Kissinger Henry. White House Years

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IremainedconvincedthatChina’scautiousoverturestouswerecausedby

therapidandrelentlessSovietmilitarybuildupintheFarEast.Theprospectof

militaryconflictalongtheSino‐Sovietborderfaceduswithnightmarishchoices.

Anyimprovisedresponsetosuchadireeventwasboundtobeerraticand

probablyinadequate.Throughout1969Ihadsoughttoelicitcontingencyplans

fromtheinteragencymachinery.Butthedepartmentsandagenciesconsidered

ourchoicestooawfultocontemplate,andsoproducedonlycarefuleva sions:

theiringeniouscatalogueofeventualitiesseemedmoreinsuranceagainstac‐

cusationsoflackofforesightthanasetofpracticalchoicesforthePresident.Early

in1970Idecidedtoaskmyownstafftodrawupplansofourown,resultingina

lengthyandthoughtfulstudythatforafewyearsservedasourbasicplanning

paper.Inabookyearslateritwasdeprecatedasanotherexampleofasteptaken

“insecretfromtherestofthegovernment”;withuncharacteristicmodestythe

author,whohadleftmystaff,neglectedtomentionthathehadwrittenit!



Meanwhile,wewatchedSino‐Sovietrelationsclosely.InApril1970there

wasareportofsomeprogressintheSino‐Sovietbordernegotiations;Nixonread

aboutitinhismorningNewsSummary,anextremelythoroughcompilationof

mediareportagepreparedovernightbyanefficientteamofWhiteHouseaides.

Nixonwouldjotcommentsinthemargin;thesewouldbepassedontothe

appropriatestaffmemberinapompousmemorandumthatajunioraideto

Haldemanwroteinthepassivevoice,asifNixon’sjottingswerethunderbolts

fromonhigh(“Ithasbeenrequestedthatyounotethereportthatappeared…”). 

ThistimeIrespondedthatwhileprogressinthebordertalks(whichwasun‐

confirmed)mighttakesomeoftheurgencyoutoftheChinesedesire forhigher‐

levelmeetingswithus,itwouldnotchangeunderlying realities:



WeknowthattheSovietsareextremelysuspiciousoftheChinesepoliciesand

intentions,andtheChinesehavemadeitveryevidentthattheyhavenouseforthe“new

Tsars”,astheynowcalltheSoviets…Thusnosignificantchangeinourstrategytoward

CommunistChinaislikelytoberequired.TheChinesewillprobablystillwishtocontinueto

developthecontactwithusasacounterweighttotheSoviets.Therealsoseemstobesome

interestontheirpartinopeninguptradewithus.Theymay,however,believethatthereisless

urgencyinmovingaheadwithhigherleveltalksinPeking,andwemayfindthatthefairlyrapid

pacewhichdevelopedinourcontactswiththeChineseatWarsawsinceDecember1969will

slowdown.



NixoncircledthereferencetotalksinPekingandwroteinlonghand:“Letus

seethatStatedoesnotdragitsfeetonthis.” 



Alltheseeffortsandspeculationsweretemporarilyhostagetoeventsin

Cambodia.Whentheincursionsintothesanctuarieswereannounced,wewere

accusedbothwithinandwithoutthegovernmentoftorpedoinganyhopesof

improvedrelationswithbothMoscowandPeking.Indeed,itwasevensaidthat

thetwowouldnowbedriventogetherinoppositiontous.Butnothingremotely

likeitoccurred.Therewereonlytheobligatoryverbalfireworks;noactionofany

kind.



AswehavealreadyseeninChapterXII,ChinesestatementsofMay4and

May5“sternly”warnedtheUnitedStatesagainstits“flagrantprovocation.”They

consoledHanoinotwithpromisesofincreasedsupportbutbythequotationof

ChairmanMao’sstatementthattheUnitedStateswasa“papertiger,”andthat

“thevastexpanseofChinaistheirreliablereararea.”ItoldthePresident:“The

Chinesehaveissuedastatement,ineffectsayingtheywouldn’tdoanything.” 



