--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Richard Nixon even before becoming…" description: "\"Richard Nixon even before becoming president, before meeting Henry Kissinger, he said, \"This is ridiculous. Communism is nationalist. The Chinese and R..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2d8/robert-scheer-12420_becoming_richard-nixon-even-before-becoming-presi_1979339.png" --- # Richard Nixon even before becoming president, before… ![“Richard Nixon even before becoming president, before meeting Henry Kissinger, he said, "This is ridiculous. Communism is nationalist. The Chinese and Russian and Yugoslav and Cuban and - none of these communists get along, and the Koreans and the Vietnamese, and we can do business with them." And…” quote by Robert Scheer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2d8/robert-scheer-12420_becoming_richard-nixon-even-before-becoming-presi_1979339.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2d8/robert-scheer-12420_becoming_richard-nixon-even-before-becoming-presi_1979339.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2d8/robert-scheer-12420_becoming_richard-nixon-even-before-becoming-presi_1979339.png) > “Richard Nixon even before becoming president, before meeting Henry Kissinger, he said, "This is ridiculous. Communism is nationalist. The Chinese and Russian and Yugoslav and Cuban and - none of these communists get along, and the Koreans and the Vietnamese, and we can do business with them." And then he opened up to China, and that's when the Cold War started.” [Robert Scheer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-scheer/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Nixon viewed communism as fragmented and believed the U.S. could engage economically with diverse communist states despite ideological differences. **In simple terms:** Communist nations were seen as divided, allowing U.S. business ties. Key Takeaway Leverage economic engagement despite political differences. Themes foreign policy ideology economics Mood reflective strategic Type historical political When to use this quote - diplomatic negotiations - trade agreements - geopolitical strategy Key Concepts realpolitik strategic engagement Cold War dynamics Questions to Reflect On - How did economic ties affect Cold War tensions? - Is trade with adversaries beneficial or risky? A Different Perspective Overlooking ideological conflicts can lead to unintended alliances. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Becoming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/becoming/) [Becoming president](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/becoming-president-16667/) [Can do](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/can-do/) [China](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/china/) [Chinese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chinese/) [Cold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cold/) [Cold war](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cold-war/) [Communism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communism/) [Communism Nationalist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communism-nationalist-3371017/) [Communist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communist/) [Cuban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cuban/) [Henry kissinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/henry-kissinger/) [Kissinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kissinger/) [Korean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/korean/) [Meetings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/meetings/) [President](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/president/) [Ridiculous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ridiculous/) [Said](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/said/) [Vietnamese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vietnamese/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) ## Related quotes > [Henry Kissinger may have wished I had presented him as a combination of Charles DeGaulle and Disraeli, but I didn't…out of respect for DeGaulle…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oriana-fallaci/henry-kissinger-may-have-wished-i-had-presented-him-as-a-combination/) [Oriana Fallaci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oriana-fallaci/) > [I think the Republicans and conservatives generally were alienated by America's unsuccessful effort in Vietnam, and a lot of them, as Henry Kissinger admitted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-clinton/i-think-the-republicans-and-conservatives-generally-were-alienated-by/) [William J. Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-clinton/) > [“To cope, he and his siblings – older and younger sisters, a younger brother - created a game called Henry Kissinger. Palahniuk remembers that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonella-gambotto-burke/to-cope-he-and-his-siblings-older-and-younger-sisters-a-younger/) [Antonella Gambotto-Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonella-gambotto-burke/) > [Henry Kissinger spent years negotiating the terms of our surrender there and ended up with a deal that he could have gotten on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-o-donnell/henry-kissinger-spent-years-negotiating-the-terms-of-our-surrender/) [Lawrence O'Donnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-o-donnell/) > [I'm not who people expect me to be. I'm not Henry Kissinger.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-greene/i-m-not-who-people-expect-me-to-be-i-m-not-henry-kissinger/) [Robert Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-greene/) > [Ninety percent of the politicians give the other ten percent a bad reputation. Henry Kissinger Practice being at home with yourself, as you step…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcia-wieder/ninety-percent-of-the-politicians-give-the-other-ten-percent-a-bad/) [Marcia Wieder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcia-wieder/) > [Various people have explained why Henry Kissinger is a bad choice to run an investigation into what went wrong on Sept. 11. He's a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-noah/various-people-have-explained-why-henry-kissinger-is-a-bad-choice-to/) [Timothy Noah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-noah/) > [Henry Kissinger is the greatest living war criminal in the world today, with the blood of millions of people in Vietnam and Cambodia and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-galloway/henry-kissinger-is-the-greatest-living-war-criminal-in-the-world/) [George Galloway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-galloway/) > [Henry Kissinger is possessed of a truly superior intelligence, in addition to which he has two qualities which, unfortunately, many great men lack: