ast Asia was a principal producer of rubber, tin, petroleum, and rice; this made the economic development of the region with American financial assistance and support an improvement in the best interests of the U.S. as well as of the ASEAN nations (Mahapatra 1990: 13, 51). Despite U.S. interest in the financial success of the region, however, Southeast AsiaÆs economy was not important for the health of the U.S. economy (Mahapatra 1990: 51). The U.S. was not interested in Southeast AsiaÆs economy for the sake of its own prosperity or for effecting economic integration among the ASEAN members, but for ôfostering regional cooperation against the communist expansion threatö (Mahapatra 1990: 108).
The U.S.Æs intentions with regard to its purposes for ASEAN are clearly delineated in the statement of Fleet Admiral William D. Leahy, military adviser to the U.S. President, to the Secretaries of War and the Navy, as well as to the Chiefs of Staff and the Army and Navy:
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