Martin Gold is author of “A Legislative History of the Taiwan Relations Act: Bridging the Strait”

Where did President Nixon’s historic trip to China in 1972 and official normalization between the two countries in 1979 leave Taiwan, the small and thriving Asian democracy that had been a staunch ally of the United States in the Cold War era.

On this edition of the podcast we speak with Martin B. Gold. Mr. Gold is author of “A Legislative History of the Taiwan Relations Act: Bridging the Straight.” His book examines the passage of the Taiwan Relations Act of 1979, which defined U.S.-Taiwan relations after the United States diplomatic recognition of China. It analyzes how the legislation was shaped after extensive hearings, lengthy debates, and shared disagreement in Congress eventually achieved broad consensus.

Gold is an an attorney in Washington and on the faculty of at the Graduate School of Political Management at George Washington University. He knows the subject well because he worked as a senior staffer for a decade when this all took place. First for Senator Mark Hatfield (R-OR) and then Senate Minority Leader Howard Baker (R-TN).

Senator Orrin Harch of Utah says this of “A Legislative History of the Taiwan Relations Act:” “Gold reminds us of a time when policies were crafted and ideas were considered based on both particular interests and arguments in favor of the common good.”

Highlights

– The impact of President Nixon’s historic trip to China on U.S.-Taiwan relations.

– How the U.S. and China officially normalized relations, and its aftermath.

– The reaction of U.S. allies and the Taiwan lobby after rapprochement with the People’s Republic of China.

– Why supporters of Taiwan felt it needed long term defense aide.

– The origins of the Taiwan Relations Act and how it passed Congress.

– The termination of the Taiwan Defense Treaty, and the Supreme Court challenge against termination.

Buy the Book!

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Vice President Nixon with Taiwan President Chang Kai Shek in Taipei in December 1953. (Richard Nixon Presidential Library).