Houston, United States, February 2, 1979.
Known as the "Space City", the city welcomed a special guest today. From the moment this guest stepped on American soil, a fierce "Whirlwind of Dunn's" blew in this "superpower".
Almost every American remembers his name: Deng Xiaoping!
According to the scheduled itinerary, Deng Xiaoping will arrive this evening in a small town called Simonton, 40 miles away from Houston, to watch an equestrian show.
At about six o'clock in the afternoon, The elderly Deng Xiaoping appeared in the vestibule of the Heyat Hotel, where he was staying, with a healthy pace. I saw Deng Xiaoping look relaxed and smiling, while the Chinese security guards guarding him in front of and on both sides were highly tense.
They shouldered an important mission and must protect Deng Xiaoping's safety during this "dangerous" visit to the United States, and they could not afford to slacken off in the slightest.
Behind Deng Xiaoping, there was also a person with a focused look. His name is Kelly, and he is a security guard arranged by the United States.
Before Deng Xiaoping's visit to the United States, the Chinese side had agreed with the United States that the security responsibility for the visit must be borne by the United States.
Therefore, Kelly did not dare not go all out. However, everything is always afraid of what comes. Suddenly, an unknown stranger rushes between Kelly and Deng Xiaoping...
In the face of a sudden accident, how will the guards around Deng Xiaoping respond? What kind of dangers are hidden behind a visit trip of great significance in the history of Sino-US relations?
(Deng Xiaoping)
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="8" >, "The enemy situation is serious, and it must not be taken lightly."</h1>
In the early 1970s, with the successive visits of Kissinger and Nixon to China, Sino-US relations gradually changed the hostile and frozen state after the founding of New China and began to return to normal.
However, in the following years, due to various reasons such as the outbreak of Nixon's "Watergate Incident", the pace of normalization of Sino-US relations tended to be slow.
At the end of the 1970s, under the personal presidency of Deng Xiaoping, China-US relations made great progress: the two countries were about to establish diplomatic relations!
At that time, the national president of the United States was Jimmy Carter. Carter had ties to China and Deng Xiaoping. Carter's uncle was a missionary, and from him, the young Carter learned a lot about China.
(Carter)
Out of curiosity about exoticism, Carter has wanted to see China since he was a child. That wish finally became a reality at the age of 25: Carter arrived at a naval base in Qingdao with a U.S. submarine.
It was April and May of 1949, and Deng Xiaoping was leading an army to surround Qingdao and fight the enemy's final battle for the liberation of the people of Qingdao.
Carter at the time could never have imagined that thirty years later, he would be a witness to Sino-AMERICAN friendship with Deng Xiaoping.
Before the formal establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the United States, Carter invited Deng Xiaoping to visit the United States. On January 1, 1979, Deng Xiaoping sent a telegram to Carter congratulating China and the United States on the formal establishment of diplomatic relations, and responded to Carter's previous invitation: "I look forward to meeting with Your Excellency during my visit to the United States at the end of this month and bringing the friendship between the Chinese people to the American people." ”
(On January 2, 1979, the Chinese Liaison Office in the United States held a reception to celebrate the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the United States.)
Deng Xiaoping's visit to the United States was thus determined. For both the United States and China, this will be "one of the most historic events in history."
However, the Chinese government at that time still had a very worrying matter that needed to be taken seriously. That is: Deng Xiaoping's security issues during his visit to the United States.
The Chinese government's concerns come from two sources. The first aspect is the Kuomintang authorities in Taiwan.
As everyone knows, since Chiang Kai-shek's defeat in Taiwan, he has tried to rely on the support of the United States to carry out the so-called "counter-offensive to the mainland" plan.
Today, China and the United States have established diplomatic relations, which is naturally something that the Kuomintang reactionaries do not want to see. As soon as the news of Deng Xiaoping's visit to the United States was released, a senior agent in Taiwan unabashedly threatened to "give Deng Xiaoping a little color" during his visit to the United States.
Not only that, according to the information received by the relevant Chinese departments, the "Chiang Side personnel" who are active in the United States have bought off hooligans and thugs on a large scale, and have also coerced some Taiwan students to prepare to organize "demonstrations" during Deng Xiaoping's visit to the United States.
They even plotted to bribe "Italian gunmen" to assassinate Deng Xiaoping.
After the founding of New China, we can say that we have learned a serious lesson from the malicious sabotage activities of Taiwan spies.