FarfromdrivingthetwoCommunistgiantstogether,eventsinCambodia

onlycreatedanewbattlegroundforrivalryasPekingandMoscowjockeyedfor

influenceoverthevariousinsurgentforcesinIndochina.Sihanoukremained

ensconcedinexileinPeking,tothediscomfitureofbothMoscowandHanoi.And

inabroadersense,thetemperedChineseandSovietreactionstoourmilitary

movespointedonceagaintothepossibilitiesoftriangulardiplomacyto help

settlethewar.ItbecameunmistakablyclearthatneitherCommunistpowercould

riskasharpbreakwithusoverVietnamforfearthatwemightthenthrowourfull

weightbehindtheother.



OnMay18,PravdapublishedabitterattackonChina,chargingthe

People’sRepublicwithhavingrejectedSovietcallsforjointactioninCambodia.

TheChinese,acutelysensitivetosuchanaccusation,respondedbywheelingout

theirheaviestartillery,thedeclarationissuedonMay20inthenameofMaoTse‐

tungentitled“PeopleoftheWorld,UniteandDefeattheU.S.AggressorsandAll

TheirRunningDogs!”Strippedofitsexuberantrhetoric,thisstatementtoo

revealedextraordinarycaution.MyanalysisforthePresidentpointedout:



Insubstance…itisremarkablybland.Itoffersonly“warmsupport”tothethreepeoples

ofIndo‐China,withouteventheusualphrasesaboutChinabeinga“reararea”forthestruggle.

Ithammershomethethesisthatasmallnationcandefeatalargeone,whichmustseemcold

comfortinHanoi.Itmakesnothreats,offersnocommitments,isnotpersonallyabusivetoward

you,andavoidspositionsoncontentiousbilateralissues.



Tactically,Mao’sstatementservesseveralpurposes:



‐ItmakespropagandacapitalofyouractioninCambodia.



‐ItaddsMao’spersonalprestigetoChinesesupportforSihanouk.



‐ItembarrassestheSovietsbynotingpointedlythattwenty(other)countrieshave

recognizedSihanouk[whichMoscowhadnotdonenorwasevertodo].



NextdayHanoipubliclythankedMao,butinastatementexhibitingmany

subtlediscrepanciesbetweenitsviewsandPeking’s.WhereasChinahadspoken

oftheneedforaunitedfrontofthepeoplesofIndochina(areference,among

otherthings,totheperennialdisagreementsbetweenVietnameseand

CambodianCommunists),Hanoicalledattentiontotheimperativeofaunited

Communistworld,ineffectaskingMaotocomposehisdifferenceswithMoscow.



Mao’sstatementreachedWashingtonata timewhenNixonwasina

particularlyfeistymood.Withoutwaitingformyanalysis,heorderedevery

elementoftheSeventhFleetnotneededforVietnammovedintotheTaiwan

Strait:“Stuffthatwilllookbelligerent.Iwantthemtoknowwearenotplaying

thischickengame…Idon’twantanylongpaperprepared.NoNSSM.[

ANational

SecurityStudyMemorandum—NSSM—wastheusualPresidentialdirectiveaskingforan

interagencystudy.]IwantyoutocallMoorer thatit’sanorderfromthe

Commander‐in‐Chief.YoucantellLaird.T here’snorecourse.Iwantthemthere

within24hours.”Itwasoneofthoseordersthatcloseassociateshadcometo

recognizewouldbetterservethepublicwelfareifnotimplementedfortwenty‐

fourhours.AndasIhaveindicatedbefore,whenNixonusedthephrase“no

recourse”itdramatizedhisuncertainty.Afterwehadachancetodiscussthereal

meaningofMao’sstatement,Nixonthoughtbetterofnewdeploymentsinthe

TaiwanStrait.Itcouldnotbeinournatio nalinteresttolinkCambodiatothe

securityofChina;Maohadleftahostofopeningsforrenewingthelongmarchof

ourtwocountriestowardeachotherandnothingwouldbegainedbyclosing

themoffinafitofpique.



