The United States used its air and space superiority to assess China’s first nuclear test

At the beginning of the Cold War, personnel exchanges were blocked, and the means and ability of the American government to collect intelligence were limited, due to the hostility between China and the United States. In order to probe the development of China’s nuclear weapon’s program, American intelligence agencies relied heavily on U-2 reconnaissance planes and Corona reconnaissance satellites for surveillance. Although technological progress has brought clearer photos, preconceived cognition has led American intelligence agencies to misjudge China’s first nuclear test.