The agreements made at Yalta had provided a structure for postwar cooperation in Asia but these

initial agreements soon fell apart. The Soviet Union had agreed to enter the war in the Pacific
three months after the defeat of Germany and Stalin abided by this agreement. Roosevelt had
agreed to allow the Soviet Union to establish a base at Port Arthur, China, in exchange for
Stalin’s agreement to sign a treaty of alliance with Chiang Kai-shek’s Republic of China. A
Communist movement, viewed as a direct attempt by the Soviet Union to achieve the worldwide
revolution that had been advocated by Lenin, had emerged in China in the 1930s. The
Communist and non-Communist (Nationalist) parties in China had attempted to cooperate after
the Japanese invasion but had been largely unsuccessful and both groups were anticipating a
renewed struggle after the defeat of Japan. In 1949, the Nationalist government fled to Taiwan
and Mao Zedong proclaimed the People’s Republic of China. The United States refused to
recognize Mao’s government, instead maintaining ties to the Nationalist government in Taiwan.
The United States lamented the “loss of China” and vowed to take whatever steps were
necessary to prevent the spread of Communism throughout Asia.

The situation in Korea also deteriorated rapidly. The removal of Korea from Japanese control
had been one of the stated objectives of the allies in World War II. Prior to the surrender of Japan
in 1945, the United States and the Soviet Union had occupied the country, temporarily dividing it
at the thirty-eighth parallel. The allies planned to hold elections after the restoration of peace and
allow the newly elected government to rule an independent Korea. However, tensions between
the United States and the Soviet Union had led to the establishment of separate governments in
North and South Korea. The Communist government in North Korea, with the approval of Stalin
and the Soviet Union, invaded South Korea on 25 June 1950. As a result of a boycott of the U.N.
Security Council by the Soviet Union, the United States was able to pass a resolution that labeled
North Korea as an aggressive nation and called for U.N. forces to be sent to Korea. The U.N.
forces, led by the U.S. general Douglas MacArthur, defeated North Korean troops and expelled
them from South Korea. Subsequently, MacArthur and the U.N. forces crossed the thirty-eighth
parallel and adopted a new mission, which aimed to unite all of Korea under a non-Communist
government. China had issued several warnings that they might intervene if U.N. forces crossed
the thirty-eighth parallel but these warnings were ignored. When the Chinese made good on their
threat to supply both men and materiel, U.N. forces had to retreat back into South Korea. A
defensive line was established near the thirty-eighth parallel. Peace negotiations dragged on
without result and the Korean War eventually ended in a stalemate. At the end of the war, Korea
remained divided.