ABSTRACT
This chapter explains what historians refer to as triangular diplomacy: US, USSR and China. Jean Sainteny became acquainted with Kissinger in the 1960s. In June 1971, Secretary of State Henry Kissinger travelled secretly to China and it was that particular trip that paved the way for Nixon's week-long visit in February 1972. The obvious interest by the Chinese government, mainly Mao Zedong and Zhou Enlai, in the possibility of a visit by President Richard Nixon set the stage for Kissinger's secret trip to China in July 1971. The National Security Archives documentations summarize and detail the efforts by Nixon and Kissinger, which ultimately produced Kissinger's secret trip to Beijing July 9–11, 1971. A closer look at the archive documentation also shows that the Taiwan issue was an essential part of Nixon's upcoming trip to China, and for the establishment of diplomatic relations between the US and China in general.
