western Pacific area.

If the Chinese Communists have decided to risk a war, it is not
because Quemoy itself is so valuable to them. They have been getting
along without Quemoy ever since they seized the China mainland 9 years
ago.

If they have now decided to risk a war, it can only be because they,
and their Soviet allies, have decided to find out whether threatening
war is a policy from which they can make big gains.

If that is their decision, then a western Pacific Munich would not buy
us peace or security. It would encourage the aggressors. It would
dismay our friends and allies there. If history teaches anything,
appeasement would make it more likely that we would have to fight a
major war.

Congress has made clear its recognition that the security of the
western Pacific is vital to the security of the United States and that
we should be firm. The Senate has ratified, by overwhelming vote,
security treaties with the Republic of China covering Formosa and the
Pescadores, and also the Republic of Korea. We have a mutual security
treaty with the Republic of the Philippines, which could be next in
line for conquest if Formosa fell into hostile hands. These treaties
commit the United States to the defense of the treaty areas. In
addition, there is a joint resolution which the Congress passed in
January 1955 dealing specifically with Formosa and the offshore
islands of Free China in the Formosa Straits.

At that time the situation was similar to what it is today.