On February 28, 1972, President Richard Nixon and First Lady Pat Nixon were welcomed home by Vice President Spiro Agnew after landing at Andrews Air Force Base following the return of their historic trip to the People's Republic of China. China had been closed off for over two decades from the rest of the world and many saw them as espousing a radical version of communism, one that was even more dangerous than that espoused by the Soviet Union. Richard Nixon had risen to the presidency with the reputation as a stern anti-communist, and yet he became the first American president to visit the People's Republic of China. The former anti-communist firebrand now saw himself as a statesman who would usher in a new era of peace. He had said in his first inaugural address, that "the greatest honor history can bestow is that of peacemaker", and when Richard Nixon returned from China, he believed he had attained that very title. This is a part of a series of bonus episodes featuring full length presidential speeches.
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CREDITS
Host: Richard Lim
Producer: Michael Neal
Production Intern: Kolyo Vanchev
Content Intern: Melina Spatharis
Artist: Nip Rogers, www.NipRogers.com