A long-time figure in Republican Party circles,
Anna Chennault is a former ambassador and the widow of former Air Force general Claire Chennault, famous for leading the "Flying Tigers" in World War II. Born Chen Xiangmei in Beijing (then known as Peking), she initially worked as a journalist, meeting her future husband during the war. Despite the 30 year age gap, the two married in 1947 and enjoyed General Chennault's status as a minor celebrity and war hero. The general died of lung cancer in 1958, but Chennault continued to be a fixture in Republican foreign policy circles (notably as a member of the influential "China Lobby") in addition to fundraising and working in other business interests.
Although unknown to all but a few at the time, Chennault was told she would act as an intermediary between Richard Nixon's presidential campaign and the leaders of South Vietnam during the 1968 election, in all likelihood to persuade South Vietnam's leadership that they would be better served with Nixon in the White House rather than Humphrey. However, this egregious violation of the Logan Act (which prohibits private citizens from negotiating on behalf of the United States) never came to pass, as Chennault never was given the go-ahead by the campaign.
Chennault spent the Humphrey and Muskie years burnishing her Republican credentials, including a two-year term as the chairwoman for the District of Columbia Republican Party. After George Bush was elected, Chennault was rewarded for her party loyalty with the ambassadorship to the Republic of China (Taiwan)—although the move turned out to be less high-profile than expected, as Bush and Secretary Nixon began the recognition of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and the transition towards recognizing the Beijing government soon after entering office. Her outspoken dislike of the PRC that had helped earn her the nickname of "Dragon Lady" soon gradually turned to grudging respect with the ascendance of Deng Xiaoping. Chennault would, in fact, be the final ambassador to the Republic of China before the formal switch of diplomatic recognition of the PRC as the legal government of China in 1983.
Opting not to stay on as the
de facto ambassador to Taiwan, Chennault spent the rest of the Bush and Dole years as an adviser on exports before gradually reducing her party fundraising as age began catching up with her. Now fully retired, Chennault makes only occasional visits from her residence at the Watergate Complex in Washington DC and refuses to answer questions about her potential involvement in the Vietnamese peace negotiations in 1968.
