FORMOSA LITTLE CHIANG WHEN THE UNITED AIRLINES JET LANDED AT WASHINGTON AIRPORT 
LAST WEEK, GENERAL CHIANG CHING-KUO WALKED UNNOTICED PAST THE WAITING RECEPTION 
COMMITTEE OF U.S . OFFICIALS AND CHINESE DIPLOMATS . IT WAS 
NOT UNTIL MOMENTS LATER THAT THEY SPOTTED HIM, A CHUNKY MAN 
IN A NONDESCRIPT BUSINESS SUIT, PATIENTLY EXAMINING THE MODERNISTIC INTERIOR OF 
THE DULLES TERMINAL BUILDING . THE COMMITTEE'S MISTAKE, AND THE GENERAL'S 
DEMEANOR, WERE BOTH SIGNIFICANT . THOUGH THE ELDEST SON OF CHIANG 
KAI-SHEK, NATIONALIST CHINA'S VENERABLE PRESIDENT, CHIANG CHING-KUO, 53, IS THE MYSTERY 
MAN OF FORMOSA WHO AVOIDS THE LIMELIGHT . PARTLY, THE MYSTERY 
HAS PROFESSIONAL REASONS : AS CHIEF OF FORMOSA'S SECRET POLICE AND 
HEAD OF THE GUERRILLA ACTIVITIES DIRECTED AGAINST RED CHINA, HE NATURALLY 
SEEKS THE SHADOWS . FORMOSAN BESTSELLER . THE VISIT TO THE 
U.S., HIS FIRST IN TEN YEARS, IS SAID TO BE WITHOUT 
SPECIAL SIGNIFICANCE . HE CONFERRED WITH INTELLIGENCE OFFICIALS AT BOTH THE 
CIA AND THE PENTAGON, DISCUSSED THE LATEST ESTIMATES OF CONDITIONS ON 
THE RED CHINESE MAINLAND . BETWEEN CONFERENCES, HE SQUEEZED IN A 
ONE-DAY JET FLIGHT TO CAPE CANAVERAL . HE ALSO HAD A 
75-MINUTE CONFERENCE WITH THE PRESIDENT AND PRESENTED HIM WITH A COPY 
OF PROFILES IN COURAGE IN A CHINESE TRANSLATION, ADDING THAT IT 
WAS A BESTSELLER ON FORMOSA . KENNEDY AND TOP U.S . 
OFFICIALS WERE SEEING FACE TO FACE THE MAN WHO MAY WELL 
SUCCEED HIS FATHER AS PRESIDENT OF NATIONALIST CHINA . ON FORMOSA, 
CHINGKUO IS KNOWN AS " LITTLE CHIANG, " AND HIS ONLY 
MAJOR RIVAL FOR THE TOP JOB IS VICE PRESIDENT CHEN CHENG, 
WHO SUFFERS FROM A LIVER AILMENT AND HAS BEEN IN SEMIRETIREMENT 
SINCE JUNE . BORN IN CHEKIANG PROVINCE TO THE GIMO'S FIRST 
WIFE, A PEASANT GIRL WHO WAS LATER KILLED IN A JAPANESE 
BOMBING RAID, CHING-KUO WAS 16 WHEN THE GIMO SENT HIM TO 
MOSCOW IN 1925 " TO LEARN MORE ABOUT REVOLUTIONARY IDEAS . 
" HE JOINED THE KOMSOMOL AND STUDIED GUERRILLA TACTICS AT A 
RED ARMY ACADEMY . WHEN CHIANG KAI-SHEK BROKE WITH THE COMMUNISTS 
IN 1927, A LETTER OVER CHING-KUO'S NAME APPEARED IN PRAVDA DENOUNCING 
HIS FATHER AS A " TRAITOR . " HE SAYS THE 
LETTER WAS A FORGERY . CHING-KUO HIMSELF BROKE WITH STALIN ON 
THE ISSUE OF TROTSKYISM AND PUT IN SOME YEARS OF HARD 
WORK IN GOLD MINES AND FACTORIES . WHEN THE JAPANESE THREAT 
FORGED A NEW BOND BETWEEN STALIN AND THE GIMO IN 1937, 
CHING-KUO WAS PERMITTED TO LEAVE FOR CHINA WITH HIS SHY, APPEALING 
RUSSIAN WIFE FANINA AND THEIR SON ALAN . SPOT & MOP 
. OVERJOYED AT HIS SON'S RETURN, THE GIMO NEVERTHELESS THOUGHT HIM 
TOO RUSSIAN IN HIS OUTLOOK AND HAD HIM TUTORED FOR TWO 
YEARS TO " MAKE HIM CHINESE AGAIN . " EVER SINCE, 
CHING-KUO HAS LOYALLY AND EFFICIENTLY HANDLED A SUCCESSION OF JOBS FOR 
