SITREP NO. 28: TEN TO FIFTEEN THOUSAND

C O N F I D E N T I A L BEIJING 15390 NIACT IMMEDIATE FOR CHINA WATCH NSC FOR DOUG PAAL E.O. 12356: DECL:OADR TAGS: PGOV PHUM SOCI CH SUBJECT: SITREP NO. 28: TEN TO FIFTEEN THOUSAND ARMED TROOPS STOPPED AT CITY PERIMETER BY HUMAN AND BUS BARRRICADES REF: BEIJING 15383 ¶1. CONFIDENTIAL ENTIRE TEXT. ¶2. TEN TO FIFTEEN THOUSAND HELMETED, ARMED TROOPS MOVED TOWARD BEIJING DURING THE LATE AFTERNOON/EARLY EVENING HOURS OF JUNE 3. AS OF 1930, LARGE CONVOYS HAVE BEEN STOPPED AS BEFORE BY BUS AND HUMAN BARRICADES. THE LARGEST CONCENTRATION OF TROOP TRUCKS IS ON THE WESTERN SIDE OF THE CITY IN FRONT OF THE NEW WORLD TRADE CENTER, ABOUT 5-6 KILOMETERS FROM TIANANMEN SQUARE. EMBOFFS SAW AT LEAST TWENTY TRUCKS THERE, BUT MORE THAN ONE HUNDRED HAD BEEN SEEN HEADING TOWARD THE CITY ON THAT ROUTE, SO WE ESTIMATE THAT THERE ARE ONE HUNDRED PLUS TROOP TRUCKS AT THAT LOCATION. THE TROOPS ARE HELMETED AND ARE CARRYING AUTOMATIC WEAPONS. MOST OF THEM SEEM TO BE STAYING IN THEIR TRUCKS FOR THE TIME BEING. MORE THAN 35 TRUCKS FILLED WITH HELMETED, ARMED TROOPS ARE STOPPED AT THE SECOND RING ROAD OVERPASS, DIRECTLY IN FRONT OF THE JIANGUOMENWAI DIPLOMATIC HOUSING COMPOUND. THERE ARE REPORTEDLY 82 TRUCKS BLOCKED BY FOUR LARGE DUMP TRUCKS ALONG THE ROAD TO CAPITAL AIRPORT. WE ALSO HAVE REPORTS OF TWENTY SIX TRUCKS STOPPED AND SURROUNDED BY CITY RESIDENTS BETWEEN THE LIDO HOTEL AND THE GREAT WALL HOTEL IN THE NORTHEASTERN SUBURBS. THERE ARE ABOUT TWO THOUSAND TROOPS JUST WEST OF THE GREAT HALL OF THE PEOPLE IN A STANDOFF WITH CITY RESIDENTS WHICH HAS BEEN GOING ON SINCE EARLY AFTERNOON. THE POPULATION APPEARS HOSTILE TO PLA MOVEMENTS INTO THE CITY. ¶3. ELITE AIRBORNE TROOPS ARE MOVING FROM THE SOUTH AND TANK UNITS HAVE BEEN ALERTED TO MOVE. DAO OFFICERS ARE OUT CHECKING THE WESTERN SUBURBS. DAO IS REPORTING FURTHER DETAILS TO WASHINGTON. ALL EMBASSY INFORMATION SO FAR SUGGESTS THAT THE UNITS OTHER THAN THE AIRBORNE TROOPS ARE FROM THE 39TH ARMY. ¶4. THE TROOPS HAVE OBVIOUSLY NOT YET BEEN GIVEN ORDERS PERMITTING THEM TO USE FORCE. THEIR LARGE NUMBERS, THE FACT THAT THEY ARE HELMETED, AND THE AUTOMATIC WEAPONS THEY ARE CARRYING SUGGEST THAT THE FORCE OPTION IS REAL. LILLEY