Blackwell Reference Online

Extract

When the Nationalist Chinese evacuated the mainland in 1949, they kept garrisons offshore on Quemoy and Matsu islands. The islands came under Communist artillery fire after 3 September 1954, but were not covered by the US–Taiwan mutual-defense treaty of 2 December 1954. On 29 January 1955, Dwight D. E isenhower signed a congressional resolution authorizing US military help in defending the islands, which had been subjected to increasingly heavy attack. Bombardment of the islands had been intermittent, but intensified greatly from 23 August 1958, and in September the US Navy began escorting Taiwanese resuppply vessels to them. Tensions eased on 25 October when the Beijing government announced that it would only shell the islands on alternate days. On 27 June 1962, John F. K ennedy reaffirmed US support for the islands after 600,000 Communist troops were built up on the nearby mainland. Quemoy and Matsu then ceased to be a major flashpoint of the cold war . ... log in or subscribe to read full text