ABSTRACT
This chapter examines how post-1954 British policy towards SEATO, Indochina and the neutral Asian States was intended to achieve Malaya and Singapore’s defence. It confirms that, far from being dragged into SEATO, Britain saw collective defence as a vital part of a dual track policy. This aimed to combine political and military containment of communism. In addition it shows that Britain, and to a lesser extent the United States, continued to see SEATO’s role as more than simply repelling overt aggression. It was also perceived as a psychological crutch for nervous front-line Asian states.
