| Summary/Abstract |
On June 21, 1972, Zhou Enlai, Premier of the People’s Republic of China (PRC), sat with U.S. President Richard Nixon’s national security adviser Henry Kissinger at the Grand Hall of People in Beijing. Zhou began the conversation by broaching a name familiar to Kissinger: “You saw John Fairbank this afternoon?” A born diplomat, Kissinger instantly noticed that this unusual opening remark was not just an icebreaker. Indeed, throughout their four-day meeting, the premier frequently brought out the name of this Harvard professor who visited China at his invitation. At first, Kissinger tried to fend Zhou off.
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