The well-known 1955 Kashmir Princess plane bombing was a murder plot by Taiwanese agents against Premier Zhou.
Nine years later, Taiwan spies did the same, and when Liu Shaoqi visited Cambodia, they meticulously created an explosion in an attempt to murder Liu Shaoqi and Prince Sihanouk.
Although these conspiracies by the Taiwan side have not succeeded in the end, the lessons learned from the past must not be thought out. After all, Deng Xiaoping's safety could not be tolerated.
(Kashmir Princess plane bombing)
In addition to the reactionary forces in Taiwan, which do not make people feel at ease, the United States is not very reassuring. This is another aspect of China's concerns.
At that time, the security situation in the United States was not particularly good. According to U.S. law, citizens have the freedom to bear guns, which led to 150 million guns in the United States, which was 200 million people at that time.
The large number of guns makes shootings in the United States commonplace. Someone once summed up the social situation in the United States at that time: "Every two minutes a shot will be fired, and every 24 minutes a person will be killed."
What's more, in the history of the United States, there are countless examples of unexpected encounters with important political figures.
All of this cannot but prevent the Chinese side from focusing on Deng Xiaoping's security problems. Under the auspices of several vice premiers of the State Council, responsible persons of relevant departments have held many meetings on this issue, and the unanimous view of all of them is that the enemy situation is serious and must not be taken lightly.
Geng Biao, then vice premier of the State Council, constantly stressed: "Deng Xiaoping's safety is the security of the country... Be sure to be absolutely safe and no accidents can happen."
(Geng Biao)
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="27" > second, layer by layer, "accident" before leaving</h1>
In order to ensure that no accidents occur, proper communication with the United States is necessary.
In fact, on security issues, Deng Xiaoping once instructed that the responsibility for security during the visit must be borne by the United States.
To implement deng xiaoping's instructions, it is all the more necessary to achieve good coordination with the United States in advance.
To this end, the central authorities decided to set up a security group for Xiaoping's visit to the United States. Ling Yun, vice minister of public security and known as the "bodyguard of Zhongnanhai," was in full charge, and before Deng Xiaoping's official visit, several comrades in the security group went to the United States to fight the front station.
On January 12, the security team landed in Washington, D.C. That evening, the security team members did not bother to rest, and immediately held a discussion meeting with the Chinese liaison office in the United States, which received them.
(Lingyun)
From the Liaison Office in the United States, the security team learned about an expected but very difficult situation. In the United States, Taiwan's "Chiang Kai-shek gang" and Taiwan independence forces are ready to hold "demonstrations" in Washington and other cities to which Deng Xiaoping will visit.
More importantly, the relevant departments in the United States have approved their "demonstrations" in accordance with relevant laws.
Although, domestically, the security team has heard about the situation. But when they got to the United States, they felt the urgency of things even more.
Talks with the US side cannot be postponed!
The next day, the two sides held talks at the White House. As for the situation that the security team had previously grasped that the "Jiang Gang members" were going to hold demonstrations, Taylor, the official in charge of the security of state guests in the US Federal Security Agency, gave a positive confirmation.
He explained that this is permitted by U.S. law and that even if they were to march outside the White House, the government could not stop it.
(White House)
Of course, Taylor also understood the Concerns of the Chinese side and said that he would control the demonstrations within a certain range so that they could not reach Deng Xiaoping.
As for the issue of the United States' security responsibility as required by our side, Taylor promised that the United States would be responsible.
He also revealed that under the personal care of President Carter, "the entire security work will be completed under the unified planning and command of the Security Bureau, and the police and intelligence forces will be organized to work together."
After receiving assurances from the United States, the security team breathed a slight sigh of relief in their hearts.
In order to ensure that nothing was lost, in the following days, the security team inspected one by one the places that Deng Xiaoping would arrive during his visit, and determined a specific plan with the US side on the spot on the relevant protocol and safety details.
After doing all these things, the security team's "wayfinding" trip this time can be regarded as a complete merit.
After the security team returned to Beijing, there were less than ten days left before Deng Xiaoping's scheduled date for visiting the United States. However, in just a few days, a very bad news came from the United States.
In Washington, anti-China forces provoked a serious provocation. The glass of the Chinese liaison office in the United States was smashed, and even the national emblem on the lintel was snapped down by the group of deranged people.
Although the US police arrested the provocateurs in a very short period of time. However, the occurrence of this incident added another pressure to the personnel responsible for Deng Xiaoping's security work.
