At the end of my assignment to the U.S. Embassy in Uruguay, 1988, I feared being pulled back to Washington, so I volunteered for a "Hard-to-fill" assignment to Shanghai. Janie agreed because she also was not amicable for a Washington Assignment. We arrived in late November 1988. State Department foreign service assignments are customarily done just prior to Christmas to permit the incumbent, who has been abroad for a number of years, to return in time for Christmas.
We were met at the airport by an Embassy Chauffeur, and transported to our assigned quarters. It was Friday evening and a sponsor (American) met us and asked if we would like to meet the ex-pat community (anyone but Chinese) because on Friday's, ex-pats have a party where foreign diplomats, Russians and all, get together for drinks. Although we had flown directly from London, long flight, we agreed and were taken to the Australian Consulate where the party was already in progress. We met lots of people from various countries including East Germany which was then in the process of becoming "One Germany". We struck up a friendship which would last for some time with the Consul General of East Germany who would soon be losing his job due to the re-unification of Germany.
The next morning, we were taken to the American Consulate. It is located in a very old mansion which had at one time been used as a school of some sort. My offices were on the second floor behind a vault door giving me sole access to about half of the top floor, including sole access to the attic and roof. The interesting thing about this is that while the building had been refurbished as a U.S. Consulate, the attic had been completely ignored and it still held hundreds of items from the era when it was a school..the items suggested that it was an elementary school.
The area of our Consulate was host to most foreign Consulates..except the Russians who were on the canal..miles away. In our area we especially were close to the French and Australian diplomats. The Chinese were also close by, but kept pretty much to themselves except when there was a diplomatic function..party...ball etc!
Tienanmen Square , Yes we were there in 1989 when the massacre occurred.
People often ask me how the Chinese people felt toward Americans at the time the massacre occurred. That same evening, we had been invited by the president of Northwest Airlines to a party at the Hyatt Hotel Ballroom to celebrate Northwest's 50th Anniversary. They had flown in foods from all over the world and had a String Orchestra, gave each guest a wristwatch as we checked in. They had prepared for 300 guests and only 30 of us made it because bus's were overturned and burning in the streets. The Hyatt was only 3 blocks from our quarters so we were able to make it. The president (Northwest) stood up and said that Northwest would not leave China..They closed down the next day!
One incident: A troop train carrying military personnel and equipment came through Shanghai. Some activists decided to stop the train by laying on the tracks. THE TRAIN DIDN'T STOP! They pulled the engineer off the train and beat him to death right there beside the tracks.
President Bush I, ordered all Americans out of China. Janey spent the next week working 15-hour days at the consulate, helping evacuate Americans. All non-essential personnel at the consulate packed and left. After a week, President Bush ordered Janey and the CG's (Consul General's) wife (The only two non-essential personnel who had remained, to also leave the country. I stayed.
Janey arrived in Chicago the next day, and was waiting at the elevator to board a flight to Cincinnati, and was joined by some man in uniform. She remarked, "I hope the flight will be on tired". He responded, "I'm the pilot..it will be on time"! Upon learning that Janey had just departed China, he remarked that his daughter was in China and that he was worried because they had heard nothing from her. Janey asked her name and when he told her, she replied. "I SAW YOUR DAUGHTER YESTERDAY, AND PUT HER ON A FLIGHT TO HONG KONG WITH TWO OTHER GIRLS..and I told her to be sure to call her father when she arrived there!
My personal opinion (Not the official view), is that the evacuation of all Americans was a political move only..Americans were in no danger because the people in the street wanted freedom, wanted Democracy. They had constructed a replica of our statue of liberty which they were carrying when the massacre occurred. I think our government evacuated all americans as a gesture to show our displeasure for the massacre.
It would be 90 days before Janey was permitted to rejoin me.
