In a startling discloser by the Washington Post newspaper, it has been reported that the most senior United States Military officer told his Chinese counterpart that he will alert them in the event of a U.S attack, based on excerpts from journalists Bob Woodward and Robert Costa’s new book Peril.

The officer in question is General Mark Milley, who is the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the principal military advisor to the President, Secretary of Defense, and National Security Council. Milley in conversations with General Li Zuocheng of the People’s Liberation Army, twice promised that he would warn China in the event of a US attack.

According to the book by one of America’s foremost investigative journalists Bob Woodward who broke the Watergate scandal, one call took place on Oct 30, 2020, four days before the U.S presidential election, and the other on Jan 8, 2021, just two days after the so-called insurrection at the US Capitol by alleged supporters of President Donald Trump.

Milley in one of his phone calls as per the book excerpts said “General Li, you and I have known each other for now five years. If we’re going to attack, I’m going to call you ahead of time. It’s not going to be a surprise. General Li, I want to assure you that the American government is stable and everything is going to be OK. We are not going to attack or conduct any kinetic operations against you.”

“If we’re going to attack, I’m going to call you ahead of time. It’s not going to be a surprise,” Milley reportedly said.

The second call was meant to placate Chinese fears about the events of Jan. 6. But the book reports that Li wasn’t as easily assuaged, even after Milley promised him: “We are 100 percent steady. Everything’s fine. But democracy can be sloppy sometimes.”

Milley believed that President Donald Trump suffered a mental decline after the election, a view he relayed in a January 8 phone call with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

Excerpts from the book published by The Washington Post clearly states that the authors relied on General Milley’s own testimony as one of their main source for the book.

“In the second call, placed to address Chinese fears about the events of Jan. 6, Li wasn’t as easily assuaged, even after Milley promised him, “We are 100 percent steady. Everything’s fine. But democracy can be sloppy sometimes.” Li remained rattled, and Milley, who did not relay the conversation to Trump, . . . understood why. The chairman . . . believed the president had suffered a mental decline after the election . . . a view he communicated to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi . . . on Jan. 8. He agreed with her evaluation that Trump was unstable. . . . Believing that China could lash out if it felt at risk from an unpredictable and vengeful American president, Milley took action.

Milley, who was incidentally appointed by the Trump administration in 2018, expressed regret for participating in a June 2020 photo op with Trump after federal law enforcement cleared a park near the White House of peaceful protesters, thus incurrung the warth of the president.