A Great Wall: Six Presidents and China, an Investigative History [Hardcover]

Patrick Tyler (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1999

The former Beijing bureau chief of the New York Times offers a revelatory history of the complicated, combative and often secret relationship between China and the United States during the past three decades.. The fragile friendship between China and the United States has always been shrouded in secrecy, miscommunication, rivalry, fondness and fear. Shaped by the Cold War during the Nixon, Ford, Carter and Reagan presidencies, the relationship has changed dramatically under Bush and Clinton. China and the United States may be the two most important countries in the world over the next several decades, but until this book nobody has truly explored the history of their relationship. Patrick Tylers booka remarkable, inside accountwill be the classic work on this subject, essential reading for anyone concerned about foreign policy past and foreign policy future.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

When the People's Republic of China was proclaimed in 1949, the balance of power in Asia was irrevocably changed. Ever since, democratic America has been obliged to contend with a Communist colossus whose world objectives are diametrically opposed to its own--how to deal with a leader, Mao Zedong, who once said, "Let 400 million Chinese die and 300 million will be left"? This book is no dry history; the author describes how easily escalating tensions over Taiwan could involve the USA in a major war today. Trained as an investigative journalist, Patrick Tyler is a marvelous writer, combining shrewd diplomatic analysis with deft descriptions of the protagonists, many of whom he saw in action when he was New York Times bureau chief in Beijing. His cast of characters includes the greatest political figures of the day, from Mao and Gorbachev to six American presidents, beginning with Nixon, whose bold knocking opened China's door, and ending with Clinton's gamely attempting to balance America's commercial interests with human rights issues. Tyler's personal experience and formidable research, including 15,000 pages of newly declassified documents, produce gems such as Brezhnev's attempt to run off with a briefcase belonging to an American negotiator visiting the men's room, and the shocking picture of Kissinger passing national secrets to Chinese officials. A Great Wall is a highly readable account of relations between the world's most powerful and the world's most populous nations and their momentous implications for the new millennium. --John Stevenson

From Library Journal

In this book, Tyler (former Beijing bureau chief for the New York Times) utilizes his expertise as an investigative reporter to describe how six presidential administrations (Nixon to Clinton) dealt with China. Through transcripts and interviews with people who worked in these administrations, Tyler very loosely reconstructs the sequence of U.S.-China relations, but he obviously prefers assessing power relations among "the presidents' men" to analyzing the presidential role. For example, he describes Kissinger's maneuvering and details just how Carter aide BrzezinskiA"whose ego stood like a pompadour over his sharp features"Acompeted with Holbrooke, who "tried to stick the knife in with as much delicacy as possible." Compared to Leonard Kusnitz's Public Opinion and Foreign Policy (1984), this book does a poor job of identifying the presidential role in foreign policy. Also, in contrast to foreign correspondents Nicholas Kristof and Sherye Wudunn (China Wakes, LJ 7/94), Tyler's is a study in mere trivialities (for example, he presents as fact Mao's supposed sexual attraction to President Ford's blonde-haired, 16-year-old daughter, Susan). Not recommended.APeggy Sitzer Christoff, Oak Park, IL
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 512 pages
• Publisher: PublicAffairs; 1st edition (September 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1891620371
• ISBN-13: 978-1891620379
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 6.5 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,034,212 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Patrick Tyler was born in 1951 in St. Louis, Missouri, but grew up in Texas where he attended Ross Sterling High School in Baytown, and attended the University of Texas at Austin for one year (in Physics) before moving to South Carolina, where he graduated from the University of South Carolina in 1974 with a Bachelor's degree in Journalism. He edited two weekly newspapers in rural South Carolina (1974), before spending a year at The Charlotte (N.C.) News. In 1976, he joined The St. Petersburg Times. In 1978-79, he produced and hosted a PBS Network series, Congressional Outlook, and the next year joined The Washington Post, where he worked for 12 years covering defense, intelligence and national policy issues. From 1986-89 he was Middle East Bureau Chief for The Post. He resigned in 1990 to join The New York Times in Washington as military analyst, then resumed his career as a foreign correspondent based first in Beijing, then Moscow, Baghdad and London, from where he resigned in 2004. His books include a history of the nuclear attack submarine program under Admiral Hyman G. Rickover ("Running Critical," Harper & Row, 1986), a history of American relations with China ("A Great Wall," PublicAffairs, 1999) and a history of American presidents and the Middle East ("A World of Trouble," Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 2009). He lives in Washington, D.C. with his wife, Linda, an author and teacher. His home page is: www.patricktyler.org

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Wall by Patrick Tyler, March 2, 2000

By 

HARL KOCH - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Great Wall: Six Presidents and China, an Investigative History (Hardcover)

One of the most absorbing, well-researched books on contemporary U.S.-China relations that I've read in years. I was surprised as well as disappointed by the book's revelation of our nation's intent to agree to a China-America pact yet use every ruse to circumvent its true intent, particularly in regard to the Taiwan agreement.

To me, one of the most interesting parts was that of Gen. Alex M. Haig, Jrs, participation while Reagan's Secretary of State, and that because of the subterfuge, it eventually led Haig to confront President Reagan with "play the game or I resign." Haig stuck to his word and resigned.

I appreciated Tyler's professionalism, his thorough research and his palatable journalistic style of presentation.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent High-Level Sino-U.S. Perspective, July 26, 2000

By 

Charles F. Hawkins - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Great Wall: Six Presidents and China, an Investigative History (Hardcover)

For those whose circles don't include the halls of power in Washington and Beijing, Patrick Tyler's "A Great Wall" offers a valuable historical perspective and background information. As Tyler makes clear in his concluding chapter, understanding the complexities of the U.S.-Chinese relationship since the Communist victory in 1949 will be of critical importance to the next U.S. administration, which will have to deal with such key issues as Taiwan. "A Great Wall" makes an excellent companion piece to Nicholas Kristof's and Sheryl WuDunn's "China Wakes" (Vintage Books, 1994). I recommend this work to those with a casual interest in China and to those who are just beginning their quest for knowledge about the Sino-U.S. relationship.

9 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Highly Readable, Informative book about the U.S. and China, October 31, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: A Great Wall: Six Presidents and China, an Investigative History (Hardcover)

Though there are many great books about China, I was not aware of many great books about U.S. policy towards the PRC. I was excited to read that one of my favorite author's, Robert D. Kaplan, had written a very postive review of this book. He was right on the money. Reading like a novel, A Great Wall, gives you the behind the scenes stories of Nixon, Kissinger, Cater, Ford, Reagan, Bush and China. I highly recommend this book.