Welcome back everyone, Lhasla Montgomery here. Part three of our limited edition 10 year anniversary special.

I was going to live stream something to mark the occasion so that we could all hang out together.

But I couldn't figure out how to do that. I know there's a way.

So rather than having that close encounter with y'all,

I'm rehashing an old chp episode that was in dire need of rehashing and

considering the less than optimal state of relations between the USA and the PRC as of this morning anyway. Well I for

one think this story was worth dredging up and retelling. Maybe a lesson or two in

there to guide us through these fetid and murky diplomatic waters we find ourselves in this year of the rat.

We left off last time with the bombing of Laos and no end in sight of the Vietnam conflict.

The US was having a heck of a time trying to win those hearts and minds amidst this fog of war.

But on the US-China front, there was still hope. February 1971.

Nixon referred to China as the People's Republic of China in his State of the World speech. This was the first time the

official name of China was used publicly by an American leader. Nixon had

uttered those eight syllables prior to being elected, but this was the first time it was said by a president.

The overtures Nixon gave in this speech were all well received.

Passport restrictions on China were lifted, as was the 20-year-old trade

embargo. Then on March 21st, 1971, the Chinese ping pong team arrived in Nagoya, Japan for the world championships.

The American team had to beg, borrow, and steal to make their way to Japan to be part of this competition,

and being ranked 24th in the world. No one was expecting

any great things to come out of them. The star of the team by an astronomical unit was 19 year old Glenn Cohen with his long hair,

floppy yellow hat, tie-dye-dye jeans. He was quite a colorful figure, and the press had a field day with him.

He had secreted some wacky to backy in his luggage and was able to enjoy the occasional

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