Preface

For four centuries immigrants from Europe extended their control westward across North America until they reached the Pacific coast.As Canadians and Americans, they retained their historical, economic, and cultural ties across the Atlantic bridge to Europe.The Pacific Ocean appeared not only to limit their territorial expansion but also presented a physical and psychological barrier separating North Americans from the alien civilizations of Asia.Only in recent times have Canadians and Americans come to realize that the Pacific also is a bridge, and that their history, especially in the west, has been influenced by events in Asia.Regular trans-Pacific contacts have existed for over four hundred and fifty years.For the last two centuries traders have been transporting goods between the north-west coast and Asia.However, this traffic made little impression on the continental-minded eastern North Americans.Not until the end of the nineteenth century did Canada and the United States recognize that they were maritime nations as well as continental, and, as such, that they had maritime responsibilities.Canada continued to depend on the British navy for protection.The United States began to demand recognition as a naval power, and to strengthen its defences on both coasts built the Panama Canal.In the twentieth century the Pacific became of increasing importance in defence, trade, conservation of resources, and international diplomacy.The recognition of Pacific significance was accelerated after the 1930's.The United States fought three costly wars in the Pacific, while Canada actively participated in two of them.The centre of international politics moved from Europe to the four powerful nations of the North Pacific.Events on each side of the ocean became of vital concern on the other.Thus it is now accepted that there is a trans-Pacific relationship which involves all of the North Pacific nations, but what is not recognized is that contacts have existed for two centuries.Many books, theses, and articles have been written on the North Pacific.Generally these are concerned with a north-south approach to the Asiatic coast or the north-west American coast and deal with regions, individual countries, or smaller units such as local communities in either Asia or North America.Few writers have been concerned with an east-west, or trans-Pacific, approach.Since the Second World War, this deficiency has been overcome by numerous books and articles concerning4 the relationship of the United States with Asia, particularly with China or Japan.However, very few have dealt with the relationship between Canadian history and events on the Asiatic coast.

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