US Air Force planned nuclear strike on China over Taiwan: report

afp ^ | 4/30/08 | afp

[Flavius]

WASHINGTON (AFP) - The United States Air Force had considered a plan to drop nuclear bombs on China during a confrontation over Taiwan in 1958 but it was overruled, declassified documents showed Wednesday.

When he learned about it, President Dwight Eisenhower instead required the Air Force to initially use conventional bombs against Chinese forces if the crisis escalated, according to previously secret US Air Force history.

The president's instructions seemingly astounded the Air Force top brass but the author of one of the studies released said US policymakers recognized that atomic strikes had "inherent disadvantages" because of the fall-out danger in the region as well as the risk of nuclear escalation.

[Izzy Dunne]

Why do these yahoos think this is some sort of news?

The military should have plans to nuke China, even in 2008.

They should have plans to nuke Paraguay, or send a land invasion to Saskatchewan, or retaliate against Finnish aggression, for crying out loud.

Just because we have plans for doing something doesn't mean we intend to.

[RightWhale]

The situation was kind of tense at the time. China was shelling, Taiwan was moving troops.

[Flavius]

met a guy that was flying a nuke in the plane during the Korean war

[Eric in the Ozarks]

Kimoy & Matsu were the Nationalist islands being shelled by the Reds. Good thing the Clintons weren’t around...

[JRandomFreeper]

The military has plans for taking over Canada, in case of a maple syrup crises. And what about Mil-Spec-12B (abbreviations) that listed IPBM (InterPlanetary Ballistic Missle) from WAY back. Damn aliens. /sarc

/johnny/

[Pontiac]

China-Taiwan political ties deteriorated during the past eight years under the rule of President Chen Shui-bian, who had irked Washington and Beijing with his pro-independence stance.

But Beijing-friendly Ma Ying-jeou, who took over from Chen last month, has vowed to improve relations with China, increase trade, tourism and transport links, and work on a peace treaty to end hostilities.

I may be wrong but I think Chen is a fool. You can play nice with a tiger but chances are if you do you will in the end have lunch with the tiger and be the main course.

[gridlock]

If the Pentagon does not have a plan to nuke Wisconsin, somebody is not doing their job...

[Crim]

“Why do these yahoos think this is some sort of news?”

Becuase leftists HATE the US military and will NEVER miss out on a chance to bash...er...illustrate how bloodthirsty they are...

[big'ol_freeper]

The United States Air Force had considered a plan to drop nuclear bombs on China during a confrontation over Taiwan in 1958 but it was overruled..

The wording of that just shows what complete idiots media folks are. Evidently they have no concept of CONPLANS (contingency plans). The U.S. military continually develops them for all theaters. Sometimes they even include potential conflicts with current allies.

[Pontiac]

"This was in accordance with the drift of Air Force thinking which considered nuclear weapons as usable as 'iron bombs,'" according to the report released Wednesday by the National Security Archive.

US policymakers recognized that atomic strikes had "inherent disadvantages" because of the fall-out danger in the region as well as the risk of nuclear escalation.

The Air Force may not have been wrong at this time in history.

China did not test their first A bomb until October 16, 1964.

I very much doubt that the USSR would have entered a Nuclear War to side with the Chinese against the US because they knew that they were drastically over matched.

Probably at the time a single use of a nuclear weapon would have demonstrated to the Chinese that we were deadly serious about defending Tiwan and have ended that conflict quickly.

Resent research shows that the danger posed from fallout has been way overblown.

Nuclear weapons like every other weapon has advantages and disadvantages.

Presently I think that the best use today for a nuclear weapon would be a deep penetrating bunker buster.

[Bender2]

Re: The wording of that just shows what complete idiots media folks are. Evidently they have no concept of CONPLANS (contingency plans). The U.S. military continually develops them for all theaters. Sometimes they even include potential conflicts with current allies.

Just imagine what the MSM would say... if they ever got a copy of my contingency plans for the coming war on the liberal news media!

[Mr. K]

Oh how HORRIBLE~!! The Military actually made CONTINGENCY PLANS~!! using DIFFERENT POSSIBLE SCENARIOS~!!

I guess this so-called ‘reporter’ thinks it would be better if they just wing it when anything happens..

[353FMG]

“..met a guy that was flying a nuke in the plane during the Korean war..”

