Taiwan on Tuesday pledged to donate US$1 million to a project to help construct a memorial honoring former US president Dwight D. Eisenhower.
The pledge showed Taiwan’s gratitude toward the former US president for his adamant support of the nation’s security and economic development during the 1950s and 1960s.
At a donation ceremony, Representative to the US Shen Lyu-shun (沈呂巡) said that without Eisenhower’s support, China would have taken over Taiwan by force.
Shen, who witnessed Eisenhower’s visit to Taiwan in 1960, said that the US president stood in front of the Presidential Office Building and addressed the public to reiterate Washington’s efforts in defending Taipei against Beijing.
Shen said that during Eisenhower’s visit to Taiwan, China bombed Kinmen for two days.
Eisenhower was the 34th US president and served between 1953 and 1961.
During his term as president, Eisenhower signed the Mutual Defense Treaty between the US and the Republic of China with former president Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石) in 1954 for cooperation against Beijing’s ambitions to invade Taipei.
In 1955, Eisenhower pushed for an initiative in the US Congress to pass the Formosa Resolution, which authorized the US president to defend Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu.
Shen said that during his eight-year presidency, Eisenhower provided Taiwan with US$1 billion in financial assistance, which laid down a sound foundation and paved the path for the nation to build a prosperous economy.
Shen said the financial assistance was equivalent to about US$8 billion in current US dollar terms.
In a letter to Kansas Senator Pat Roberts, the Eisenhower Memorial Commission’s chairman, Shen said that Eisenhower “holds a very special place in the hearts of the people of Taiwan.”
Roberts said at the donation ceremony that Eisenhower and Chiang jointly fought for peace during World War II, and the firm cooperation between the US and Taiwan at that time led the two nations to forge a closer partnership in security and enjoy the value of democracy in the 21st century.
US Senate Committee on Appropriations chairman Thad Cochran, US senators Joe Manchin and Mike Lee, and US representatives Sanford Bishop and Kevin Brady attended the donation ceremony to express gratitude for Taiwan’s pledge.
The Eisenhower Memorial project has been in the planning stages for 15 years since the US Congress created the Eisenhower Memorial Commission.
The US Congress has already appropriated US$60 million for design and planning, and US President Barack Obama’s budget proposal next year is set to assign an additional US$68 million for construction.
However, the US Congress has not yet approved any funding, with lawmakers citing complaints over the design.
Since uncertainty surrounding the design in recent years has postponed fundraising for the project, the commission said it aims to raise US$20 million to US$25 million privately to supplement congressional funds, hoping to complete construction as soon as possible.
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