In the early morning of January 13, 1988, in Taipei's Seven Seas apartment, Chiang Ching-kuo suddenly felt unwell, and after getting up and taking medicine, he still felt unwell, so he went to a doctor for examination. The doctor did not detect any emergency, but only reminded him to pay more attention to his body and avoid overexertion.
However, in the afternoon of the same day, Chiang Ching-kuo was lying in bed resting suddenly**, his physical condition deteriorated rapidly, and finally died of cardiopulmonary failure at 3:55 p.m.
Chiang Ching-kuo's sudden death was shocking because he did not leave any will before he died, which shows that he did not expect this day to come so suddenly. There are different opinions about his sudden death, among which the most widely circulated theory is that Zhang Xianyi died in a state of anger caused by carrying Taiwan's nuclear program to the United States.
So, what exactly is the Zhang Xianyi incident? Is there a connection between these two things? The relationship between Chiang Ching-kuo's death and the bankruptcy of the nuclear program.
At the end of the Liberation War, Chiang Kai-shek fled to Taiwan with the Kuomintang** and his family. However, his ambition was undying and he dreamed of returning to the mainland with the support of the United States, so a protracted confrontation between the two sides of the strait began.
Until October 16, 1964, this day has a special meaning for the Chinese people, China successfully tested the first atomic bomb, marking China's entry into the ranks of nuclear states, providing a strong guarantee for long-term ***.
Chairman Chiang was worried about the enhancement of the mainland's national defense military strength, and he had laid out the development of a nuclear program. In 1963, he hosted a banquet at the Hanbilou Hotel in Sun Moon Lake for the director of the Israeli Atomic Energy Commission, Bergman, and had a three-day secret talk, and had full confidence in the development of nuclear power, and then set up a research and development institution - "Preparatory Office of Zhongshan Institute of Science".
In 1968, the "Hsinchu Project" was officially launched, and Zhang Hsien-yi, a graduate of Taiwan's Army Polytechnic Institute (later renamed Chung Cheng Institute of Technology), was appointed as a staff member of the Sun Yat-sen Academy of Sciences.
At that time, the Academy of Sciences consisted of three research institutes of nuclear energy, rocketry, and electronics, and although the various projects were in the theoretical stage under preparation, some progress had already begun to be made.
To advance Taiwan's nuclear program, the Academy of Sciences also hired Burgman as a consultant, drawing on Israel's advanced research experience.
Despite U.S. support, the real purpose is to contain China's progress. When they learned that the Taiwan authorities were developing nuclear weapons, they could only express their disapproval in a roundabout way due to the lack of evidence.
Chiang Kai-shek ostensibly agreed not to develop nuclear weapons, but in fact he was secretly planning in detail. Especially when Chinese mainland successfully tested the first atomic bomb, Chiang Kai-shek was even more on pins and needles.
Just when Chiang Kai-shek was troubled by the development of nuclear power, a suggestion by the famous physicist Wu Dayou provided him with a new path.
Wu Dayou suggested that the Taiwan authorities' nuclear program be handed over to the civilian Atomic Energy Commission in order to obtain US support for the purchase of nuclear materials, and at the same time avoid unnecessary military conflicts.
Chiang Kai-shek, after careful consideration, decided to adopt this proposal, but he did not abandon the nuclear ** program, but used it as a cover to secretly conduct nuclear ** research.
To this end, the Taiwanese authorities have procured nuclear power plants from the United States and ordered a 40-megawatt heavy-water nuclear reactor from Canada.
When all parties were ready and the nuclear research program codenamed "Taoyuan Project" was officially launched, an unexpected news came. Kissinger's visit to China in 1971 opened a new chapter in Sino-US relations, and the subsequent "Ping Pong Establishment of Diplomatic Relations" marked the official breaking of the ice in Sino-US relations, and the signing of the "Sino-US Joint Communique" officially established diplomatic relations between the two countries.
Immediately after that, the United Nations announced that it would not recognize the Chiang Kai-shek regime, and this historic progress was undoubtedly a major good news for China, but it was undoubtedly a fatal blow to the Taiwan authorities.
The United States is determined to establish diplomatic relations with China, so it has warned the Taiwan authorities not to intervene so as not to cause unnecessary trouble. Although the United States has heard of Taiwan's nuclear research, due to the lack of conclusive evidence, it can only repeatedly emphasize that Chiang Kai-shek should not cross the bottom line.
