normally termed "COLD WAR" in contradiction to the more usual
actice of the past where pitched battles have been fought
between regular armies. We British have experienced it before
in pursuit of what used to be termed "IMPERIAL POLICING", but not
on the scale we now have to face, nor under the direction and with
the support of another great power.
5. RICE AND BRITISH PRESTIGE
Three
There are just two other background methods I would like to
touch upon.
The first is rice, and the second European prestige.
The standard of living basically depends on the availability
of rice at a reasonable cost. Rice of course is the staple diet of the people there, but looking further afield it is also the primary diet of something like a quarter of the World's population. Some 60 to 70% of the available World's exportable rice comes from the three Far Eastern countries of French Indo
China, THAILAND and BURMA; three thoroughly unstable ones. lands which are singularly ill equipped to hold out against the penetration of Communism and which offer fertile ground in which the seeds of Communism can flourish. There surely is a really worthwhile objective; for, whoever controls the major area of surplus rice, must be in a strong position to influence the peoples of large areas of the World; especially the Far East. For this reason of rice alone I believe that we will see the aim of militant Comunism, in the guise of the Chinese Communist Armies, reaching out Westwards through KWANGSI and
Indeed the YUNAN towards French Indo China, BURMA and THAILAND. advanced guards are already there operating below the surface.
6. EUROPEAN PRESTIGE
While we are still held in high respect in the Far East it would be folly to imagine that European, and especially British, prestige stands as high there to-day as was the case
/before