In an apparent last-ditch effort to scuttle the appointment of Douglas Paal to be America's unofficial representative to Taiwan, Senator Jesse Helms, former chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, has written a personal letter to Secretary of State Colin Powell asking a number of pointed questions about Paal's background, the Taipei Times has learned.
The letter, sent on Monday, asked about published information concerning statements Paal had made about Taiwan and about the funding sources for Paal's think tank, the Asia Pacific Policy Center.
The letter, on committee letterhead, ended with the unusual handwritten note from Helms that read, "P.S.: I would prefer a call from you about this if you have the time." The letter was signed, "Many thanks, my friend."
In the letter, "Helms made it clear that Paal is not a good choice for the job, and would like to see someone else," a Senate source said. The source said that Paal still appears to be the only candidate for the job and that Helms did not have another candidate in mind.
However, conservative congressional staffers, known locally as the "Blue Team," who strongly oppose Paal's appointment, still are floating possible alternatives to Paal for the post of director of the Taipei office of the American Institute in Taiwan.
There are two possibilities at the moment: the head of the Asia program at the conservative Heritage Foundation, Larry Wortzel, who was once the military attache at the US Embassy in Beijing, and AIT's Taipei office acting director, Pamela Slutz, who was recently promoted to a position that, sources in Washington say, would qualify her for the director's post.
Nevertheless, Paal has powerful friends in the State Department, sources note. "Jim Kelly and Rich Armitage have their heels dug in on this, and Doug Paal is their man, and they're not going to budge," a Senate source said.
He was referring to Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage and Assistant Secretary of State for East Asia James Kelly, both of whom worked with Paal during the administration of former US president George Bush.
Paal's name began floating last summer, but it was held up at the White House for some months over concerns about his positions toward Taiwan.
In his letter, a copy of which was obtained by the Taipei Times, Helms refers to allegations contained in a recent article in the political news weekly, the New Republic.
Much of that information also appeared in an earlier article in this newspaper in January.
In his letter, Helms quotes assertions that Paul "operated a for-profit consulting firm as a non-profit tax exempt ... organization and that he failed to register as a foreign agent though he derived the bulk of his income from foreign sources."
Such an operation could be illegal and potentially subject to criminal penalties if the charges are found to be true.
Helms also noted earlier revelations about statements made by Paal that upset many conservative Taiwan supporters in Washington.
"He has always seemed to me a dubious candidate for this post for several reasons," Helms wrote:
"1. His errant judgement on arms sales to Taiwan in the past, 2. His statement last year that President Bush `misspoke' when the president stated he would do `whatever it takes' to defend Taiwan, and 3. His open criticism of Taiwan President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁). These viewpoints seem to be at odds with what otherwise has been a sound Bush administration policy toward Taiwan."
Helms asked Powell whether the department has looked into the funding allegations, what the conclusion of the legal advisor is, which financial documents Paal has supplied to the department, and why, as the New Republic article alleged, three of the four persons listed as directors of Paal's organization "appear to be unaware of that fact."
Meanwhile, Senator John Kyl, a staunch Taiwan supporter, has been circulating letters to administration officials questioning Bush's qualifications for the AIT job since last fall, congressional sources say.
RETHINK? The defense ministry and Navy Command Headquarters could take over the indigenous submarine project and change its production timeline, a source said Admiral Huang Shu-kuang’s (黃曙光) resignation as head of the Indigenous Submarine Program and as a member of the National Security Council could affect the production of submarines, a source said yesterday. Huang in a statement last night said he had decided to resign due to national security concerns while expressing the hope that it would put a stop to political wrangling that only undermines the advancement of the nation’s defense capabilities. Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) yesterday said that the admiral, her older brother, felt it was time for him to step down and that he had completed what he
Taiwan has experienced its most significant improvement in the QS World University Rankings by Subject, data provided on Sunday by international higher education analyst Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) showed. Compared with last year’s edition of the rankings, which measure academic excellence and influence, Taiwanese universities made great improvements in the H Index metric, which evaluates research productivity and its impact, with a notable 30 percent increase overall, QS said. Taiwanese universities also made notable progress in the Citations per Paper metric, which measures the impact of research, achieving a 13 percent increase. Taiwanese universities gained 10 percent in Academic Reputation, but declined 18 percent
CHINA REACTS: The patrol and reconnaissance plane ‘transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,’ the 7th Fleet said, while Taipei said it saw nothing unusual The US 7th Fleet yesterday said that a US Navy P-8A Poseidon flew through the Taiwan Strait, a day after US and Chinese defense heads held their first talks since November 2022 in an effort to reduce regional tensions. The patrol and reconnaissance plane “transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,” the 7th Fleet said in a news release. “By operating within the Taiwan Strait in accordance with international law, the United States upholds the navigational rights and freedoms of all nations.” In a separate statement, the Ministry of National Defense said that it monitored nearby waters and airspace as the aircraft
UNDER DISCUSSION: The combatant command would integrate fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups to defend waters closest to the coastline, a source said The military could establish a new combatant command as early as 2026, which would be tasked with defending Taiwan’s territorial waters 24 nautical miles (44.4km) from the nation’s coastline, a source familiar with the matter said yesterday. The new command, which would fall under the Naval Command Headquarters, would be led by a vice admiral and integrate existing fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups, along with the Naval Maritime Surveillance and Reconnaissance Command, said the source, who asked to remain anonymous. It could be launched by 2026, but details are being discussed and no final timetable has been announced, the source