ABSTRACT
The US opening to China at the start of the 1970s helps advance our understanding of secretiveness in modern diplomacy. The secret opening to China was a crossroads in the sense that it was the beneficiary of, as well as the catalyst for, these slowly changing norms. Basic concepts in world politics are easily twisted through the manipulative power of phraseology, as in reference to "territorial compromise" instead of the more harsh sounding "partition." Arguably, the China initiative has done more than any other-single event to shape contemporary perceptions about back-channeling. The specific issue of quiet diplomacy's place, theory and practice converge and reinforce each other by a process vital for maintenance of any international system. To summarize, the pendulum has swung back in favor of statecraft in the dark. There is a greater receptivity toward quiet diplomacy because of changing international norms.
