CDKW00684 - Rapid Withdrawal

By the start of 1954, progress towards peace in Korea had been faster than anticipated, and American troops were withdrawn at a much faster pace than the Canadian and other Commonwealth governments had initially projected after the armistice six months prior. Rapid US withdrawals from Korea opened the door for the Canadians to request an even smaller troop commitment in the Far East. Under the new Canadian proposal, their Phase One commitment of one infantry brigade would be reduced down to a single battalion within a unified Commonwealth brigade. In exchange for a reduced troop commitment, the Canadians offered that their three destroyers, military hospital, and engineers on deployment could be left in the Far East to support remaining Commonwealth troops. Ottawa also worried about other outstanding issues, namely around communist prisoners-of-war as India’s guardianship would end on 22 January 1954.