After the death of Chiang Kai-shek, what did Soong Meiling rely on in the United States in her later years?
On April 5, 1975, Chiang Kai-shek died of pneumonia complicated by heart disease. After taking care of Jiang Gong's funeral, Song Meiling, dressed in a solemn black cheongsam, announced that she would go to the United States for long-term recuperation and reunite with other relatives and friends of the Song family.
According to her, she was diagnosed with breast cancer as early as when Jiang Gong was still alive and urgently needed to travel to the United States for surgery**. However, it was not until the evening of October 23, 2003 that she ended her long and rich life in the United States.
It can be said that the United States became her last habitat.
This woman, who has been through three centuries of vicissitudes, is still shrouded in mysteries.
Especially after the death of Chiang Kai-shek, what exactly is her economic **?How did she manage to live in luxury and high medical costs in the United States?Is it true that as some rumors have suggested, she ended up with only $120,000 left in her account?It's all a curious mystery.
On September 17, 1975, Jiang Jingguo personally supported her, and Song Meiling, accompanied by more than a dozen attendants and **, boarded the private jet "Zhongmei" specially prepared for her and embarked on the journey to leave the "** Mansion".
The whole team was large, and it was not only accompanied by attendants, but most notably the coachmen who carried her luggage. The Taiwan authorities have made it clear on many occasions that Soong Meiling's luggage is her personal belongings.
As we all know, Song Meiling loves cheongsam, and she is extremely picky about styles and fabrics, so she must carry a lot of luggage, including a personal tailor. In addition, there are some precious antiques, calligraphy and paintings by famous painters, and a large number of expensive furniture, which are packed and brought on the plane.
When Ms. Soong first traveled to the United States, the luggage had to be transported to New York in three separate flights by three planes.
After arriving in New York, Song Meiling and her entourage took a limousine prepared for her in advance and went directly to a manor-style villa on the east coast of New York to settle down.
The villa is located in Locust Valley, an area known for its affluence, at number 95 in the Locust Valley estate, which occupies an area of 128 acres.
Built in 1913, the estate is dotted with polo and golf courses, with Long Island Bay to the north and Oak Neck Creek to the east. The geographical conditions and pleasant scenery have attracted many upper-class celebrities to buy real estate here.
In 1943, Kong Xiangxi bought the property. The mansion is built in the "Italian style" and has a total floor area of 19,000 square feet with a total of nine rooms. On the first floor, in addition to the dining room, living room, and kitchen, there is a "sun room" dedicated to basking in the sun, and there is no bedroom.
Song Meiling has been living here since she arrived in the United States, accompanied by Miss Kong Lingyi, and there are bodyguards assigned by the "** Mansion" at the door of the mansion day and night.
Despite living comfortably in the United States, Ms. Soong lived a low-key life and rarely appeared in public. Even when she went out, she only took a car, and almost no one in the local area could see her true face.
Although she doesn't show people often, Song Meiling still pays great attention to grooming and regularly goes to the beauty center to take care of her hair. Every time she appeared, she was dressed in a modest high-end cheongsam with delicate jewelry and exquisite makeup.
As a former "first lady", as well as the highly sought after "first beauty" in the past, Song Meiling has always maintained a dignified and generous demeanor, and this elegance has not disappeared because of the passage of time.
In order to maintain her decency, despite the death of Chiang Kai-shek, Soong Meiling still has a certain influence in the international community, and the United States often sends plainclothes personnel to provide her with security protection.
After living in Locust Valley for 20 years, Ms. Soong moved to a 15-story apartment on Manhattan's East Side due to her advanced age and limited mobility.
This is another residence prepared by Kong Lingkan for Song Meiling, located in the most prosperous area of New York City. Kong Lingkan purchased the ninth and tenth floors, which included a total of 18 rooms and an en-suite private elevator.
Subsequently, the old house in Locust Valley was auctioned by Kong Lingyi in 1998, and was finally won by the American real estate developer Stillman Organization for 2.8 million US dollars (about NT$100 million). However, Song Meiling and Kong Lingyi were not satisfied with this, they thought that this ** should be higher.
At the same time, Soong Meiling's former residence also held an auction of furniture and objects, including some of the items and calligraphy and paintings she brought from Taiwan.
As soon as the news spread, people from all over the United States rushed to the United States, and even some well-informed buyers in China got the news and prepared to go to the United States or entrust friends in the United States to participate in the auction.
