{"id":152,"date":"2007-06-24T15:39:55","date_gmt":"2007-06-24T07:39:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/taiwanairpower.org\/blog\/?p=152"},"modified":"2008-01-21T12:02:25","modified_gmt":"2008-01-21T04:02:25","slug":"1992-and-f-16","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/taiwanairpower.org\/blog\/?p=152","title":{"rendered":"1992 and F-16"},"content":{"rendered":"

In his comments made on June 10, a Taiwan Presidential candidate attributed US President George H. W.\u00a0Bush’s decision to sell 150 F-16 to Taiwan in 1992 to the so-called “1992 Common Understanding”.\u00a0 Although this is not a blog on politics, the topic has to do with aircraft and so I want to set the record straight here.\u00a0 For your information, the origin of the so-called “1992 Common Understanding” can be traced to the meeting between Taiwan’s Straits Exchange Foundation<\/em> (\u6d77\u5cfd\u4ea4\u6d41\u57fa\u91d1\u6703) and China’s Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits<\/em> (\u6d77\u5cfd\u5169\u5cb8\u95dc\u4fc2\u5354\u6703), both proxies of the respective governments, held in Hong Kong from October 28<\/strong>, 1992.\u00a0 On the other hand, President Bush announced the sale of F-16 on September 2<\/strong> of the same year.\u00a0 I cannot say whether the two events have a cause-and-effect relationship, but the time sequence is clear: Bush’s announcement came well before the meeting.<\/p>\n

On July 29, 1992, General Dynamics said it was planning to lay off 5,800 workers at its Fort Worth plant over the next two years because of a reduction in F-16 orders.\u00a0 Then-Texas Gov. Ann Richards, a Democrat, quickly blamed the loss of jobs on President Bush’s opposition to the F-16\u00a0 sale to Taiwan.\u00a0 On his way to Texas the next day, Bush said that he would “strongly consider” whether the United States could export F-16 to Taiwan.\u00a0 In the mean time, several dignities wrote\u00a0to Bush\u00a0to lobby for the sale.\u00a0 Here are some selections from George Bush Presidential Library (all in .pdf):<\/p>\n

Former Defense Secretary Caspar Weinberger<\/a> (In this document, Doug refers to Douglas H. Paal, former Director of the American Institute in Taiwan, Taipei Office)
\nMaryland Governor William Schaefer<\/a>
\nCongressman Robert Torricelli<\/a> (New Jersey)
\nCongressman Joe Barton<\/a> (Texas)<\/p>\n

Bush’s final decision was obviously an effort to save his own campaign.\u00a0 (He also approved the sale of 72 F-15 to Saudi Arabia.)\u00a0 On September 2, 1992, President Bush made the following remarks to General Dynamics Employees at the General Dynamics facility at Carswell Air Force Base:<\/p>\n

