There were problems.One existed on mainland. Whatever influence she wished to exert could be effected only through the French. British,Dutch,and Chinese Nationalists,all of whom were intensely unpopular with the great masses of Asians.The Japanese had shattered the image of the white man in the Orient. Asians had come to believe that they could control their own lives and resources.They wanted the white man out-out of Indochina,out of India,out of Malaya,out of the N.E.I.,out of the Philippines.American foreign policy would either have to adjust to this historic development or her influence would wane.
America's chief assets were her military and economic strength,but she had another asset to call upon,one that was less tangible but potentially more valuable.In September 1945 America's prestige,like its relative power in the would ,had never been higher.The United States had driven the Italians out of their African colonies and thrown the Japanese out of China,Indochina,the N.E.I.,the Philippines,Burma,and Korea.America had asked nothing for itself in return. Ho Chi Minh hailed the Americans as the true friends of the oppressed of the earth.So did such dissimilar men as Charles de Caulle, Churchill,and on one occasion even Stalin himself.In a world full of hatred, death,destruction,deception,and doudle-dealing, the United States at the end of World War 2 was almost universally regarded as the disinterested champion of justice,freedom ,and democracy.American prestige would never be as high again.