For a time, the tranquility of the manor was shattered by the crowds of people, and the scene of heavy traffic even caused traffic problems. Neighbors couldn't stand the interruption and complained to the police, and the Long Island Highway was forced to close, and the auction had to be moved to the auction hall to continue.
Song Meiling's choice of residence is very luxurious, the decoration of the house is extraordinary, and there are special people in charge of daily life, even her favorite cheongsam is specially customized for her by professional tailors.
What's even more amazing is that Song Meiling also has two full-time drivers, two cooks and a chef assistant, as well as three or four staff members who specialize in handling affairs.
Due to her advanced age, the cost of her recuperation in the United States, as well as the cost of annual health check-ups, are not insignificant.
According to records, in order to take care of Soong Meiling, the annual personnel expenses reached at least NT$10 million, or about 2.5 million yuan. This kind of life is much more luxurious than the living conditions of the vast majority of Chinese high-rise people in the United States, and can even be comparable to some traditional European "old money".
At the same time, however, a mystery ensued, as to who paid for such a privileged life
Song Meiling was born in a wealthy family, and her father Song Yaoru and eldest sister Song Ailing are extremely shrewd. After marrying Chiang Kai-shek, politics and business were combined, and her family property also rose.
On the occasion of the wedding, Song Meiling was given a small western-style building on Xiafei Road in Shanghai. However, in her vast possessions, this is nothing more than a drop in the bucket. With Chiang Kai-shek's influence, coupled with her close relationship with the Confucian family, and her many years of business in politics, there is no shortage of opportunities for her to make crazy money on the mainland.
According to the diary of Cai Yuanpei, the president of Peking University at the time, in 1934, "Jiangnan Zhengbao" estimated the assets of Chiang Kai-shek and Soong Meiling, saying that Soong Meiling's personal wealth had reached 35 million silver yuan, more than twice that of Chiang Kai-shek. Therefore, Song Meiling's middle-aged wealth reached 10 million silver yuan, which is quite a basis.
While accumulating wealth, Soong Meiling also collected many calligraphy, paintings and antiques, which were also brought there when Chiang Kai-shek retreated to Taiwan. And the ninety-seven pieces of luggage she carried with her when she left for the United States probably also included artifacts that had been accumulated since then.
There are also a lot of rumors about Song Meiling in the United States. Since she has kept a low profile and left a mysterious impression on the outside world, rumors have also emerged. It was rumored that Song Meiling had hired a professional company to get rid of cockroaches, and their staff saw her cabinet full of gold bars.
After all, rumors are just rumors, and with Song Meiling's cautious character, she should not make the low-level mistake of "not revealing her wealth". But it also reflects Americans' understanding of her luxurious lifestyle.
It is likely that the wealth earned by the Kong and Song families in their early years has long been laundered through various means, including the two real estate properties purchased in the United States. But Song Meiling's property in her later years was much more than that.
In addition to Soong Meiling's initiative to collect money, the behavior of people on the island to "pay tribute" to Chiang Kai-shek and his wife on important festivals has also accumulated considerable wealth for them.
During the reign of Chiang Kai-shek, he liked to greet the officers who patted their horses with precious antiques, and threw her favorite gifts to his wife Soong Meiling. In weekday exchanges, as long as Song Meiling is interested, the magnates on the island are all generous, although Song Meiling herself may not have relevant expectations.
In order to please Song Meiling's favor, these powerful people will even compete with each other in giving gifts, which has also led to the accumulation of considerable wealth by the Jiang couple. There is a small room in the Shilin Mansion dedicated to storing the gifts received by Song Meiling.
Among these gifts, there were several chests of piles of silk and all sorts of precious cloths, all of which failed to attract the attention of Madame, and were covered with dust and dust.
As the "** lady", before Chiang Kai-shek's death, Soong Meiling could receive an allowance every two to three months, and Chiang Ching-kuo did not interrupt after he came to power.
Although Chiang Ching-kuo was not Soong Meiling's biological son, and the relationship between the two was only superficially peaceful, Chiang Ching-kuo still tried to maintain Soong Meiling's dignity and carried out his father Chiang Kai-shek's "last words" that Chiang Ching-kuo instructed Chiang Ching-kuo to treat Soong Meiling well before his death.
According to the "Measures for the Implementation of the Regulations on the Courtesy of Resignation" issued by the Taiwan authorities in May 1978, Soong Meiling was named "stepping down**"The special means of transport and the specialized drivers, medical personnel and administrative personnel referred to above are provided under this "scheme".
