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China '72: A Hole In The Bamboo Curtain

A WWL-TV Special Project

written & narrated Phil Johnson
filmed & edited by Jim Tolhurst

Jim Tolhurst and Phil Johnson were the first American non-network news team to be allowed into the People's Republic of Red China in more than 25 years.

After 14 months of letter writing to Chinese authorities and two visits to the Chinese Embassy in Canada permission was granted to enter China. Tolhurst and Johnson traveled with a Congressional delegation that included Hale Boggs, House Majority Leader; and Gerald Ford, House Minority Leader.

The Tolhurst/Johnson team spent two weeks on the Chinese mainland visiting Peking, Shanhai, Shenyang, Anshan, and Canton. They met, interviewed, and dined with Prime Minister Chou-En-Lai.

Awards:
1972 George Foster Peabody Award
1972 New York Overseas Press Club Award