BythemiddleofJune,whenemotionsoverCambodiaweresubsiding,we

thereforesoughtagaintoreopencontacts.OnJune15GeneralWalterswas

instructedtoapproachhisChinesecounterpartinParis,adefenseattachénamed

FangWen,sayinghehadamessagetodeliver.Walterswasgivenatexttoread

thatcontainedourbynowfamiliartheme:SincetheWarsawforumwastoo

publicandtooformalistic,wewouldliketoopenanotherchannelforconfidential

communications.Butourbackchannelsystem,whichhadsointriguedtheSoviets,

heldasyetnoattractionfortheChinese.Perhapstheydidnotunderstandhowa

seriousgovernmentcouldberuninthatway;ifso,theywerenotalone.(Later

theybecamemastersatit.)Theredoubtable Walterstriedtwicetopasshis

message,onceduringthesummerandonceinearlySeptember,eachtime

withoutsuccess.BothtimesWaltersspottedFangWenandmentionedamessage

fromWashington,FangWenmumbledthathewouldinformhisgovernmentand

spedoffinhiscar. Therewasnoresponse.



ItmayhavebeenthatChina,too,washavinginternaldifficulties withthe

newpolicy.ThereiseveryreasontosupposeCommunistcountriessharethe

humanresistancetoinnovation;wehadtheimpressionthatinPekingvarious,

sometimesclashing,policyviewswerebeingpursuedsimultaneously,withthe

military,headedbyLinPiao,especiallyfavoringahardline.(Thisseemed

confirmedwhenmuchofthetopChinesemilitaryleadershipwasreplacedashort

timeaftermysecrettriptoPe king.)Ontheonehand,ChouEn‐laiwasreportedto

havetoldEastEuropeandiplomatsinearlyJunethatPekinglookedforwardto

resumingcontactswiththeUnitedStatesinWarsawfollowingthe“temporary”

interruptioncausedbytheCambodiancrisis.Chouvolunteeredthesecomments

toseveralvisitorsinthecontextofexpressingChina’sdesiretoimproverelations

withcountrieseverywhere.

Thisseemedtobeconfirmedbythemildmannerin

whichtheChineseagainpostponedtheWarsawtalksonJune20,stressingthat

theirresumptionwouldbe“discussedlateratthepropertime.”Ontheother

hand,therewasalsoabellicosestrandinChinesepolicy.OnJune27,theChinese

“commemorated”thetwentiethanniversaryofPresidentTruman’sdecisionto

interposetheSeventhFleetintheTaiwanStrait,whichtheydenouncedas“US

occupationofChina’ssacredterritoryTaiwanbyarmedforces.”Pekingaccused

theUnitedStatesofrepeatedmilitary“intrusions”againstChina’ssovereign

territory,includingthirteensuchincidentssinceNixoncameintooffice.



Moreworrying,onJuly2theChinesesentuptwoMiG‐19sinanapparently

premeditatedattempttointerceptandpossiblyshootdownaC‐130flyingan

intelligencemissiononehundredmilesofftheChinesecoast.Thiswasthefirst

timesince1965thatChinahadsoughttointerceptaroutinereconnaissance

mission.IsentamemorandumtothePresidenton“puzzlingandevendisturbing”

aspectsofthisevent.Iemphasizedthatwecouldnotabandonourintelligence

missionsfaroutatseawithoutplayingintothehandsofthoseinChina

advocatingatoughline.ButIwasaboveallconcernedaboutwhattheincident 

revealedofinternalChinesestruggles:



Perhapsthemostplausiblehypothesisisthatsomebodyinthepowerstructuredidwant

towreckSino‐USrelations.Discountingtheusualstridencyoftheirpropagandalanguage,the

