American Catholic History Classroom > Exhibits > Tornado Machines and Trans-Pacific Relations: The Life and Work of Dr. C.C. Chang > Scientists between China and America > Early Cold War: A Turning Point for Many

Early Cold War: A Turning Point for Many

The Chinese Communist victory in 1949 and the outbreak of the Korean War in June 1950 effectively ripped apart a nascent trans-Pacific academic community made up by Chinese scientists with an American education. For those who were already working in China, the choice was often between the Communist-ruled mainland and the Nationalist-ruled Taiwan. Many remained in the mainland and would lose communication with their American colleagues for at least a decade. Those in the United States made their choices as well: the aspiration to construct their war-torn homeland, real and imagined affinity with Communist thoughts, and confrontation with McCarthyism and xenophobia, would push some away from the United States. But a great number of brilliant minds, like Dr. Chang, chose to take roots in America.

Dr. Chang and his peer Chinese scientists during their studies at Cal Tech, early 1940s. Shortly after the 1949 Communist takeover in China, friends in this photo would part ways with each other, some temporarily, others for good. Dr. Chieh Chien Chang and Dr. Yuan Jialiu decided to pursue a career in the United States. Despite their initial career in American institutions, Dr. Qian, Dr. Yu, and Dr. Lu chose to serve their home country after the Communist takeover and spent the rest of their academic lives there. Courtesy of the Online Museum of Chinese Academicians

Qian Xuesen and his family on their way back to China in 1955. Courtesy of the Online Museum of Chinese Academicians

The experience of Dr. Chang's friend and dissertation committee member, Qian Xuesen, showcased the vital impact of Cold War politics over a scientist's personal career. Qian was questioned by the FBI in June 1950, but allegations that he was a Communist had been floating around since the late 1940s. Evidence shows that he participated in some Communist gatherings among academic circles in California, but his actual political allegiance at that time remains a mystery. The federal government effectively suspended his security clearance with the US Army in the early 1950s. He was placed under house arrest in 1951, which lasted for three years before the government allowed him and his family to leave for Communist China in September 1955.

Qian led a remarkable career in China and became the father of the Chinese missile program. Former Navy Secretary Dan Kimball, who had been acquainted with Qian, commented later that the US government's alienation and eventual loss of Qian was "the stupidest thing this country ever did." Qian’s cousin, Qian Xueju, chose to become a U.S. citizen and later a chief engineer at Boeing. Xueju’s son, Roger Y. Tsien, went on to win the Nobel Prize in chemistry as an American in 2008.