读尼克松（Richard Nixon）的原版回忆录《Leaders》，看到很多历史的细节，完全打破原来的认知。其中最震撼的一点就是关于台湾经济起飞原因的描述：
Chiang was an example of that rarest of political animals: the conservative revolutionary. The American Revolution succeeded in founding an orderly and free society because its leaders were essentially conservatives. They fought for freedoms that they had once possessed, but which had been taken away. The French Revolution foundered as it did partly because its leaders sought to achieve a purely intellectual and abstract vision that had no foundations in their national history.
蒋中正是一个极少见的、天生的政治领袖，他是一个保守主义革命志士。美国革命之所以能够成功建立一个有序且自由的社会，是因为其领袖本质上都是保守主义者，他们夺回了曾经有过但被剥夺了的自由。而法国革命之所以失败，部分原因在于其领导者试图实现一种纯粹理性的、抽象的幻想，而这种革命幻想在法国历史中毫无根基。
Chiang’s intenions resembled those of the Americans more than those of the French. He wanted to revivify Chinese tradition. He rejected its corruption by the old order. He fought against pervasive opium addiction and the still-common practice of foot binding. But he was not a democrat, even though he did introduce constitutional government. The problem, as he saw it,was not too little freedom but too much. China needed discipline, for as Sun Yat-sen had stated, “We have become a heap of sand.” The discipline Chiang sought, however, would release the creative and productive abilities of the Chinese people.
蒋中正的革命理念走的是美国路线，而非法国。他希望能复兴中国传统文化。他摒弃旧社会的腐败，取缔当时普遍存在的吸食鸦片和缠足陋习。他带领中国进入宪政，尽管他不是传统意义上的民主人士。在他看来，问题的核心不在于自由太少，而在于自由过度。中国需要秩序，正如孙中山所言：“中国人是一盘散沙” ，蒋中正所寻求的纪律，是为了释放中国人的创造力与生产力。
When implemented on Taiwan, his ideas produced an economic miracle.Though he received American economic aid through 1965, the amounts were so small that they cannot account for the country’s explosive economic growth. Economic statistics can never capture the tragedy that the Communist victory was for the Chinese people, but they do make some important points.The Communists collectivized agricultural production, and today the mainland produces less rice per capita than it did before the revolution. Chiang paid the landlords for their land and distributed it to the peasantry. The former landlords invested much of their money in industry while the government encouraged foreign investment. Today, Taiwan has a per capita income five times as great as that of the mainland. And the eighteen million Chinese on Formosa export about fifty percent more than the one billion on the mainland.
蒋中正的理念在台湾实施后，创造了经济奇迹。在1965年前，尽管他接受了美国的援助，但对这些援助金额微乎其微，不足以解释台湾经济的爆炸式增长。经济统计数据永远无法完全展现共产党胜利给中国人民带来的悲剧，但它们确实揭示了一些重要信息。共产党推行农业集体化，如今大陆的人均大米产量低于革命前。蒋中正向地主购买土地，并将土地分配给农民。原地主将大部分资金投资工业，且政府则鼓励外商投资。如今，台湾的人均收入是大陆的五倍（实际远不止五倍）。台湾的1800万人出口额比大陆的10亿人还高出约50%。
大量的“经济学家”在分析台湾经济起飞时，总是把美援描述为经济成长的核心因素；很多相关的书籍，包括现今台湾本土的出版物，都在夸大美援的作用；简中书籍文章更是故意误导读者，甚至把国府迁台时带走的黄金描述成关键因素。而处于美援中的核心人物尼克松，却认为美援微不足道，台湾早期的繁荣绝不能被简单归功于“美国给钱”。
尼克松1953至1961年担任美国副总统，正是这段时间，是美国援助中华民国的黄金期，是台湾经济从贫弱到起飞的关键时期。很多美国援助法案，都有其本人积极参与，他掌握了很多第一手数据。此后，他在1968-1974年出任美国总统，成了第一把手，对台政策他本人就是决策人。最关键的是，他在写《Leaders》这本回忆录时，已经是1980年代，因水门事件已离开政治多年，早已不担任任何公职，这种回头看的方式，使得他更加冷静与客观，更带有全局性的视野。
显然，尼克松认为，促成台湾经济繁荣最根本的因素，绝不是美援，而是蒋中正一而贯之的保守主义理念在台湾得到了实施。事实也证明，1965年6月30日美援正式停止后，台湾的增长反而更加迅猛。这有力地证明了增长的动力源源不断来自于内部制度，而非外部输血。如果仅仅靠援助就能产生经济奇迹，那么二战后接受美援更多的菲律宾、越南甚至许多拉美国家，却没有一个能复刻台湾的成功。很显然尼克森认为：援助是“外因”，而制度驱动的增长才是“内因”。 （更多…）
