The History of China - Rebroadcast: 6/4 UK Cable on the Tiananmen Square Massacre

Episode Date: June 3, 2021

In this darkest of timelines, flickers of remembrance are more precious than ever... Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You're listening to an Airwave Media Podcast. Hi everyone, this is Scott. If you want to learn about the world's oldest civilizations, find out how they were rediscovered, follow the story of Mark Antony and Cleopatra's descendants over ten generations, or take a deep dive into the Iron Age or the Hellenistic era, then check out the Ancient World Podcast. Available on all podcasting platforms or go to ancientworldpodcast.com. That's the Ancient World Podcast. A UK cable on the Tiananmen Square Massacre from June 5th, 1989.

History is, as often as it is anything else, about remembering the things that we might collectively wish to choose to forget. Or worse yet, remembering things that others, especially those in power, might wish us to forget. It's one of the main jobs of historians, and those who study history, to do their best then to not allow that to happen, to ensure that even if history is ultimately written by the winner, that they're at least not allowed to burn all the books or bury the scholars in opposition. 30 years ago, in 1989, between April 15th and June 4th, the capital city of China, Beijing, was gripped by mass protests led by university students, factory workers, government reformists, and regular everyday citizens who wanted substantive

democratic change to their country's government. But on June 4th, after weeks of buildup, the world watched in horror as the Communist Party of China, led then by Deng Xiaoping, Li Peng, and Yang Xikun, among others, as anti-performist hardliners within the party, ordered that the People's Liberation Army and the People's Armed Police be sent in to the center point of the month-and-a-half-long protest, the open square in front of the ancient Forbidden City main gate called Tiananmen, or the Gate of Heavenly Peace, to break up what they viewed as a dangerous anti-party activity by force. The results were as tragic, horrific, and unforgettable as could be, with images and video of the brutal crackdown sent across the world. Yet for much of

the subsequent three decades, the ruling party of China has enforced increasingly stringent measures on its own populace to limit and even to erase entirely the memory of June 4th, 1989 from the collective memory of the Chinese citizenry. Yearly, the already stringently censored internet within China is locked down even further, and sensitive terminology is heavily monitored and deleted off of social media. People deemed dissident or troublemakers are put under observation and even arrested and tortured. Even when foreign websites such as Google and Wikipedia were allowed to operate within China, they were unable to return any results on the date or the protests themselves. But in spite of what the party might wish,

now that the world, or the Chinese people, have forgotten, there is too much evidence, too many people who saw it with their own eyes, as well as the images and video in living color broadcast on television, via radio, and via telegram. Two millennia ago, not even Chin Shou Huang was able to completely erase history as he deemed inconvenient, and information has only become more voluminous and more difficult to erase in the subsequent centuries. So today I'm trying to do my small part in ensuring that what must be remembered is. Therefore, in full and without further ado, The UK Cable on the Tiananmen Square Massacre, 1989, by Alan Edwin Donald. Confidential, from Peking, to Immediate Ministry of Defense, UK,

as of 25 May 1989, 0513 hours, and to Immediate J-SYS Hong Kong, Ottawa, info immediate FCO. Military situation, Beijing, as at 25th of May, 0200 hours. 1. As political power struggle intensifies, surveillance of military units in Beijing area will continue by joint efforts of U.S., U.K., Canadian, and Australian attaché offices. 2. After roundup, PM 24 May, current disposition is A. 28th Army, from Mongolian border, unlocated northwest of Beijing. B. 55th Army, from Datong, located on Beijing Rifle Range southwest of Nankou. TPs are camped on the range. C. 64th Army, from Liaoning Province, seen 24th May

on two trains at Changping Railway sightings, northwest of Tiananmen, 40 kilometers. D. 40th Army, from Liaoning Province, located Xahe Airfield, north of Tiananmen, 30 kilometers. E. 24th Army, from Chengde, located in the Huairo area, northeast Tiananmen, 45 km. F. 39th Army, from Liaoning Province, located on Tongxian Airfield, east of Tiananmen, 22 km. G. 27th Army, from Zhijiazhuang, located in Daxing, south Tiananmen, 20 km. H. Unidentified Army, possibly from Henan Province, located south of Tiananmen. I. 63rd Army, from Shanxi Province, unlocated southwest of Lianshang, southwest Tiananmen 30 km.

J. 38th Army, from Baoding, scattered around southwestern area of Beijing City, approximately 10 km from Tiananmen. K. Beijing Garrison Army, local. Several divisions identified as having taken part in operations during the last few days. All units believed quartered in garrison locations. L. 43rd Airborne Division, 15th Airborne Army, from Wuhan, located on Nanyuan Airfield, southwest Tiananmen 15 km, with indigenous transport aircraft. M, 6th Tank Division, local, located in the Chongqing Dian area, southwest Tiananmen 20 km.

