Author: Hu Zhongle Graduate degree, military career of 23 years (including 11 years in the 38th Army, 12 years in the General Logistics Department); more than 20 years of diplomatic work, successively worked in the Party Committee of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Embassy in Thailand, the Office of the Commissioner in Hong Kong, the Embassy in Indonesia; and is currently a director of the Diplomatic PEN.
In November 2014, during a meeting of the Diplomatic PEN Conference, I met Counselor Guo Tianlu, a former messenger team of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Because we all have the experience of military careers and have a straightforward personality, we have nothing to talk about.
I said, "Old Guo, when I was in the army before, I was attending a funeral in Babaoshan, and I accidentally saw a tombstone with the name of the diplomatic messenger. But the details are not very clear, I heard that you have worked in the Messenger Corps for 13 years..."
"Alas!" Guo Tianlu patted his thigh, obviously excited, and his eyes flashed with tears. "In 3 aircraft crashes, the messenger killed 6 people. Miserable! How many more times there have been dangerous situations. In the past, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was very low-key and reluctant to publicize it. But with the opening up of the motherland, many little-known heroic deeds have also been made public. ”
Six diplomatic couriers were killed in an air crash
China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has a group of full-time diplomatic couriers, whose duty is to personally send confidential documents and materials of the Cpc Central Committee and various ministries and commissions of the State Council to more than two hundred chinese embassies and consulates stationed abroad in the form of diplomatic mail.
The messenger holds a diplomatic passport and carries a diplomatic pouch enjoys diplomatic immunity and is not subject to inspection. A good educational background and rich work experience are indispensable conditions for the selection of diplomatic couriers, and the mastery of at least one common foreign language is the basic requirement.
◎ Group photo of some members of the early messenger team
At the beginning of the birth of New China, the first couriers of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs all came from the heroic field army system, they were born into death, experienced war, strong and strong, and did not exceed 30 years old. Strict political censorship has eliminated a large number of candidates who are "historically unclear." The rest were sent to local academies for training in foreign languages ranging from three months to a year, and after examination, they took up the post of diplomatic courier.
Since 1960, China has gradually begun to educate diplomats. For example, the famous photographer Guan Zongshan was recommended by the Shandong Provincial Film Studio to take the English test of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that year. Subsequently, he entered the Diplomatic Academy for three years of language training. In 1963, he began a 17-year diplomatic courier service, working until he was a vice captain.
It seems that diplomatic couriers can travel the world and be very happy. Non also! In fact, they have paid hardships and hardships that ordinary people can hardly imagine. In the 1950s and 1960s, 6 Chinese couriers died in the air crash of a civilian aircraft!
First air crash. On October 17, 1958, Chinese couriers Xiao Wu and Ning Kaiyi died on their way from Beijing to Moscow. At that time, the plane suddenly encountered atmospheric vortexes over the city of Kazan, east of Moscow, and the plane crashed. Two diplomats from our embassy in the Soviet Union hurried to the scene of the plane crash according to domestic instructions: a shocking scene suddenly came into view! After seeing my messengers die, the tragedy is unbearable, but their hands are still tightly clutching the diplomatic pouch. My two diplomats in the Soviet Union were touched by this and were not eager to die.
Second air crash. On December 13, 1959, on the way from Kabul, Afghanistan, to Tashkent, the capital of the Uzbek Republic of the Soviet Union, on the way from Kabul, Afghanistan, to Tashkent, the capital of the Uzbek Republic of the Soviet Union, in the high mountainous area near Termez on the Border between Ukraine and Afghanistan, the plane lost contact with ground navigation and crashed into the mountain. Due to the cold winter moon and heavy snow on the mountain, the search and rescue work was extremely difficult, and the remains of the victims and my messenger were found and buried when the snow melted in the spring of the following year.
Third air crash. On July 13, 1963, my couriers Comrades Zhou Jingchen and Sui Yushan died on the way from Beijing to Moscow. When the plane landed at Irkutsk Airport, it touched the ground 2600 meters from the top of the runway, and the revolver of the landing gear hit the grass and then bounced up, rushing to the side of the wheat field and exploding and catching fire, killing all 29 people, including my two couriers. When the leader of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs went to Sui Yushan's home to comfort and inform him of the nightmare, he saw that his wife was holding her stomach, and she was already pregnant, tragically leaving her widow, and after the birth of the child, she could not see her biological father...
