Taiwan Today

Vice President and Premier C. K. Yen saw a surprising amount of the vastness of the United States on a whirlwind journey that began May 6 and ended back in Taipei only 20 days later. He visited the American capital and three largest cities. There was time for side trips to Florida and Texas and the Pacific Northwest. Washington was, of course, the most important stop on the itinerary. There the Vice President was a guest of President Lyndon Johnson. The two leaders joined in a statement reiterating the Sino-American stand against Communist aggression. They agreed to continue close consultations on developments in the upheaval now in progress on the Communist-held Chinese mainland. Vice President Yen also had extended consultations with Secretary of State Dean Rusk. He had breakfast with leading members of the American Congress.

 

 

Many of America's war heroes are buried at Arlington National Ceme­tery in Virginia. Vice President Yen went there to place a wreath at the tomb of the Unknown Soldier (top). He also visited the last resting place of President John F. Kennedy (bottom). Although the Vice President had only two days for the Washington phase of his U.S. tour, he managed to meet with Chinese scholars and students of the area and called on many top leaders, including Vice President Hubert Humphrey. He was guest of honor at a White House luncheon.

 

 

 

 

 

A reception at the Chinese Em­bassy in Washington gave Vice President Yen an opportunity to meet with many distinguished Chinese. One of these was Senator Hiram L. Fang of Hawaii, the first Oriental to win a seat in the U.S. upper house (top). Another was Dr. Yang Chen-ning, co-winner with Dr. Lee Tsung-dao of the 1957 Nobel Prize for physics (center). Mrs. Yen is at left. Two others were Pan Kun-chan, left, and Helen Quach (bottom). Pan is a journalist-scholar in the United States. Miss Quach is China's first woman symphonic conductor and one of the winners in the Dimitri Mitropoulos conducting competition in New York. She will conduct the Taipei Symphony twice this year.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Space gloves were tried on by Vice President Yen at the manned spacecraft center. Briefing C. K. and Mrs. Yen was flight crew operations chief Donald K. Slaylon (center). Economic Minister K. T. Li is standing behind the Vice President.

 

 

 

 

 

 

From Houston, the Chinese deputy chief of state flew to New York and a tumultuous welcome from the big Chinese commu­nity. He had an informal chat with the state's gov­ernor, Nelson A. Rocke­feller, who has a longstanding interest in the Orient (bottom). Industrial lenders honored Yen at a testimonial dinner.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The National Broadcasting Company's "Meet the Press" program is seen by millions of Americans from coast to coast. Vice President Yen appeared on this program from New York. He answered searching questions from America's top newsmen on every phase of the world situation and the policy of the Republic of China. He told the American people that free Chinese troops are not fighting in South Vietnam only because they have not been asked. The ROC forces are prepared to defend freedom any­where at any time, he added. Vice President Yen expressed belief that the Chinese Communists will continue "fighting by proxy" in Vietnam and are not likely to intervene directly. He called attention to the fact that the 600,000-man armed forces on Taiwan are pinning down large Red armies on the Fukien coast across the Taiwan Straits. Yen spoke in fluent English he learned on Chinese mainland.

 

 

 

 

Chinese Americans turned out to meet Vice President Yen and voice support for the Republic of China. In New York the Chinese community held a reception (top) and the fife and drum corps paraded through streets (center). He toured the United Nations (bottom) and was the guest of Secretary General U Thant at luncheon.