Tuchman, Barbara. "If Mao Had Come to Washington: An Essay in Alternatives"
Divergence: 1945 CE
What if: Ambassador Hurley relayed Mao and Chou En-lai's request for a meeting with FDR in 1945.
Comments: Primarily a discussion of why it made no difference, but a few brief comments on how it might have averted the Korean and Vietnam wars.
Published: In Foreign Affairs, October 1972; Notes from China, Collier 1972; and Practicing History: Selected Essays, Knopf 1981 (0394520866), Ballantine 1982 (0345303636BUY).