Earlier, Taylor had asked the Chinese delegation how many security personnel there were, and the answer was 8, including a guard from Vice Premier Fang Yi who came with him.
The few security forces and the dangerous visit environment have forced every "Zhongnanhai bodyguard" to stay tuned for the upcoming visit.
January 28, the first day of the Chinese Lunar New Year. Deng Xiaoping's visit was chosen on this day.
(Spring Festival)
The choice of this date as the day of the visit is also Deng Xiaoping's deliberate announcement to the world: "A common era in the history of Sino-US relations has begun."
At eight o'clock in the morning, Deng Xiaoping, together with a delegation of more than 20 people, including his wife Zhuo Lin and Vice Premier Fang Yi, boarded Boeing 707-2406 special plane and went to the United States.
What everyone did not expect was that just as the plane was preparing to take off, another episode occurred. At that time, there was no direct route between Beijing and Washington.
So Mr. Deng's plane had to fly to Shanghai's Hongqiao airport, where it would refuel and have the American navigator get into the plane and lead the plane into the U.S.
However, just as the special plane was taxiing at the Beijing airport and preparing to take off, it suddenly received a forecast that Shanghai was about to usher in heavy winds and rain. At that time, the visibility of Hongqiao Airport will be less than 1 kilometer, and the aircraft will not be able to land at all.
(Shanghai Hongqiao Airport)
In the face of such bad weather, the crew did not dare to take off hastily, and could only return to the tarmac to wait. Then, the relevant person in charge gave two sets of plans to ask Deng Xiaoping.
The first option is to avoid bad weather and fly another day; the other is to take off immediately while the weather is still ok.
The schedule for visiting the United States was meticulously arranged, and Deng Xiaoping was unwilling to change it at will. Therefore, after hearing the instructions, he immediately said categorically: "Take off, go now!" ”
All the people tried to persuade them to no avail, and they could only carry out Deng Xiaoping's orders. Fortunately, when we arrived at Hongqiao Airport, the plane landed safely without any danger.
This little episode seems to indicate that the trip to the United States will not be smooth. How difficult the road ahead is, and there are still many sufferings waiting for the resolute and fearless old man to overcome...
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="37" >3. Washington 'Adventures': An undercurrent of grand welcome</h1>
At 3:30 p.m. local time on the 28th, Deng Xiaoping's special plane finally arrived at Andrews Air Force Base near Washington.
(Andrews Air Force Base)
As soon as he got off the plane, Deng Xiaoping saw the US Vice President Mundell and his wife who had come to greet him, and Secretary of State Vance and his wife also came to the scene.
In addition to many political dignitaries, the scene was crowded with reporters from major media. Seeing such a grand situation, even the well-informed American reporters could not help but sigh: "This is out of line" and "it is the first level of treatment of the supranational!" ”
The reason why American journalists have such feelings is because, according to the washington practice, a foreign head of state who makes an official visit to the United States usually only sends a senior protocol officer to the airport to greet him.
The secretary of state, on the other hand, simply waited near a monument in downtown Washington.
Deng Xiaoping's visit to the United States was in the name of vice premier of the Chinese Government, and such a reception specification can indeed show that the US side attaches great importance to this diplomatic activity.
However, under this grand welcome scene, what surged was the conspiracy and trickery of all kinds of cattle, ghosts, and snake gods!
On the 29th, Carter held a grand welcome ceremony for Deng Xiaoping on the South Lawn of the White House with full etiquette to welcome foreign heads of government.
(Deng Xiaoping and Carter)
However, when the Chinese and American personnel rushed to the scene of the ceremony, they saw at a glance that all kinds of flags and slogans had been played in Lafayette National Park directly in front of the South Lawn.
Although it is true that the situation is as Taylor had promised before, the crowd of "demonstrators" is a certain distance away from Deng Xiaoping.
However, because they are not very far apart, you can hear the howling from the opposite side from time to time, which really adds a little unpleasantness to the welcome ceremony.
However, as a good politician, Deng Xiaoping did not pay attention to this disharmony, but stood side by side with Carter on the podium with a gentle face, listening to Carter's welcome speech.
However, just as Carter's welcome speech was about to come to an end, another accident occurred!
I saw that in the group of reporters below, a woman wearing a red beret suddenly stood up, shouting loudly, trying to attract all the attraction to herself.
(Deng Xiaoping's visit to the United States)
Sure enough, the eyes of almost everyone present were drawn away by the woman. Just then, a man in a black leather coat popped out of the pressgroup, crossed the cordon at a very fast speed, and rushed toward Deng Xiaoping on the podium.
