Nixon and Mao

Richard Nixon and entourage departed the White House during the morning of February 17, 1972 for his historic trip to China and meeting with Chairman Mao. Strangely, the farwell ceremony did not include any demonstrators although several, young schoolchildren were almost arrested by White House policemen for displaying a sign.
However, anti-Communist Republicans, pro-Taiwan Chinese, and militant Viet-Nam veterans were not in appearance during the morning ceremony at the White House south lawn. Ironically, U.S. Senator and former presidential candidate Barry Goldwater accompanied Mr. Nixon on his trip, apparently to confirm that the Chinese were not red.

Approximately, 5000 people including 1500 school-children from Washington, D.C., Virginia and Maryland attended the orchestrated, fifteen-minute, farewell ceremony in near-freezing weather. The children and their teachers had not been informed they were important props for Mr. Nixon's departure speech.

The President told the small crowd, assembled in roped-areas that the United States and China must "find a way to see that we can have differences without being enemies at war. If we can make progress toward that goal on this trip, the world will be a much safer world and the chance particularly for all of those young children over there to grow up in a world of peace will be infinitely greater." As he spoke those words, he pointed to the children shivering in the cold. However, Mr. Nixon's vision of peace had not been relayed to White House police.

When a group of giggling children raised a hand-painted sign that said "Be a nice guy to Chou En-lai," three White House policemen rushed over and grabbed it. The children were admonished but not arrested. Obviously, as usual, Mr. Nixon considered any type of demonsration threatening to his carefully orchestrated world.

The departure ceremony at the White House was very unusual because normally the President departed on foreign trips from Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland with a simple ceremony only attended by Cabinet members. The White House press secretary later revealed that 6,200 invitations had been issued to ranking Administration officials, their families, and loyal government employees.

After, the brief speech, Mr. Nixon walked along a line of Cabinet members and Congressional leaders, shaking their hands. He was followed by Pat Nixon, his wife, who was wearing a full-length, blond mink coat. She also shook hands and touched arms. Both Mr. and Mrs. Nixon kissed their daughters, Tricia and Julie.

Then they were led by Secretary of State William P. Rogers and National Security Advisor Henry Kissinger to the waiting U.S. Marine helicopter for a brief flight to Andrews Air Force Base where Air Force One, the presidential aircraft, was waiting. As heavy snow began falling, Air Force One departed at 10:36 a.m. for Honolulu, Hawaii where the Nixons and their entourage rested for 46 hours.

The Nixons stayed with Brigadier General Victor Armstrong, commander of the First Marine Brigade. It remains unknown how much money was spent by the U.S. Marine Corps to prepare for the visit and dinner parties.

The Nixons departed on Saturday for Guam where they spent the night. The next day the President and his party departed for Shanghai, China for a brief refueling stop. Air Force One arrived in Beijing during Monday at 11:40 a.m. (Beijing time) which was 10:40 p.m. during Sunday in Washington, D.C. The Beijing arrival was broadcast live by satellite to the United States and presented by all three television networks.

Mr. and Mrs. Nixon were welcomed by Premier Chou En-lai but no welcoming speeches were made. Instead, the Peoples Liberation Army band played the Star Spangled Banner.

Two planes with government officials, technicians, journalists and security personnel had preceded the arrival of Air Force One.

The following day Mr. Nixon met with Chairman Mao. That was approximately five months before Jane Fonda made her famous trip to Ha Noi, the capital of North Viet-Nam. Ironically, conservative politicians did not chastise Mr. Nixon for embracing Mao and diplomatically recognizing Red China. Yet, five months later they vocally attacked Ms. Fonda.

Also, the same psuedo-patriots never attacked Mr. Kissinger, who during his prior visit to China had told Chou En-lai that the United States would unilaterally withdraw from Viet-Nam, regardless of what President Thieu of South Viet-Nam said or did.

During the official welcome dinner in Beijing, Mr. Nixon gave a brief speech during which he quoted Chairman Mao: "This is the day, this is the hour." In reality, it was the end of U.S. presence in Viet-Nam because Mr. Nixon considered Viet-Nam a unnecessary burden in his quest to be an historic, world statesman. Jane Fonda's trip to Ha Noi, was meaningless. Mr. Nixon had previously decided to abandon Viet-Nam. This was the day, this was the hour.

Special thanks to Richard Nixon Library. Edward Rasen.