3. Last formation to arrive did so 24th May, 64th Army. Remaining formations have moved to concentration areas and are engaged in logistic resupply. Our best estimate of number of troops in Beijing area is now increased to 100,000. 4. Political-Military Situation Rumors abound with much fiction and little fact. We cannot substantiate reports that six military regions, not Beijing, support Li Peng. People's Daily, official mouthpiece, of 24th May reported that party committees, i.e. political commissars of Air Force, Navy, Lanzhou, and Jinan military regions, have sent messages in support

of Li Peng and Yang Shangkun, and appealed to commanders to resist chaos and obey orders from party central committee and central military commission. 5, General Wang Hai, Commander PLAAF plus PLAAF commanders of Beijing and Chengdu military regions are due to leave China 28 May approximately to visit UK and France. Their final decision to go or not go will be a valuable indicator. Donald. End of first message. Secret UK Comms Only From Peking

To desk by 05-1600 hours FCO of 05-1421 hours June 89 And to desk by 05-1600 hoursours, Hong Kong, JCS Hong Kong, Ministry of Defense, UK. China. Background to military situation. 1. Name redacted. He has been passing on information given him by a close friend, who is currently a member of the State Council. This source has previously proved reliable and was careful to separate fact from speculation and rumor. 2. Fact. The army that has committed the atrocities in Beijing is the 27th Army, who are troops from Shanxi province, are 60% illiterate, and are called primitives. The commander of the 27th Army was Yang Zhenhua, son of Yang Baiding, brother of Yang Shangkun.

They were kept without news for 10 days and told they were to take part in an exercise. A TV film would be made of the exercise, which pleased them. They were informed of martial law on May 20. For the first four days after arrival, they were driven around Beijing City to familiarize them with the area. 27th Army are at full strength with their own tanks and APCs and a full outfit of ammunition, tear gas, and flamethrowers. Other armies are only at one division strength. The leadership keeps 27th Army on the move so that it can attack from a different direction each time. 3. Fact. On the night of 3-4 June, 27th Army was to attack from the west with other units from Shenyang. The plan was that the 1 wave, SMR, would attack with no weapons. The second wave, SMR, would attack with weapons but no ammunition. Third wave, SMR, would attack as

for the second wave, but officers would have loaded sidearms to frighten the crowd. The fourth wave would be 27th Army with full equipment and ammunition. The first attacks occurred at Musidi and Shilipu. The first three waves were held by the demonstrators, and SMR troops tried to push back the crowds to let 27th Army through. They failed, and 27th Army APCs opened fire on the crowd, both civilians and soldiers, before running over them in their APCs. 4. Fact. The enraged masses followed, ignoring machine gun fire, to next battle at Liao Bu Kuo.

APCs ran over troops and civilians at 65 km per hour in same manner. One APC crashed and driver, a captain, got out and was taken by crowd to hospital. He is not deranged and demands death for his atrocities. 5. Fact. On arrival at Tiananmen, troops from SMR had separated students and residents. Students understood they were given one hour to leave Square, but after five minutes, APCs attacked. Students linked arms, but were mowed down, including soldiers. APCs then ran over body time and time again to make, quote, pie, unquote, and remains collected by bulldozer. Remains incinerated, and then hosed down drains.

6. 27th Army ordered to spare no one and shot wounded SMR soldiers. Four wounded girl students begged for their lives but were bayoneted. A three-year-old girl was injured, but her mother was shot as she went to her aid, as were six others who tried. 1,000 survivors were told they could escape via Zhengyi Lu, but were then mown down by specially prepared machine gun positions. Army ambulances who attempted to give aid were shot up, as was a Sino-Japanese hospital ambulance. With medical crew dead, wounded driver attempted to ram attackers, but was blown to pieces by anti-tank weapon. In further attack, APCs caught up with SMR straggler trucks,

rammed and overturned them, and ran over troops. During attack, 27th Army officer shot dead by own troops, apparently because he faltered. Troops explained they would be shot if they hadn't shot the officer. 7. Speculation. 27th Army used because most reliable and obedient. Some considered other armies would attack 27th Army, but they had no ammunition. Zhengzhai was protected by two rings of tanks and APCs, one inside the wall, one without. 8. Rumor. Some SMR had returned to home bases for ammunition. Armies from Shandong, Jiangxi, and Xinjiang had left bases without orders from Beijing to destroy 27th Army.

The commanders from Guangzhou, Beijing, and Shenyang has refused to attend a recent meeting of military commanders called by Yang Shangkun. 9. Fact. Beijing commander has refused to supply outside armies with food, water, or barracks. Source said many barracks in Beijing, but note TV pictures of tents. 27th Army were using dum-dum bullets. 27th Army snipers shot many civilians on balconies, street sweepers, etc. for target practice. Beijing hospitals had been ordered to accept only security force casualties. So far, six foreign students and 23 foreign journalists had been killed in the fighting. Note, we have no evidence of this. 10. Fact. The first phase of the operation was to secure Tiananmen. The next phase would be to control major roads and

intersections and move outwards from center. This would start within two days. 11. Fact. Yang Shangkun and Deng Xiaoping were very close friends. Some members of the State Council suggest that civil war is imminent. Qin Jiwei was forced unwillingly to appear in background in TV program on 20th May to give aura of unity. Minimum estimate of civilian dead, 10,000. Donald. Have you ever gazed in wonder at the Great Pyramid? Have you marvelled at the golden face of Tutankhamun? Or admired the delicate features of Queen Nefertiti? If you have, you'll probably like the History of Egypt podcast. Every week, we explore tales of this ancient culture. The History of Egypt is available wherever you get your podcasting fix. Come, let me introduce you to the world of Ancient Egypt.