HIS FATHER, RANGING FROM OPERATING A CONCENTRATION CAMP FOR COMMUNIST SUSPECTS 
ON GREEN ISLAND TO CREATING A SYSTEM OF POLITICAL COMMISSARS TO 
CHECK ON LOYALTY IN THE ARMY . UNDER CHING-KUO, NATIONALIST GUERRILLAS 
PROBE THE MAINLAND FOR SOFT SPOTS IN THE DEFENSES AND PUBLIC 
DISAFFECTION WITH THE RED REGIME . OVER THE PAST TWO YEARS, 
SOME 1,500 MEN HAVE BEEN PUT ASHORE IN CHEKIANG AND KWANGTUNG 
PROVINCES . IN U.S . OPINION, INDIVIDUAL SABOTEURS OFTEN COMPLETE THEIR 
MISSIONS, BUT MOST LARGE RAIDING PARTIES HAVE BEEN QUICKLY SPOTTED AND 
MOPPED UP BY THE RED CHINESE . CHING-KUO HAS REPEATEDLY BEEN 
ACCUSED OF ENGAGING IN SECRET TALKS WITH PEKING, PRESUMABLY WITH THE 
OBJECT OF MAKING A DEAL AFTER THE GIMO'S DEATH . THOSE 
WHO KNOW HIM BEST SCOFF AT THE IDEA THAT HE WOULD 
EVER HAND FORMOSA OVER TO PEKING . SINO-MARXIST AMALGAM . WITH 
NO FORMAL UNIVERSITY EDUCATION, CHING-KUO COMMANDS LITTLE LOYALTY AMONG NATIONALIST CHINA'S 
INTELLECTUALS, AND HIS NONCONFORMIST METHODS IRRITATE THE TOP POLITICIANS OF THE 
KUOMINTANG . HE IS BACKED BY HIS DASHING HALF BROTHER, MAJOR 
GENERAL CHIANG WEI-KUO, 47 . AS MINISTER WITHOUT PORTFOLIO IN THE 
CABINET AND SPECIAL ADVISER TO THE PRESIDENT, CHINGKUO WORKS CLOSELY WITH 
HIS FATHER . ANOTHER SOURCE OF STRENGTH IS CHING-KUO'S 100,000-MAN YOUTH 
CORPS, AND HIS VETO POWER OVER PROMOTIONS IN THE ARMY GIVES 
HIM ENORMOUS INFLUENCE WITH JUNIOR OFFICERS . WITH HIS TWO OLDER 
CHILDREN MARRIED, CHING-KUO LIVES IN A MODEST HOME IN TAIPEI WITH 
HIS WIFE AND TWO YOUNGER SONS . HIS DAY BEGINS AT 
6 : 00 A.M . WITH AN HOUR'S PRACTICE IN CHINESE 
CALLIGRAPHY AND PAINTING, AND CONTINUES IN HIS OFFICE UNTIL MIDNIGHT . 
HE LIKES HIKING IN THE MOUNTAINS, BUT SINCE SUFFERING FROM MILD 
DIABETES HAS HAD TO FORGO CONVIVIAL DRINKING MOSTLY VODKA . ONE 
OLD FRIEND SEES CHING-KUO AS " AN AMALGAM OF THE CHINESE 
TRADITION AND MARXIST IDEAS . / WHAT STRIKES MOST OBSERVERS IS 
HIS STRANGE COMBINATION OF SHYNESS AND POWER . A CHINESE FRIEND 
PERHAPS PUT IT BEST WHEN HE SAID, " LOOK AT HIS 
HANDS THERE'S THE MAN : COARSE, TOUGH,PATIENT . " AS HIS 
TRIP TO WASHINGTON NEARED ITS END LAST WEEK, THE MYSTERY MAN 
MET NEWSMEN, WHO FOUND HIM SEATED ON A GOLD-EMBROIDERED SOFA IN 
THE CHINESE EMBASSY . RED CHINA, SAID CHING-KUO THROUGH HIS INTERPRETER, 
IS AT ITS WEAKEST POINT IN HISTORY AND FORMOSA CORRESPONDINGLY AT 
ITS STRONGEST . HIS VISIT WAS INTENDED TO BRING ABOUT " 
COMMON UNDERSTANDING " BETWEEN HIS COUNTRY AND THE U.S . DID 
THAT MEAN THERE WERE MISUNDERSTANDINGS ? CHING-KUO REPLIED WITH A LOUD 
" NO ! " EVEN BEFORE THE QUESTION WAS TRANSLATED . 
WITH A BRISK, " THAT'S ALL, " THE INTERVIEW WAS CONCLUDED, 
AND CHING-KUO DROVE OFF TO PRINCETON, N.J., TO ENJOY THE ONE 
U.S . EXPERIENCE HE HAD INSISTED UPON STAYING AT A MOTEL 
. 