Late journalist Roy Essoyan left his imprint across globe

By Ben Wood

POSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Apr 13, 2012

~~Roy Essoyan, who died March 22 at age 92 at his home in Pupukea, got his U.S. citizenship in Hawaii but was truly a citizen of the world. Born in Japan to Armenian parents, he later moved to Shanghai, then immigrated to Hawaii after World War II. Here he became an American and married Star-Bulletin reporter Betsey Biggs before setting off on an international career as a reporter and bureau chief for The Associated Press.
One unforgettable moment in his career came in February 1960, after he was thrown out of Moscow in 1958, accused of violating Soviet censorship for breaking the news of a serious breach between the Soviet Union and China. Premier Nikita Khrushchev spotted him at a press conference in Indonesia and called him up to the stage. The Soviet leader pointed to Essoyan's baseball cap, saying, "This is the sort of thing that baffles me about the United States. America is such a rich country, and you Americans wear rags like this." Essoyan, who besides English and Japanese spoke Russian, agreed that the cap was not fancy, but said it was handy in the hot Indonesian sun. He then playfully placed it on Khrushchev's head.
~~

Roy Essoyan, who died March 22 at age 92 at his home in Pupukea, got his U.S. citizenship in Hawaii but was truly a citizen of the world. Born in Japan to Armenian parents, he later moved to Shanghai, then immigrated to Hawaii after World War II. Here he became an American and married Star-Bulletin reporter Betsey Biggs before setting off on an international career as a reporter and bureau chief for The Associated Press.

One unforgettable moment in his career came in February 1960, after he was thrown out of Moscow in 1958, accused of violating Soviet censorship for breaking the news of a serious breach between the Soviet Union and China. Premier Nikita Khrushchev spotted him at a press conference in Indonesia and called him up to the stage. The Soviet leader pointed to Essoyan's baseball cap, saying, "This is the sort of thing that baffles me about the United States. America is such a rich country, and you Americans wear rags like this." Essoyan, who besides English and Japanese spoke Russian, agreed that the cap was not fancy, but said it was handy in the hot Indonesian sun. He then playfully placed it on Khrushchev's head. Login for more...