We were out of range of the all-hearing tape recorders when he whispered, as I recall, something like this to me: Tom, the book will have to have critical and negative stuff in it. I know, don’t worry about me. Just write me up exactly as you see me. Let the chips fall where they may. Tell the true story of me, as you see it. That’s all I ask. Political genius is never without controversy, or without mystery. This is what makes it so interesting and so rare. So who is Lee Kuan Yew, the celebrated Asian political intellect, foremost exponent of Asian values and nation-builder? Following two days of intensive and exclusive interviews held in Singapore in July 2009, Tom Plate presents a stunning political portrait of one of the world’s leading statesmen – almost in a manner reminiscent of the British journalist David Frost in his legendary interviews with Richard Nixon. Though not as confrontational, these conversations sought, as Frost did, to answer the elusive question: what kind of man is this famous leader, really? Often surprising, sometimes startling, occasionally humorous – and never, ever dull – this richly detailed volume offers a captivating insight into LKY, the director of the blockbuster that is Singapore.