China Diary of George H. W. Bush

Jeffrey A. Engel teaches history and public policy at Texas A&M University's Bush School of Government & Public Service and is associate director of the Scowcroft Institute of International Affairs. He is the author of "Cold War at 30,000 Feet".

"These diary entries--describing a cheerful round of visits, meals, tennis games, and efforts to strike up personal relationships with Chinese officials and the Beijing diplomatic corps--are nonetheless compulsive reading. They convey the local color of a quaint Beijing that is now lost to history, as well as reveal much about the gregarious character and social skills of the man who became the 41st U.S. president. Engel's exemplary notes and interpretative essay add to the volume's readability and scholarly value."--Andrew J. Nathan, Foreign Affairs "[B]ush's year in China laid the foundations for the pragmatic, prudent, personal foreign policy that would characterize his presidency. With superb annotations and analysis by Jeffrey Engel, a professor of history and public policy at Texas A&M, Bush's daily diary sheds light not only on 'the making of a global president' but on two nations in transition: late Maoist China, as it moved, tentatively, toward engagement with the international community; and the United States, as it absorbed the implications of defeat in Vietnam."--Glenn C. Altschuler, Baltimore Sun "As a president-to-be at a career crossroads and the second permanent representative of the U.S. in China, his frank thoughts recorded each night and now transcribed and expertly footnoted make for fascinating reading. Mr. Bush's official position and his lack of knowledge about China ensure that his diary offers little historically new. But in place of that, his day-by-day thoughts give something as valuable, a much-needed reminder of the diplomatic reality on the ground when the Sino-U.S. relationship was in its infancy... In many ways, his time in China helped him to usher in a new world order with relatively little turbulence, regardless of how fragile that order is subsequently proving to be."--Paul Mozur, Far Eastern Economic Review "In 1974, George H.W. Bush left his post as chair of the Republican National Committee to head the US legation in China. The assignment afforded him the opportunity to enrich his global vision and build on President Richard Nixon's 1972 opening to the communist regime there. Bush made the most of his ten months in Beijing. As edited and annotated in impressive detail by Jeffrey Engel, Bush's diary represents a treasure-trove of observations about the diplomatic climate, Chinese leaders, and the US notables who visited during his tenure."--M.J. Birkner, Choice "Engaging, insightful, and accessible, this is a fascinating book, and certainly one of the most interesting published about the 41st President. Very highly recommended."--Stefan Fergus, Civilian Reader "Although Sinologists will appreciate the details Bush offers of daily life for a U.S. diplomat in China in this era, political scientists might very well find the book's most useful offering to be its insights into his thinking."--May-Lee Chai, Asian Affairs "The book is of unique historic, theoretical and practical value. Its ideal readership consists of international studies scholars and students of various disciplinary backgrounds, with particular interest in China studies as well as diplomatic and international business practioners... I highly recommend it."--Wenshan Jia, Journal of Chinese Political Science

• Preface by George H. W. Bush xiii Introduction: Bush's China Diary--What You Are About to Read xvii Acknowledgments xxiii Cast of Primary Characters xxvii CHAPTER ONE: "Everybody in the United States Wants to Go to China" 1 October 21 to November 1, 1974 CHAPTER TWO: "Public Posture versus Private Understanding" 49 November 2 to November 21, 1974 CHAPTER THREE: "We Must Not Capitulate on Matters This Fundamental" 88 November 22, 1974, to January 15, 1975 CHAPTER FOUR: "Much of the World Depends on the United States" 145 February 6 to March 9, 1975 CHAPTER FIVE: "When It Is a Matter of Principle It Really Means Do It Their Way" 193 March 10 to April 15, 1975 CHAPTER SIX: "We Do Have Principles and It Is Time We Stood Up for Them" 253 April 16 to June 2, 1975 CHAPTER SEVEN: "There Is No Credit in This Work" 308 June 3 to July 4, 1975 CHAPTER EIGHT: "I Have Studied Chinese" 348 July 5 to August 22, 1975 Bush in China: The Making of a Global President 397 Notes 465 An Essay on Sources 485 Index 495 Photographs follow page 192