ABSTRACT
On 7 August 1999, Song Yongyi, a researcher and librarian at Dickinson College in Pennsylvania, was arrested in Beijing.2 Song was visiting China to collect documents and other materials dating from the turbulent Cultural Revolution era (1966-76). He was initially accused of divulging state secrets, but was later charged with the lesser offence of purchasing and providing illegal intelligence to foreigners. In January 2000 he was unexpectedly released and allowed to return to the United States.
