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THE 197 1 INTERNATIONAL
CHESS GAME:
Leaders
ontheMove
in Search for
PEACE
The year 19 71 saw lead–
ing world figures traveling
and signing pacts at a
greatly accelerated pace
-
mostly in the professed
cause of world peace.
ls a new era of interna–
tional harmony andgood-
wi/1 about to dawn?
by
Gene H. Hogberg
S
o
MANY
heads-of-state, ambassadors
aod special envoys took to the air
during the hectic year of
1971
that
one American satirist-humorist sug–
gested that intecnational aidines offer
group cates to traveling diplomats.
Thanks to the jet age and our world
of iostant communications, people
around tbe globe were treated to an al–
most endless scenario of "goodwill"
visits. There were new pacts and al–
liances, nations recognizing or "unrec–
ognizing" one another, moves and
countermoves on the part of major
powers courting the favor of hoped-for
allies. A dramatic change even occurred
within the alignment of the United
Nations, with the People's Republic of
China being granted Nationalist China's
sea
t.
It
aii resembled a giant chess garne
- but with one major exception. No
longer are there only two superpower
From
rop
Le~
WfM W()(ld. OPA, UPt Wlde World. OPA. Wide Wodd
kiogs on the board - tlw United States
and the Soviet Union. Three new
"kings" are arriving on the scene to fur–
ther complicate the game - Japan,
mainland Chin<t and thc soon-to-be ten–
nation European Community.
The
Nixon
Bombshell
Much of thc gh>be-trotting occurred
in the wake or President Nixon's star–
tling July 15 announcement that he
would soon visit Cornmunist China in
an attempt to "normalize" America's re–
lations with the world's most populous
nation.
None were more shocked by Mr.
Nixon's bold move than the meo in the
Kremlin. They quickly conjured up
visions
of
Russia's encirdement by a
new "axis" between Washington and
Peking.
In an obvious near-panic reaction to
the new Nixon game plan, the Soviet