The Closing of Chinese Minds

In 1979, a group of Chinese editors was about to visit the United States. Asked what they would like to see, one solemnly replied: "We want to know how the party secretary of New York controls The New York Times."

An American diplomat explained that there were two major political parties in the U.S., but The New York Times belonged to neither and the newspaper had no relations with the government. The listeners were perplexed and incredulous.