Chineseforsometwoyearshavebeencautiouslyandtentativelyfeelingusouttoseewhatwe

mightbewillingtodotoimproverelations.ThispolicyisusuallyassociatedwithChouEn‐lai

andthemoderategroupingwhichhasdominatedinternalpolicyinthesameperiod.Inthepast

coupleofweeks,therehasbeenevidenceofanupsurgeofthezealots,andsignsthattheyare

fightingtheirrelativeexclusionfromthereconstitutedParty.TheAirForceduringtheCultural

Revolutionwasthemostradicaloftheaimedservices.Theattemptedshootdownmayhave

beenrelatedtoapolicy/powerstruggleandbeenintendedtostopthemoderatedriftof

foreignpolicy.Theperpetratorsmayalsohavehopedthatbyprovokingusintoreactionsor

angrystatementstheycoulddiscreditanyproponentsoflimitedaccommodationwiththeU.S.



Suddenly,onJuly10itbegantoappearthattheChinesehadresolvedtheir

internalcontroversy.PekingannouncedthereleaseofBishopJamesWalsh,who

hadbeenarrestedin1958andsentencedin1960totwentyyears’imprisonment

asaspy.ThesimultaneousdisclosurethatHughRedmond,anAmerican

businessmansentencedinShanghaiin1954tolifeimprisonmentforespionage,

hadcommittedsuicidethreemonthsearliertemperedelation,butthetimingof

thereleaseofBishopWalshwassymbolic.Itcoincidedwith,andneatly

counterbalanced,anannouncementofthereopeningoftalkswiththeSoviet

Uniononthenavigationofborderrivers.



Onourpart,wecontinuedwithgesturesthatcouldnotberejectedanddid

notneedtobeacknowledged.Forexample,inlateJuneGeneralMotorsapplied

forpermissiontoincludeUS‐madedieselenginesandsparepartsinashipmentto

ChinaofeightylargedumptrucksproducedbytheRobertoPerlinicompanyof

Italy.TheDefenseDepartmentraisedobjectionstothisfirstinstanceofthesaleof

sparepartsforChina .StateandCommercerecommendedapproval.Ina

memorandumtothePresident(July13)IsupportedStateandCommerce.The

ChinesehadinsistedontheUS‐madeenginesaspartofthesale,inspiteoftheir

professedindiffere ncetoUStradeandthefactthatotherengineswereavailable;

theymightthusbetestingourintentions.OnJuly24Nixonapprovedthe

transactionandonJuly28theCommerceDepartmentdisclosedthedecision.On

August26theUnitedStatesannouncedtheliftingofrestrictionsthatprohibited

Americanoilcompaniesabroadfromrefuelingforeignshipscarryingnonstrategic

goodstoorfromChina.



ThoughtheChinesecontinuedtoenvelopthemselvesinsilence,wedidnot

keepsecrettherationaleofouractions.OnSeptember16,1970,Itoldagroupof

MidWesterneditorsandpublishersinChicago:



Thedeepestrivalrywhichmayexistintheworldtodayis…thatbetweentheSoviet

UnionandCommunistChina.Alongafrontierof4,000miles,thereareterritorialclaimsonone

sideandamilitarybuildupontheother.Thisismademoreseverebythedisputebetweenthe

twogreatCommuniststatesastowhichofthemrepresentsthecenterofCommunist

orthodoxy,whichgivesaquasi‐religiousconnotationtotheirconflict.



ThisiswhatgaveurgencytotherapprochementwithPeking.Itwaswhy,

despitetemporaryinterruptions,WashingtonandPekingwereinexorablymoving

towardeachother.



<<Contents>>



****



ThePakistaniChannel



hesesignalswereallverywell,butbothNixonandIwereconvincedthatthe

overridingnecessitywastoestablishaconfidentialmeansofcommunication,

unencumberedbyvestedbureaucraticinterestsandthetraditionalliturgy,which

couldbetrustedbybothsides.OnSeptember27whileIwasinParis,myfriend

JeanSaintenytoldmethatheoccasionallysawtheChineseAmbassador,Huang

Chen,socially.Itoldhimtomentionourdesireforadirectcontact.ThisSainteny

didinDecember.

