John W. Lewis, the William Haas Professor of Chinese Politics, Emeritus, established
some of the first study programs in contemporary Asian politics in the United States. He
founded or co-founded centers at Cornell University and Stanford University, helped to draft
foreign policy for the federal government, and built cooperative relationships with leaders
and scholars in China, Korea, Russia, and Vietnam. Although now retired, he continues to be
active, writing books and giving lectures.
In this oral history interview, Lewis
talks about his experiences working in a field that challenged deeply ingrained cultural and
political beliefs. He describes what it was like to come to Stanford as an expert on the
highly sensitive subject of China at the height of public unrest regarding the Vietnam War,
and how that affected his relationships with both students and teachers. He recounts his
recruitment to Stanford by J.E. Wallace Sterling, establishing the Center for East Asian
Studies, the visit of the Chinese ping-pong team to Stanford in 1972, the climate of protest
against the Vietnam War at Stanford, and the beginnings of the Center for International
Strategic Arms Control (CISAC).
Lewis also discusses his experiences as an
educator, including his involvement in an interdisciplinary course on nuclear arms and
disarmament and conducting simulations of arms control talks with students. He describes
some of his foreign policy work for the U.S. State Department and the Department of Defense.
He reviews the impact his work has had on relations between the United States and East Asia,
the current state of the field, and his ongoing work as an author, lecturer, and
researcher.