he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohammed-reza-pahlavi/henry-kissinger-is-possessed-of-a-truly-superior-intelligence-in/) [Mohammed Reza Pahlavi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohammed-reza-pahlavi/) > [I don't really remember the day when I stood behind my camera with Henry Kissinger on the other side. I am sure he doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-avedon/i-don-t-really-remember-the-day-when-i-stood-behind-my-camera-with/) [Richard Avedon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-avedon/) > [“Henry Kissinger How I'm missing yer You're the Doctor of my dreams With your crinkly hair and your glassy stare And your Machiavellian schemes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monty-python/henry-kissinger-how-i-m-missing-yer-you-re-the-doctor-of-my-dreams/) [Monty Python](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monty-python/) > [ There's a great quote from Henry Kissinger, which I became aware of from reading \[Joseph\] Heller's Good As Gold. He said: 'Every great achievement… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-hodgson/there-s-a-great-quote-from-henry-kissinger-which-i-became-aware-of/) [Roy Hodgson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-hodgson/) > [“So many of the professional foreign policy establishment, and so many of their hangers-on among the lumpen academics and journalists, had become worried by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/so-many-of-the-professional-foreign-policy-establishment-and-so-many/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [Love is when you realize that he's as sexy as Woody Allen, as smart as Jimmy Connors, as funny as Ralph Nader, as athletic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-viorst/love-is-when-you-realize-that-he-s-as-sexy-as-woody-allen-as-smart-as/) [Judith Viorst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-viorst/) > [“When I first met him, he had a recurrent nightmare that Henry Kissinger was chasing him with a knife, and I said it was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-ephron/when-i-first-met-him-he-had-a-recurrent-nightmare-that-henry/) [Nora Ephron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-ephron/) ## More by Robert Scheer > [I was able to do something that people can't do these days, which is to have quality time with the guys who were trying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-scheer/i-was-able-to-do-something-that-people-can-t-do-these-days-which-is/) [Robert Scheer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-scheer/) > [The publisher Jeff Johnson, who has offered not a word of explanation to me, has privately told people that he hated every word that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-scheer/the-publisher-jeff-johnson-who-has-offered-not-a-word-of-explanation/) [Robert Scheer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-scheer/) > [When Howard Dean started saying some honest things, they hung him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-scheer/when-howard-dean-started-saying-some-honest-things-they-hung-him/) [Robert Scheer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-scheer/) > [Well, what happened is that I had been the subject of vicious attacks by Bill O'Reilly and Rush Limbaugh.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-scheer/well-what-happened-is-that-i-had-been-the-subject-of-vicious-attacks/) [Robert Scheer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-scheer/) > [I have broken a lot of stories.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-scheer/i-have-broken-a-lot-of-stories/) [Robert Scheer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-scheer/) > [There's a problem of terrorism in the world. There's always been terrorism. There will be terrorism. You have to deal with it surgically. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-scheer/there-s-a-problem-of-terrorism-in-the-world-there-s-always-been/) [Robert Scheer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-scheer/) > [Even with the best of intentions, even when they're very smart and knowledgeable - as opposed to George W., who is neither - it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-scheer/even-with-the-best-of-intentions-even-when-they-re-very-smart-and/) [Robert Scheer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-scheer/) > [We talk about a free press. These people hide, they make a lot of money off the media. They hide behind the slogans of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-scheer/we-talk-about-a-free-press-these-people-hide-they-make-a-lot-of-money/) [Robert Scheer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-scheer/) > [Democrats can give us wars, you know? Democrats can play the false patriotism card.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-scheer/democrats-can-give-us-wars-you-know-democrats-can-play-the-false/) [Robert Scheer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-scheer/) > [What passes for investigative journalism is finding somebody with their pants down - literally or otherwise.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-scheer/what-passes-for-investigative-journalism-is-finding-somebody-with/) [Robert Scheer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-scheer/) > [ He \[Reagan\] likes to tell jokes and that's why he told the ethnic joke that got him into some trouble. Perhaps if reporters didn't… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-scheer/he-reagan-likes-to-tell-jokes-and-that-s-why-he-told-the-ethnic-joke/) [Robert Scheer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-scheer/) > [The paper nominated me 12 or 13 times for the Pulitzer Prize.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-scheer/the-paper-nominated-me-12-or-13-times-for-the-pulitzer-prize/) [Robert Scheer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-scheer/) > [For example, I spent a lot of time with Reagan, both before he ran for governor and when he was running for president. As…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-scheer/for-example-i-spent-a-lot-of-time-with-reagan-both-before-he-ran-for/) [Robert Scheer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-scheer/) > [The issue I highlight in the book is welfare reform.