T



ChouEn‐laiandMaoTse‐tungquiteindependentlydecidedthatthetime

hadcometosendusasignal.Unfortunately,theyoverestimatedoursubtlety,for

whattheyconveyedwassoobliquethatourcrudeOccidentalmindscompletely

missedthepoint.OnOctober1,China’sNatio nalDay,ChouEn‐lailedthe

AmericanwriterEdgarSnow—anoldfriendoftheChineseCommunists—andhis 

wifetostandatMao ’ssideonTienAnMen(theGa teofHeavenlyPeace)andto

bephotographed withMaoreviewingtheannualanniversaryparade.Thiswas

unprecedented;noAmericanhadeverbeensohonored.Theinscrutable

Chairmanwastryingtoconvey something.(AsSnowhimselflaterobservedofthe

incident:“NothingChina’sleadersdopubliclyiswithoutpurpose.”

Eventually,I

cametounderstandthatMaointendedtosymbolizethatAmericanrelationsnow

hadhispersonalattention,butitwasbythenapurelyacademicinsight:wehad

missedthepointwhenitmattered.Excessivesubtletyhadproducedafailureof

communication.WhereMaouseda rapier,Nixonseizedasledgehammerto

conveyasignalofhisown.AlmostatthesamemomentthatSnowwaswatching

theNationalDayparade,NixongrantedaninterviewtoTimemagazinethat

focusedontherecentlyconcludedJordancrisis.BuriedinNixon’sexpositionwas

apregnantremarkonthesubjectofChina’sassumingaworldroleandhisown

partinit:



Maybethatrolewon’tbepossibleforfiveyears,maybenoteventenyears.Butin20

yearsithadbetterbe,ortheworldisinmortaldanger.IfthereisanythingIwanttodobeforeI

die,itistogotoChina.IfIdon’t,Iwantmychildrento.



LaterinOctoberNixongaveanotherpersonalpushtotheeffort.Several

headsofgovernmentcametotheUnitedNationsforthecelebrationofits

twenty‐fifthanniversary.NixonreceivedmanyoftheminWashingtonandtook

theopportunitytopointouthisinterestinSino‐Americanrapprochement.Of

crucialimportancewashismeetingintheOvalOfficeonOctober25with

PresidentYahyaKhanofPakistan,whowasabouttovisitPeking.ThePresident

briefedYahyaonallthepointswehadtriedandfailedtogetintotheWarsaw

talks.HeaskedhimtoconveythatweregardedaSino‐Americanrapprochement

as“essential,”thatwewouldneverjoinacondominiumagainstChina,andthat

wewerewillingtosendahigh ‐levelsecretemissarytoPeking.Nixonmentioned

RobertMurphy,ThomasE.Dewey,ormyselfaspossibleenvoys.



NextdayNixonpursuedthesamethemeswithRomanianPresidentNicolae

Ceauşescu,pickingupontheconversationsduring hisvisittoBucharestin1969.

JustincasethisconversationshouldreachSovietears—notimprobable—Nixon

waxedeloquentabouthisdesireforgoodrelationswithbothChinaandthe

SovietUnion.LaterinthedayNixonusedCeauşescu’svisitforapublicstep

forward.Atthestatedinner,Nixontoastedthemanycommoninterestsofthe

UnitedStatesandRomania,listingprominentlythatofgoodrelations,suchas

Romaniahad,withtheUnitedStates,theSovietUnion,andthe“People’s

RepublicofChina.”ItwasthefirstuseofChina’sofficialnamebyanAmerican

President.Andjust tomakesurethattheRomaniansgotthemessage,Ireiterated

Nixon’sthemesandlanguageinaprivateconversationwithCeauşescuatBlair

HouseonOctober27.



