Foreign Relations of the United States, 1969–1976, Volume
E–12, Documents on East and Southeast Asia, 1973–1976
Press Release
Office of the Historian Bureau of Public
Affairs United States Department of State March 3, 2011
The Department of State released today Foreign Relations of the
United States, 1969–1976, Volume E–12, Documents on East and Southeast
Asia, 1973–76. This volume is the latest publication in the subseries of the Foreign Relations series that documents the most
important foreign policy decisions and actions of the Presidential
administrations of Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford. Volume E–12 is published in
electronic-only format and is available free of charge on the Internet.
Approximately 25 percent of volumes covering the Nixon and Nixon-Ford
administrations are published in the electronic-only format.
This volume includes official historical documentation on U.S. relations with
Japan, North and South Korea, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Australia, New
Zealand, ANZUS, Papua New Guinea, the Pacific Islands, the Philippines, SEATO,
and ASEAN from 1973 through 1976. The chapter on Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos
covers the period from May 1975 through December 1976. A chapter on Thailand and
Burma will be added once it has been fully cleared for publication. Although
this volume is meant to stand on its own, it is best read in conjunction with
two other volumes: Vol. XVIII, China,
1973–1976 and Vol. X, Vietnam, January
1973–May 1975.
U.S. policy toward East and Southeast Asia during these years sought to rebalance
U.S. policy following the subordination of other concerns to the waging of the
Vietnam war. The policies of the Nixon and Ford administrations were also
affected by the evolving Sino-American relationship, the Nixon doctrine, and the
challenge of pursuing economic growth within a fluctuating international
monetary system. During 1975 and 1976, the United States spent a great deal of
time reassuring its Asian allies of its commitment to remain engaged in the
region, many of whom expressed alarm following the collapse of pro-American
governments in South Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos.
Bradley Lynn Coleman, David Goldman, and David Nickles compiled and edited this
volume, which is available exclusively on the Office of the Historian website at
http://history.state.gov/historicaldocuments/frus1969-76ve12. For
further information, contact Susan Weetman, General Editor of the Foreign Relations series, at (202) 663-1276 or by e-mail
to history@state.gov.