Interview with O.R. Sparkman, a Marine WWII veteran and POW from Dallas, Texas. Stationed in China before the war, Sparkman was captured in December 1941 by the Japanese in Beijing and interned at various camps in occupied China and Korea before finishing the war at Hakodate, Japan.

Despite apparently consistent statements in over three decades, the "one China" policy concerning Taiwan remains somewhat ambiguous and subject to different interpretations. Questions have arisen about the policy itself and about the policy in relation to U.S. interests regarding peace and stability. This report discusses U.S. policy on the "one China" policy in regards to three major issues: sovereignty, use of force, and cross-strait dialogue. Since the mid-1990s, U.S. interests in preventing conflict across the Taiwan Strait have been challenged by China's military modernization and Taiwanese moves toward independence that have been perceived in Beijing as provocative. This report describes these issues in detail, including relevant legislation.