Allwecoulddonowwaswait.Novemberwasnotanauspiciousmonth,for

attheUnitedNationsweonceagainsucceededinblockingPeking’sadmission,

spurringthewritersofthePeople’sDailytouseachoiceselectionoftheirwell‐

honedinvective.OnNovember19,thedaybeforetheUNvote,Ilaunchedtwo

interagencystudies.Oneconcernedourlong‐rangepolicytowardthePeople’s

RepublicofChina;theothersoughtanexplorationoftheissuesofChinese

representationintheUnitedNationsinthelightofthenarrowingUNsupportfor

ourposition.[

Asithappened,NixonwrotemeanoteonNovember22urgingmetobegina

studyoftheUNproblem.

Bythenthestudywasalreadyunderway.]



AreportinlateNovemberofatradeagreementbetweenMoscow and

PekingtriggeredanotheranxiousqueryfromNixon.Ididnotconsiderthe

amountsinvolvedsignificant.NordidIbelievethatSino‐Sovietdifferenceslent

themselvestosimplereconciliation.Nocommercialgesturecouldalterthefact

thatfortySovietdivisionswerepoisedalonga4,000‐milebordernotrecognized

byChina.Norcouldcommercialtransactionsstilltheuneasinesswithwhich

Sovietleaderswereboundtoviewthe800millionirredentiststotheirSouth,

eyeingcovetouslythevastandrichemptyspacesofSiberia,sounattractiveto

Russiansthattheyarepioneeredbytheoutcastsofwhateverregimegovernsin

theRussiancapital.AsIwrotethePresident:



ForboththeSovietsandtheChinesethisappearanceofmorenormalrelationsisan

importantcountertothewidespreadspeculationintheWestthatthetwocountriesareso

preoccupiedbytheircontinuingdisputestobesusceptibletopressuretoreachsomemajor

accommodationwithusandtheWestEuropeans.Signsthatrelationsareimprovingarethus

usefulforbothPekingandMoscow.



Nevertheless,mostofthisisintherealmofformratherthansubstanceandthereisno

evidencethatfundamentalproblemscanberesolved.Indeedourintelligenceshowsa

continuingimprovementinmilitarycapabilitiesalongtheSino‐Sovietborder,andthisfactno

doubtplayssomeroleinChinesewillingnesstogoalongwithsignsofnormalizationofstate

relations—apositionwhichtwoyearsagotheyrejectedoutofhand.



WhatwedidnotknowatthistimewasthattheChinesehadalreadysent

usamessagequitedifferentinkindfromanythingwehadreceivedbefore.

PresidentYahyaKhanwasinChinafromNovember10to15andweassumed

nothinghadhappened.Thenthreeweekslater,onDecember8,Ambassador

HilalycontactedHalSaundersofmystaffandsaidthathehad“amessage”forme

relatingtoYahya’strip.WeneverreceivedanadequateexplanationwhyYahya

waitednearlythreeweeksafterhisreturntoPakistantotransmitthemessage.

PerhapstheChinesefortheirownreasonsestablishedadateafterwhichitcould

becommunicated;perhapsthereasonwasYahya’scarefulpr ecautions.Inany

event,IinvitedHilalytotheWhiteHousethenextday,whereinmyofficeafew

minutesafter6:00p.m.heproducedanenvelopecontainingahandwritten

missiveonwhite,blue‐linedpaperwhichhadbeencarriedtohimbyhand,Yahya

nottrustingthesecurityofcablecommunications.(Thiswastobetheformforall

messagesthroughthePakistanichannel.)Hilalysaidhewasnotauthorizedto

leavethedocumentwithme.Hethereforehadtodictateit,speakingslowlyasI

copieditdown.Weweresopreoccupiedwiththismechanicalchorethatwedid

notnoticetheincongruityofthiselegantspokesmanoftheeliteofacountry

basedonanancientreligiondictatingacommunicationfromtheleaderofa

militantAsiaticrevolutionarynationtoarepre sentativeoftheleaderofthe

Westerncapitalistworld;orthephenomenonthatinanageofinstantaneous

communicationwehadreturnedtothediplomaticmethodsoftheprevious

century—thehandwrittennotedeliveredbyme ssengerandreadaloud.Anevent

offundamentalimportancetookplaceinapedantic,almostpedestrian,fashion.



