of course, critics of this program called it white collar servitude or high-tech k coolyi. a disproportionate number were chinese. as the 1990s progressed, the u.s. government feared ethnic chinese scientists would pass military secrets to the prc as seen in the lee case. since the past is prologue swreshgs to look to history to understand how and why the chinese and other groups faced these cycles of persecution and also acceptance. i'd like to share with you some of my theories and conclusions. my research suggests to me that the real driving forces behind racism is not something that depends merrily on first or cultural differences. the appearance of the chinese, the shape of their eyes, the darkness of their skin, their black hair, did not offend most white people or bring out their most xenophobic impulses until certain conditions came into play, and i think these conditions usually require a political economic crisis. the exclusion act emerged out of the depression of the 1870s. the anti-chinese witch hunts of the mccarthy years came after mainland china turned commun