When Chen Guangcheng landed in New York—still on crutches from a daring nighttime escape from house arrest—he found himself giving a press conference in which his abundant thanks extended to Chinese officials for “dealing with the situation with restraint and calm.” It might not have been the first thanks on everyone’s lips. One could read that as a diplomatic comment, intended to protect those still in China, including his mother (whose house is reportedly being fenced off by local officials) and the fellow dissidents who helped him escape.