"I think we should give every encouragement to the attitude that this Administration is 'exploring possibilities of rapprochement with the Chinese.' This, of course, should be done privately and under no circumstances get into the public prints from this direction" (The Nixon Foundation Archives)
In 1969, President Nixon sent this classified memo to his Secretary of State, Henry Kissinger, to inform the advisor of his intentions to reinstitute relations with China. Because Nixon feared the potential political backlash of such a move, he aimed for a steady and calculated approach, asking for Kissinger to covertly gain information and perspectives.
Kissinger signs a directive that contains President Nixon's intended relaxation of economic controls against China. These modifications included implementing new regulations, creating a press and diplomatic scenario and creating a scenario for Congressional consultation.
The specific actions that President Nixon called for were:
(1) Remove the restraints in the Foreign Assets Control regulations upon foreign subsidiaries of U.S. firms on transactions with China that are regarded as non-strategic by COCOM.
(2) Modify the Foreign Assets Control Regulations prohibiting purchase of Communist Chinese goods to permit Americans traveling or resident abroad to purchase Chinese goods in limited quantities for non-commercial import into the U.S.
(3) Modify the administration of the Foreign Assets Control regulations and Export Controls to permit general licenses for exports of food, agricultural equipment, chemical fertilizer and pharmaceuticals.
(4) Follow these steps, at the earliest appropriate time, by modifying import and export controls in non-strategic goods to permit a gradual development of balanced trade. (National Security Decision Memorandum 17)
These two documents were highly confidential at the time but have since been declassified and made public. Though there were likely many private discussions about the state of China's affairs and whether and how the U.S. should be involved, these two decisions demonstrate the early actions of normalizing relations.
President Nixon publishes the first Foreign Policy Report on China and publicizes his administration's intentions towards "improved practical relations with Peking" (1970 Foreign Policy Report)
In the report, Nixon pronounces: "The Chinese are a great and vital people who should not remain isolated from the international community. In the long run, no stable and enduring international order is conceivable without the contribution of this nation of more than 700 million people" (1970 Foreign Policy Report).
The State Department relaxes most travel restrictions for American visitors to China.
Ping Pong diplomacy: American ping pong players competing in Japan are invited by the Chinese government to compete in a series of matches in China.
Henry Kissinger goes on a secret trip to China (referred to as Polo I) and sits down for a conversation with Chinese Premier Chou En-lai. Afterwards, Kissinger reported that Chou En-lai greatly values history but believes that "President Nixon is not responsible for the mistakes of the past which he inherited" (Transcript of conversation between Kissinger and Chou)
President Nixon announces that he will travel to China in the beginning of 1972 as the first president to do so in over 25 years of no communication between the two countries.
Kissinger returns to Beijing on a public visit to prepare for Nixon's upcoming trip; this trip is called Polo II.
The People's Republic of China becomes a member of the United Nations.
President Nixon spends 8 days in China and meets top PRC officials in addition to touring the country that was closed off to Americans for over two decades. His objectives were to come to a peaceful agreement with Beijing officials about the status of Taiwan, establish a peaceful settlement about the Vietnam War, and to capitalize on the recent Sino-Soviet split to exert American influence.
Nixon is re-elected by a landslide receiving almost 61% of the popular vote and 49 of 50 states.