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-scheer/the-issue-i-highlight-in-the-book-is-welfare-reform/) [Robert Scheer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-scheer/) > [The death of American liberalism as a significant moral force can be traced to the point in when President Bill Clinton signed legislation that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-scheer/the-death-of-american-liberalism-as-a-significant-moral-force-can-be/) [Robert Scheer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-scheer/) [Explore all 55 Robert Scheer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-scheer/) ## More Becoming quotes > [Focus on becoming more to achieve more while doing less](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hal-elrod/focus-on-becoming-more-to-achieve-more-while-doing-less/) [Hal Elrod](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hal-elrod/) > [If the media is sending girls the message that their value lies in their bodies, this can only leave them feeling disempowered and distract…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-siebel-newsom/if-the-media-is-sending-girls-the-message-that-their-value-lies-in/) [Jennifer Siebel Newsom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-siebel-newsom/) > [But I already saw no great difference between the psyche and spirituality. To amass knowledge without becoming wise is not my idea of progress…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-scott-peck/but-i-already-saw-no-great-difference-between-the-psyche-and/) [M. Scott Peck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-scott-peck/) > [It's easy to say, let's go in and get the bad guys. But you have a divided country of Sunnis and Shias. The United…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tulsi-gabbard/it-s-easy-to-say-let-s-go-in-and-get-the-bad-guys-but-you-have-a/) [Tulsi Gabbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tulsi-gabbard/) > [The path I choose through the maze makes me what I am. I am not only a thing, but also a way of being--one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-keyes/the-path-i-choose-through-the-maze-makes-me-what-i-am-i-am-not-only-a/) [Daniel Keyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-keyes/) > [Becoming famous is a really shocking thing, especially when you don't have aspirations to it. It got to the point where I would try…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-moyet/becoming-famous-is-a-really-shocking-thing-especially-when-you-don-t/) [Alison Moyet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-moyet/) > [When other boys dreamt of going to the moon or becoming doctors, I wanted to be a designer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olivier-theyskens/when-other-boys-dreamt-of-going-to-the-moon-or-becoming-doctors-i/) [Olivier Theyskens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olivier-theyskens/) > [One is not born a genius, one becomes a genius; and the feminine situation has up to the present rendered this becoming practically impossible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-de-beauvoir/one-is-not-born-a-genius-one-becomes-a-genius-and-the-feminine/) [Simone de Beauvoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-de-beauvoir/) > [The dream of coming back is becoming a reality. A lot of the uncertainty about the future has been cleared up. A lot of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-tagliabue/the-dream-of-coming-back-is-becoming-a-reality-a-lot-of-the/) [Paul Tagliabue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-tagliabue/) > [I'm getting to a point where everything is becoming streamlined in my life. I'm learning how to stand onstage for two hours and play…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mayer/i-m-getting-to-a-point-where-everything-is-becoming-streamlined-in-my/) [John Mayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mayer/) > [The term 'Pre-Raphaelite' is in danger of becoming one of the most misused tags in art history](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-wood/the-term-pre-raphaelite-is-in-danger-of-becoming-one-of-the-most/) [Christopher Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-wood/) > [We are somehow the children of the planet, we are somehow its finest hour; we bind time, we bind the past, we anticipate the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/we-are-somehow-the-children-of-the-planet-we-are-somehow-its-finest/) [Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/) > [The reason so many of us are obsessed with becoming stars is because we are not yet starring in our own lives. The cosmic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/the-reason-so-many-of-us-are-obsessed-with-becoming-stars-is-because/) [Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/) > [In a personal way, to do with family and the father-son relationship, in a kind of artistic way with regard to him being an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-serkis/in-a-personal-way-to-do-with-family-and-the-father-son-relationship/) [Andy Serkis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-serkis/) > [Trying to be perfect may be inevitable for people who are smart and ambitious and interested in the world and its good opinion...What is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/trying-to-be-perfect-may-be-inevitable-for-people-who-are-smart-and/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) [Browse all 4,715 Becoming quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/becoming/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Richard Nixon even before becoming president, before meeting Henry Kissinger, he said, \"This is ridiculous. Communism is nationalist. The Chinese and Russian and Yugoslav and Cuban and - none of these communists get along, and the Koreans and the Vietnamese, and we can do business with them.\" And then he opened up to China, and that's when the Cold War started.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Robert Scheer" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-scheer/richard-nixon-even-before-becoming-president-before-meeting-henry/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Becoming" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-scheer/richard-nixon-even-before-becoming-president-before-meeting-henry/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2d8/robert-scheer-12420_becoming_richard-nixon-even-before-becoming-presi_1979339.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2d8/robert-scheer-12420_becoming_richard-nixon-even-before-becoming-presi_1979339.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2d8/robert-scheer-12420_becoming_richard-nixon-even-before-becoming-presi_1979339.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Richard Nixon even before becoming president, before meeting Henry Kissinger, he said, \"This is ridiculous…” — Robert Scheer", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Robert Scheer", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-scheer/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Richard Nixon even before becoming president,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-scheer/richard-nixon-even-before-becoming-president-before-meeting-henry/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-scheer/richard-nixon-even-before-becoming-president-before-meeting-henry/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```