Dissertation
When America’s “One world” met China’s “Datong”: Wendell L. Willkie, Henry A. Wallace, and Sino-American cooperation in the 1940soperation in the 1940s
University of Iowa
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), University of Iowa
Autumn 2025
Abstract
This dissertation examines the forgotten Sino-American relations in the 1940s. It investigates how and why Wendell L. Willkie and Henry A. Wallace’s “One World” matched with Soong Mei-ling and V. K. Wellington’ “Datong” (“Great Harmony”/ “Great Community”). By tracing the four transnational actors’ visits in China and the U.S. respectively, this research explains their attempts to shape an American-led post-WWII world and make world peace. At that time, President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s (FDR) administration was forced to enter World War II because of the attack on Pearl Harbor, which marked an end to the isolationist policy. Nationalist China was in a civil war with Chinese Communists and a war in the Pacific with Imperial Japan. In my dissertation, the four actors were motivated by different goals. Willkie: FDR’s Republican challenger in the 1940 presidential election and later his “One World” special envoy; Wallace: FDR’s vice president, the American “Common Man” envoy and the admirer of Sun Yat-sen’s “Three Principles of the People”; Soong: the Chinese first lady, a representative of “Datong”/ “Great Harmony” to the U.S.; Koo: the Chinese ambassador to the U.S. and the “League-Datong” advocate. However, they all had similar interpretations and understandings of “One World”, “Datong”/ “Great Community” and believed in internationalism, anti-imperialism, anti-racism, economic and social equality, American exceptionalism, and Sino-U.S. cooperation in creating global harmony.
The international status of modern China and U.S.-China relations were at their climax when FDR invited Nationalist China to participate in the Cairo Conference in 1943 and made China one of the Four Policemen (the U.S., China, Britain, and the U.S.S.R.) so as to maintain world stability. The Yalta Conference (the U.S., Britain and the U.S.S.R.) in 1945 paved the way to the “loss of China” to a Soviet-Communist monolith in 1949 and marked the failure of “Datong” and “One World,” leaving a long-lasting impact on international world order. This study argues that the actors created a mirage with their intellectual synthesis of “Datong” and “One World” in pursuing world peace because their true national and international policy goals were hidden. American “Open Door” policy in China was a precursor of neo-colonialism. An American-led “One World” was meant to prevent the outbreak of the "Common Man" revolutions across the globe.
Most existing scholarship focuses on the history of one country. The majority of works are written from American perspectives while those written in other languages like Chinese are overlooked. By integrating the political and intellectual history of the U.S. and China, this dissertation presents a new perspective on U.S. foreign policy and Chinese foreign policy. Drawing on Wallace Papers and Willkie Papers, this study reconstructs their worldviews by reviving two neglected visions of world peace and rebuilding Sino-American intellectual bonds. This dissertation interweaves and contributes to two fields of diplomatic history: “China in the world” and “the U.S. in the world.” Most importantly, it provides the missing pages of Sino-American cooperation in the 1940s. Last but not least, it promotes world peace through inspiring readers with a vision of creating a more constructive and friendlier relationship between the two most powerful nations in the 21st century world.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- When America’s “One world” met China’s “Datong”: Wendell L. Willkie, Henry A. Wallace, and Sino-American cooperation in the 1940soperation in the 1940s
- Creators
- Chi Fung Thomas Ho
- Contributors
- Michaela Hoenicke-Moore (Advisor)Shuang Chen (Committee Member)Colin Gordon (Committee Member)Peter A Gerlach (Committee Member)
- Resource Type
- Dissertation
- Degree Awarded
- Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), University of Iowa
- Degree in
- History
- Date degree season
- Autumn 2025
- Publisher
- University of Iowa
- Number of pages
- ix, 256 pages
- Copyright
- Copyright 2025 Chi Fung Thomas Ho
- Language
- English
- Date submitted
- 12/09/2025
- Description bibliographic
- Includes bibliographical references (page 245-256).
- Public Abstract (ETD)
This dissertation studies Sino-American relations in the 1940s. It examines how and why Wendell L. Willkie and Henry A. Wallace s One World matched Soong Mei-ling and V. K. Wellington s Datong ( Great Harmony / Great Community ). This research explains their attempts to create world peace for the post-World War II era.
The U.S. was forced to enter World War II, while Nationalist China was in a civil war with Chinese Communists and in a war in the Pacific with Japan. My four actors were driven by different goals. However, they all believed in Sino-U.S. cooperation in creating global harmony.
The international status of China and U.S.-China relations were at a peak when FDR invited Nationalist China to join the 1943 Cairo Conference and made China one of the Four Policemen (the U.S., China, Britain and the U.S.S.R.) in maintaining world stability. The 1945 Yalta Conference (the U.S., Britain, and the U.S.S.R.) and the loss of China to a Soviet-Communist alliance in 1949 marked the failure of Datong and One World . This study argues that the actors were only making use of Datong and One World in pursuing world peace to hide their true policy goals for their countries.
Most existing scholarship investigates the history of one country. Many works written in other languages like Chinese are neglected. This research also draws attention to the unexplored archival and primary sources published in Chinese to complement those in English. It connects the intellectual, diplomatic, and political history of the U.S. and China and contributes to transnational and international history.
- Academic Unit
- History
- Record Identifier
- 9985135348802771
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