CAREFULLY damping its obvious elation, the Nixon Administration moved last week to check the early euphoria as well as to calm the fears generated by the revelation that the President will travel to Peking. Nixon briefed congressional leaders and his Cabinet. Secretary of State William Rogers counseled ambassadors of the most nervous nations, including Taiwan, Japan and the Soviet Union. Out of all the talk came one firm insistence: no agreements—except to talk—have been reached by the long-estranged U.S. and China.
A White House directive even ordered Washington officials not to discuss the...