Historical Documents - Office of the Historian

China, October 1971–February 1972

191. Message From the Government of the United States to the Government of the People’s Republic of China

Washington, February 16, 1972.

Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 849, President’s File—China Trip, China Exchanges. Top Secret; Sensitive; Exclusively Eyes Only. The date was handwritten. Another handwritten notation at the top of the page reads: “Gen. Walters, Per our conversation the following message should be passed to the Chinese.” According to Walters’ undated memorandum for the record, he passed this message to PRC diplomats in Paris at 6 p.m. on February 17. (Ibid.) See also Foreign Relations, 1969–1976, vol. E–13, Document 87.

192. Conversation Between President Nixon and his Assistant for National Security Affairs

Washington, February 14, 1972, 4:09–6:19 p.m.

Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, White House Tapes, Oval Office, Conversation No. 671–1. Secret. This transcript was prepared by the editor specifically for this volume. Nixon and Kissinger spoke shortly after a meeting with author André Malraux, a conversation that takes up the first half of this tape recording. A memorandum of the conversation with Malraux is ibid., White House Special Files, President’s Office Files, Memoranda for the President. Alexander Butterfield was also present for part of the discussion between Nixon and Kissinger.

193. Memorandum From the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Kissinger) to President Nixon

Washington, February 19, 1972.

Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 847, President’s File—China Trip, China Visit—Readings on Mao Tse-tung and Chou En-lai, Book IV, The President. Top Secret; Sensitive; Exclusively Eyes Only. Sent for information. Much of this document was underlined by Nixon. On February 15 Kissinger forwarded to the President a 21-page paper “prepared by my staff” that “distills some of Mao’s major philosophic and political themes drawn from his writings, statements, and actions throughout his life.” Kissinger’s covering memorandum and the report are in the Library of Congress, Manuscript Division, Kissinger Papers, Geopolitical Files, China, Trips, February 1972, Briefing Book. See also Foreign Relations, 1969–1976, vol. E–13, Document 86. Other briefing materials or reports on the trip include: 1) Detailed Schedule (National Archives, RG 59, Central Files 1970–73, POL 7 US/NIXON); 2) Record of Previous Visits Arranged by Subject Matter (ibid., Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 846, President’s File—China Trip, Book I—HAK’s 1971 Visits by Subject Matter and Book II [part I]); 3) Record of Previous Visits (ibid., Box 847, China Trip—Record of previous visits, Book III); 4) Readings on Mao Tse-tung and Chou En-lai (ibid., China Visit— Readings on Mao Tse-tung and Chou En-lai, Book IV); 5) Briefing Books (ibid., Briefing papers for the China trip, The President, Books V and V–a); 6) Reading Materials (ibid., China Trip—Reading materials, Book IV); and Department of State reading materials (ibid., Box 848, General reading material, State Department Briefing Book, Book I [Parts I–III]). The President’s Daily Diary also contains detailed information on the trip. (ibid., White House Central Files) as does the Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents, February 28, 1972, pp. 461–499; Public Papers: Nixon, 1972, pp. 367–384; Foreign Broadcast Information Service, Daily Report, People’s Republic of China, Special Report: President Nixon’s Visit to China, March 9, 1972, no. 48, supp. 7; and Department of State Bulletin, March 20, 1972, pp. 419–440. The CIA also prepared Special National Intelligence Estimate 13–72, “Security Conditions in the PRC,” for the President’s visit. (Central Intelligence Agency, Job 79–R1012, NIC Files)

194. Memorandum of Conversation

Beijing, February 21, 1972, 2:50–3:55 p.m.

Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, White House Special Files, President’s Office Files, Box 87, Memoranda for the President. Top Secret; Sensitive; Exclusively Eyes Only. The meeting was held at Mao’s residence. A March 8 covering memorandum from Kissinger to Nixon reads: “Attached at Tab A is the transcript of your meeting with Chairman Mao. I thought you might be interested in looking it over before we put it in the files.” A notation on the memorandum indicates the President saw it. According to a March 28 memorandum from Holdridge and Lord to Kissinger, the NSC staff oversaw the “massive typing workload” needed to prepare these memoranda. (Ibid., NSC Files, Kissinger Office Files, Box 88, Country Files, Far East, Sensitive, China—President’s Trip, 15–29 Feb 72) The memoranda arranged by subject are ibid., NSC Files, President’s File—China Trip, Presidential Conversations in the PRC Arranged by Subject) Copies of short, handwritten notes made by Kissinger and the President during their talks with Chou are in Library of Congress, Manuscript Division, Kissinger Papers, Geopolitical Files, Box CL 115, China, Trips, February 1972, Richard Nixon. A complete collection of records of Kissinger’s talks in the PRC is in National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Kissinger Office Files, Box 92, President’s Trip, February 1972, HAK Conversations; and ibid., Box 92, Dr. Kissinger in the PRC During the President’s Visit, February 1972.

195. Memorandum of Conversation

Beijing, February 21, 1972, 5:58–6:55 p.m.

196. Memorandum of Conversation

Beijing, February 22, 1972, 2:10–6 p.m.

197. Memorandum of Conversation

Beijing, February 23, 1972, 2–6 p.m.

198. Memorandum of Conversation

Beijing, February 23, 1972, 3 p.m.

Source: National Archives, RG 59, Central Files 1970–73, POL 7 US/NIXON. Secret; Nodis; Homer. The meeting was held in Villa 5 of the Guest House Complex. Drafted by Platt and approved by Rogers on February 28. A complete set of the Rogers–Chi P’eng-fei memoranda of conversation is also ibid., Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Kissinger Office Files, Box 91, Country Files–Near East, Memoranda of Conversation between Secretary Rogers and PRC Officials, February 1972. Rogers met with Chi February 22–25 and 28. He had a brief meeting with Chou on February 27. He also attended the February 26 meeting with Nixon and Chou; see Document 201. See also Foreign Relations, 1969–1976, vol. E–13, Documents 91, 94, 101, 105, 107.

199. Memorandum of Conversation

Beijing, February 24, 1972, 5:15–8:05 p.m.

200. Memorandum of Conversation

Beijing, February 25, 1972, 5:45–6:45 p.m.

201. Memorandum of Conversation

Beijing, February 26, 1972, 9:20–10:05 a.m.

Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, White House Special Files, President’s Office Files, Box 87, Memoranda for the President. Top Secret; Sensitive; Exclusively Eyes Only. This meeting was held at the Beijing Airport. A memorandum of this conversation prepared by the Department of State is ibid., NSC Files, Kissinger Office Files, Country Files–Far East, Box 91, Memoranda of Conversation between Secretary Rogers and PRC Officials, February 1972.

202. Memorandum of Conversation

Shanghai, February 27–28, 1972, 11:05 p.m.–12:30 a.m.

Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Kissinger Office Files, Country Files–Near East, Box 92, China, President’s Trip, February 1972, HAK Conversations, Dr. Kissinger’s Meetings in the People’s Republic of China during the Presidential Visit. Top Secret; Sensitive; Exclusively Eyes Only. The meeting was held at Kissinger’s guest house in Shanghai.

203. Joint Statement Following Discussions With Leaders of the People’s Republic of China

Shanghai, February 27, 1972.

Source: Public Papers: Nixon, 1972, pp. 376–379. Commonly known as the Shanghai Communiqué.

204. Memorandum of Conversation

Shanghai, February 28, 1972, 8:30–9:30 a.m.

Foreign Relations of the United States, 1969–1976, Volume XVII, China, 1969–1972

China, October 1971–February 1972