This also means that some of the benefits that Soong Meiling enjoys are paid by the Taiwanese authorities, and there is no upper limit, even including the annual maintenance costs of her "Shilin Residence" in Taiwan.
At the same time, Song Meiling's life in the United States was also guaranteed, and special security personnel were dispatched to ensure her safety. So, despite being in the United States, her day-to-day affairs were carefully arranged and costly.
In January 1988, Chiang Ching-kuo died, and Soong Meiling returned to Taiwan to mourn him. At the memorial service, she met with ***. In order to ensure that her privileged life is not affected, she asked *** if she would continue to provide financial support. Although Soong Meiling's political career in Taiwan has long since ended, as a "**widow" who still has great influence, she promised to continue to provide financial support, and usually does not refuse Soong Meiling's financial requests.
As a result, Soong Meiling's luxurious life in the United States in her later years received strong financial support. On the one hand, it is the wealth accumulated by the Kong family and her for many years of cooperation, and on the other hand, it is the "** widow" treatment that Song Meiling enjoys in Taiwan. No matter what support she relies on, Song Meiling can be handy.
3. On Soong Meiling's economic transactions.
It is rumored that Soong Meiling's life in the United States does not completely depend on the financial support provided by Taiwan, as well as the "secret funds" of the Jiang family back then. These rumors are not unfounded.
In Sterling Seagrave's book, The Song Dynasty, a secret FBI document is revealed. Judging from this document, they believe that the Song family has the most influence in China, with almost the power to kill and kill, and that the motive behind almost every action is to seek wealth.
The interests of Jiang, Song, Kong, and Chen are intertwined like old trees. Song Meiling's brother-in-law Kong Xiangxi and brother Song Ziwen both once held the financial power of the national **. Through various means, they continued to convey their interests to these four families, especially the two families of Kong and Song, and accumulated countless wealth.
In February 1938, Chiang Kai-shek established the "Aviation Committee", with Soong Meiling as the secretary-general. When negotiating cooperation with American aircraft manufacturers, Soong Meiling took advantage of her position to privately transfer most of the funds for the purchase of aircraft to her own name. The specific operator is Kong Lingwei of the Kong family.
During the Anti-Japanese War, instead of surviving the difficulties together, the Kong and Song families made a fortune. They privately withheld US aid funds to China, resold US aid materials through their own companies, and put the money they earned into their own pockets, and showed no concern for the war-torn and starving people.
During the Civil War, the Kuomintang frequently asked the United States for aid, but these funds were not used for national construction, but were regarded as fat meat by the Kong and Song families, and used to invest in their own enterprises. The Kong family also got involved in the arms business, and through Kong Lingkan's operation, they obtained a large amount of foreign exchange, and some of it inevitably flowed into Song Meiling's pocket.
From the end of 1948 to the beginning of 1949, Soong Meiling went to the United States again to try to obtain an aid fund. However, before she went to the United States to seek assistance, FBI Director Hoover had already submitted a report to the then ** Truman.
In this report, the secrets of Song Meiling and the Kong and Song families were revealed, especially Kong Xiangxi and Song Ziwen, who were involved in tax evasion amounting to tens of millions of US dollars, and the illegal assets of the four major families in the United States reached more than two billion.
The director of the FBI made a detailed report to ** Truman, which made Truman very angry and scolded the Kong and Song families as "fucking bastards".
Faced with the bad records of the four major families in the past, the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives unanimously decided to permanently freeze the illegal assets of the four major families in the United States, and require them to pay up the amount of tax evasion and pay fines.
This call for help ended in failure, and not only that, but the assets of the four major families in the United States were permanently frozen. Soong Meiling had no choice but to immediately start disposing of her property in the United States and entrust her nephew Kong Lingkan to help manage it. Although nearly half of the assets have been frozen, this does not mean that Song Meiling has lost the ability to seek wealth.
With the prestige and position of the Chiang couple in political circles, they were able to advance and intervene in the international and domestic economic situation. Through the intricacies of interests, they can quietly obtain huge profits, operate the market through a series of related figures, and also wash away all illegal gains.
A widely praised sentence about the three Song sisters is: "The eldest sister loves money, the second sister loves the country, and the younger sister loves power." However, Soong Meiling's ambitions are not limited to power. The abyss of desire is never filled, and even in her advanced age, her quest for wealth has not diminished. After leaving Taiwan, although she was not able to do it, with her own prestige and dependence on the Kong and Song families, she was sometimes able to obtain benefits without doing it herself. This became the secret code of her wealth in her later years.
