A Radioman’s Analysis: 70 Years of Threats to Taiwan

By GENE PRINTZ

During August 1958, the Navy tanker U.S.S. Ponchatoula (AO148) was at sea near the Taiwan Strait. I was aboard as a Radioman second class (RM2) near the end of my enlistment. We would be returning to Yokosuka, Japan in a few days and I was anticipating my return to the States for separation from the Navy. These plans abruptly changed when hostilities broke out between the Republic of China (ROC), the Nationalist government on the island of Taiwan and the People’s Republic of China (PRC) on the mainland. The radio room was a hive of activity with change of orders for Seventh Fleet ships to deploy to the Taiwan area. The Ponchatoula received orders to remain on station to refuel ships and deliver JP fuel (jet propellant) to aircraft carriers for their fighter squadrons. We were aware of communist blockades around Taiwan’s small islands of Matsu and Quemoy near the mainland and rumors of war with China.

On 3 August, I received orders for an at sea transfer the next day. The orders specified three highline transfers between ships, but four were required to reach the U.S.S. Regulus (AF57), a supply ship returning to Yokosuka for replenishment. Highlining requires a person to squeeze into a bosun’s chair, a tight cage-like device suspended beneath a cable stretched between ships for manual transfer across the water. When the ships roll toward each other, the line slackens and the chair drops like a rock toward the water, but when they roll apart, the line becomes taut, lifting the occupant like a rocket. Sailors do not like highline transfers, but they are often necessary for a variety of reasons. After the fourth transfer, my fifth ship in one day, I gratefully boarded the Regulus for a leisurely cruise to Yokosuka.

To understand the hostility between Taiwan and China, it is necessary to review their early history. Taiwan is a large island separated from mainland China by about a hundred miles. At the end of the nineteenth century, Taiwan was part of the Chinese Qing dynasty though their cultures were significantly different. The Chinese were a minority of the island’s diverse and ancient population – the majority of Taiwan’s occupants were Pacific Islanders and other Asian groups. In 1895, the islanders formed a short-lived government called the Republic of Formosa, which only lasted 151 days. The Qing dynasty then ceded Taiwan to Japan by treaty, and the Japanese changed its name to Formosa, meaning beautiful island. The Japanese occupied Taiwan for fifty years until their surrender in 1945 at the end of WWII. Chiang Kai-shek, head of the Nationalist government on the mainland, regained control of Taiwan on behalf of China, and its historic name was restored. Four years later, the communist party headed by Mao Zedong ousted Chiang Kai-shek, who went into exile and moved the Republic of China (ROC) to Taiwan. Thousands of mainland Chinese followed him to Taiwan and displaced the island’s leadership. Mao’s communist party then ruled mainland China without recognizing Chiang’s government in exile. Likewise, Chiang Kai-shek did not recognize Mao’s claim to China and sought to regain the mainland without success. Chiang Kai-shek (1887-1975) and Mao Zedong (1893-1976) were bitter enemies and arguably the two most powerful men in China during the twentieth century. Chiang Kai-shek headed the Nationalist government on mainland China from 1928 to 1949 before his exile. Mao Zedong led the Chinese Communist Party from 1935 and came to be known as Chairman Mao after gaining control of mainland China. The standoff between the men and the two Chinas was never resolved during their lifetime and continues today.

