4. The Long March: China’s Use of Proliferation as a Means for Obtaining “Great Power” Status

The decision-making process of the People’s Republic of China during the 1950s and 1960s under Mao Zedong was inside the mind of one person. Mao decided to pursue nuclear weapons and missile technology after the United States deported Tsien Hsue-shen. Tsien gives the Chinese ruling elite, the tacit knowledge required to pursue nuclear weapons and missile technology at the same time. This chapter is organized by using the Observe, Orient, Decision, and Action (OODA) Loop and highlighting the perception of Mao, and the Chinese ruling shared, that China was a small state in search of recognition by the Superpowers. The efforts of the Chinese had a direct link to the geography of Southern California. The security dilemma created an incentive for the Chinese to increase their international status and in effect enhance the legitimacy of the ruling elite.