Last week the National Archives Today’s Document feed featured two artifacts from President Nixon’s landmark visit to China in 1972. The first document was actually a photography of Air Force One arriving in China. The second document was the menu from one of the dinners in Peking. Looking at these documents reminded me of some other resources that I’ve used when teaching students about evolution of relations between the United States and China.
The Nixon Presidential Library’s website has a section about Nixon’s visit to China. In this section you can listen to recordings of Nixon discussing the rationale for the trip and his post-trip reflections. You can also listen to Mrs. Nixon discuss the arrival of two Pandas at the National Zoo.
The PBS American Experience website has a map of Nixon’s visit to China. The map highlights the places that Nixon visited during his seven day visit in February 1972. The map and the rest of the website are designed as companions to the PBS American Experience film “Nixon’s China Game.“
And you can learn even more about President Nixon in the three hour American Experience documentary about him. That video can be watched here or as embedded below.
