Each year at about this time, LBREPORT.com recalls the action of a courageous Chinese radio journalist who used the regime's own English language shortwave channel to describe what that regime did to his countrymen and his Radio Beijing colleagues (transcript and audio below.) In our view, this man was the audio counterpart to the visually iconic Tiananmen Square "Tankman."

When this took place, I hosted programs on KABC talkradio in Los Angeles. I expected Radio Beijing would offer an ugly but newsworthy defense of the regime's actions. I had a radio with a shortwave band. I put up a makeshift antenna by stringing a wire across the ceiling of my then-girlfriend's second story apartment. I had no idea I would capture a broadcast that turned out to be historically significant.

Two weeks earlier, the regime put Beijing under martial law after large crowds assembled, built a homegrown "Goddess of Democracy" and began quoting Thomas Jefferson instead of Mao Zedong. On the night of June 3 and lasting until dawn June 4, 1989, armed troops rolled into Tiananmen Square, tore down the Goddess of Democracy and shot, wounded and killed those who resisted or got in their way.

Try to imagine what must have gone through the Radio Beijing broadcaster's mind as he sat down behind a microphone in a building likely surrounded by armed troops and delivered the unflinching words you'll see and hear below.

The audio includes phase distortion and signal drops because shortwave signals bounce off the ionosphere and are refracted back to Earth on irregular paths. What you'll hear is what we heard on June 3, 1989 (9 p.m. PDT, June 4 noon Beijing time] in the 25 meter shortwave band in a southern suburb near Los Angeles.

[Scroll down for further.]

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.

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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.

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Thirty two years later, we believe journalists and radio hosts worldwide should devote attention to what this man did. They should press to learn his name [reports differ], find out what happened to him [reports also differ] and if he is alive arrange a telephone call with him so we can speak with him, verify his voice identity and credit him for his principled action.

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