Alfred L. Jenkins

Alfred L. Jenkins (September 14, 1916 – May 18, 2000) was an American diplomat, lecturer and writer, born in Manchester, Georgia. He was a political authority on Chinese-American relations and served under Presidents Lyndon B. Johnson and Richard Nixon. Jenkins has been called "Mr. China" He often submitted memos directly to the President and was, at times, critical of current American policy towards China which was focused on trade, travel and U.N. representation rather than its possible involvement in the Asia–Pacific region (including Vietnam).

Under the Nixon administration he was the director of the State Department's Office of Asian Communist Affairs. In 1970 he traveled to Paris to exchange information with the French and British concerning affairs with China. He traveled with Secretary of State Henry Kissinger on an unpublicized diplomatic mission to China in October 1971. Jenkins advised Kissinger and President Nixon on all Chinese diplomatic relations and was instrumental in planning the U.S.’s Chinese missions. His insights into Chinese-American relations gave him a key role in Nixon’s historical diplomatic mission and visit to China in February 1972.

After retiring from the Foreign Service, due to the influence of Joseph Janse, D.C., N.D., a well-known and revered figure in natural medicine and longtime President of National College of Chiropractic (now National University of Health Sciences) in Lombard, IL, in 1981 Jenkins began his studies toward a Doctorate of Chiropractic and graduated shortly before his 70th birthday. He practiced natural medicine as a primary care physician in Gleneden Beach, Oregon, for a number of years, but retired when his wife Martha died. Jenkins returned to Alexandria, VA where he lived out his final years.

In 1993 Jenkins published an autobiography called Country, Conscience and Caviar: A Diplomat's Journey in the Company of History.