THOUGHTS FROM THE FAMOUS

“There’s a Chinese saying about their country which dates from the 4th Century: ‘The tail of China is large and will not be wagged.” ’--Winston Churchill, 1952

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“Rule 1 on Page 1 of the book of war is: ‘Do not march on Moscow’ . . . (Rule 2) is: ‘Do not go fighting with your land armies in China.”’--Bernard Law Montgomery, British field marshal, 1962

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“In Asia, we face an ambitious and aggressive China, but we have the will and we have the strength to help our Asian friends resist that ambition.”--President Lyndon Johnson, 1964

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“Red China and Russia are having their differences. But we cannot take too much comfort in the fact that what they are debating about is not how to beat each other but how to beat us. They are simply arguing about what kind of a shovel they should use to dig the grave of the United States.”--Richard Nixon, 1963

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“The Chinese are a great and vital people who should not remain isolated from the international community . . . It is certainly in our interest, and in the interest of peace and stability in Asia and the world, that we take what steps we can toward improved practical relations with (Beijing).”--Nixon, as president, 1970

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“The politics of surprise leads through the Gates of Astonishment into the Kingdom of Hope.”--U.S. journalist Max Lerner, 1971, on announcement of Nixon’s visit to China

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“I don’t want to see a total break in this (U.S.-China) relationship . . . When you see these kids struggling for democracy and freedom, this would be a bad time for the United States to withdraw.”--President George Bush, 1989, two days after the bloody crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrators in Tian An Men Square

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“The hand of Communist repression is still at the throat of Chinese freedom. . . . And all the while, our trade deficit with China has grown to $19 billion. The (Bush) Administration’s policy is a failure.”--Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell, 1992.