However, Chiang Kai-shek ostensibly promised not to continue nuclear research, but the nuclear reactor at his institute always operated 24 hours a day. Until his death, he was not able to see with his own eyes the nuclear ** that he had built with his own hands.
However, with the death of Chiang Kai-shek, the nuclear ** program was not terminated, and his son Chiang Ching-kuo retained the program after taking over the power and continued to conduct research.
After Chang Hsien-yi returned from studying in the United States, Chiang Ching-kuo was determined to make Taiwan a nuclear "state." However, he faced considerable international pressure, and the IAEA discovered that more than 500 grams of plutonium were missing from a nuclear facility in Taipei.
In this regard, the United States questioned the Taiwan authorities, and Chiang Ching-kuo openly stated that although Taiwan has nuclear weapons capabilities, it does not intend to manufacture them, is only committed to peace, and will not participate in reprocessing activities.
The addition of Zhang Hsien-yi made the Taiwan authorities' nuclear research program progress rapidly, and Chiang Ching-kuo also regarded him as a key training object of the military and promoted him to colonel and deputy director of the Nuclear Energy Research Institute of the Sun Yat-sen Academy of Sciences in Taiwan.
In 1987, the Taiwan authorities were only one step away from possessing a real nuclear weapon, and all the simulated data had been completed, and they only needed to complete the nuclear test explosion before they could officially claim nuclear power.
However, at this critical moment, Zhang Hsien-yi, a key figure in the Taiwan authorities' nuclear program, suddenly disappeared and took with him key information on the nuclear program. A few days later, the news of Zhang Xianyi's "defection" to the United States came out.
Coincidentally, on the afternoon of the day when Chiang Ching-kuo learned that Zhang Xianyi had "defected" to the United States, he died suddenly at home, and the cause of death was very sudden, and he did not even leave a will, so it caused widespread speculation and discussion.
Some people say that Chiang Ching-kuo died in a hurry after learning about this. But in fact, Chiang Ching-kuo was unable to walk as early as October 1987 due to foot neuritis caused by diabetes, but his condition was relatively stable.
Therefore, Zhang Xianyi's "defection" undoubtedly dealt a devastating blow to the Taiwan authorities' nuclear weapons program and Chiang Ching-kuo.
After Chiang Ching-kuo's death, the United States seized the opportunity of the chaotic situation of the Taiwan authorities and forced them to sign an agreement to renounce nuclear weapons under the threat of canceling military protection against Taiwan.
On January 18, 1988, U.S. inspectors suddenly attacked the Institute of Nuclear Research of the Taiwan Academy of Sciences, destroying all nuclear reaction facilities and forcibly dismantling the nuclear reactor value$500 million heavy water reactor.
During the dismantling process, hydrogen gas was also triggered six times**. In this instant, the decades of hard work of two generations came to naught. Chiang Kai-shek and Chiang Ching-kuo failed to wait for the moment when the nuclear research was successfully developed, and the Taiwan authorities' nuclear research results were completely destroyed, and they were no longer able to conduct relevant research.
Taiwan's top leaders conducted an in-depth investigation into Zhang Hsien-yi's "defection" and found that it was actually premeditated, but it was only due to the negligence of the Taiwan authorities that such serious consequences were brought about.
On January 8, 1988, Zhang Xianyi's wife Hong Meifeng and three children went to Japan for sightseeing.
However, at that time, the return date of his wife and children reported by Zhang Xianyi was the 12th, and the security agencies of the Taiwan authorities did not conduct strict censorship considering that Zhang Xianyi was still in Taiwan.
On January 11, Taiwan's military held its annual "self-improvement talks" in accordance with the usual practice. Zhang Xianyi, colonel and deputy director of the Nuclear Energy Institute, took this opportunity to ask for a five-day leave from the Nuclear Energy Institute.
However, Zhang Xianyi only attended the first day of the meeting after the meeting, and was absent for several consecutive days. The military thought that he had returned to the nuclear energy institute, which did not suspect him because he had taken a leave of absence to attend a military meeting.
In fact, under the arrangement of the CIA, Zhang Xianyi left Kaohsiung with a fake Singapore passport, and then took a special plane from Hong Kong to Seattle in the United States.
On his way out of Taiwan for the United States, Zhang Xianyi forwarded a confidential letter to his wife through the CIA, in which he elaborated on his itinerary and stressed that he must fully obey the guidance of Miss Li (CIA**) throughout the process.
