BUSH CHINA TIMELINE

From February 21-28, 1972, U.S. President Richard Nixon traveled to Beijing, Hangzhou and Shanghai.. Almost as soon as the American president arrived in the Chinese capital he was summoned for a meeting with Chairman Mao

August 9, 1974, Ford assumed the presidency. After Ford's accession to the presidency, Bush was under serious consideration for being nominated as Vice President. Senator Barry Goldwater of Arizona declined to be considered and endorsed Bush, who, along with his supporters, reportedly mounted an internal campaign to get a nomination.[citation needed] Ford eventually narrowed his list to Nelson Rockefeller and Bush. However, White House Chief of Staff Donald Rumsfeld reportedly preferred Rockefeller over Bush.[22] Rockefeller was finally named and confirmed.

September 26, 1974 to December 7, 1975. Gerald Ford, Nixon's successor, appointed Bush to be Chief of the US Liaison Office in the People's Republic of China, The Liaison Office did not have the official status of an embassy and Bush did not formally hold the position of "ambassador", though he unofficially acted as one. The time that he spent in China — 14 months — was seen as largely beneficial for US-Chinese relations.[12]

In 1975 and 1976, the Church Committee published fourteen reports on the formation of U.S. intelligence agencies, their operations, and the alleged abuses of law and of power that they had committed, together with recommendations for reform, some of which were put in place.

Among the matters investigated were attempts to assassinate foreign leaders, including Patrice Lumumba of the Congo, Rafael Trujillo of the Dominican Republic, the Diem brothers of Vietnam, Gen. René Schneider of Chile and President John F. Kennedy's plan to use the Mafia to kill Fidel Castro of Cuba.

January 30, 1976 to January 20, 1977. President Gerald Ford appointed former House member from Texas George Bush to head the Central Intelligence Agency. Bush was sworn in on January 30, 1976. In 1976, Ford brought Bush back to Washington to become Director of Central Intelligence. He served in this role for 357 days, from January 30, 1976 to January 20, 1977.[23] The CIA had been rocked by a series of revelations, including those based on investigations by the Church Committee regarding illegal and unauthorized activities by the CIA, and Bush was credited with helping to restore the agency's morale.[24] In his capacity as DCI, Bush gave national security briefings to Jimmy Carter both as a Presidential candidate and as President-elect, and discussed the possibility of remaining in that position in a Carter administration[25] but it was not to be.

September 9, 1976. Mao's death

1977, Deng repudiated the Cultural Revolution and, in 1977, launched the "Beijing Spring", which allowed open criticism, effectively allowed Chinese capitalists to join the Communist Party. Deng gradually consolidated control over the CCP. Hua was replaced by Zhao Ziyang as premier in 1980, by Hu Yaobang as party chief in 1981. Deng remained the most influential of the CCP cadre, although after 1987 his only official

Under Deng's direction, relations with the West improved remarkably, first Chinese leader to visit the United States in 1979

*PHOTO INFO: After bilateral talks Vice Premier Deng Xiaoping leads President Ford and Chief U.S. Liaison Officer George H.W. Bush through the Great Hall of the People. ID #A7620-15A.
Date 2 December 1975