If you look closely, you can still see this man who moves quickly, and skillfully pulls out a short knife from his arms as he walks!
It was too late, it was too soon, and just when this dangerous man was about to approach Deng Xiaoping, the leader of the special agent in charge of security on the US side rushed forward with a slash and knocked the man with the knife to the ground.
Just then, three other agents rushed up, and together they uniformed the man and led him away from the welcoming ceremony. A "sudden" crisis can be regarded as a smooth resolution.
(Smiling Deng Xiaoping)
Such a major accident occurred at the scene, and several Chinese security personnel instantly became more nervous.
However, Deng Xiaoping, as the central figure, always had a smile on his face and maintained the demeanor of a brilliant leader, as if the dangers had nothing to do with him.
After the accident of the day was successfully handled, Carter held a welcome state banquet for Deng Xiaoping at seven o'clock that night. At the time, it was said that the banquet was "the feast that most people in the world are watching tonight."
But while everyone's eyes are on this fragrant banquet, they don't know that something else has been planned outside the door of the state banquet.
At that time, there were a lot of troublemakers gathered outside the White House. They were emotionally outraged, dangerously moving, and even clashed with the police, who were injured by more than a dozen policemen.
Fortunately, in the end, the people with ulterior motives were subdued, and did not have a greater impact on the banquet.
This was the day after Deng Xiaoping arrived in the United States, and there were two accidents in succession, and the Chinese security personnel could not help but pay special attention to this.
Early the next morning, Ling Yun, who accompanied him on an official visit as a special assistant in charge of security, met Taylor again.
Taylor gave a number of explanations for the two contingencies and informed them of their handling.
Ling Yun still has lingering feelings about yesterday's events, and he has repeatedly reminded the US side to pay attention to preventing similar emergencies in the next visit itinerary.
Taylor promised to absolutely ensure the safety of Vice Premier Deng. However, in the next trip, Deng Xiaoping will experience far more dangers than that.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="44" >, the danger is constant, and visiting places in the United States is thrilling</h1>
After a few days of visits to Washington, Deng Xiaoping was scheduled to leave Washington on February 1 for several important cities in the United States.
At nine o'clock in the morning, Deng Xiaoping took off from Andrews Base on the US President's "Air Force One" and arrived at Dobbins Air Force Base in Georgia an hour and a half later.
(Air Force One)
Deng Xiaoping's trip will focus on a visit to Carter's hometown, Atlanta. In addition to Carter's hometown, Atlanta is also famous for its black movement leader Martin Luther King Jr.
On the way from the air base to the hotel, Jackson, the mayor of Atlanta, who came to greet Deng Xiaoping, solemnly invited Deng Xiaoping to visit the mausoleum of Martin Luther King Jr.
Jackson's invitation came unexpectedly, because there was no such item on the previously determined visit schedule. Despite this, Deng Xiaoping accepted Jackson's proposal very cheerfully.
Deng Xiaoping's visits to Washington were frequently unexpected, and when they arrived at the "field," the Chinese security personnel did not dare to slacken off in the slightest. For this sudden increase in travel, the security personnel are very worried.
The United States is not very confident in the safety of this trip. At noon, Taylor found Ling Yun and told him: "We think there is a problem with the safety of going there, and now the time is very tight, I hope you can help cancel this event." ”
(Martin Luther King, Jr.)
However, this activity was personally invited by the US mayor and personally agreed to by Vice Premier Deng.
Therefore, Ling Yun rejected Taylor's request, and then told him: "Whether to go or not to go should be decided by you, and if you go, you must guarantee the safety of Vice Premier Deng."
In addition, Ling Yun also asked Taylor to communicate and negotiate a decision as soon as possible, and then inform himself.
An hour later, Taylor was back in Lingyun's room.
Unlike before, Taylor, who came in this time, had a happy smile on his face and excitedly said in his mouth: "Kim's cemetery can go, and there is no problem with safety!" ”
This made Ling Yun wonder, just an hour, where did Taylor come from with confidence and be able to fully guarantee safety?
It turned out that the Atlanta municipal council had just made a decision: residents in the area where The Golden Priest Cemetery is located will not be allowed to go out on the street from now on!
Drawing salaries from the bottom of the barrel is a solution. However, just in case, Ling Yun decided to visit the cemetery himself.
