Origins of the Cold War
Australia's entry into the Cold War came in 1950, when it rushed combat air and sea forces into the Korean War, two days after the Americans did. The Australian Prime Minister received a hero's welcome in Washington. The ANZUS military alliance with New Zealand and the United States was signed in July 1951; it was a plan for consultation and did not involve military planning like NATO. Public opinion in Australia was intensely hostile to Japan after its wartime atrocities, but Japan was now an ally in the Cold War, so Australia's accepted the very generous soft peace treaty with Japan in 1951. Instead of worrying about a resurgent Japan, Australia now worried more about a possible Chinese threat.
Australia in the Korean War 1950–53
"Australia in the Korean War 1950–53" was generally well received by critics, though some argued that it was overly detailed. The "Oxford Companion to Australian Military History" states that the series is "scholarly and meticulous". Historian Jeffrey Grey writes that the second volume is "essential reading, although the level of detail is not necessary for the general reader". Peter Edwards, the editor of "The Official History of Australia's Involvement in Southeast Asian Conflicts 1948–1975", states that the first volume in the series has been of most importance to Australian historiography due to its "detailed and authoritative" coverage of the ANZUS treaty. There was little public interest in the books after they were released, however, and sales of both volumes were slow.