How much did it cost to let Qian Xuesen return to China?

In order to allow Qian Xuesen to return to China, China exchanged 11 American pilots with the United States. Of course, this is a condition on the surface. We don’t know whether other agreements were reached behind the scenes. Maybe we will only know the day when it is declassified!

After graduating from the National Jiaotong University (now Shanghai Jiaotong University and Xi'an Jiaotong University) in 1934, Qian Xuesen was admitted to the seventh class of Tsinghua University's Geng Grant students studying in the United States, and then entered the Department of Aeronautics of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to study. , and then became the proud disciple of von Kármán, the great astronomer of the 20th century.

Qian Xuesen received a master's degree in aeronautical engineering and a doctorate in aviation and mathematics, and became a world-renowned aerodynamicist at the age of 28. During his studies and research in the United States, he was mainly engaged in research in the fields of aerodynamics, solid mechanics, rockets, and missiles, and his relevant technical knowledge was at least 5 years ahead. Of course, this is also the reason why Qian Xuesen was later persecuted and detained by the United States!

The news of the founding of New China in 1949 soon spread to the United States. At this time, Qian Xuesen had a strong desire to return to China! Use your expertise to build the country! After the outbreak of the Korean War, the United States set off a countercurrent against communism, and this countercurrent also affected Qian Xuesen. It was precisely because of this that Qian Xuesen made up his mind to return to China.

However, things went against expectations. When everything was ready, Qian Xuesen was about to leave for home, but he suddenly received a notice from the Immigration Bureau that the family was not allowed to leave the United States. Since then, Qian Xuesen has been subject to surveillance, investigation, illegal detention and persecution by the United States! When the news reached China, China issued a public statement condemning the U.S. government's behavior and actively coordinated Qian Xuesen's return to China.

Of course, Qian Xuesen also actively carried out self-rescue operations. In 1955, Qian Xuesen passed a letter on a cigarette box to Chen Shutong, then vice chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress. At this time, the five permanent members of the United Nations were meeting in Geneva to discuss resolving the North Korean issue and restoring peace in Indochina. Ambassador Wang Bingnan, on behalf of China, was also negotiating with the United States on the issue of detaining Qian Xuesen and other Chinese nationals studying in the United States. When early negotiations were not going well, Ambassador Wang Bingnan put Qian Xuesen's letter written on a cigarette box and its translation on the negotiating table. In exchange, China released 11 American pilots captured on the Korean battlefield. .

On September 17, 1955, Qian Xuesen, his wife and children boarded the "Cleveland President" at the port of Los Angeles and embarked on the journey back to China. On October 8, 1955, Qian Xuesen finally returned to his beloved motherland.

The reason why Qian Xuesen was able to return to China is inseparable from his firm determination to return to China, and it is also inseparable from the help of the motherland.

Although we released 11 American pilots, Qian Xuesen's contribution to China's "two bombs and one satellite" and his contribution to improving the country's strength are far greater than what the country has paid before! The conditions for Qian Xuesen’s return to China were completely worth it!