The World Is Our Stage by Allison M. Prasch

Author:Allison M. Prasch [Prasch, Allison M.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: LAN000000 LANGUAGE ARTS & DISCIPLINES / General, LAN015000 LANGUAGE ARTS & DISCIPLINES / Rhetoric, HIS037070 HISTORY / Modern / 20th Century / General, POL011010 POLITICAL SCIENCE / International Relations / Diplomacy
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
Published: 2023-01-05T00:00:00+00:00

The Reciprocal Banquets

The vivid imagery and political spectacle of Nixon’s arrival extended to the pomp and circumstance of the diplomatic banquets scheduled throughout the week. If the images of Nixon in China displayed the almost unbelievable reality of the president of the United States being welcomed to the PRC by devout communists, the reciprocal toasts between Nixon and Chinese officials gave voice to a new chapter in US-China diplomatic relations. The president delivered five official toasts at five banquets over the course of the week: the February 21 Welcoming Banquet hosted by Chou En-lai at the Great Hall of the People; the February 24 American and Chinese Delegations’ Private Dinner; the February 25 Reciprocal Banquet hosted by President Nixon at the Great Hall of the People; the February 26 Welcoming Banquet for Nixon hosted by the Provincial Revolutionary Committee of the Province in Hangchow; and the February 27 Banquet for Nixon hosted by the Shanghai Municipal Revolutionary Committee. The White House sought to capitalize on both the visual and verbal elements of these banquets for, as Kissinger explained, these dramatic events were “televised live on the morning shows in America [and] performed a deadly serious purpose. They communicated rapidly and dramatically to the peoples of both countries that a new relationship was being forged.”92

A central feature of these banquets was the exchange of toasts between the president and various Chinese officials. The White House prepared numerous possible drafts of these short speeches prior to the trip, but nothing was finalized until the president arrived in China. Nixon played an active role in writing and editing, and the archival record contains dozens of pages of Nixon’s handwritten notes outlining the themes he wished to stress. As Michelle Murray Yang argues, the president’s toasts during his week in the PRC showcased his ability to address “multiple audiences with often conflicting agendas” and allowed him to “traverse a rhetorical tightrope, balancing the needs of each audience with the objectives of his mission.”93 The president had to indicate a willingness to partner with his Chinese hosts, reassure conservative US audiences that he was not “selling out” Taiwan, and convince the American public that this “Opening to China” marked the beginning of a new, productive friendship. Nevertheless, while Nixon’s rhetorical challenge was to address several audiences, none was more important to his reelection chances than the US public. As with the president’s arrival in Peking, the White House scheduled these banquets—minus the private dinner on February 24—to coincide with American news programming. The dinners and corresponding toasts happened at the same hour as the morning shows, such as the Today Show on NBC. Unlike the ongoing war in Vietnam, the live footage of Nixon’s “Opening to China”—and the diplomatic rhetoric that made this opening possible—suggested that perhaps this “journey for peace” might succeed.

To US audiences tuning in at home, the February 21 Welcoming Banquet in Peking offered the first real look into the president’s public activities in the PRC. After watching Nixon’s arrival on the late Sunday evening news, US audiences awoke Monday morning to live footage of President and Mrs.

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