To this end, Premier Zhou Enlai repeatedly gave instructions on the aftermath of the martyrs of the diplomatic couriers. Marshal Chen Yi and his wife Zhang Qian also personally went to the Babaoshan Heroic Martyrs' Hall to mourn the sacrificial messengers and comfort their families.
Chew on top-secret documents
Zhou Zhongdi devoted his best years to China's diplomatic cause. In the 1960s, he worked as a diplomatic courier for seven years.
On the evening of August 1, 1964, Zhou Zhongshi and his companion Li Shibin returned from West Africa via Cairo. They carried a large number of letters, carrying 3 post bags and 1 leather bag full of documents, and each carrying an air bag stuffed with daily necessities on his shoulder.
As the plane glided and accelerated on the runway, there was a sudden violent crashing sound from the lower part of the fuselage, and the plane took off after a violent shaking. Looking at the calm and self-assured stewardess, the frightened passengers were also relieved, some began to read books and newspapers, some closed their eyes and recuperated, and in a few hours they would be able to fly to Karachi.
As a diplomatic courier with heavy responsibilities, Zhou Zhongshi was extremely sensitive to the abnormal crashing sound. He looked out the window and saw mingyue appear in the right window for a moment, and then turn to the left window for a while, suspecting that the plane was hovering overhead. Supposedly, forty or fifty minutes after taking off from Cairo, you can see the tall chimney of the Arabian Peninsula oil refinery, but this time you can't see it at all.
Zhou Zhong concluded that there was a problem with the plane, and in order not to alarm the other passengers, he went to the aft of the cabin and asked the foreman flight attendant: "Why is the plane circling?" What went wrong? The flight attendant hesitated for a moment and calmly replied, "Everything is normal." (It was later learned that the violent shaking during takeoff caused the landing gear to break and the plane had been circling over the Sinai Peninsula.) ）
More than two hours later, the cabin suddenly lit up, and the co-pilot came in to wake up the passengers and announce that the flight had to land at Beirut Airport. In order to prevent accidental injuries during the forced landing, the flight attendants ask passengers to send all hand-held items and hard objects in their pockets to the rear cabin toilet.
When it was Zhou Zhong's turn, he revealed his identity as a messenger, stating that diplomatic pouches must be carried with him, but he was refused. In this way, Ren Wujie repeatedly mobilized, and Zhou Zhong never obeyed his orders.
The plane was about to land, and at the critical juncture, the documents could not be leaked, and Zhou Zhong and his companions immediately disposed of the top-secret film in the purse, but a two-page top-secret original could not get water because the toilet was sealed. What to do?! Time is running out. Zhou Zhong type they immediately decided, quickly put the top secret file into the mouth, what smell, what uncomfortable, completely disregarded, the document mixed with saliva hard to chew, until chewed, chewed...
The first and second forced landings were unsuccessful, the third plane finally stopped, the emergency exit was immediately opened, a choking burnt smell rushed into the cabin, and the flight attendant urged the passengers to leave the plane quickly. Zhou Zhong hurriedly tugged at the pouch under the chair, but it was stuck under the action of the forward thrust. In a hurry, he pulled out two large pouches with all his might, and then landed safely.
Pouches will never fall into american hands
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs does not live in a vacuum, but there are also a very few scum traitors. "Man in the document" is the most basic tenet that diplomatic couriers must uphold.
At 8:00 a.m. on November 25, 1983, Chinese couriers He Cunfeng and Yang Shuichang, each carrying a diplomatic pouch, boarded Pan Am Flight PA72 from San Francisco to New York.
Two hours after the plane took off, He Cunfeng came out of the bathroom, but found that Yang Shuichang was missing, two diplomatic pouches were missing, and only one of He Cunfeng's aviation bags was left on the seat.
