This week in history 2.4.16

Feb. 1, 1972

Ah, 1972. Times were different then. Richard Nixon was president. The Miami Dolphins would lose to the Dallas Cowboys in Super Bowl VI only to then start their road to perfection in the next season. It was also the year “The Godfather” was released. 

It would also be the year that an American president would visit China for the first time since the two countries cut ties 25 years earlier. 

Naturally, Siesta Key residents and visitors had their own opinions in anticipation of the scheduled trip in the issue’s "Key Queries."

Here's what readers had to say when the Pelican Press asked, "What do you think of President Nixon’s Going to China?"

Franklin Farnan, Ebb Tides, Midnight Pass Road: "Personally, I don’t think he should go. He should stay home where he belongs. That trip will make more problems than it will solve. It was all right to meet with the heads of other nations that have been our friends. But we’ve been enemies of the Chinese for years. We don’t want another president killed." 

Dr. and Mrs. LeRoy Walker, of Philadelphia: "We’re in favor of it. You can’t improve the prospects of peace without first establishing relations. We don’t know how it will work out. Maybe good, maybe bad. But you can’t have children without first having a 'marriage.'"

Charlotte Held, of New York, who was visiting son on Midnight Pass Road: "I think he should stay home and tend to our urban problems. We certainly have enough problems here. He’s just trying to avoid having to deal with our inner city situations.