Since ancient times, most traitors who have defected to the enemy have been spurned by the people, but there is such a person, who was once an expert in the secret study of nuclear weapons in Taiwan, but fled to the United States with top-secret information before Taiwan's nuclear weapons were about to be released.
And this kind of behavior that should be engraved with a pillar of shame was later praised by many Chinese people, and this traitor was even praised as a "heroic figure".
The disparity in strength between the two sides of the strait is gradually widening, and Taiwan is eager to develop nuclear weapons
Born in Haikou, Hainan, Zhang Xianyi left his hometown as a child and moved to Taiwan with his parents with the Kuomintang. In 1963, at the age of 18, zhang Xianyi was admitted to the department of physics of the Taiwan Army Institute of Technology, and was valued by teachers and schools with his excellent scientific research and learning ability.
In 1964, Chinese mainland successfully launched the first atomic bomb, which caused quite a blow to the Taiwan authorities, as de Gaulle said; "Countries without nuclear weapons are not great powers." Chiang Kai-shek still fantasized about "counterattacking" the mainland, so how could he be left behind in nuclear weapons?
Since then, the Taiwan authorities have been determined to develop nuclear weapons themselves. In 1965, with the strong support of Chiang Kai-shek, Taiwan decided to develop nuclear weapons under the pretext of developing nuclear power generation.
In 1967, Zhang Xianyi, who graduated from the Army Polytechnic Institute, was assigned to the Zhongshan Institute of Science, and in the same year, the Chinese mainland successfully tested the hydrogen bomb. After learning that the mainland had even developed a hydrogen bomb, Taiwan was even more eager to make some achievements in the development of nuclear weapons, but its own resources were limited.
In order to solve technical problems, Taiwan internally selected a number of cutting-edge scientific talents and sent them to the University of Tennessee in the United States for further study in 1969, and Zhang Xianyi was among them.
In his youth, Zhang Xianyi was also a young man with lofty ideals, and after being assigned by the government to the United States, he devoted himself to learning advanced knowledge in the United States, only to return after completing his studies one day. Zhang Xianyi is more or less clear about the purpose of the Taiwanese school of his own further education, and he also studied nuclear engineering at the University of Tennessee. In 1976, Zhang Xianyi returned to Taiwan and entered the Institute of Nuclear Energy of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Longtan Township, Taoyuan County.
On the eve of the successful development of nuclear weapons, he defected and Destroyed Taiwan's nuclear weapons program
After returning to Taiwan, Zhang Xianyi was naturally accepted by the Taiwan government to develop nuclear weapons for Taiwan. It is worth mentioning that when he first entered the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Zhang Xianyi was actually monitored and inspected by Taiwan's intelligence department for two years, during which every phone call and every trip was controlled by Taiwan's intelligence department, and it was not until two years later that Zhang Xianyi was officially trusted by the Taiwan government.
Zhang Xianyi, who is talented in scientific research, is highly valued by Taiwan, and in 1984, just eight years after returning to Taiwan, he was successfully promoted to deputy director of the colonel, officially becoming the core personnel of Taiwan's secret research on nuclear weapons.
In 1985, Chiang Ching-kuo further accelerated the pace of developing nuclear weapons, and with the trust of the Taiwan government in himself, Zhang Xianyi at this time knew the process of Taiwan's development of nuclear weapons almost better than anyone. Thanks to the efforts of the researchers, Taiwan's "nuclear program" soon made significant progress, and in 1987, Taiwan was fully equipped with the ability to develop nuclear weapons, and Taiwan's first atomic bomb was about to be born.
However, at this critical juncture, Zhang Xianyi, who is a core member of Taiwan's nuclear weapons development, has a big problem here.
At the end of 1987, near the 193rd anniversary of the University of Tennessee, Zhang Xianyi received an invitation from the University of Tennessee. Zhang Xianyi took this opportunity to ask the Taiwan authorities for leave, and after obtaining approval, went to the United States to deliver the news that Taiwan's nuclear weapons program would be completed.
On January 12, Zhang Xianyi and his whole family took a flight to the United States for a "vacation", and on the same day, the news of the stay in the United States and the failure to return was reported, and under the arrangement of the US government, he lived in Washington, D.C. The Taiwan Government suddenly felt bad but helpless, and seeing that the plan was about to come to fruition, it was bitten back by its own people, which was a huge blow to Taiwan and to Chiang Ching-kuo himself. Just one day after Zhang Xianyi left Taiwan, Chiang Ching-kuo died of a sudden heart attack, which was obviously the reason for Zhang Xianyi's defection.
Sure enough, Zhang Xianyi used his position to copy a large amount of confidential information during Taiwan's research on nuclear weapons, and when he arrived in the United States, he handed over all this information to the US Government, and gave taiwan the news and information that Taiwan secretly developed nuclear weapons under the guise of non-governmental research and development of nuclear energy.
Subsequently, at a secret hearing in the US Congress, Zhang Xianyi also pointed out that Taiwan's nuclear weapons are close to completion. On January 15, the United States and the International Atomic Energy Administration raided the Institute of Nuclear Research of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Taiwan on the basis of information provided by Zhang Xianyi, successfully seized and dismantled relevant facilities, and also took away a large number of instruments and equipment, completely destroying Taiwan's nuclear weapons program.