\u00a0Thank you all very much for that welcome. And Bill Anders, thank
\n\u00a0you, Bill. It’s a great pleasure to be introduced by Bill Anders, a
\n\u00a0friend of long standing. And it’s great to be back here, back home
\n\u00a0in Texas, the home of Jose Canseco. [Laughter] I think we’re all in
\n\u00a0the wrong line of work, don’t you? I’ll tell you.
\n\u00a0
\n\u00a0But let me thank Jim Mellor here. I’m glad to be back here with him.
\n\u00a0He reminded me that I flew the simulator when I was here last time.
\n\u00a0He was gracious enough, given the circumstances, not to remind me
\n\u00a0that the simulator obviously had a failure because it crashed with
\n\u00a0me at the helm there. [Laughter] But it was pilot error, I’m afraid.
\n\u00a0And let me also thank our two Congressmen here today, Pete Geren,
\n\u00a0Joe Barton. Mayor Granger is with us, the Mayor of Fort Worth. And
\n\u00a0look at this hardware. I guess they had General Dynamics in mind
\n\u00a0when they said, don’t mess with Texas.
\n\u00a0
\n\u00a0With all the Air Force types here, the true heroes of Desert Storm,
\n\u00a0I hate to bore you with war stories. But 48 years ago to this very
\n\u00a0day, September 2, 1944, I was shot down while on a bombing raid
\n\u00a0flying off our carrier over the island of Chichi Jima. I think if
\n\u00a0I’d only had F – 16’s, things might have been a lot different, a lot
\n\u00a0different. In all seriousness, I can’t blame the plane I was flying.
\n\u00a0It was the best torpedo bomber ever to land on a carrier. I did
\n\u00a0learn, though, from that combat experience something that I think
\n\u00a0everybody here knows and has contributed to: Give our pilots the
\n\u00a0best, and then fight to win. Don’t tie their hands behind their
\n\u00a0backs. And that’s exactly what they did over there in Desert Storm.
\n\u00a0
\n\u00a0I am very pleased to be here this afternoon, even for a brief visit.
\n\u00a0I wanted to come to General Dynamics to personally make a statement
\n\u00a0that concerns all of you, your families, and this wonderful
\n\u00a0community. I’m announcing this afternoon that I will authorize the
\n\u00a0sale to Taiwan of 150 F – 16 AB aircraft, made right here in Fort
\n\u00a0Worth. We’re proud to do this. This F – 16 is an example of what
\n\u00a0only America and Americans can do. Only American technology, only
\n\u00a0American skill could have produced this flawless piece of
\n\u00a0craftsmanship which is sought all around the world.
\n\u00a0
\n\u00a0Throughout this century, the marvels of American defense have saved
\n\u00a0lives, kept the peace, and defended American values. The world has
\n\u00a0seen the F – 16 in action. Over the skies of Desert Storm the F – 16
\n\u00a0continued America’s tradition of military excellence in more than
\n\u00a013,000 combat sorties. At this very moment planes like these may
\n\u00a0well be flying over Iraq to guarantee that the bully of Baghdad,
\n\u00a0Saddam Hussein, will not brutalize his own people by striking at
\n\u00a0them from the skies.
\n\u00a0
\n\u00a0This sale of F – 16’s to Taiwan will help maintain peace and
\n\u00a0stability in an area of great concern to us, the Asia-Pacific
\n\u00a0region, in conformity with our law. In the last few years, after
\n\u00a0decades of confrontation, great strides have been made in reducing
\n\u00a0tensions between Taipei and Beijing. During this period, the United
\n\u00a0States has provided Taiwan with sufficient defensive capabilities to
\n\u00a0sustain the confidence it needs to reduce these tensions. That same
\n\u00a0sense of security has underpinned Taiwan’s dramatic evolution toward
\n\u00a0democracy.
\n\u00a0
\n\u00a0My decision today does not change the commitment of this
\n\u00a0administration and its predecessors to the three communiques with
\n\u00a0the People’s Republic of China. We keep our word: our one-China
\n\u00a0policy, our recognition of the P.R.C. as the sole legitimate
\n\u00a0government of China.<\/strong> I’ve always stressed that the importance of the
\n\u00a01982 communique on arms sales to Taiwan lies in its promotion of
\n\u00a0common political goals: peace and stability in the area through
\n\u00a0mutual restraint.
\n\u00a0
\n\u00a0Your airplane, this great airplane, and this sale also sends a
\n\u00a0larger message to the American people as we consider how we’re going
\n\u00a0to win the global economic competition. The weapons of defense that
\n\u00a0the world saw perform so brilliantly in Desert Storm were conceived
\n\u00a0by American research scientists, designed by American engineers,
\n\u00a0crafted by the best workers in the world, the American working men
\n\u00a0and women. They were guided and operated by the young men and women
\n\u00a0of our volunteer Armed Forces, the very generation that will lead
\n\u00a0America into the next century.
\n\u00a0
\n\u00a0My message is simple: No nation can defeat us when we set our minds
\n\u00a0to a task. Now we’ve got to turn those same energies and genius to
\n\u00a0the challenge at home, to secure our economic base, to ensure that
\n\u00a0the high-wage, high-tech jobs of the future are made in America.<\/strong> The
\n\u00a0country that dropped missiles down smokestacks, that created a
\n\u00a0technological miracle like the F – 16 can and will create the
\n\u00a0products the world needs in the new era of economic competition. The
\n\u00a0country that produced the most disciplined and high-skilled fighting
\n\u00a0force in history can and will find a way to utilize the talents of
\n\u00a0all of our young people.
\n\u00a0
\n\u00a0America’s role as a military superpower was not preordained. It took
\n\u00a0the ingenuity of our workers, the creativity of our scientists, and
\n\u00a0the experience of our business leaders. Now we must maintain our
\n\u00a0lead as the world’s economic superpower and export superpower.<\/strong> And
\n\u00a0it will require the same magical combination of ingenuity and
\n\u00a0creativity and experienced leadership, the same magical combination
\n\u00a0that you’ve created right here at General Dynamics.
\n\u00a0Let me make one final point, one final point. Though the world is a
\n\u00a0much more peaceful place today, I will continue to fight for a
\n\u00a0strong defense budget. We cannot take a chance. We cannot take a
\n\u00a0chance.
\n\u00a0
\n\u00a0Some are already proposing defense cuts far beyond the levels that
\n\u00a0our military experts feel are reasonable. I’ve had sound budget
\n\u00a0levels recommended to me by Colin Powell, by all the Joint Chiefs
\n\u00a0of Staff, by the Secretary of Defense. And now some in this
\n\u00a0political year want to slash defense budgets, slash the muscle of
\n\u00a0our defense. I do not want to see us go back to the days of the
\n\u00a0hollow Army or the return of an Air Force less strong than our needs
\n\u00a0require. And not only would some of the cuts proposed in this
\n\u00a0election year cut into the real muscle of our defense, they would
\n\u00a0needlessly throw defense workers out of work. And I will not have
\n\u00a0that.
\n\u00a0
\n\u00a0Thank you very, very much for this welcome. And let me say it is a
\n\u00a0great pleasure to be able to support this sale. It is a great
\n\u00a0pleasure to come here and to salute you, the finest workers in the
\n\u00a0world. Thank you all. And may God bless our great country. Thank you
\n\u00a0very much. Thank you.
\n\u00a0<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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