At the Geneva Conference, the head of the U.S. delegation and Secretary of State John Foster Dulles was a die-hard who pursued a policy of hostility and non-recognition of the People's Republic of China. Although members of the two delegations met in the conference hall almost every day, Dulles did not allow members of his delegation to have contact with the Chinese. He told members of the U.S. delegation to ignore Chinese people they encountered in conference halls or corridors. He himself vowed not to deal with the Chinese delegation, unless his car accidentally collided with Zhou Enlai's car.

Shortly after the first plenary session of the Geneva Conference, Dulles left Geneva. The American delegation was headed by General Walter Bedell Smith, Eisenhower's wartime chief of staff. One day during the plenary session, a reporter asked General Smith if he had any contact with Zhou Enlai. He joked that his only contact with Zhou Enlai was when they both used a long rolled towel in the bathroom. In the last few weeks of the Geneva Conference, Bedell Smith relaxed somewhat and took the initiative to talk to Premier Zhou's interpreter in the bar. Although they were just talking casually, the gesture held great significance. Premier Zhou felt that not everyone in the US delegation had the same attitude towards China as Dulles, so he decided to deal directly with Bedell Smith.

The next day, Zhou Enlai walked into the bar and saw Bedell Smith pouring coffee into a cup at the counter. He walked straight up to Smith and held out his hand. Bedell Smith was caught off guard and couldn't help but be stunned, but he responded quickly. He held a cigar in his left hand and hurriedly picked up the coffee with his right hand, deliberately showing that his hands were busy. In any case, the Chinese Premier broke the ice and they had a brief friendly chat. Smith praised China's ancient culture and beautiful rivers and mountains, and said he liked Chinese porcelain very much.

Soon after, Bedell Smith saw an opportunity to continue the relationship that had just begun. That was when the last plenary meeting was held, and Zhou Enlai was talking to people in the conference lounge. Smith stepped forward to say hello to the Chinese Prime Minister. Commenting on the meeting, he said that the meeting was fruitful and he took this opportunity to express his warm wishes to the Chinese people. He also said that he was deeply impressed by the Prime Minister's diplomatic skills and that he was happy to get to know the Prime Minister. Zhou Enlai replied, "Didn't I reach out to you first when we met last time?" This sentence reminded Smith of his antics of "having his hands full", and he felt a little embarrassed. He smiled to hide his embarrassment, and before leaving, he touched the prime minister's arm with his elbow.

Why does the acting head of the US delegation never have the courage to shake hands with the Chinese Premier? The Chinese delegation has been puzzled by this issue for quite some time. The mystery was not solved until much later. The fact is that when Dulles was still in Geneva, a ban was issued - no shaking hands with the Chinese. No wonder Bedell Smith inexplicably held a cigar in one hand and a cup of coffee in the other during their first meeting with the Prime Minister, and then elbowed the Prime Minister on the arm instead of shaking hands during their second meeting. Although Dulles was a famous Wall Street lawyer and shrewd and cunning, he forgot to add another prohibition on shaking hands - not elbowing the opponent's arm.