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Fifty years after the 58 Straits Crisis some new information is being released thanks to the effort of Bill Burr at the National Security Archive and it seems that if not for a very wise president a nuclear response against China might have been the air force recommendation.
It shows that on the day after the Chinese began shelling the Quemoy islands on August 23, 1958, U.S. Air Force Headquarters apparently assured Pacific Air Forces “that, assuming presidential approval, any Communist assault upon the offshore islands would trigger immediate nuclear retaliation.” Yet President Dwight D. Eisenhower fortunately rejected the use of nuclear weapons immediately, even if China invaded the islands, and emphasized that under no circumstances would these weapons be used without his approval.
It is not only a statement go here to see more of the detailed plan that was discussed very seriously all through the 60th.
Wasn’t that general Le May Curtis, whose answer to everything was nuke first, ask questions later?
Sorry i know people think I am a hothead over Iran, but Le May was waaaay out there right field.
The irony is that much later late Seventies or 1980-ish there was a border dispute between China and Russia over an island in the Amur River.
Russia was about to launch a pre-emptive strike against China and USA threatened nuclear war against Russia to prevent the attack on China.
Now honestly does anybody here believe that China would ever so much as break wind to help USA in it’s conflict with North Korea?