Overview
"A very good attempt to give a coherent and consistent account of
the China-U.S. contacts during the Cold War.... [R]eaders will certainly gain a
better understanding of this interesting and intricate history." -- Zhou
Wenzhong, Chinese Ambassador to the United States
Few
relationships during the Cold War were as dramatic as that between the United States
and China. During World War II, China was America's ally against Japan. By 1949, the
two countries viewed each other as adversaries and soon faced off in Korea. For the
next two decades, Beijing and Washington were bitter enemies. Negotiating with the
Enemy is a gripping account of that period. On several occasions -- Taiwan in 1954
and 1958, and Vietnam in 1965 -- the nations were again on the verge of direct
military confrontation. However, even as relations seemed at their worst, the
process leading to a rapprochement had begun. Dramatic episodes such as the
Ping-Pong diplomacy of spring 1971 and Henry Kissinger's secret trip to Beijing in
July 1971 paved the way for Nixon's historic 1972 meeting with Mao.