In mid-1984, a telegraph released by the United Press International reported that "Mrs. Chiang Soong Meiling has invested $5 million to sign a contract with Phillip Oil Company of Texas to cooperate in oil and gas exploration, and to start a cooperative ...... near New Mexico."”
Although other reports later reported that this was actually Kong Lingjie's behavior, it was only because Kong Lingjie thought that Song Meiling was extremely famous and wanted to borrow her reputation. In fact, it is difficult to determine whether there is Song Meiling's instruction behind this. The relationship between the Kong and Song families is close, and Song Meiling is also satisfied with helping Kong Lingjie with her own prestige.
In fact, as early as her early years, Song Meiling showed a willful and selfish character. She didn't smoke until she started smoking because of her illness.
During the Anti-Japanese War, the famous American journalist Ms. Annali Jacquebe went to Chongqing for an interview and was invited by Soong Meiling. At the banquet, Soong Meiling was addicted to cigarettes and ignored the slogan on the wall: "Patriotic Chinese do not smoke, plough the land to produce food for the war of resistance!"”
Seeing this scene, Anali Jacobe felt that this behavior was inappropriate and refused the cigarette handed over by Song Meiling. And Song Meiling was dismissive of this, saying, "It's all for the people to see." ”
After returning to China, Annali truthfully reported the incident, which aroused Chiang Kai-shek's strong dissatisfaction, but Soong Meiling still went her own way and insisted on smoking, showing her attitude of no one in her eyes.
In the United States, Soong Meiling lives in the Confucian family's house, coupled with financial support from the Taiwanese authorities. However, the specific financial arrangements were not reviewed by herself, but by Kong Lingyi, the long-term service of Miss Kong, who was in charge of everything.
Once, Song Meiling asked Kong Lingyi if her living expenses in the United States were enough, and Kong Lingyi replied that it was enough. Since then, Song Meiling has never asked about related matters.
Song Meiling has the support of the two major families of Kong and Song behind her, even if *** reduces the funds given to Song Meiling after coming to power, with the existence of Kong Lingyi and Song Ailing, her life will never become difficult.
In addition, Kong Lingyi once publicly claimed that Song Meiling's estate was only $120,000. However, since the marriage of the Kong and Song families, the two families have been closely connected like grasshoppers in a boat. In this case, how can the outside world know about Song Meiling's real financial situation?The numbers seen on the surface are only the tip of the iceberg, but the turbidity currents beneath the ice are not known to the world.
The public display of $120,000 may be an attempt to block speculation and speculation, but the reality is already there. Through the use of power schemes, in-laws and collusion with each other, the Song family and the Confucian family looted the people's fat and ointment in the first-class aid fund and market economy, and even fled with money after being defeated, which brought great hardship to the people. These crimes will not be wiped out with her passing.
Even if she was once rich and good at planning, Song Meiling in her later years was just an ordinary old man after taking off her various identities. She will also suffer from illness and the death of a loved one, which is an inevitable part of life.
Song Meiling's favorite niece Kong Lingwei and grandson Jiang Xiaoyong passed away one after another, among them, Kong Lingwei died of cancer, which caused a great blow to Song Meiling. Subsequently, Jiang Xiaoyong's death made Song Meiling's already lonely heart even more desolate. However, it was difficult for her to confide in her juniors and servants.
This is not only because of the gap between age and era, but also because Song Meiling has been operating in politics for many years, and in order to avoid the leakage of relevant information, she has to choose to remain silent.
As she grew older, Song Meiling's time of wakefulness became shorter and shorter. Sometimes she mistakes her loved ones for someone else and chats with them for a long timeSometimes she also falls into deep thought because she sees things and thinks about them. At this time, Song Meiling has been reduced to an old man under the wash of the years, and she spent her old age alone.
On the evening of October 23, 2003, accompanied by Kong Lingyi and his wife, Song Meiling passed away, and the glory of the past faded, and all the unknown secrets were buried underground.
Until the end of her life, she remained mysterious. She politely rejected Kong Lingyi's proposal to write a biography for her, did not leave a last word, and did not entrust the posterity. She knew very well that remaining silent was the only way to preserve the last face of the Jiang family and the Song family.
As for the huge fortune behind her, it has now become a mystery. But considering Kong Lingyi's attitude towards Song Meiling's last strong dignity, we may be able to guess that the Kong family may be the biggest beneficiary.