China Policy Quotes
This quotation illustrates a huge reversal of policy. When Chiang Kai-shek and the Nationalists were defeated by the Communist Chinese in the Civil War, the Nationalists retreated to the island of Formosa (Taiwan) which was the only Chinese Province they held. There was the thought of setting up a separate nation on Taiwan, but Chiang Kai-shek and the Nationalists insisted that there was only one China and that they were the rightful government. At the time they held the Chinese UN Seat. The Communists also insisted that there was one China and Taiwan was a part of it with the Nationalists there being rebels. Chiang Kai-shek maintained that the people really wanted the Nationalists and they could take back the mainland. That turned out to be unrealistic and then the UN seat was given to the Communists as they were the de facto government of all of China except the province of Taiwan. There was nothing that the Nationalists and Communists agreed upon except that there was one China and Taiwan was a part of it. That, and the request of the Nationalist Chinese, has been the U. S Policy for decades. However by the 21st century, it was clear, even to the most fervent Nationalists, the Chinese Communists had won the allegiance of the majority of the Chinese people and they were not going to be successful in mounting a counter-revolution. Moreover, the Communist Military was much superior and some of the Nationalists started worry that Taiwan would be governed by the Communists along with the rest of China, So Lu and other Nationalists, flip flopped and took the position that Taiwan was an independent country—a view that is not recognized by the U. S. or China.
King had just publicly advocated the UN seating of Red China. The negative reaction from politicians who were friends of the Civil Rights Movement was just what Levison was worried about – see {637661}.
The Communists under Mao won the Civil War easily as the Nationalists were not only corrupt and very unpopular, but they were not very interested in the welfare of the Chinese peasants. Further Chiang was a ruthless dictator. At the time there was great pressure for America to support any faction that was anti Communist regardless of how bad they were themselves. Davies and others who thought that we should have communications with the Communists who would soon control China, were viciously attacked by Senator McCarthy who accused Davies of “loosing China” and the Senator and some other Americans thought that the Nationalists could win the Civil War. We now know that they never had a chance, but at the time they did a very good job of promoting their cause and capability in the United States and especially in Washington. None the less, in the Red Scare, Davies was fired, only to thereafter be awarded the highest civilian award in the nation in recognition of his great and patriotic work.
