With the advent of nuclear weapons capable of immense destruction at the end of World War II, all world leaders were cognizant of the fact that the next World War would be globally devastating. Many close calls are well known, but a freedom-of-information lawsuit has revealed how close America came to nuclear war with China in 1958. Dwight D. Eisenhower had to overrule many military commanders during a time of high tension, ordering the military to not use nuclear weapons against China if its forces blockaded the Taiwan Strait.

In 1958 Chinese-American relations were stressed over the issue of Taiwan, with Eisenhower and Congress staunch in their support of Taiwan. They were going to use force if China escalated the tension. Five B-47 bombers were sent to Guam and put on alert, ready to drop nuclear weapons on China’s mainland. Eisenhower’s cabinet supported the idea of using nuclear weapons, and Pacific Air Force commander Gen. Lawrence S. Kuter considered them necessary, calling the idea of a “limited response” as disastrous and dangerous.

Fortunately for everyone, in October China announced a ceasefire. China shot a few thousand artillery rounds but never showed an inclination to invasion. That’s fortunate, as nuclear war could have occurred.

If you think the notion of using nuclear weapons is outrageous, remember that in the 1950’s the global climate was completely different. America was not the dominant world power, communism seemed a very real threat to the Western world, and tensions between countries were high.

[CNN]

• Over 4,000 kids are now named “Olympic Games” in China
• Chinese discovering sex is fun - troubling for a country of 1.3 billion people
• “Fly” sculpture shot down because of it’s color
• Jackie Chan issues warning to wannabe Olympic protesters
• Chinese woman posts angry video about earthquake victims…gets arrested