ABSTRACT
The American press's relegation of Singapore from a paragon of virtuous free enterprise to police state is a consequence of three interrelated issues. The issues are detention by Lee Kuan Yew's government of a number of people allegedly involved in subversion; the expulsion of an American diplomat; and the restriction of the circulation of four American-owned newspapers and magazines. Each of these involves a clash between prevailing American views of what democratic rectitude demands and a small country's notion of what its security requires. The dispute obviously turns largely on what Hendrickson actually said in his meetings with Singaporeans. But it also involves opposing interpretations of what is permissible and proper behavior on diplomatic officers. The quarrel between the American press and the government of Singapore involves the restriction of circulation of four foreign publications—all American owned and all reputable. These are Time magazine; the Asian Wall Street Journal; Asiaweek; and the Far Eastern Economic Review.
