Foreign Policy

Why did Britain want to help the US in Vietnam?

-Prevent the spread of communism

-Increase special relationship

-Make Britain more of a world power

Why were Britain reluctant to help the US in Vietnam?

-Public backlash

-Military costs

-Death & injuries

-Could create larger wars

How did Wilson try to end the Vietnam conflict?

-1965: try bring the ussr and usa together in london

-1965: suggested a handful of commonwealth prime ministers should visit key capital cities to think of how to achieve peace

-sent harold davies to deal with ho chi minh (refused access)

-visited moscow in 1966

why did relations change when the us and britain tried to broker a peace deal?

britain felt betrayed that america wanted to modify the deal to make north vietnam take the first move. also america were annoyed that their interests weren’t put first

Britain withdrawing from East of Suez was economical

-Healey started to cut spending (less defence budget)

-1967 Healey’s white paper

-1967 devaluation sped up withdrawal, all gone by 1971

Britain withdrawing from East of Suez wasn’t economical

-Kept nuclear deterrent (expensive)

-Continued to fund US Polaris missiles

Rhodesia

-Apartheid occured, white minorities felt threatened

-Changes to federation, eg splitting into 3 entities in 1963

-Ian Smith (PM in 1965) issued unilateral declaration of independence for Rhodesia without accepting majority rule

-Wilson tried to resolve: Talks with Smith in 1966 and gave oil sanctions (failure)

-1968 more talks were held. Wilson’s diplomacy was undermined as Smith relied on right wing conservatives