_The_Four_Harmony_Kings

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