Just hope that you will not meet a guy with the name “Mohammed” flying such a plane with American markings.

[imahawk]

The Military has a plan to wipe out any and every country on earth.That is part of their job.

[CarrotAndStick]

All that this serves is to give the PLA / CCP leaders ample ammunition to herd the Chinese sheeple into even more fanatic patriotism.

China will prove to be Nazi Germany X 1,000.

[big'ol_freeper]

"I hears there tis even a CONPLAN to invade Ireland should the Irish cut off the flow of Guinness, sure enough."

[indcons]

To all: please ping me to threads that are relevant to the MilHist list (and/or) please add the keyword "MilHist" to the appropriate thread. Thanks in advance.

Please FREEPMAIL indcons if you want on or off the "Military History (MilHist)" ping list.

[Berlin_Freeper]

Does anyone ever worry about what plans the other countries have?

[Polybius]

The military has plans for taking over Canada, in case of a maple syrup crises.

Well,....now that you mention it.....Post 120

[divine_moment_of_facts]

Even though the French people have shown they are Pro-American by voting in President Sarcozy..

The Associated French Press has once again shown their contempt for the USA by trying to paint us as warmongers.

[Pistolshot]

I have it on good authority we have had plans to attack France for their cheese and crackers.

[divine_moment_of_facts]

Hmm.. I thought it was for their “Whine and Cheese”.

[Chode]

[Dumpster Baby]

My dad was there on the USS Hancock CVA-19. His cruise book picture shows him supervising the loading of a nuke under the belly of a prop driven AD6N "Spad". The AD's were supposed to loft bomb their target and try to get away. He said all the planes carrying nukes while they were flying CAP were assigned targets before they launched, and only needed the word to head inland.

The shelling of Quemoy and Matsu islands did indeed cause a lot of tension, and kept the 7th Fleet very busy in the South China Sea for several years there.

[RightWhale]

Right, throw the bomb as far as possible while turning to go in the opposite direction. Got to wonder if a nuke or ten would have made any difference. Might suppress some of those artillery pieces for a while.

[2CAVTrooper]

This is nothing new.

There are a vast array of contingency plans that the military has up to and including the use of nuclear weapons against numerous countries so it doesn’t surprise me one bit that there were plans to use nukes against China.

[2CAVTrooper]

“I have it on good authority we have had plans to attack France for their cheese and crackers.”

That plan involved a single Boy Scout armed with a pocket knife.

[tacticalogic]

Good Lord! A boyscout and a pocketknife?

[HoosierHawk]

If the Pentagon does not have a plan to nuke Wisconsin, somebody is not doing their job...

And if they aim for the southern border, we gotta twofer.

[2CAVTrooper]

Yeah the pocket knife is in case they call in the Legion.

[denydenydeny]

Note to media idiots: Having a contingency plan on file is not that same thing as “planning” to do something.

[atomic conspiracy]

I remember when Kremlin inspired “peace groups” were campaigning against the deployment of American Pershing II missiles in Europe in the early 80s. There were many lefty groups on campus so this was naturally a big concern with them.
In discussing the issue, I learned that many of my students were under the remarkably ignorant impression that this would be the first time nuclear weapons had been deployed in Europe. Nobody had told them so, it turned out, but enemy propaganda in the media and from campus activists had been carefully designed to invite that inference.

This “non-story” is rather similar. People who don’t know better will draw certain false inferences from the very fact that the media regard it as newsworthy. The media beasts of course know this.

[Tainan]

I had nothing to do with this....really...I didn’t.

[Tainan]

Great picture and story. As a side note, the shelling going the other way from Kinmen to the mainland paved the way from a couple of interesting island industries today.
First, the caves where the artillery hid and rolled out to fire were part of an extensive network that today is used to store and ferment a potent liquor named GaoLiang, sometimes spelled KaoLiang. Its some powerful stuff and some is very highly prized. (I can't stand it)
Second, the great amount of empty shell casings have spawned a home industry of knife making. There are several very highly regarded makers and shops on the island who make some very good cutlery both kitchen and utility.
Just a side note to the story.

[carton253]

Bump for later...

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks indcons.

[Republican Party Reptile]

just don’t piss on the spark plug ....

[Chode]

bingo...