Sneaky Leaks: The Perils of Free Press and Democracy

You’ve no doubt watched countless skits poking fun at United States foreign policy, but what about a show that digs a little deeper, showing us what’s at stake when it comes to airing a nation’s dirty laundry? Cue arts group L.A. Theatre Works, who come to Beijing this month armed with a docudrama called Top Secret: The Battle for the Pentagon Papers. The play, which first aired on NPR before being adapted for the stage, dissects the tug of war that broke out after sensitive documents detailing America’s involvement in Vietnam from 1945-1967 were leaked to major newspapers.

A quick recap for anybody born after 1955: The New York Times broke the story first in June 1971, revealing government actions divergent from official statements about the Vietnam War to an already disillusioned public. The Washington Post later joined in, and it all led to one of the most important US Supreme Court trials wrestling with the boundaries of freedom of speech.

“I think of it as a great stand-up-and-cheer play about one of the finest moments in American journalism,” director Susan Loewenberg tells us. “It’s before the Internet, before WikiLeaks. It was when print was king. People really depended on their newspapers for their news. And certainly the New York Times and the Washington Post were symbols of incredible journalistic integrity.”

But it’s not just about journalism and political intrigue. It’s also about the cast of characters: Henry Kissinger, President Nixon, Washington Post editor-in-chief Ben Bradlee and publisher Katharine Graham – essentially a housewife, who took over when her husband committed suicide.

“Bradlee was one of the great American editors who was a great friend of JFK. He was very handsome and dashing, a wonderful guy,” Loewenberg continues. “And of course Katherine Graham was just this icon ... She became the famous woman American publisher, and here she was just at the beginning of her tenure.

“I think this is also a story about competition,” says Loewenberg. “Because Ben Bradlee was just as interested in beating out the New York Times as he was in the principles of free speech.”

We also asked the playwright, Geoffrey Cowan, what a China debut for his play means to him.

“It is quite amazing, thrilling and inspiring. Audiences in China will be particularly interested that President Richard Nixon and Secretary of State Henry Kissinger were deeply concerned about the impact that publication of the Pentagon Papers would have on their highly confidential effort to open relations with China.”

Well, it was nothing a group of pingpong players couldn’t handle.

Battle will commence at PKU Memorial Hall on Dec 2 and at the Tianqiao Acrobatic Theater Dec 3 & 4. To reserve tickets contact Ms Yang at 150 1130 1416.

Click here to see the December issue of the Beijinger in full.

Photo courtesy of L.A. Theatre Works