One day in 1967, Guangzhou Baiyunshan International Airport was bustling with people, and Customs Inspector Lin Hua was busy as usual.
Suddenly, an Englishman carrying two rats through the pass caught his eye. When he found the abnormality, he immediately reported the situation.
Soon, the matter was summarized in the Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau, and after listening to the situation report, investigator Zhang Wenqi couldn't help but change his face, realizing that the situation was serious, and he actually directly broke into the office of Yang Qiqing, vice minister of public security, in a hurry!
(Yang Qiqing (third from left))
However, after listening to Zhang Wenqi's report, Yang Qiqing made an unexpected move. After picking up the phone and dialing the general office of the State Council, he said bluntly: "I am Yang Qiqing of the Ministry of Public Security, and I want to report the case to the premier!" ”
After Zhou Enlai received the phone call and listened to the report, he also said categorically: "We must do it to the end." ”
(Zhou Enlai)
So, who is this Englishman carrying two rats? What are these two mice for? Why can an ordinary rat alarm the prime minister of the republic?
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="10" > one or two mice</h1>
After investigation, it was learned that the foreigner carrying the rat was named George Watt, a British chemical expert who worked at the Lanzhou Chemical Company. So why would a British chemist take two rats out of customs?
It turned out that China had just introduced a £20 million chemical equipment through a British company, but the project was slow due to the passive sabotage of most foreign experts.
(Airport)
Among these experts, Watt is one of the few experts who has expressed friendship with China, and he not only gives technical guidance, but also often exposes the violations of other experts, so it is well received by our country. To this end, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs specially approved Watt's wife to visit his relatives in China, and even approved him to go to Hong Kong for leave.
In the face of this situation, when Lin Hua reported the matter to the customs chief, the customs chief scoffed at his suspicions, thinking that he was making a big fuss and was nervous.
He also casually speculated that this British man was just trying to be fresh and fun, and did not care at all, and even said that this was a ridiculous thing to help China get rid of the "four harms".
However, even though the customs director's attitude towards this suspicious incident was so playful, at Lin Hua's insistence, the matter still reached Beijing. When Zhang Wenqi, an investigator at the Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau, heard the news, his face changed in fright.
It turned out that Zhang Wenqi was in charge of the enemy scouting of the foreign trade system in his daily life, and out of professional sensitivity, he realized that this matter was by no means simple. Therefore, Zhang Wenqi immediately notified the customs department to detain the two rats and send them to the Guangzhou Municipal Health and Quarantine Bureau for testing and identification of the source.
(Zhang Wenqi)
But Watt is a foreigner after all, and if the measures taken are not appropriate, it is likely to cause diplomatic disputes.
In order to achieve the purpose of detecting rats without alarming Watt, customs personnel caught two identical rats in the local area and returned the original two rats to Watt "intact" after dropping the bag.
Thankfully, Watt was unaware of this.
Soon, test reports about the two mice Watt was carrying came out. To everyone's surprise, the severity of the incident was far beyond their imagination. Because, the test report showed that the two mice were stained with different degrees of radioactive material. After identification, the data of these radioactive substances are the same as those of the northwest nuclear industry production base in China!
In other words, Watt captured two rats living in the Northwest Atomic Industrial Base and prepared to bring them back to Britain. In this way, the secrets about our nuclear weapons will be revealed!
The sudden change in the nature of the incident made Zhang Wenqi realize that this was a spy case related to the atomic bomb.
Although it has been 3 years since the successful detonation of China's first atomic bomb in 1964, the data related to it are still the top secrets of the state.
(China's first atomic bomb explosion)
After realizing the seriousness of the problem, Zhang Wenqi quickly attacked and wanted to solve the case as quickly as possible and find out the black hand behind the scenes. But in fact, the investigation was much more complicated than he had imagined.
On the one hand, because the director of the Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau at that time was facing censorship, many tasks could not be carried out, and the organs were almost paralyzed. On the other hand, diplomacy is no small matter, and all cases involving foreigners require special caution, and these additional factors make it more difficult to investigate and handle cases.
Just when Zhang Wenqi was helpless, an old comrade in the bureau gave him an idea, asked him to go directly to Vice Minister Yang Qiqing, and instructed Zhang Wenqi to only find him at this time.
(Yang Qiqing and his family)
Zhang Wenqi, who had no other choice, finally accepted this suggestion, and one day in August, he "broke into" Yang Qiqing's office.
After taking a deep breath, he began to explain his intentions to Yang Qiqing. Yang Qiqing listened very seriously and said to him very sincerely: "Can you please elaborate on it?" ”
Hearing Yang Qiqing say this, Zhang Wenqi felt that there was a turnaround at this time. Therefore, not only did he describe the detailed course of the matter, but also explained to Yang Qiqing the countermeasures in detail. At the end, Zhang Wenqi also said excitedly: "I have the evidence, Watt must have a problem, the work has reached this point, but can not be put ah!" ”
Yang Qiqing and he thought of a piece, and said to Zhang Wenqi categorically: "Can't let go, can't let go, let go is a crime!" What can you do? ”
(Old photo of Yang Qiqing Yan'an period - left)
Zhang Wenqi said: "Evidence can be seized through customs, but now there is no one to decide, there is no way." ”
Yang Qiqing asked again: "Customs... Yes, but what if Watt offers to go to Hong Kong? ”
Zhang Wenqi had already thought of countermeasures and said casually: "You can make excuses, he is not quite 'left', is he quite friendly?" Just say that the work needs to be done, let him stay for the time being. ”
Hearing this, Yang Qiqing couldn't help but nod. At the same time, he also gave Zhang Wenqi a trick, not only to drag Watt, but also to give him a chance to "open a net": open up a "green channel" for him, and he will definitely hand over important things to his wife! In this way, you can directly "collect the net" at the airport!
