ABSTRACT
The Sino-Soviet relationship seemed to be moving toward the brink of war. Yahya had an informal discussion about the Sino-American relationship with his top advisers but did not divulge his grand assignment, because Richard Nixon had urged Yahya to carry out the assignment with "utmost secrecy." Nixon's actions in making the profound breakthrough received wide acclamation. This chapter examines the style and contents of the Sino-American negotiations conducted through Pakistani President Yahya Khan. "Moscow was most unhappy to see the progress of the Sino-American thaw and made predictable sneers about the insincerity of the United States and China's betrayal of its own revolutionary principles. The main reason the Chinese were willing to have a rapprochement with the United States was their growing fear of the Russians, particularly after the serious Sino-Soviet border clashes of 1969. There were, of course, other factors that helped make the Sino-American limited rapprochement possible in 1972.
