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He had been at first afraid , because the island having never been inhabited was almost entirely covered with wood and without paths , thinking this to be in the enemy 's favour , as he might land with a large force , and yet might suffer loss by an attack from an unseen position . Colonel Chiles nevertheless anticipated an attack during the night . Therefore , an order was given to secure the whole transport and to prepare for such an attack as would eventually be made . I do not mean we should extrapolate an attack like 9-11 into an ongoing " war " that can be a justification for nearly anything . He proposed also that the U.S. Seventh Fleet be ordered not only to protect Formosa from attack but also to prevent an attack from there on the mainland . That was an attack beyond the Continuity IRA 's capability at that time . The move was part of Saddam Hussein 's strategy to make peace with opposition groups and put together the widest coalition possible in case of an attack from the US . But open debate is unpopular , since most people on the island seem to believe that open discussion of this issue or the alternative , Taiwan independence , will provoke an attack from the Mainland . Preventing such an attack from killing hundreds , thousands , or even millions of Americans is possible — if , and only if , the U.S. is determined to make this so .