June 6, 2019
from the "Los Angeles Times" on June 6, 1989, from the front page:
"China Teeters on Edge of Civil war as Rival Forces Mobilize"
Under the headline "Control of Beijing Seen" Times Staff Writers David Holley and Daniel Williams, wrote "China teetered on the edge of civil war, with troops presumed loyal to hard-line President Yang Shang-kun in control of central Beijing but positioned defensively at strategic points in apparent anticipation of attack by rival forces.
"Troops and armored vehicles were reported moving toward Beijing from the east, according to Western diplomats who said they appeared to be opposed to the troops of the 27th Army that killed hundreds or perhaps thousands of people while taking control of the center of the capital over the weekend."
"A military attache of the British colony of Hong Kong, reached by telephone this morning, said the Chinese air force has joined the effort to wrest control of Beijing from the 27th Army. Infantry units of the air force landed at the Nanyuan military airport south of the capital Monday night and engaged in skirmishes with other military units at or near the airport."
"The air force believes that responsibility for the indiscriminate shootings in Beijing rests with the army . . . "
So, I am recalling now as I remember reading this back then . . . did it seem like what we call a narrative was being developed, that it was not the government of the PRC doing this to the students but rather, it was troops from the 27th Army behaving in a rogue manner.
Also on the front page, a photo of the young man standing in front of the tank; the caption at the bottom reads:
"A protester blocks a column of tanks in front of Beijing Hotel. After climbing aboard the lead tank, the man, apparently unharmed, was led away by friends, and the column proceeded."
In another article on that front page, by Times Staff Writer James Gerstenzang, "Bush Halts Arm Sales Over China Repression", President Bush commented on the the suspension of "all U. S. military sales to China on Monday [June 5, 1989] to protest the Chinese army's violent suppression of the pro-democracy movement".
Gerstenzang, quoting President Bush:
"It is very important the Chinese leaders know it's not going to be business as usual," Bush declared at a press conference announcing his decision."
"The United States cannot condone the violent attacks and cannot ignore the consequences for our relationship with China, which has been built on a foundation of broad support by the American people," Bush said.
Bush seemed to have been moved by accounts of a Chinese man who halted a column of 10 tanks and 10 armored personnel carriers Monday near Tian An Men Square. He stood in front of the lead tank, climbed up on it and talked to someone inside, then climbed down and walked away.
Referring to the incident, the President told reporters, "I believe the forces of democracy are so powerful, and when you see them, as recently as this morning - a single student standing in front of a tank, and then, I might add, seeing the tank driver exercise restraint -- I'm convinced that the forces of democracy are going to overcome these unfortunate events in Tian An Men Square."
from the "Los Angeles Times" on June 6, 1989, from the front page:
"China Teeters on Edge of Civil war as Rival Forces Mobilize"
Under the headline "Control of Beijing Seen" Times Staff Writers David Holley and Daniel Williams, wrote "China teetered on the edge of civil war, with troops presumed loyal to hard-line President Yang Shang-kun in control of central Beijing but positioned defensively at strategic points in apparent anticipation of attack by rival forces.
"Troops and armored vehicles were reported moving toward Beijing from the east, according to Western diplomats who said they appeared to be opposed to the troops of the 27th Army that killed hundreds or perhaps thousands of people while taking control of the center of the capital over the weekend."
"A military attache of the British colony of Hong Kong, reached by telephone this morning, said the Chinese air force has joined the effort to wrest control of Beijing from the 27th Army. Infantry units of the air force landed at the Nanyuan military airport south of the capital Monday night and engaged in skirmishes with other military units at or near the airport."
"The air force believes that responsibility for the indiscriminate shootings in Beijing rests with the army . . . "
So, I am recalling now as I remember reading this back then . . . did it seem like what we call a narrative was being developed, that it was not the government of the PRC doing this to the students but rather, it was troops from the 27th Army behaving in a rogue manner.
Also on the front page, a photo of the young man standing in front of the tank; the caption at the bottom reads:
"A protester blocks a column of tanks in front of Beijing Hotel. After climbing aboard the lead tank, the man, apparently unharmed, was led away by friends, and the column proceeded."
In another article on that front page, by Times Staff Writer James Gerstenzang, "Bush Halts Arm Sales Over China Repression", President Bush commented on the the suspension of "all U. S. military sales to China on Monday [June 5, 1989] to protest the Chinese army's violent suppression of the pro-democracy movement".
Gerstenzang, quoting President Bush:
"It is very important the Chinese leaders know it's not going to be business as usual," Bush declared at a press conference announcing his decision."
"The United States cannot condone the violent attacks and cannot ignore the consequences for our relationship with China, which has been built on a foundation of broad support by the American people," Bush said.
Bush seemed to have been moved by accounts of a Chinese man who halted a column of 10 tanks and 10 armored personnel carriers Monday near Tian An Men Square. He stood in front of the lead tank, climbed up on it and talked to someone inside, then climbed down and walked away.
Referring to the incident, the President told reporters, "I believe the forces of democracy are so powerful, and when you see them, as recently as this morning - a single student standing in front of a tank, and then, I might add, seeing the tank driver exercise restraint -- I'm convinced that the forces of democracy are going to overcome these unfortunate events in Tian An Men Square."
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