“This was the stupidest thing this country has ever done. He was no more a communist than I was, and we forced him to leave.” These words were spoken by former US Secretary of the Navy Dan Kimball when there was no turning back. The student was considered a genius after entering MIT and earning his doctorate at Caltech, later joining the Manhattan Project and becoming part of the scientific elite working on jet propulsion. The man who came was expelled from school in China and was welcomed with open arms. History would never be the same again.

Creating a genius. Born in 1911 in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, Qian Xuesen grew up in an educated and progressive family. His father, a government official, helped establish China’s national education system. Qian displayed unusual academic brilliance from an early age, which led him to study engineering at Shanghai Jiaotong University, where he graduated summa cum laude.

In 1935, at the age of 24, the first of two important moments in Qian’s life occurred: he received a scholarship to study at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the United States; The country where he moved and continued his education. to stand out in their work. A year later, the brilliant student transferred to the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), where he continued to study under the guidance of legendary aeronautical engineer Theodore von Kármán, who described himself as “an undisputed genius.”

The rise of a scientific star. At Caltech, Qian joined a group of young innovators known as the “Suicide Squad”, nicknamed because of the risks they took in their rocket propulsion experiments. At a time when rocket science was thought to be little more than a fantastical dream, Qian and his colleagues began developing technologies that would transform aviation and weapons.

During World War II and after the United States entered the conflict, his work on jet propulsion quickly attracted the attention of the US military. This meeting culminated in an initiative that continues to exist in the country today: the establishment of the legendary Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in 1943, of which Qian was a key member.

Xuesen

And nuclear. Not only this. Qian also participated in the Manhattan Project, contributing greatly to the development of the first atomic bomb. His role rose so high that the man was sent to Germany at the end of the war to interrogate Nazi scientists such as Wernher von Braun.

At this point in history, Qian was considered one of the world’s leading experts in rocket propulsion and a valuable asset to the American military effort. If there were leaders of the country’s science, Qian was at the top.

Doubt and expulsion. However, his rapid scientific career in the United States came to an abrupt halt with the onset of the Cold War. Why? The establishment of the People’s Republic of China in 1949 and the global rise of communism created well-known paranoia among many elites in the United States. In this climate of tension, JPL’s new director expressed suspicions that there was a spy ring “in house” inside the laboratory, pointing to several employees, including Qian and other Jewish and Chinese colleagues. The accusation came the same year. His name was heard as the director of the Caltech jet propulsion laboratory.

An FBI investigation later found that Qian had attended Communist Party-affiliated meetings in the 1930s, but there was no evidence that he had acted as a spy, and he steadfastly denied any political involvement. It didn’t matter. Qian was stripped of access to secret projects and placed under house arrest for five years. The accusations continued despite efforts by figures such as von Kármán and other colleagues to defend his innocence.

Xuesen at deportation hearing

Hello China. When he applied for US citizenship, his application was rejected. He lost his security clearance. When he applied to leave the United States, he was detained because he was said to know too much about the American weapons system. Finally, in 1955, President Eisenhower decided to deport him to China, calling the decision a “necessary risk” in the anti-communist context.

And then the second most important moment in Qian’s life happened. “I won’t be coming back,” he told reporters at the time. “I have no reason to return… I plan to do everything I can to help the Chinese people build a nation where they can live with dignity and happiness.” The truth is that he never returned to the United States.

Fanhui Shi Weixing, the first Chinese recoverable satellite developed by DF-1 and Xuesen on the left

Transforming a nation. In retrospect, Qian’s return to China was greeted by the United States as either a priceless gift or a historical mistake. After being welcomed as a hero, he was immediately tasked with establishing the Institute of Mechanics in Beijing and joined the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Although he was initially not accepted into the Communist Party due to his past ties to the United States and his marriage to the daughter of a nationalist leader, he was accepted in 1958 and began working on important strategic projects.

Qian led the development of the Dongfeng missile and oversaw the creation of China’s first atomic bomb, which was successfully tested in 1964. These advances cemented the country as a member of the “global nuclear club” just 15 years after the founding of the People’s Republic. . In addition, he laid the foundations for China’s space program, which culminated in the launch of the country’s first satellite in 1970. Decades later, his research would lead to the development of the Shenzhou rockets, among other space achievements.

Geopolitical repercussions. There is no doubt that Qian’s expulsion had ironic and far-reaching consequences. For example, according to his research, Silkworm missiles were used against US interests in the 1991 Gulf War and in Yemen in 2016. This paradox further emphasized the historical strategic mistake of the United States. By rejecting Qian, they not only strengthened their geopolitical rivals, but also accelerated China’s technological development.

A legacy to history. Years passed and Qian continued to keep a low profile after his retirement in 1991, but it could not stop the nation from honoring him with full honors as a national hero. In contrast, his contribution to American science appears to have been largely overlooked, especially in contrast to other figures whose Nazi past did not prevent their achievements from being recognized in the United States, such as Wernher von Braun.

Another meaningful moment occurred a few years ago. This happened when China chose to land a probe in the Von Kármán Crater in honor of Qian’s mentor; This symbolizes how American anti-communist policies have unintentionally contributed to China’s space rise.

Qian died in 2009 at the age of 98. The late Iris Chang, who wrote a book about him, concluded that the US Immigration Service had no concrete evidence to support its accusation that Qian was a communist. Few people have left such a lasting impression on these two hostile countries that they once sought to join. Ultimately, the scientist’s life is a reminder of the dangers of excluding talent for political or ideological reasons as well as those that are human in nature.

Image | TimeLess, China News Service, Martin Trolle, Los Angeles Times

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