Iwas,atanyrate,toobusytogiveexpressiontotheexcitementIfelt.

Usuallyindiplomacyindividualeventsarepartofaseries;theymergeina

continuumwhoseultimates ignificancecanonlybeviewedthroughtheprismof

time.Asageneralrule,turningpointsareapparentonlyinretrospect.Butthe

messagebroughtbyHilalywasclearlyaneventofimportance.Thiswasnotan

indirectsubtlesignaltobedisavowedatthefirsttremorsofdifficulty.Itwasan

authoritativepersonalmessagetoRichardNixonfromChouEn‐lai,who

emphasizedthathespokenotonlyforhimselfbutalsoforChairmanMaoand

ViceChairmanLinPiao.China,Choudeclared,“hasalwaysbeenwillingandhas

alwaystriedtonegotiatebypeacefulmeans…Inordertodiscussthesubjectof

thevacationofChineseterritoriescalledTaiwan,aspecialenvoyofPresident

Nixon’swillbemostwelcomeinPeking.”ChouEn‐laiobservedgracefullythat

manyothermessageshadbeenreceivedfromtheUnitedStatesthroughvarious

sources,“butthisisthefirsttimethattheproposalhascomefroma Head,

throughaHead,toaHead.TheUnitedStatesknowsthatPakistanisagreatfriend

ofChinaandthereforeweattachimportancetothemessage.”



Inshort,apersonalrepresentativeofthePresidentwasbeinginvitedto

Peking.Tobesure,thepurposeofthemeetingwassaidtobe“thevacationof

ChineseterritoriescalledTaiwan.”ButIconsideredthisastandardformula,

perhapstoensureagainstleaksorbadfaithinWashington;itwaslessofabreach

ofideologicalpuritytocouchtheinvitationtothearchenemyinsuchterms.Mao,

LinPiao,andChouEn‐laiwouldnotassociatethemselveswithanyinvitation

patentlyincapableoffulfillment.TobeeagerforthevisitofanAmericanemissary

theyhadtobedrivenbysomedeeperimperativethanthefutureofoneof

China’sprovinces;ithadtoinvolvethesecurityofChinaitself.



ThemomentHilalyleftIwalkeddownthehalltotheOvalOffice,where

NixonandItalkedatlength.Wewereasoneinourreadinesstoacceptthe

invitation.Wecouldnot,weagreed,confineanagendatoTaiwan,andwere

certainthatthisreflectedChinesepreferencesaswell,howeverreluctantthey

mightbetoputthisintoacommunication.I thereforedraftedareplythatI

handedtoHilalyonDecember16.Itestablishedaprocedureonoursideaswell.

WheretheChinesenotesinthePakistanichannelwerehandwritten,ourswere

thereaftertypedonXeroxpaperwithoutaletterheadoraUnitedStates

governmentwatermark.Theywerenotsigned(andourbureaucracywasnot

informed).



OurreplymadeclearthattheUnitedStateswouldbeprepar edforhigh‐

leveltalksinPeking fordiscussions



onthebroadrangeofissueswhichliebetweenthePeople’sRepublicofChinaandthe

UnitedStates,includingtheissueofTaiwan…themeetinginPekingwouldnotbelimitedonly

totheTaiwanquestionbutwouldencompassotherstepsdesignedtoimproverelationsand

reducetensions.WithrespecttotheU.S.militarypresenceonTaiwan,however,thepolicyof

theUnitedStatesGovernmentistoreduceitsmilitarypresenceintheregionofEastAsiaand

thePacificastensionsinthisregiondiminish.



(ThelastsentencewasdesignedtoencourageChineseinterestina

settlementofthewarinVietnambytyingtroopwithdrawalsfromTaiwantoan

endoftheconflictinIndochina.Itwasaformulawhichhadbeenusedinmany