Commentary
In diplomacy, there always is the public face and the secret or sub rosa dimension. Secrecy is a hallmark of diplomatic relations. During the Nixon-Kissinger secret negotiations with China, Richard Nixon and Henry Kissinger both wanted to conduct their diplomacy such that “the success of the secret negotiations with China overshadowed the fact that the process was non-democratic.”
Once they completed their negotiations with Chairman Mao Zedong and Premier Chou En-Lai, they presented a fait accompli to Congress and the American people. They mistrusted the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and Nixon-Kissinger’s motivations.
Similarly, President Jimmy Carter did the same when he terminated relations with Taiwan in December 1978 and formalized diplomatic relations with China two weeks later—another fait accompli without the involvement of Congress and the American people….