Hong Kong on the Brink : An American Diplomat Relives 1967s Darkest Days

Syd Goldsmiths first taste of Chinas Cultural Revolution is blood on his tongue. It is 1967. Hong Kong is simmering, plagued by communist-led riots and strikes, crippled transport, punishing water-rationing, takeover threats from Beijing and roadside bombs. And Syd -- the only Caucasian Foreign Service Officer at the American Consulate General who speaks Cantonese -- is made responsible for reporting and analysis of the Hong Kong governments ability to survive. The CIA station chief and the head of Macaus gold syndicate play major roles in Syds story, along with Newsweeks bureau chief Maynard Parker, correspondent Sydney Liu and a steady stream of inquiring foreign correspondents and China-watchers. Richard Nixon makes a cameo appearance -- to talk football with Syd since the consul general wont see him -- in this riveting memoir of a year when Hong Kongs borrowed time seemed about to expire.