Credit: The Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum
This week marks the fiftieth anniversary of President Richard Nixon’s trip to China, the first by a sitting U.S. president to the People’s Republic. Throughout the visit from February 21st to 28th, Nixon and his advisors, including National Security Advisor Henry Kissinger, engaged in talks with Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai that ultimately produced the Shanghai Communique, a landmark agreement that both nations would work towards the normalization of relations.
Much of the visit was televised to enthralled audiences in the United States, proving a public relations victory both for Nixon in a pivotal election year, and for the PRC, as the trip produced a huge positive shift in U.S. public opinion towards China.
To mark the anniversary of Nixon’s 1972 visit, The Wire is publishing photos from that trip shared by the Nixon Presidential Library, along with stories from some of the officials who were there.
FROM WASHINGTON TO BEIJING
Crowd of well-wishers greet P
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