Creating the Shanghai Communiqué

President Nixon and Dr. Kissinger with Premier Chou En-lai meeting on the Shanghai Communiqué. The Joint Communiqué of the United States of America and the People’s Republic of China, more commonly referred to as the Shanghai Communiqué, is one of the most...

A Consequential Toast

President Nixon and Premier Chou En-lai toast at the Great Hall of the People. In his toast at the Welcome Banquet on February 21st, 1972 in the Great Hall of the People, President Nixon laid out the potential that trip held for the future of the US-Chinese...

Dinner with Andre Malraux

Andre Malraux, French Minister of Information and Culture After accepting the invitation to visit China, President Nixon began to prepare himself for exchanges with the Chinese leadership. One of the most important, and most difficult, aspects of the preparation was...

When Presidents Gather (And Are Alone)

On Thursday, the George W. Bush Presidential Center was dedicated on the campus of Southern Methodist University in Dallas. The Center includes the forty-third President’s Library and Museum as well as the George W. Bush Policy Institute and the offices of the...

The Announcement

The July 26, 1971 cover of Time Magazine featuring RN and Dr. Kissinger. To a very keen observer, President Nixon’s acceptance of Premier Chou En-Lai’s invitation to China would not have had as great a shock as it did to the rest of the nation. President Nixon, in...