| When Truman left the White House in 1953, Taiwan's legal status was not settled. Because of considerations of domestic politics and the international situation in Asia, Eisenhower and Dulles used Taiwan as a deterrent to Chinese "Communist expansion." But Eisenhower found himself in a dilemma when the offshore island crisis occurred. He was not able to solve the contradiction between using Chiang's forces to deter the PRC and discouraging him from attempting to recover the mainland by force. The study of U.S. State Department primary sources and other U.S. government documents, as well as important secondary studies on U.S. China policy, reveals that Eisenhower was very hesitant and indecisive in the crisis. His advisers had different views, and the European allies raised strong opposition. Most importantly, Eisenhower was determined to avoid risk of war. He finally took the initiative to drop brinkmanship and started a policy of maintaining a de facto two Chinas. |
