The Spy Who The Spy Who Outplayed Nixon | A gift for Mr. Lee | 2
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Mar 10, 2026 A tense Cold War spy story about a double life inside US intelligence. A mole photographs a top-secret memo that shapes Nixon’s groundbreaking China visit. Beijing uses the leak to gain leverage in high-stakes diplomacy. Secret meetings, gambling-fueled finances, and risky recruitment plots reveal how tradecraft and betrayal reshaped global politics.
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Polygraph Beaten By Translating Thoughts
- Larry Chin passed his polygraph by mentally translating questions into Chinese to calm himself and control physiological responses.
- He used this technique when asked about Hong Kong contacts, which slowed breathing and masked stress signals so examiners moved on.
How Nixon's China Plan Reached Beijing
- Chin stole a top-secret presidential review memorandum outlining Nixon's China strategy by photographing it at home after hiding it under his shirt to leave the office.
- He sent undeveloped film via a Toronto contact using the codename exchange "Mr Yang" and "Mr Lee" at a strip mall handoff.
Leak Gave China The Upper Hand In 1972 Talks
- Beijing used Chin's stolen memo to anticipate Nixon's concessions and shape negotiation leverage before talks began.
- Mao and Zhou read the document and used its details to press for significant gains during Nixon's 1972 visit and the Shanghai Communique.