OREANDA-NEWS. The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the US Army, Mark Milley, fearing that US President Donald Trump would start a war against China, secretly took precautions, American media reported on Tuesday, September 14, citing a copy of the yet-to-be-published book «The Threat» written by investigative journalists Bob Woodworth and Robert Costa.

As follows from the book, Milley, bypassing Trump, contacted his Chinese counterpart and ordered his commanders not to comply with Trump's order to launch a nuclear strike on China, if one arrives. Milley first contacted Chinese General Li Zuocen on October 30, 2020 — a few days before the US presidential election and told him: «General Li, I assure you that the US administration is stable and everything will be fine. We will not attack you or conduct any military operations against you».

Two months later, after Trump supporters stormed the US Congress building in early January, Milley called Lee again to assure him that «we are one hundred percent stable and everything is fine». To appease China, Milley even ordered the postponement of American military exercises. He also ordered his commanders not to carry out Trump's order to launch a nuclear strike without consulting him, and in order to prevent the ex-president's irrational actions, he consulted with the leadership of the CIA and the NSA.

The Pentagon declined to comment. The book «The Threat» will go on sale on September 21.