DIPLOMACY: Pretty Cute For a Crowbar

Pretty Cute For a Crowbar

The New York Times Magazine once described U.S. Trade Representative Carla Hills as a "persistent, fiercely competitive, sometimes thin-skinned workaholic." Tough words for a tough woman. Yet as a leading Japanese politician would have it, Hills is more cute than competitive. Koko Sato, deputy secretary-general of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, sat next to Hills for more than two hours during a dinner party at the recent Houston economic summit. Sato, 62, told friends he found Hills, 56, "easy to deal with if you lull her with the Oriental way of life and philosophy." He later described Hills to reporters as...

Want the full story?

Subscribe Now

Subscribe
Subscribe

Learn more about the benefits of being a TIME subscriber

If you are already a subscriber sign up — registration is free!