He Cunfeng immediately became nervous, he quickly searched through the 3 cabins, 257 seats still did not have yang Shuichang's shadow, and there was no diplomatic pouch.
Anticipating that something must have gone wrong, he headed for the cab, only to be stopped by two uniformed security guards. He Cunfeng revealed his identity, but the security personnel still refused to give in. Finally, one of them said: "Mr. Yang asked for political asylum, took the documents, and he said he did not want to see you again." ”
Subsequently, a flight attendant handed He Cunfeng a bag of things, which contained his passport, air ticket and $200 pocket money for He and Yang on a business trip, and a note. The note was Yang Shuichang's handwriting, and He Cunfeng was convinced. At the same time, he also realized that he would face a difficult mediation and harsh test.
"Never be a traitor! Protect confidential documents with your life! Be loyal to the motherland at all times! "He Cunfeng has a firm belief, does not give in, and resolutely negotiates according to international conventions, and must take away the parcel.
The plane landed at an airport in Chicago. U.S. immigration officials and FBI officials threatened to induce and took turns to "attack" He Cunfeng without success. Finally, the immigration officer said, "You've won, please go to the hatch to get your parcel back." ”
At that moment, the Chinese messenger He Cunfeng was relieved.
In view of He Cunfeng's loyalty to duty, heroism and resourcefulness in the execution of his tasks, the organization informed him of the commendation, promoted to two levels of salary, and recorded a great contribution.
Flying into the world
The Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations stipulates that diplomatic couriers, as "special diplomats", are responsible for ensuring the confidentiality and security of diplomatic pouches during transmission. The highest personal visit recorded by a Chinese diplomatic courier is 142 countries.
"Public travel" and "state secrets" have always shrouded diplomats in the public eye under the aura of Bond's romantic mystery. But Fred Piper, the former director of the British Ministry of Defence's Information Security Office, said, "However, this cloak of infinite scenery can hardly hide the bloody breath of the struggle for national interests." ”
◎ In 1960, Xie Junzhen traveled to Stockholm on business.
Xie Junzhen, former deputy consul general of the Consulate General in Chicago, who served as a diplomatic courier for 13 years, summed up the work in three words: "hard, tense, and dangerous." "During my time as a courier, I traveled more than 200 days a year, flying around the world day and night, he recalled. ”
Unlike ordinary official business trips, diplomatic couriers, like postmen, deliver and collect confidential information to each Chinese embassy or consulate abroad in the shortest possible time according to the needs of the mission.
Going out once, traveling to dozens of countries, two flights a day, and crossing half the world in two days is common for messengers. Therefore, Chinese diplomatic couriers both hold two passports, which are used interchangeably. At the same time, diplomatic passports held by couriers had more than twice the number of pages of ordinary passports.
◎ Diplomatic courier Liu Zhilin took a photo at the ambassador's residence in Burundi
Liu Zhilin, who has visited 112 countries, once flew from Beijing to Europe, Africa and the Americas, with a maximum outdoor temperature difference of 65 degrees Celsius. The time difference and temperature difference were a great test for the body of the diplomatic courier. "For a business trip, you have to prepare clothes for the four seasons." Liu Zhilin sighed.
There is an unwritten rule in the chinese Foreign Ministry's messenger team: Before the new messenger takes up his post, he must go to the Babaoshan Revolutionary Martyrs Cemetery to pay tribute to his deceased colleagues. Faced with a high-stakes career, a former Russian diplomatic courier said: "From the moment I stepped on the plane with a diplomatic pouch, death walked with me." ”
In a number of reports submitted by the CIA, the National Security Council, and the Joint Chiefs of Staff, it has been pointed out that countries, including the Soviet Union/Russia, britain, France, and China, mainly relied on manual delivery of diplomatic pouches between the 1950s and 1990s to transmit high-value official information between the government and overseas agencies, including government decision-making documents, state documents, regional security situation assessments, regional business intelligence assessments, important person visit schedules, and special mission reports.
-End-
Text | Sohu.com, March 2015
Author | Hu Zhongle
Image | Originated from the web
Edit | Diplomat says something xiao ha