RICHARD NIXON 1972 The Foundation of Peace (Part 6) The Press and the Ballet

Send us a text

Somethings never change, and one of those things that will never change is the troublesome issues the press can create by trying to get into mischief and question everything they see. This was very true with the traveling press corp as they were bused around China.  The Chinese tried to contain them but it was to no avail and they managed to find a good story or two while they were there. one of which was the staged children and families seen around the places where President and Mrs. Nixon would visit. 

The other is that hardliners exist wherever you go and they are as hard to control as the press a lot of the time. Poor President Nixon was subjected to a little taste of hardline communism while in China as the Chairman's wife made him sit through a ballet "The Red Detachment of Women"  about the ruling evil landlords and the peasants who were subjected to their capitalistic ways, only freed when they rebelled as a united group of workers. 

In what can only be described as a half hearted attempt to put a good face on it , we will listen in as President Nixon responds to a question about whether he enjoyed the ballet. It is diplomacy at its best an even the Chinese knew it was all seemed  a bit much.