September 11, 1969: The Sino-Soviet Border Conflict Is Settled

The Soviet Union in purple, China in gold.

With neighboring Mongolia in stripes,

North Korea in red, and Japan in orange.

September 11, 1969: This may well have been the most consequential September 11 in human history, more so even than in 2001. Because there was a Sino-Soviet Border Conflict, and it was getting bad.

On August 13, 1969, President Richard Nixon received a President’s Daily Briefing. In it, the CIA described the conflict, also known as the Ussuri River Conflict, as having "explosive potential," and that "the potential for a war between them clearly exists," including a Soviet attack on Chinese nuclear facilities; while China "appears to view the USSR as its most immediate enemy."

In other words, at this point, each is the other's biggest enemy at the moment, not America or any other Western democracy in either case. For the moment, there seemed little Nixon could do except keep an eye on things.

On September 11, returning from the funeral of North Vietnamese dictator Ho Chi Minh in Hanoi, Soviet Premier Alexei Kosygin lands in Beijing, and meets with his Chinese counterpart, Zhou Enlai. They manage to straighten things out. In the conflict, the Chinese lost about 100 men; the Soviets, about 300.

But, knowing that the Sino-Soviet split was that bad, Nixon realized that he could "triangulate" them off each other. In 1971 and 1972, he set up meetings with the leaders of both countries, and visited first Beijing in February 1972, meeting Zhou and Mao Zedong; then Moscow, meeting Kosygin and Leonid Brezhnev. He got agreements from both sides: The SALT and Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaties with the Soviet Union, and an "opening" with China that included their assistance in the peace talks between their ally, North Vietnam, and America's ally, South Vietnam.

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September 11, 1969 was a Thursday. These games were played in Major League Baseball:

* The New York Yankees lost to the Washington Senators, 7-3 at Robert F. Kennedy Stadium in Washington. Jim Hannan outpitched Stan Bahnsen. Mike Epstein and Brant Alyea hit home runs for the Senators, while Joe Pepitone and Bobby Murcer hit them for the Yankees. Rookie catcher Thurman Munson went 3-for-4.

* The New York Mets beat the Montreal Expos, 4-0 at Shea Stadium. Gary Gentry pitched a 6-hit shutout. The Mets were 2 days past "The Black Cat Game," 13 days short of their 1st-ever 1st-place clinch, 25 days short of their 1st Pennant, and 35 days short of completing their "Miracle."

* The Philadelphia Phillies beat the Chicago Cubs, 4-3 at Connie Mack Stadium in Philadelphia. Dick Allen, getting booed every day by the home fans, hit a home run. Ernie Banks and Willie Smith homered for the "September Swooning" Cubs. On October 7, Allen would be traded for Curt Flood, and, for once, he wouldn't be the most controversial player involved in an action.

* The Baltimore Orioles beat the Boston Red Sox, 4-2 at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore. Dave McNally outpitched Lee Stange. Frank Robinson went 1-for-4. Brooks Robinson went 0-for-4. Rico Petrocelli hit a home run for the Red Sox, while Carl Yastrzemski went 0-for-3 with a walk.

* The Atlanta Braves beat the San Francisco Giants, 5-3 at Atlanta Stadium (later renamed Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium). Willie McCovey hit 2 home runs. Willie Mays went 0-for-3 with a walk. For the Braves, Hank Aaron hit his 551st career home run.

* The Pittsburgh Pirates beat the St. Louis Cardinals, 3-2 at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh. Bob Veale outpitched Steve Carlton. Roberto Clemente went 1-for-3 with a walk. Willie Stargell went 1-for-4 with an RBI.

* The Cleveland Indians beat the Detroit Tigers, 5-2 at Cleveland Municipal Stadium. Luis Tiant outpitched Denny McLain. Al Kaline did not play for the Tigers.

* The Cincinnati Reds beat the San Diego Padres, 6-4 at Crosley Field in Cincinnati. Pete Rose went 3-for-4 with 3 RBIs. Johnny Bench went 1-for-4.

* The Chicago White Sox beat the Minnesota Twins, 4-0 at Comiskey Park in Chicago. Joe Horlen pitched a 3-hit shutout. Harmon Killebrew went 0-for-3.

* The Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Houston Astros, 1-0 at the Astrodome in Houston. Claude Osteen pitched a 4-hit shutout, outpitching Don Wilson.

* The Kansas City Royals beat the California Angeles, 3-0 at Anaheim Stadium (now Angel Stadium of Anaheim). Wally Bunker allowed only 1 hit, a single to Jay Johnstone in the 7th.

* And the Oakland Athletics beat the Seattle Pilots, 6-3 at the Oakland Coliseum. Sal Bando and Bob Johnson homered for the A's. Reggie Jackson did not play.