Soon after, he was reunited with his family in the United States and was given special protection. When he contacted the Taiwanese authorities again, he had already revealed Taiwan's nuclear program to the United States, which caused a strong shock in Taiwan's top leadership.
The mystery of this history is finally revealed in The Legacy of the Ashes: A CIA History, published by New York Times reporter Tim Weiner. Since the 50s of the 20th century, the United States has begun to secretly investigate and ordered the CIA to install spies in the Kuomintang in order to obtain core intelligence.
Chiang Kai-shek attached great importance to this and selected elite backbones to be sent to the United States for further study. Therefore, the mystery of why Zhang Xianyi "defected to the United States" and when he became involved with the CIA was solved many years later.
Among the selected members was Chang Hsien-yi, who had just graduated from the Taipei Army Institute of Technology (now Chung Cheng Institute of Technology) and joined the institute. As a cadet from an ordinary military academy, Zhang Xianyi was very grateful in his heart to be appreciated by Chiang Kai-shek, and before he set off, he firmly vowed that he would definitely help the development of the Taiwan authorities' nuclear cause after studying and becoming a talent.
Chiang Kai-shek was convinced of this. What is unexpected, however, is that the nuclear program carefully planned by the Taiwan authorities was destroyed in the hands of this cronie......
Zhang Xianyi caught their attention as soon as he arrived at the CIA, but they did not act immediately, but secretly investigated his background information. Zhang Xianyi, who knew nothing about this, devoted himself to research and study at the University of Tennessee, and ignored other things.
As the time came, the CIA's ** began to approach Zhang Xianyi at various academic conferences, gradually establishing contact with him and expressing their interest to him: "We are very interested in your **, can you talk to us?" ”
The C.I.A. approached Zhang Xianyi in the name of the company, made him unsuspecting, and then began to try to win him over. According to later reports, in order to win over and buy Zhang Xianyi, the CIA opened multiple accounts in his name in Swiss banks and injected funds into the accounts for a long time.
In addition to money, they also gave him some collectibles according to his hobbies, and of course coercion was involved in the process. In the end, Zhang Xianyi succumbed to the CIA's favor and became a CIA spy.
In order to get the most out of this key figure, the CIA invested a lot of time and money in training. Especially in terms of psychological quality, they specially conducted polygraph exercises on Zhang Xianyi, which enabled him to successfully enter the Taiwan Research Institute and get in touch with the core program.
On the day Chang returned to Taiwan after earning his Ph.D. in nuclear engineering from Naxi University, he was taken away by a group of men in black for a lengthy polygraph test as soon as he got off the plane.
Fortunately, the CIA had been prepared, and Zhang Xianyi finally passed the test without any problems. After that, he would go to the Shilin Night Market alone every two or three months to pass on information to the CIA's **.
When Taiwan's nuclear program research was about to be completed, Zhang Xianyi received a secret order from the CIA that he needed to abscond to the United States with classified documents. This incident caused an uproar at the time, and Zhang Xianyi, as a party concerned, was pushed to the forefront of the storm and was widely condemned by the Taiwanese people.
After completing the mission, Zhang Xianyi and his family made their home near Tyson Point, Virginia, but they subsequently moved out of the area to avoid suspicion, and neither the C.I.A. nor himself wanted to attract more attention at this time.
After the truth was revealed, the Taiwan authorities have been trying to extradite him back to China, but they have not been able to achieve asylum from the United States. However, on the eve of the 10th anniversary of Chiang Ching-kuo's death in 1998, Zhang Hsien-yi wrote a fax letter to Taipei's "United Daily News", saying that Taiwan's cessation of nuclear research and development was a win-win result.
Two years later, Chang's arrest warrant expired, and it was reported that his family had settled in Idaho and had no plans to return to Taiwan. This shocking event finally came to an end.
In 2017, many years later, Zhang Xianyi appeared in public again and was interviewed by Chen Yishen, an associate researcher at the "Academia Sinica". In his writings, he made it clear that he did it not for money or "rehabilitation", but to pay off a debt that had been in arrears for almost 30 years.
His words reveal the difficulty of living in the United States, and the feeling of being adrift, which may not be fully expressed in words. As for whether Zhang Xianyi's behavior is right or wrong, it will take time to judge.
However, for China, Taiwan's development of nuclear weapons runs counter to the vision of "one China" and will eventually fail.