The United States opposed the communist takeover of China and supported Chiang Kai-shek’s exile government on Taiwan. President Eisenhower and Chiang Kai-shek entered into a “mutual defense treaty” ratified in 1954 (the first conflict between the two Chinas). President Eisenhower insisted that his field commanders use conventional weapons first but never ruled out nuclear weapons as an option. The New York Times, May 22, 2021, reported, “Risk of Nuclear War Over Taiwan in 1958 Said to be Greater Than Publicly Known.” Years after the hostilities ceased, it was revealed that John Foster Dulles, U.S. Secretary of State, called the 1958 conflict the “first serious nuclear crisis” since WWII. The conflict between Taiwan and China never officially ended and periodically resurfaces.
I departed Japan aboard the U.S.S. St. Paul (CA73), a Navy cruiser, on 11 August 1958. Shortly after boarding, the chief radioman invited me to his office and asked if I would volunteer to stand duty watch while on board because he was short-handed. I agreed and worked the evening shift with the chief and a seaman. He familiarized me with the equipment, explained my responsibilities, certified me as a watch supervisor and placed me in shift rotation. I worked as a radioman on the St. Paul from 11 August to 21 August, when I departed the ship at Long Beach, California, where I was separated from the Navy.

Peacetime service for military personnel is seldom recognized or publicized, but many serious threats to our country have been resolved by military presence around the world, and veterans have often witnessed dangerous threats to our nation that never made the history books. I have never met a veteran who was not proud of his or her service, and in many cases, their experience had a positive impact on their lives and careers. I credit my military experience for a 34-year career with the Federal Aviation Administration and my retirement as manager of the Automated Flight Service Station (AFSS) at Terre Haute, Indiana.

Today, 66 years after the 1958 conflict in the Taiwan Strait, China is again threatening the freedom of Taiwan. The Chinese are no longer the paper tiger of 1958 when they employed patrol boats and motorized junks to blockade the islands of Taiwan. China is a superpower with a successful space program, a powerful military with missiles capable of reaching targets near and far, including North America, and they possess nuclear capability and access to North Korean weapons. Their navy is the largest in the world, surpassing the United States, and their long-term plans include even more ships. China currently has 370 ships and submarines, two aircraft carriers, ocean-going amphibious ships, and a wide range of war vessels. The Chinese air force is currently the third largest in the world with at least four thousand aircraft, including the latest Russian MIG fighters, which have been reverse-engineered to enable copies to be manufactured in China. Although they have a large number of aircraft, many are outdated and need to be replaced. Over the years, China has made numerous threats against Taiwan, and they frequently violate their territorial waters and airspace. China’s proximity to the island poses a continuous threat to Taiwan and it is difficult for the United States to provide protection.

Taiwan is an island nation and the largest island is shaped like a sweet potato. Their territory covers 14-thousand square miles, primarily on the big island, which is approximately 245 miles long and 90 miles wide at its widest point. The eastern two-thirds of Taiwan is sparsely populated and mountainous, and the western plains are largely populated and industrial. Taiwan’s military plan is essentially defensive against invasion and they rely on the United States to honor the 1954 Mutual Defense Treaty – an offensive plan against China would be pointless. The treaty is dated and would be difficult to honor due to the close proximity of China and the great distance from the United States. Even with a carrier task force on site continuously, we could not sustain a full-force response from Chinese resources in the area. A Rand Corporation report stated that Taiwan does not commit adequate funds for their own defense and what they spend “goes on antiquated systems.” Rand also observed that Taiwan’s leaders believe China will try “to incorporate the island into its political system . . . through economic coercion rather than military action.” This appears to be logical because China would want to safeguard Taiwan’s successful industrial complexes, particularly its semiconductor industry, which accounts for 92 percent of the world’s most advanced chip manufacturing capacity. I will not explore the chaotic political situation in the United States except to point out that the world is watching and despotic leaders are quick to take advantage of weak leadership.

Gene was raised on a farm near New Castle, Indiana, served in the U.S. Navy as a radioman from 1955-1958 and retired to Spring Hill in 2014. Gene and his wife Sharon just celebrated their 65th anniversary on July 24. He studied Business Administration; graduated from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Academy; completed both Management and Executive Training at Lawton University, OK; was awarded the Air War College diploma from the Air University at Maxwell AFB, AL; and completed an Executive Training course at Newport News, Virginia. Gene was an Air Traffic Control Specialist and served as an Air Traffic Manager in four states: Illinois, Michigan, Ohio, and Indiana.