Asia After Dark June 2017 | Page 21

Cont r ar y t o pr evi ous r epor t s, he says he di d not t ake a si ngl e document wi t h hi m when he l ef t Tai wan. " The Amer i can gover nment had al l t he evi dence, t hey j ust needed someone - me - t o cor r obor at e i t . " Meanwhi l e i n Tokyo, Bet t y Chang was appr oached by a woman who handed her a l et t er f r om Mr Chang. That was t he moment she di scover ed her husband was a CI A spy and had def ect ed. " I t sai d ' You wi l l never go back t o Tai wan and f r om Japan you wi l l go t o USA' . . . t hat was a sur pr i se f or me. " I j ust cr i ed when I knew I coul d no l onger go back t o Tai wan, " says Mr s Chang. The f ami l y was bundl ed i nt o a pl ane headed f or Seat t l e, wher e t hey wer e met by Mr Chang at t he ai r por t . The Changs wer e l at er put i n a saf e house i n Vi r gi ni a, due t o f ear s he woul d be assassi nat ed by Tai wanese agent s or pat r i ot i c ext r emi st s. Wi t hi n a mont h, t he US succeeded i n pr essur i ng Tai wan t o end t he pr ogr amme, usi ng t he i nt el l i gence i t had col l ect ed and Mr Chang' s t est i mony. Tai wan was bel i eved t o be j ust one or t wo year s f r om compl et i ng a nucl ear bomb. Set t i ng t he record st rai ght Mr Chang has r emai ned si l ent f or decades. But wi t h hi s r ecent r et i r ement he now want s t o set t he r ecor d st r ai ght wi t h a memoi r , t i t l ed Nucl ear ! Spy? CI A: Recor d of an I nt er vi ew wi t h Chang Hsi en- yi . The book, wr i t t en wi t h academi c Chen Yi - shen and publ i shed i n December , has r ei gni t ed a debat e about whet her Mr Chang di d t he r i ght t hi ng f or Tai wan. Some pr ai se hi m f or pr event i ng a pot ent i al nucl ear war . Ot her s see hi s act i ons as denyi ng Tai wan t he weapons i t needed f or sel f - def ence and sur vi val . Even t hose i n Tai wan' s r ul i ng Democr at i c Pr ogr essi ve Par t y ( DPP) , whi ch of f i ci al l y opposes t he devel opment of nucl ear ener gy and weapons, t ake a di m vi ew of Mr Chang' s act i ons. " Regar dl ess of what your pol i t i cal vi ews ar e, when you bet r ay your count r y, i t ' s not accept abl e. . . i t cannot be f or gi ven, " sai d t he DPP' s Wang Ti ng- yu, chai r man of t he par l i ament ' s f or ei gn af f ai r s and def ence commi t t ee.