Structure of Peace Gallery

in Library & Foundation by Nixon Foundation — May 9, 2010 at 11:41 pm | 0 comments

It was President Nixon’s goal throughout his time in office to create a new, lasting structure of peace in the world. In his first inaugural address in 1969, RN stated that “The greatest honor history can bestow is the title of peacemaker.”

The Structure of Peace Gallery is among the museum’s largest and chronicles the President’s foreign policy initiatives, namely his groundbreaking overtures to the Peoples Republic of China, the establishment of a new relationship – détente – with the Soviet Union, and the end of American involvement in the Vietnam War.

The gallery opens with life-sized statues of President Nixon shaking hands with Chou En-lai and displays portraits and paintings by various artists commemorating the President’s February 1972 trip to China, the first for an American President. Among the collections is a rare piece of art known as Shungmianxiu, or double-sided embroidery. Included are photos and schedules on the day-to-day breakdown of the trip itself. Dozens of photographs adorn the wall chronicling the Nixons trip to the Soviet Union in May 1972, also the first for an American President. A copy of the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty and other mementos are on display. A replica of a South Vietnamese house serves as a dramatic backdrop to the exhibit on the Vietnam War, which follows the war in its entirety, but places special emphasis on President Nixon’s policy of Vietnamization and the signing of the Paris Peace Accords. Uniforms belonging to former POWs are proudly displayed, as are their personal belongings during their time in captivity, until released after the signing of the Paris Peace Accords.

Related posts:

1. The Vice Presidency