Ping Pong
Diplomacy 1971
Nothing had prepared the world for the startling spectacle that happened in Peking,
China in April of 1971. Chinese Premier, Chou En-lai greeted the first American delegation
to set foot in the ancient Chinese capital since Mao Tse-tung took control of the land 22
years earlier. After nearly two decades of hostility towards the United States, fifteen
American table tennis players and three journalists had made a breakthrough of historic
proportions. One young American diplomat had clearly stated that he had joined the State
Department to solve the problems of the world, and then sat analyzing the political impact
of a ping pong game. Never before in history, has a sport been used so effectively as a
tool for international diplomacy.
Even though China’s invitation to America came as a complete shock, it gave the
communist nation a good opportunity to take a major step under the disguise of a sporting
event that required no direct contact with Washington. It also gave China the opportunity
to retreat if the intended results had failed. China’s ping pong ploy did offer the
Nixon administration a bright future of opportunities. Immediately, it promised an easing
of tensions in Asia and a prospect of profitable trade relations between the two
countries. This move opened the door with dealings with the Soviet Union on crucial
matters such as arms control in the Middle East. Only hours after Premier Chou’s
welcome of the table tennis players, President Nixon announced initiatives to trade and
travel between the U.S. and the People’s Republic of China.
The U.S. table tennis team was comprised from the world’s most improbable
political diplomats ever. The group was lead by Graham Steenhoven, 59, a Chrysler Corp.
personnel supervisor and President of the U.S. Table Tennis Association; Rufford Harrison,
40, a DuPont chemist; Tim Boggan, a University professor from New York; Jack Howard, 36,
an IBM programmer from California; George Buben and his wife from Detroit; Glenn Cowan,
19, a student from Santa Monica, California; John Tannehill, 19, psychology major at
Cincinnati University; Errol Resek, 29, an immigrant from the Dominican Republic and his
wife Jairie; George Braithwaite, 36, a United Nations employee; Connie Sweeris, 20, a
housewife from Grand Rapids, Mich.; Olga Soltesz, 17, of Orlando Florida; Judy
Bochenski,
15, of Eugene, Oregon; and Dick Miles from Sports’s Illustrated and
10 times U.S. table tennis champion.
The American table tennis players, lead by team captain Jack Howard, did engage in
friendly competition with their Chinese opponents at Tsinghua University. Fifty Chinese
men, women and children, dressed in red jumpsuits "danced" out the tables and
barriers for the matches, in full Chinese style. During the games themselves, 18,000
people watched from Peking’s magnificent Indoor Stadium, all clapping as one, all
silent as one. The Chinese were amazed and amused by the long hair, bright colored clothes
and red headband of American table tennis player, Glenn Cowan. He was clearly the favorite
of the crowd. The Chinese won the Men’s games 5-3 and the Women’s 5-4.
Afterwards, the two teams exchanged gifts and walked off together hand-in-hand. One thing
was all too clear to the Americans … the Chinese were trying hard NOT to embarrass
the Americans by lop-sided scores.
The U.S. team paid a historical visit to the Great Wall of China, an Ancient Summer
Palace outside Peking and strolled through the streets of Shanghai. They were treated like
royalty from the moment they stepped foot in China, with 8-course meals and a choice of
seats wherever they went. Tours of the majestic mountains and open fields of bamboo shoots
were given with pleasure. The people of China were kind, but they seemed to have no
emotions or personalities and dressed in dull military-like uniforms. Pictures of Mao
Tse-tung were everywhere and loudspeakers played propaganda messages continuously. The
Chinese made it very clear that they welcomed the "People of America" with
tremendous interest and curiosity.
China did allow the American journalists, who accompanied the table tennis team, to
shoot more than 10,000 feet of colored film during the visit. Voice-casts were made to the
U.S. by telephone relays and there was no evidence of censorship. China had waived
it’s rule requiring all film to be developed and inspected. The most important
message the Americans brought back with them was what their hosts got across in a subtle
way: That China is a united, rational society trying to open the doors to other parts of
the world.
Ping Pong Diplomacy: The Rematch 2008
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TIME Magazine Cover:
USA Table Tennis at
the Great Wall of China 1971
A
gift from Zhuang to US Table Tennis player Glenn Cowan helped lead
to a U.S.-China exhibition in Beijing and the end of 22 years of
Chinese isolation from the West.
Richard Nixon
meets with
Mao Zedong in
1972. |
org
