Burns was shocked. It was the beginning of wisdom for him as a journalist. Historians in a rush may be guilty of both the journalist's errors and the utopian's projections. In recent decades, a more thorough and honest parsing of Kennedy has edited a lot of the hagiology out of his memory. The struggle is to make it truer and truer.
Good history matters as much as accurate journalism does.
Which is to say that, in the absence of truth, bad people prosper. It is important to know what really happened in China during those years. It is important to sail on, little by little, toward the shores of light. 2001 Time Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited.