Hours earlier, I watched CNN's live coverage of the regime's violent suppresion of its citizens' call for democracy at Beijing's Tiananmen Square. I wanted to document how that repressive one-Party state would try to justify its actions to the world. This was before the days of the internet and the way to learn this directly was via old-school shortwave radio.

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I had a multi-band radio with a shortwave band. I stretched a simple wire antenna across the ceiling of the second story apartment (wood frame and high enough) that I shared with my then-girlfriend/now wife. I checked with local radio hobbyists and learned where to find Radio Beijing's nightly English language program beamed to North America. Fortunately, my radio had an audio output jack that matched the input jack of my small magnetic tape audio cassette recorder. I had no idea that what I captured would become historically significant.

Two weeks earlier, the regime had placed Beijing under martial law, after large crowds called for democracy, constructed a homegrown "Goddess of Democracy" and began quoting Thomas Jefferson instead of Mao Zedong. Armed troops were almost certainly in or around the government broadcast facilities. On the night of June 3rd and lasting until dawn June 4, armed troops rolled into Tiananmen Square, tore down the Goddess of Democracy and shot, wounded and killed (in some cases crushing under tanks and motorized vehicles) those who resisted or were in the way.

The broadcaster knew that among those killed were his some of co-workers at Radio Beijing. Try to imagine what must have gone through his mind in terms of the consequences he surely realized he could face for speaking the words you'll hear him speak below:

One technical note: shortwave radio travels great distances by bouncing off the ionosphere, an irregular layer of charged particles that, if conditions are just right, refracts the radio waves back to Earth on often slightly differing paths. That's the reason for the fading and phase distortion. The rest is exactly how it was received in the 25 meter shortwave band that night in a southern suburb near Los Angeles.

This is Radio Beijing. Please remember June the third, 1989. The most tragic event happened in the Chinese capital, Beijing.

Thousands of people, most of them innocent civilians, were killed by fully armed soldiers when they forced their way into the city. Among the killed are our colleagues at Radio Beijing.

The soldiers were riding on armored vehicles and used machine guns against thousands of local residents and students who tried to block their way. When the army convoys made a breakthrough, soldiers continued to spray their bullets indiscriminately at crowds in the street.

Eyewitnesses say some armored vehicles even crushed footsoldiers who hesitated in front of the resisting civilians.

Radio Beijing [sic] English Department deeply mourns those [sic] died in the tragic incident and appeals to all its listeners to join our protest for the gross violation of human rights and the most barbarous suppression of the people.

Because of this abnormal situation here in Beijing, there is no other news we could bring you. We sincerely ask for your understanding and thank you for joining us at this most tragic moment.

Like the Tiananmen "Tankman," this man's identity and fate remain uncertain. We've seen conflicting accounts as to who he is and what happened to him.

Twenty-nine years later, it remains for journalists worldwide to remember him, to find out his name [reports differ], to learn what happened to him [reports also differ] and if he is alive to speak with him, so he can be honored for his historic, courageous and principled action.

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