TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Taiwanese American CIA informant who exposed Taiwan's nuclear weapons project said he has had a clear conscience since its downfall.
Taiwanese nuclear engineer Chang Hsien-yi (張憲義), 81, who leaked Taiwan's plans to the US four decades ago, told CNN he has no regrets. Critics have accused Chang of betraying his country and undermining Taiwan's ability to deter a Chinese invasion, but he insists he is not a traitor.
The report said that after China successfully tested nuclear weapons in 1964, Taiwan grew concerned and began its program in 1966.
The project was operated by the Chungshan Science Research Institute, where Chang had been serving as a captain in the Army the previous year. Chang was selected to receive advanced nuclear technology training at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee.
Despite official claims that Taiwan's nuclear research was for peaceful purposes, Chang revealed that students sent to the US were aware their real mission was to acquire weapons development skills.
Chang recalled the CIA was interested in him as early as his time at Oak Ridge. He remembered receiving a phone call between 1969 and 1970 from an individual claiming to represent a company interested in nuclear power, who invited him to lunch.
At the time, Chang declined, citing his focus on his work. He later learned the caller was from the CIA.
Upon returning to Taiwan with a PhD in nuclear engineering, Chang led a project at the Institute of Nuclear Energy Research (INER), developing computer programs for simulating nuclear explosions. Under the US policy to prevent nuclear proliferation, Taiwan sought to secretly acquire the capability to produce nuclear weapons rather than amassing a nuclear arsenal.
In 1978, Deng Xiaoping (鄧小平) became China's de facto leader and warned that if Taiwan acquired nuclear weapons, Beijing would respond with force. Chang believed China's stance was "quite serious," and the risk of nuclear conflict across the Taiwan Strait weighed heavily on him.
In 1980, the CIA approached Chang again during a visit to the US, and he agreed to cooperate. After assisting with several CIA operations, he became an informant in 1984.
Over the next four years, Chang met with a CIA officer named "Mark" at various safe locations around Taipei, including an apartment near Shilin Night Market. During these meetings, he was asked to provide updates on INER's projects and to photograph classified documents.
Chang described these exchanges as professional, with the CIA assuring him of protection for himself and his family.
David Albright, an expert on nuclear proliferation, said, "The United States had been in a cat-and-mouse game with Taiwan over its nuclear program for years." Chang ensured the US had strong evidence, allowing Washington to confront Taipei directly.
In 1988, Chang and his family defected to the US. The Reagan administration had gathered ample evidence, and it used the death of former Taiwan leader Chiang Ching-kuo (蔣經國) as leverage to pressure his successor, Lee Teng-hui (李登輝), into compliance.
A few months after Chang's departure, the US sent experts to disassemble a plutonium separation facility in Taiwan and supervise the removal of heavy water and irradiated fuel.
The CNN report cited experts that Taiwan's nuclear weapons program was close to completion at the time.
Chang's arrest warrant in Taiwan expired in 2000, but he has not returned. He is unsure of how he would be greeted if he returned.
Taiwan's Presidential Office and Ministry of National Defense declined to comment on CNN's request for a statement.
Chang's collaboration with the CIA remains a contentious issue in Taiwan. Some commentators argue that had Taiwan succeeded in developing nuclear weapons, it could have deterred Chinese aggression, similar to how Ukraine might have prevented the Russian invasion if it had retained its Soviet-era nuclear weapons.
However, Chang maintains that his decision 36 years ago was the right one. He said, “I decided to provide information to the CIA because I think it was good for the people of Taiwan.” He acknowledged the political clash between Beijing and Taipei, “but developing any kind of deadly weapon was nonsense to me.”
Chang added, "At least (we) didn’t provoke mainland China in such a way to start an aggressive war against Taiwan.” He concluded, “I did it with my conscience clear, there is no betrayal – at least not to myself.”
In 2020, CM Media cited Taiwanese commentator Chang Yu-hua (張友驊), who claimed that during former presidents Lee Teng-hui and Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁), Taiwan had the capability of producing up to six nuclear bombs within half a year. The commentator alleged, “Taiwan already has semi-finished nuclear weapons, all of which are stored in the Chiashan Air Force Base.”
Chang Yu-hua also purported that the type of nuclear weapons in Taiwan's arsenal are “plutonium bombs,” but their size is too large for existing delivery systems and requires miniaturization. He claimed that the technology had reached 80% completion, and if the US provided the necessary technology in the future, the process could be completed quickly.
