Free Formosa
The Beginning
by
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The book of Revelations says a great red dragon with seven heads and ten horns, the incarnation of Satan, will bring on the end of the world at Armageddon. Can the rise of China lead to a great world war? Will China launch a nuclear Pearl Harbor against the U.S. homeland? There are no definitive answers. But the author’s insights (Part VI, Unpublished Essays) provide indispensable information for pondering these grave questions. Many essays contain prescient warnings about China’s malign intentions, e.g., the March 2000 article about granting China most favored trade relations status despite its atrocious human rights violations. My November 2001 speech touched on China’s potential use of biological weapons against the U.S. While the origin of the coronavirus in Wuhan, China is not clear, it is clear that once Beijing realized the potency of the coronavirus, it weaponized the virus to weaken Western nations, especially the United States. The essays trace the evolution of US-China-Taiwan relations, explain the geostrategic value of Taiwan in keeping the peace in East Asia, and why the preservation of Taiwan’s freedom is tied ultimately to the security of U.S. homeland and world peace. The rest of this book is basically a documented history of Taiwanese Americans. The Taiwanese diaspora in America started as a sprinkle in the early 1950's and grew into a steady downpour in the 1970's and 1980's. This may be the only book describing the early history of Formosan Clubs and the publication Formosan Brotherhood. Who were the people who started these organizations in Chicago and New York? What role did they play in advancing the social cohesion of the Taiwanese American community? The documents assembled herein will give readers a glimpse of life in the early years. This book also documents the little known story of how the Taiwan Independence (TI) movement came into being in Philadelphia in 1956 and the activities of the early organizations Formosans’ Free Formosa (3F) and United Formosans for Independence (UFI) – during the first several years of the movement. The saga of 3F and UFI is part of the history of Taiwanese Americans and the history of Taiwan’s democratization. Many books have been published about the TI movement in America in Chinese. Most are scant on facts and often full of errors. Florence Chen is an attorney practicing in Texas. Her research paper on the birth of 3F is an authentic addition to this literature. Many hitherto unpublished documents are included in this book, e.g., correspondence with TI movement pioneer Dr. Thomas Liao and with U.S. luminaries such as Adlai Stevenson, U.S. Senators and scholars. Photos of rare mementos from Taiwan’s past and of friends and family are included. This book is the third tome of a trilogy. The first book America’s Security and Taiwan’s Freedom (Xlibris, 2010) is a collection of essays and speeches from 1956 to 2009. The second, Free Formosa: A Memoir (iUniverse, 2019), is an autobiography which includes a journal documenting grassroots diplomacy which I and my wife Helen conducted from 1957 to 2012. This tome includes 150 color photos. The 21st century is a century of disruptions and growing instability. Mankind is living in an increasingly unsafe world full of perils. To keep world peace, the Western democracies must forge a grand alliance to resist China’s chauvinistic ambitions. I hope my essays will awaken America to the red dragon’s existential threat and help U.S. leaders in developing the wisdom and resolve to stay on the right side of history and keep the peace.
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About the Book
Is a war between the US and China on the horizon? Can a Sino-American conflict lead to massive nuclear exchanges? Can China launch a surprise nuclear Pearl Harbor against the US homeland? There are no definitive answers, but the author’s insights (part VI, “Unpublished Essays”) provide indispensable information for pondering these grave questions. This book documents the early history of the Taiwanese American community in the United States, beginning in the 1950s. On January 1, 1956, the first Taiwan independence organization—Formosans’ Free Formosa (3F)—was launched in Philadelphia (see part I). Two years later, 3F was reorganized as United Formosans for Independence (UFI). Parts II and III document little-known activities of 3F and UFI. Formosan Clubs, the forerunner of present day Taiwanese American Associations, were born in Chicago and New York City, in the mid-1950s. Part IV introduces the key contributors to the Clubs’ birth. Sample pages of the newsletters are reproduced to show a glimpse of life in the early days. Pacific Times was a nationwide Chinese language newspaper, published in Los Angeles for the Taiwanese American community. The author wrote short English editorials for the paper from 1999 to 2008. Sample pieces are reprinted in Part V. Part VI covers 19 unpublished essays from 1999 to 2009. The topics include US-Taiwan-China relations and US national security. Part VII reprints author’s letters to the editor of US newspapers and academic journals from 1958 to 2009. Some letters dealt with noteworthy events, such as China’s enactment of the Anti-secession Law. Most issues discussed in this tome remain unresolved and are still relevant today.
About the Author
Jay Loo was born in Tainan City, Taiwan. He came to the US for college at age 19 and became an American citizen in 1969. While pursuing a career in actuarial consulting, Jay devoted much of his life to the cause of Taiwan’s democratization and independence. Jay has written extensively regarding the myriad dangers to US homeland security posed by the rise of a chauvinistic China. Jay Loo won a BA summa cum laude in politics (University of Minnesota) and a Master of Public Affairs from Princeton University. Jay is a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries and a Distinguished Fellow of the International Assessment and Strategy Center. Jay has published in prestigious journals including Foreign Affairs, The New Republic, and UK’s Defence Review. He is the author of America’s Security and Taiwan’s Freedom under his pen name Li Thian-hok (Xlibris, 2010) and Free Formosa: A Memoir (iUniverse, 2019). Jay and wife Helen live in Lansdale, Pennsylvania.