Richard Nixon was one of the most fascinating presidents in United States history，a man of enormous abilities and equally great flaws. His political skills and intellectual strengths were matched only by his insecurities and his amorality，which ultimately brought him down and forced his resignation in disgrace. Historians will undoubtedly be arguing indefinitely whether Nixon"s unquestionable achievements outweighed the damage he wreaked on the United States，in terms of the long-term legacy of political disillusionment he left behind him. It will probably take decades and much detailed study before we can reach a final assessment of Nixon"s presidency and place in history.
Dr. He Hui"s study of Nixon"s China policies makes an important contribution to the growing literature on the 37th president of the United States. Hers is the first book to trace Nixon"s policies on China over the entire course of his long and active life. Although Nixon demonstrated real abilities in the arena of domestic politics，his greatest interest was always international affairs. Throughout his lengthy political career，his thinking on China invariably featured prominently in Nixon"s broad worldview. As a rising young Republican politician with a career to promote，NixonechoedMcCarthyitechargesthatpro-Communist Democrats had willfully deserted Guomindang President，Jiang Jieshi，and abandoned China to Mao Zedong"s rule. As vice-president to Dwight D. Eisenhower for eight years during the 1950s he was more cautious，visiting Taiwan for lengthy talks with Jiang but carefully remaining noncommittal toward Jiang"s demands that the United States assist him in efforts to regain the mainland or go to war with Mao over the islands of Jinmen and Mazu. Out of power for most of the 1960s，Nixon had the time to embark on a program of serious re-education in domestic and international affairs，traveling extensively and reconsidering his entire range of foreign policy views.
Before regaining the presidency in 1969，Nixon had made it clear that，like many leading contemporary American politicians，he believed it would serve his country"s best interests to alter the policy of United States non-recognition of the People"s Republic of China which had prevailed since 1949. Once he became president，with the assistance of Henry A. Kissinger，his national security adviser and eventual secretary of state，Nixon implemented his opening to China in great secrecy，moving to take advantage of the Sino-Soviet split and play off against each other the two great Communist powers，the Soviet Union and the People"s Republic of China. Such policies，he believed，would bring improved United States relations with both China and Russia，facilitating his policies of détente and his efforts to reduce American military expenditures and overseas commitments.