3
But I would stress at the outset that the employment of
litary force is not the counter to Communism. It is only a
means that can be used to contribute towards the control of
Militant Communism.
Communism.
One can shoot Communists certainly, but not
3. THE BACKGROUND OF COMUNISM IN THE FAR EAST
I would suggest that the factor contributing most to the
spread of Communist doctrines in the Far East today is what happens
in CHINA.
Look where you will in the Far East, to Malaya, to Thailand,
to French Indo-China, there you will find enormous overseas
Chinese populations who unquestionably possess, and exercise, a
very great measure of control over trade, wealth, economy and
labour.
These Chinese have through the ages emigrated from their
fatherland in search of wealth and fortune in conditions which
offered them greater scope, and usually greater stability, than
existed in their own land.
It is true that many of them have been settled overseas from China for generations, but the majority are first generation settlers. However, it does not appear to me that they have ever been really absorbed the vast majority of them in the country of their adoption. On the contrary they are always looking back to China, watching what is happening there, and setting their sails accordingly. They have carried their home politics over- seas with them. A visible sign was, at least till quite recently the amazing number of Chinese Nationalist flags one saw displayed all over Malaya, Thailand, and French Indo China on any Chinese National occasion. These are now starting to change to Chinese
Communist emblems.
Thus there exists a ready made organisation in situ through- out the Far East whereby the rapid spread of the doctrines
Ladontod