Release of Foreign Relations Volume

The Department of State released today Foreign Relations of the United States, 1969-1976, Volume E-13, Documents on China, 1969-1972. This electronic-only volume supplements the recently released Foreign Relations, 1969-1976, Volume XVII, China, 1969-1972. Together these two volumes provide extensive documentation on the efforts of President Richard Nixon, working closely with his National Security Adviser, Henry Kissinger, to open a dialogue with the People’s Republic of China (PRC) that eventually resulted in reestablishment of relations under the Carter administration.

This volume presents 175 documents, most of which are cited in the footnotes of the print volume XVII, that relate to the high-level contacts between the People’s Republic of China and the United States. Typically, the print volume contains the shorter (and sometimes more subjective) summary memorandum of a conversation or important message that Kissinger and the National Security Council staff prepared for the President, while the supplement contains the verbatim memorandum of conversation or the full text of the messages exchanged. In addition, volume E-13 contains documentation on the historic Nixon administration’s opening to China that is not summarized or referenced in print volume XVII.

The volume, including a preface, list of names, abbreviations, sources, annotated document list, and this press release, is available on the Office of the Historian website at http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ho/frus/nixon/e13. For further information, contact Edward Keefer, General Editor of the Foreign Relations series, at (202) 663-1131 or by email to history@state.gov.

Office of Historian

Volume E-13

Foreign Relations, 1969-1976
Documents on China, 1969-1972

Editor: Steven E. Phillips

General Editor: Edward C. Keefer

Office of the Historian
Bureau of Public Affairs
U.S. Department of State
2006