He Re-Opened Relations.
In 1972, President Nixon arrived in China and met with Chairman Moa Zedong. The Chinese Communist Party had controlled mainland China since 1949 and was an adversary to the United States in much of the Cold War. Nixon’s visit there restored U.S.-China relations to a good degree and remains as one of Nixon’s better moves.
Read the History Channel’s summary and answer these questions: that follow.
Questions for Completion:
1. What events had taken place in China and what was the relationship between the U.S. and China before this presidential visit?
2. Why did Nixon go to China? What was the outcome?
3. While President Nixon saw going to China as a positive, he also was interested in the signal it would send to the Soviet Union. What message do you think Nixon wanted to send to the USSR?
Photo/Image: Chairman Mao and President Richard Nixon, 1972, White House Photo