In 1972, President Richard Nixon visited mainland China, opening the door for diplomatic relations between the two countries. It was a dramatic visit, as Nixon became the first United States President to visit the communist nation.
Nixon met with Chinese dictator Mao Zedong, who is considered the world's greatest mass murderer. During the "Great Leap Forward," between 1958 and 1962, over 45 million Chinese were killed of starvation, torture and other barbaric methods.