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Ping Pong Diplomacy
President Richard Nixon’s visit to China was sparked by a chance meeting between a United States ping pong player and a group of Chinese players at a tournament in Japan in 1971. After the United States players expressed an interest in visiting China, Mao Zedong invited them to tour the country. They became the first Americans to officially visit China since 1949.
This caught the eye of President Nixon and his advisors, most notably Henry Kissinger, who felt that despite challenges, the U.S. should work towards creating a relationship with China. Kissinger made two secret advance trips to China in 1971 before the official state visit in February 1972.
In this photo, Kissinger and his assistant (and later Ambassador) Winston Lord take a break during the secret negotiations about Nixon’s upcoming visit by – what else? – playing ping pong. China, October 26, 1971.
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(via todaysdocument)
