[Text/Watchman Network Qi Qian] The Trump administration struck again at Chinese students in the United States, criticized as "a new academic Cold War".

For Catherine Kingsbury, a columnist for The New York Times, she immediately thought of Qian Xuesen.

"The United States made a terrible mistake in the Qian Xuesen incident." On May 30, Kingsbury warned the Trump administration in an article published by The New York Times not to repeat the same mistake, because alienating global talent would ultimately be unprofitable for the United States.

Kingsbury mentioned that Qian Xuesen came to the United States at the age of 23 and worked with a group of promising young scientists in California. This team later received a more formal name: Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the predecessor of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

According to the website of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qian Xuesen was responsible for missile development work at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and participated in the construction of the first rocket to enter outer space in the United States. In 1945, Qian Xuesen was sent to Germany to investigate Hitler's secret technology and interrogate Nazi scientists. From 1949 to 1955, Qian Xuesen served as the director and professor of the Jet Propulsion Center at the California Institute of Technology.

Kingsbury believed that at that time, Qian Xuesen hoped to make significant contributions in the fields of aerospace and weapons. "Then his plan was cut short."

"The U.S. government in the 1950s did not realize that they held one of the keys to winning the Cold War: Qian Xuesen." The article wrote.

Qian Xuesen attending a hearing in the United States in 1950. Photo source: materials.

At this time, the United States was experiencing the rampant McCarthyism, with a nationwide hysteria of demanding loyalty from employees. Qian Xuesen, due to being a Chinese citizen and scientist, became a target of attack by Senator Joseph McCarthy and his supporters. On September 7, 1950, Qian Xuesen, who was at the peak of his career, was broken into his home and handcuffed in front of his family.

According to publicly available information from Tsinghua University, 15 days later, Qian Xuesen was released on bail, with the ransom amounting to $15,000. During his imprisonment, Qian Xuesen endured unimaginable treatment. He was kept in solitary confinement, forbidden from contacting others, not allowed to speak, with poor ventilation and food in prison. What was even harder to bear was that every 10 minutes during the night, the guard would turn on the light to check if he was indeed there, preventing him from sleeping all night.

Afterwards, Qian Xuesen remained in the United States for five years. In September 1955, Qian Xuesen and his family boarded the President Cleveland ship to return to China.

The article stated that this incident had a shocking impact on the United States, with "heavy costs." Not only did the United States miss the opportunity to surpass the Soviet Union in manned spaceflight, but it also allowed China to obtain a resource it lacked to challenge U.S. dominance in Asia: substantial scientific research capabilities. Besides narrowing the gap, Qian Xuesen also sparked a technological revolution, propelling China into becoming a superpower.

According to the Qian Xuesen Library website, after returning to China, Qian Xuesen immediately participated in the modern weapons project and became one of the main founders of the new China's defense science and technology cause. In 1960, under Qian Xuesen's specific leadership, China successfully developed its first missile. Later, he personally led the technical breakthroughs and trials for China's "two-bomb integration," successfully launching China's first missile nuclear weapon in 1966. In 1965, he proposed that the timing for developing and launching artificial satellites was ripe, and in 1968, he concurrently served as the first president of the Space Technology Research Institute. In 1970, China successfully launched its first artificial earth satellite, marking the dawn of China's aerospace era.

Dan Kimball, former U.S. Secretary of the Navy and later head of the rocket propulsion technology company Rocketdyne Aerospace, once said, "Expelling" Qian Xuesen "was the most foolish thing this country has ever done."

Kingsbury lamented that about 75 years later, history repeated itself in the United States: the Trump administration mercilessly suppressed foreign students and researchers.

On local time May 28, U.S. Secretary of State Rubio posted that the United States would begin revoking visas for Chinese students, including those "associated with the Chinese government or studying in key areas." It is reported that the total number of international students in the United States exceeds 1.12 million, with approximately 277,000 Chinese students.

On the same day, the U.S. Department of State website released a statement titled "New Visa Policy Prioritizes America Over China," claiming that it would "severely revoke" Chinese students' visas and modify visa standards to strengthen scrutiny of all future visa applications from mainland China and Hong Kong.

Screenshot of the U.S. Department of State statement.

"Qian Xuesen's expulsion should serve as an important cautionary tale," Kingsbury said. "It proved to be an error driven by xenophobia, which forever altered the global balance of power." But the Trump administration's renewed focus on Chinese students has undoubtedly caused anxiety among international students and scholars in American universities.

She continued to point out: "In the past, the United States viewed educating global fighters as a way to enhance and consolidate the nation. For so long, so many of the best and brightest thinkers, scientists, and leaders have yearned to study here, to experience American democracy and culture, which was once a strategic advantage." However, the current United States has lost this advantage.

In the conclusion, Kingsbury once again warned the Trump administration: "Qian Xuesen's achievements represent a risk to the United States for abandoning this advantage, and also demonstrate the potential negative impacts of alienating global talent. One day, it will be used against us."

This article is an exclusive article of Watchman Network and cannot be reprinted without permission.

Original text: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7510203884682461730/

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