It is reported that some accidents occurred in the process of the United States handling the Taiwan Nuclear Weapons Research Office, the fuel rods used locally deteriorated due to age, and the metal uranium and water vapor in them produced hydrogen, which triggered a gas explosion, after which the radioactive material was released and flowed with the drainage ditch to the land below the Nuclear Research Institute.
Nuclear-affected contaminated blocks, which cover about 2.3 hectares, have been planned as environmental test areas, where contaminated land has been excavated and re-covered. Although the scope of nuclear pollution is reasonable, the sewage used to wash away the land contaminated by nuclear radiation flows into Dahan Creek.
The honorary scientist in front of the people, but behind it is the American spy
It was not until Zhang Xianyi defected that Taiwan discovered that the powerful generals that it had believed in had long been bribed by the United States, and Zhang Xianyi had been working for the CIA for nearly 20 years. As early as Zhang Xianyi's advanced studies at the University of Tennessee in the United States, the CIA had already found him.
The United States has always suspected that Taiwan has a plan to develop nuclear weapons in secret, and has warned Taiwan before, and it has also counted the number of things that the United States has in mind about Taiwan's yang and yin. The students sent from Taiwan are still studying nuclear engineering, and the calculation of this is already very clear.
With regard to plotting against Zhang Xianyi, the United States has also made a lot of efforts, first of all, economically and emotionally tempting, and secondly, it has also analyzed to Zhang Xianyi the harm to cross-strait and even world peace caused by Taiwan's possession of nuclear weapons.
Soon after, Zhang Xianyi was successfully countered by the CIA, and during his time in the United States, the CIA specially trained him as a spy, and anti-reconnaissance and anti-tracking were not a problem for Zhang Xianyi after returning to Taiwan, which is also the reason why Taiwan inspected him for two years but did not find any problems.
Since joining the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Taiwan, Zhang Xianyi has been constantly passing on relevant news to the United States, and the CIA has also opened an account for Zhang Xianyi in European banks, and every once in a while he will remit a large amount of remuneration. For Zhang Xianyi, who is at the heart of nuclear weapons research, it is not difficult to collect and transmit information, especially after his heavy tenure in the later period, almost all the data on nuclear weapons development will pass through his hands.
If it were not for Taiwan's sudden tightening of secrecy measures and personnel surveillance before the advent of nuclear weapons, which made it difficult for Zhang Xianyi to pass on the news to the outside world, Zhang Xianyi would probably not have preferred to expose himself or forcibly defect. As soon as Zhang Xianyi was characterized by Taiwan as a "spy," the Taiwan authorities issued a warrant for his arrest, and to this day Zhang Xianyi is still relying on the protection of the United States to maintain his livelihood.
Some people may wonder why the United States, which in the past clearly supported Taiwan and was also very happy to see scenes of cross-strait rivalry, did not help taiwan to develop nuclear weapons and try its best to prevent it?
First of all, once Taiwan has nuclear weapons, then the next step is very likely to provoke cross-strait conflicts, and the United States is not willing to be involved in it. Second, after the deterioration of Sino-Soviet relations in the 1960s, Sino-US relations have eased to a certain extent, and after the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries in the 1970s, the United States no longer recognizes Taiwan's political status.
Taiwan has also asked the United States for help in the name of studying civilian nuclear energy, but in the case of Iran, the United States does not believe that Taiwan simply wants to study civilian nuclear energy and directly refuses to provide relevant help. We don't want Taiwan to be dead at all, and it is necessary to develop nuclear weapons "against all odds."
A perfect blockade operation, a traitor and a hero
The news of Zhang Xianyi's defection has just returned to China, and the people on the mainland are glad that Taiwan's conspiracy has been broken, but on the other hand, they are also spitting on Zhang Xianyi's betrayal.
It was not until later that Zhang Xianyi made his position public, saying: "We have completed the tasks entrusted by Jiang Gong and President Jiang, and we have the ability, but we will never manufacture nuclear weapons." He also said that he did not want to see cross-strait disputes and did not want to be a sinner of the Chinese nation.
Some people think that Zhang Xianyi basically betrayed for the sake of interests, and these are just his sophistry, but whatever the main motive for Zhang Xianyi's betrayal, his behavior has indeed made positive contributions to stabilizing cross-strait relations and is also commendable.
Zhang Xianyi is a traitor, but he is also a hero who maintains peace. It is conceivable that without Zhang Xianyi's defection and Taiwan's smooth development of nuclear weapons in the 1980s, then the two sides of the strait may not be the current situation, and Taiwan's military confidence with nuclear weapons will be greatly enhanced, and it is likely that it will take the initiative to provoke conflicts, and even a war will break out between the two sides of the strait.
Nuclear weapons are a powerful weapon to enhance their own strength, but the powerful attack power of nuclear weapons will also pose a threat to the security of other countries. Chinese mainland develop nuclear weapons for self-defense and to safeguard dignity, while Taiwan develops nuclear weapons in essence to compete with the mainland for superiority or even provoke war. Preventing Taiwan from making a nuclear weapon is a decision that benefits the majority of the people, and in this regard, Zhang Xianyi deserves a "hero" title.