Historical Studies (Chinese Edition)

No.5, 2014

 

The 1958 Taiwan Straits Crisis and the Failure of the US Nuclear Deterrence

(Abstract)

 

Zhao Xuegong

 

During the 1958 Taiwan Straits Crisis, the Eisenhower Administration used nuclear weapon as a deterrence to blackmail China. It claimed, for many times, that it would launch nuclear strikes at all costs and corresponding attack plans were made as an attempt to prevent the Chinese government from retaking the southeast coastal islands. However, not only has the US nuclear blackmail failed to have any effect on the decisions and operations of the Chinese government, it actually put the US government into a dilemma and inspired widespread opposition at home and abroad. The nuclear blackmail became abortive at last as the Chinese government adopted a flexible and active policy. The Crisis showed that the US "massive retaliation" with nuclear deterrence at the core had come to an end.