ABSTRACT
A regional approach to Southeast Asia was not de Gaulle’s invention. The idea of neutralising a region, as distinct from a state, was novel, but it was a concept of the British. Putting it forward was another matter. It would indeed be difficult to work out, as well as to operate. But the main problem the British had in mind was their overall relationship with the US, especially after Eisenhower and Dulles committed it to avoiding the ‘loss’ of southern Vietnam.
