Second Taiwan Strait Crisis

The Second Taiwan Strait Crisis, also called the 1958 Taiwan Strait Crisis, was a conflict that took place between the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and the Republic of China (ROC) governments in which the PRC shelled the islands of Quemoy and the nearby Matsu Islands along the east coast of the PRC (in the Taiwan Strait) in an attempt to drive away the ROC Army. The United States used the nuclear threat to win the Crisis, as the PRC had yet to gain nuclear power. Eisenhower used the tactic of "brinkmanship" to ensure victory. U.S. policy then became to refuse to acknowledge the PRC and pin her back as much as possible. Also many missile bases were installed, and military bases built in a series of countries surrounding mainland China.

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second Taiwan Strait Crisis