Honors Theses and Capstones

Date Completed

Spring 2025

Abstract

Project TACKLE was a joint collaborative project between the CIA and the Taiwanese government to facilitate U-2 spy plane missions flown by Taiwanese pilots over China. These missions, conducted from 1962 to 1974, provide critical insights regarding the US and Taiwan’s fluctuating relationship during this period. TACKLE missions played a crucial role in informing policymakers on a variety of subjects, such as the progress of China’s rapidly evolving nuclear weapons program. This paper situates the TACKLE missions within the broader political context of their time to highlight the constant prioritization challenge that plagued the program.

First Advisor

Kurk Dorsey

Second Advisor

Chris Reardon

Third Advisor

Lillian Young

College or School

COLA

Department or Program

History Honors-in-Major, Political Science

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts

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