Dewey recognizes Red China?

"It is an intriguing question whether, if Dewey had won the election of 1948, he might have neutralized the "China lobby" and been in a better position than Truman to recognize the new Communist regime." Charles Gati, Caging the Bear: Containment and the Cold War, p. 125. https://www.google.com/search?biw=1...c.1.64.psy-ab..3.10.1618.0..0.246.gNd0v0mtcwI

I can actually see Dewey saying something like: "We Republicans are not to blame for the loss of China; Chiang was doomed by the time I took office. With Mao's victory made inevitable by the mistakes of FDR and Truman, we have to do what we can to preserve any possible influence with the new regime and try to dissuade it from becoming a total satellite of the USSR..." OTOH, as long as Chiang controls Taiwan, he has not totally lost the Chinese Civil War, and there will be immense pressure from Republican conservatives not to allow Taiwan to fall into Mao's hands--which will make normal relations with the new PRC very difficult.
 
This would certainly put an interesting spin on TTL's Korean War. Perhaps Dewey might be able to negotiate an earlier end to the war and a smaller DPRK?
 
Seems to me Seandineen has it right: if recognized by the US, Mao could rein in the Stalinists of North Korea and mitigate, if not outright obviate, what we IOTL know as the Korean War. I'd be intrigued to know how Dewey would sell this to John Foster Dulles, though: Dulles was the prototypical Cold Warrior, not to mention one of the major architects of NATO and SEATO. Still, with the backing of the internationalists in the GOP, it seems feasible.

Ike, since still on active duty, can't express any opinion publicly, but in private he would have approved; on the other hand, it's debatable whether MacArthur would have shown similar restraint. That might have led to a Dewey / MacArthur frank exchange of ideas.

It's also worth considering whether there would have been some shifts/realignments in parties as a result of recognition of Mao's regime in, say, 1949. I wonder if one or more Democrats might have been persuaded to cross the aisle? (I can't wrap my mind around former America First types like Karl Mundt defecting the GOP, however: that simply doesn't compute.)
 

Anchises

Banned
Interesting. If the USA actually starts normalizing relations with Red China much sooner, the Sino-Soviet split might happen earlier.
 
Since it’s still early in the regime, the US could potentially force a two China policy in the UN as a condition for recognition, but with the Security Council seat going to Red China.
 
Seems to me Seandineen has it right: if recognized by the US, Mao could rein in the Stalinists of North Korea and mitigate, if not outright obviate, what we IOTL know as the Korean War. I'd be intrigued to know how Dewey would sell this to John Foster Dulles, though: Dulles was the prototypical Cold Warrior, not to mention one of the major architects of NATO and SEATO. Still, with the backing of the internationalists in the GOP, it seems feasible.

Ike, since still on active duty, can't express any opinion publicly, but in private he would have approved; on the other hand, it's debatable whether MacArthur would have shown similar restraint. That might have led to a Dewey / MacArthur frank exchange of ideas.

It's also worth considering whether there would have been some shifts/realignments in parties as a result of recognition of Mao's regime in, say, 1949. I wonder if one or more Democrats might have been persuaded to cross the aisle? (I can't wrap my mind around former America First types like Karl Mundt defecting the GOP, however: that simply doesn't compute.)
Thanks a lot. I think Mundt saw Henry Luce as the biggest puppet master of both parties. Mac might have been persuaded, with a greater effect in Europe.
 
I doubt this would happen. The political environment of 1949 is very different to that of 1972. By the time Nixon recognized China, Americans saw the need for detente and the Vietnam War had undermined the Cold War orthodoxies of the past. When Dewey takes office in this alternate 1949, the Second Red Scare will be dying down somewhat but anti-Communist fervor will still be strong. Dulles, who was certain to become Dewey's SecState, was a fierce anti-communist and I doubt he would allow for the recognition of Red China. Also, Dewey would need to remain in good standing with the conservatives who always distrusted him and reaching out to the Communists is not the way to do this.
 
If president Dewey proves himself half-willing in normalizing relations with Mao's China, what are the effects on the First Indochina War?
Would Dewey, unlike Truman, decide not to give aid to France, thus not souring relations with Ho Chih Minh, resulting in a Titoist-esque neutral socialist country in Asia?
 
If president Dewey proves himself half-willing in normalizing relations with Mao's China, what are the effects on the First Indochina War?
Would Dewey, unlike Truman, decide not to give aid to France, thus not souring relations with Ho Chih Minh, resulting in a Titoist-esque neutral socialist country in Asia?

That would be very interesting. The theory would be to isolate and starve off the Soviet Union by making as many non-Stalinist countries as possible all around them. It has interesting possibilities, but would make Dewey vulnerable to the Right wing, especially if one of these backfires.
 
If president Dewey proves himself half-willing in normalizing relations with Mao's China, what are the effects on the First Indochina War?
Would Dewey, unlike Truman, decide not to give aid to France, thus not souring relations with Ho Chih Minh, resulting in a Titoist-esque neutral socialist country in Asia?

Since Eisenhower and Dulles were strong supporters of the French in OTL, I imagine that Dewey would feel the same way.
 
Top