Uneasiness has spread through Taiwan in the first months of the new regime. In part, this reflects familiar causes of concern, but a new and serious worry has come to the fore with revelations about secret diplomacy. PNS editor Franz Schurmann, professor emeritus of history and sociology at UC-Berkeley, is the author of numerous books and articles on China.

In the weeks since Chen Shui-bian was sworn in as their president on May 20, Taiwan's 22 million people have been hit by a series of events which cannot strengthen their confidence about the future.

One is the growing war of words over relations with China. Another was television coverage of four men pleading for help in a swollen river, and drowning while rescuers dawdled. But the third event -- and probably the source of deepest anxiety -- has roused concern that Taiwan could be "sold out" by its own government.

Worry about the war of words comes out of fear that it could some day result in a real shooting war. The drowning tragedy led to great public anger about lack of concern for citizens -- talk show callers again and again brought up not only the incompetent rescue effort but the shoddy housing construction made evident by last year's severe earthquake.

But, in the end, the third event could have the greatest effect. Taiwan's "Business Week" had a scoop when it revealed that former Taiwan president Lee Teng-hui had used "secret envoys" to weave direct relations with Beijing. Many Taiwanese as well as mainlanders knew about this story, but nobody had put it into print.

Lee has been attacked and derided in the Mainland Chinese media more than any other Taiwan leader. Yet the revelations show he used secret envoys to reassure the "Chinese Communists," as Chinese leaders are always called in the Taiwan media, that he sincerely wanted to work out a "peaceful" reunification.

In the secret talks, Beijing agreed to support Taiwan's entry into the World Trade Organization. Beijing never raised the issue of Taiwan during the difficult talks about WTO membership. Another agreement, calling for direct cooperation to curtail smuggling on the China coast, came at a time when Taiwan was publicly holding firm to its policy of no direct land, air or sea connections with China.

But more astonishing than the secret diplomacy itself was the revelation that the entire relationship began through one of the most revered figures in a Chinese world where revered figures are in short supply. He is the 82-year-old Master Nan Huaijin, one of China's greatest religious scholars but, even more important, arguably the world's greatest writer of tales of the supernatural.

In his prime he wrote a tale a month. His paperbound books were snapped up everywhere in the Chinese-reading world. He wrote about heroes and heroines, angels and demons (in the Chinese supernatural world these were called by the same name, but only heroes and heroines have real bodies). They flew at great speeds, traversing immense distances in less than a second.

Admirers describe his life-time achievements as teacher, lay monk, religious philosopher, versed in Chinese literature and Zen practice. But he has also been close to many influential people, including the two key figures in the secret diplomacy -- Lee Teng-hui's first secretary, Su Chih-ch'ung and Yang Sidu, a key member of the Beijing group.

But if Master Nan got Lee Teng-hui started on the secret relationship, he also was the one who wrecked it. Once the talk from both sides got very frank and daring. The Master suddenly pulled out a tape recorder and started recording. The Beijing people, alarmed, left the room and shortly thereafter said the Master could no longer serve as a conduit. They pointed out that secret envoys must have sealed mouths.

Master Nan left the scene, but the Beijing-Taipei relationship continued. A part of it became public through the "Cross-Straits Committee," co-chaired by two elders, Wang Daohan from the Mainland and Ku Chen-fu from Taiwan. But the secret talks continued. Not long after Chen Shui-bian was inaugurated, rumors circulated that he already had "informal" conduits leading to Beijing.

For many centuries Chinese have had deep suspicions of their leaders. These views came from never knowing what the leaders believe in, if anything, beyond power. When the Business Week story came out, politicians denounced Lee Teng-hui -- but some said "secret diplomacy is inevitable though in important matters there should be transparency." Statements like this only add to the distrust.

Many if not most Taiwanese hope they can achieve some sort of unification with their ancestral land. Yet at the same time they would also like to have some sort of American protection to make sure that leaders cannot sell them out. The leaders they have in mind are not just in Taipei and Beijing but in Washington as well.

One other incident has reinforced distrust -- the announcement that Washington and Beijing have reached an agreement allowing an American warship to visit the major port city of Qingdao. Many Taiwanese may be wondering whether this means a continuation of the sell-out that Lee Teng-hui greatly furthered through his secret diplomacy.