(Martin Luther King Jr. Monument)
After arriving at the cemetery, Ling Yun found that there was no one in the nearby neighborhood. Above some high-rise buildings, helicopters are still parked in a tight position.
Seeing this situation with his own eyes, the worries in his heart finally gradually dissipated a little, and Deng Xiaoping's trip to the Golden Tomb was finally determined.
At three o'clock in the afternoon, Deng Xiaoping, accompanied by Martin Luther King Jr.'s father and wife, came to Martin Luther King Jr.'s mausoleum. Thanks to the efforts of the security personnel in advance, the trip went very smoothly.
Moreover, because of Deng Xiaoping's behavior, it was enthusiastically supported by the vast number of black Americans.
The next day, Mr. Deng left Atlanta for a visit to Houston. Before coming, the intention of many anti-China forces to hold large-scale "demonstrations" here had been grasped by Chinese and American security personnel.
in Houston
When they arrived near the Heyat Hotel, Ling Yun and other Chinese security personnel did see hundreds of people gathered across the road.
Seeing this situation, Ling Yun and others quickly raised their vigilance and escorted Deng Xiaoping to the hotel safely.
Despite the high alertness, there were still accidents on the day.
When Deng Xiaoping came out of the elevator, the extremist immediately took a bag of unknown objects from his arms and threw it at Deng.
Deng Xiaoping spent half his life and did not look at this "little trick" of the extremists, but was always calm and self-assured.
But they frightened the security personnel next to them, because they did not see what the extremists threw out, they thought it was a bomb, and they quickly opened the frame and protected Deng Xiaoping.
Fortunately, the security personnel guessed that the situation did not happen, and the extremist threw out a packet of anti-China leaflets.
(Deng Xiaoping in Houston)
Once again, the accident was a thrilling one. However, in the afternoon, still at the Heyat Hotel, Deng Xiaoping encountered another dangerous situation, and this accident can be called the most thrilling of his nine days of visiting the United States, that is, the story mentioned at the beginning of this article.
When the unknown stranger rushed between Deng Xiaoping and Kelly, an American security officer, Kelly reacted quickly, immediately stepped forward, and knocked the man down with his arm.
The guards in the vicinity rushed up at this time and took the people away.
The Chinese entourage, on the other hand, remained closely guarded by Mr. Deng's side and safely delivered him to the car.
According to the U.S. briefing afterwards, the man who suddenly rushed behind Deng Xiaoping that day was a member of the Ku Klux Klan, the oldest terrorist organization in the United States!
Such a dangerous figure appeared behind Deng Xiaoping so brightly. Every time Ling Yun thought about this, he was extremely nervous.
(Ku Klux Klan)
That night, Ling Yun asked Taylor to drink coffee. In the course of the conversation, LingYun once again stressed the importance of safety to Taylor: "Our requirement is to have 100% assurance."
However, Taylor tweeted, "How can everything be 100%?" ”
In the face of Taylor's remarks, Ling Yun told the other party in a more serious manner: "There is no need to be in case for the safety of Vice Premier Deng, we must be 100% safe, if we find unsafe problems, I hope to tell me in time, it is really unsafe, and some places can consider not going."
At Ling Yun's strong request, the next day the United States did upgrade the deployment of guards, and also used a riot squad, three steps and one post, seven steps and one sentry.
Thanks to the dedication and perseverance of our guards, Deng Xiaoping finally ended his nine-day visit to the United States safely and smoothly.
epilogue:
"The general trend of the world cannot be moved by human beings.", is the general policy policy decided by the Chinese government something that a few young people can destroy? How could Deng Xiaoping, who had been in the battlefield for a long time, be easily harmed by the anti-China elements in the Third and Fifth Dynasties?
During Deng Xiaoping's visit to the United States, although there were only eight security personnel accompanying our side, they worked hard and night throughout the whole process, were loyal to their duties, and successfully completed their escort tasks.
When Deng Xiaoping met with House Majority Leader Wright in the United States, Wright once said to Deng Xiaoping: "Now is a historic moment, we are ending our isolation from each other, and our children and grandchildren will talk about your visit."
At the end of Deng Xiaoping's visit, reporters from Xinhua News Agency and People's Daily also commented: "The tremendous impact of this visit on China and the United States, and even on the whole world, will certainly be further revealed in the years to come."
Later historical facts proved that the theories of China and the United States at that time were in line with the general trend of development.
Everyone should not forget that a few decades ago, the old man who was already old and rare went to the ocean and opened a new page in China's diplomatic history under the heavy crisis...
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