The choice of topic for the Ninth Military History Symposium was based on the observation that comparatively little serious historical research has been done on America's military involvement in East and Southeast Asia. This seems surprising, since the U.S. has fought for both Americans and Asians. Consequently, lessons of the American involvement in Asian affairs have seldom been considered reverent or important, at least when compared to American preoccupation with European concerns. This dearth of scholarly interest and paucity of understanding led naturally to the conclusion that American military involvement in the "Far East" would be a timely and useful symposium topic.