President Richard Nixon visits the People's Republic of China. After arriving in Beijing, the president announced that his breakthrough visit to China is "The week that changed the world." In meeting with Nixon, Prime Minister Zhou Enlai urged early peace in Vietnam, but did not endorse North Vietnam's political demands. North Vietnamese officials and peace negotiators took a dim view of Nixon's trip, fearing that China and the United States would make a deal behind their backs. Nixon's promise to reduce the U.S. military presence on Taiwan seemed to confirm North Vietnam's fears of a Chinese-American sellout-trading U.S. military reduction in Taiwan for peace in Vietnam. Despite Hanoi's fears, China continued to supply North Vietnam levels of aid that had increased significantly in late 1971. This aid permitted the North Vietnamese to launch a major new offensive in March 1972.
Also on This Day
- Lead Story
- Malcolm X assassinated, 1965
- American Revolution
- George Weedon is promoted to brigadier general, 1777
- Automotive
- NASCAR founded, 1948
- Civil War
- North and South clash at the Battle of Valverde, 1862
- Cold War
- Nixon arrives in China for talks, 1972
- Crime
- Rockefeller imposter and convicted felon born, 1961
- Double agent Aldrich Ames is arrested, 1994
- Disaster
- Tornadoes move across Mississippi River Delta, 1971
- General Interest
- Marx publishes Manifesto, 1848
- Washington Monument dedicated, 1885
- Nixon in China, 1972
- Hollywood
- Garbo’s first U.S. film opens, 1926
- Literary
- Erma Bombeck is born, 1927
- Music
- Dolly Parton cements her crossover success as "9 to 5" hits #1, 1981
- Old West
- Cherokee receive their first printing press, 1828
- Presidential
- John Quincy Adams suffers a stroke, 1848
- Sports
- Dick Button wins second Olympic figure skating gold, 1952
- Vietnam War
- Bernard Fall killed by mine in South Vietnam, 1967
- Kissinger begins secret negotiations with North Vietnamese, 1970
- Nixon visits China, 1972
- World War I
- Battle of Verdun begins, 1916
- Allied troops capture Jericho, 1918
- World War II
- Tojo makes himself "military czar", 1944
Feb 21, 1972:
Nixon visits China
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This Week in History, Feb 21 - Feb 27
- Feb 21, 1967
- Bernard Fall killed by mine in South Vietnam
- Feb 21, 1970
- Kissinger begins secret negotiations with North Vietnamese
- Feb 21, 1972
- Nixon visits China
- Feb 22, 1965
- Westmoreland asks for Marines
- Feb 22, 1967
- Operation Junction City begins
- Feb 23, 1966
- Desertion up in South Vietnamese army
- Feb 23, 1971
- South Vietnamese advance stalls
- Feb 24, 1968
- Hue recaptured
- Feb 24, 1969
- Airman wins Medal of Honor for action on this day
- Feb 25, 1971
- Congress moves to block widening of the war
- Feb 25, 1972
- U.S. troops fight biggest battle in nearly a year
- Feb 26, 1965
- First South Korean troops arrive
- Feb 26, 1968
- Mass graves discovered in Hue
- Feb 27, 1962
- Diem survives coup attempt
- Feb 27, 1965
- United States assails North Vietnamese "aggression"
- Feb 27, 1969
- Communist offensive continues
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