And where would Watt know at this time that it was the two "rats" he thought were inconspicuous that had betrayed him completely!
(Yang Qiqing - first left)
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="18" > two or one phone call</h1>
The hunter has patience in waiting for the prey to be hooked, but the prey can't hold back when he sees the hunter's bait. Watt's wife was finally going back to England.
On September 5, 1967, Mrs. Watt, who had just met watt, leisurely waited for her flight at the airport. When her husband came to say goodbye, she handed over the "biggest harvest" of this trip to China, and she thought that no matter what, the task would be completed. But just as Mrs. Watt was fantasizing that the mission was about to be completed and about to receive the commendation, a car was speeding toward the capital's airport at full speed.
Yes, the person sitting on the car at this time is Zhang Wenqi, but it is a coincidence that at the special moment when Zhang Wenqi urgently needs to rush to the airport, the high-speed car actually burst the tire!
Seeing this situation, Zhang Wenqi was anxious. At this time, the airport staff was also anxiously waiting for his arrival. Although they promised Zhang Wenqi to drag Mrs. Watt as far as possible, if there was no legitimate reason, as soon as the boarding time arrived, they could only release people, so that the plan that Zhang Wenqi and others had planned for a long time would fail!
At this tense moment, Zhang Wenqi saw a young man riding a bicycle past. So I saw him, asked him directly to borrow a car, and then quickly went straight to the airport! And watching him come sweating profusely, the airport staff breathed a big sigh of relief and said busily: "You can come, wait a few minutes, we can't help but be nervous to release people!" ”
After Zhang Wenqi hurriedly thanked him, he began to search for the evidence.
Eventually, he found details of the transmitter, film and China's atomic bomb test mission from Mrs. Watt. After all the evidence has been identified, the truth of the incident gradually surfaced.
It turned out that Watt was nominally an expert in the installation of Vinylon equipment, but in fact his specialty was radiochemistry, and in addition to that, he was also a highly trained spy!
The photos in those evidences are topographic maps of China's nuclear industrial bases, and the negatives have been specially spliced to not only display the confidential information of the atomic bomb, but even the complete combat readiness map of the Lanzhou Military Region!
(Atomic bomb)
Seeing this, Zhang Wenqi's scalp was tingling, and if all these things flowed out, the consequences would be really unimaginable.
As for the two rats, the main reason why Watt took them away was to test the test data of the radiation from China's northwest atomic bomb base through the dust on their bodies, and then deduce the development of China's atomic energy industry!
After learning of these circumstances, Zhang Wenqi immediately reported to Yang Qiqing. Yang Qiqing had just learned about the situation, and he was already deeply aware of the seriousness of the problem, so he directly dialed the telephone of the General Office of the State Council and said directly:
"I am Yang Qiqing of the Ministry of Public Security, and I want to report the case to the premier!"
After a while, a familiar voice came from the telephone handset:
"I am Zhou Enlai."
(Yang Qiqing and Zhou Enlai)
It was really Premier Zhou! Zhang Wenqi couldn't help but hold his breath, very excited in his heart, and pressed his hands on the arm of the sofa to listen to Yang Qiqing briefly report the situation to Zhou Enlai. Until the phone hung up, Zhang Wenqi could not slow down.
After the report to the premier, Yang Qiqing patted Zhang Wenqi's shoulder and said, "Xiao Zhang, did you hear me?" The premier said that this case has a lot to do, and we must carry it through to the end and cooperate with the diplomatic struggle and the foreign trade struggle. ”
Zhang Wenqi finally returned to his senses and said excitedly, "I hear, I hear!" ”
However, as the case was further investigated, new situations emerged.
A foreign expert was caught on the spot while collecting radio telemetry frequencies for nuclear warheads at a scientific research unit in Lanzhou. Afterwards, a mysterious long-distance call reached Watt. In the face of the other party's questioning, Watt, who did not know that his phone had long been monitored, quickly blurted out:
"It's not him, it's Xu Linde!"
Zhang Wenqi is keenly aware that The Xu Linde mentioned by Watt should be an important breakthrough in solving the case.
(Xu Linde)
Subsequently, in order to thoroughly understand the ins and outs of the case, Zhang Wenqi disguised himself as a technical expert and followed the inspection team of the China Import and Export Corporation to the Lanzhou chemical base.
At that time, the Lanzhou chemical base imported advanced chemical equipment from a British company, but after the contract was signed, the company did not deliver the equipment on time, and the so-called "experts" sent to China seemed to know nothing about their business.
In the face of such an expert group, Zhang Wenqi deeply felt that there must be something strange in it. When Zhang Wenqi was even more surprised, Xu Linde was the leader of this expert group.
In order to find out Xu Linde's true identity, Yang Qiqing secretly arranged a symposium to identify whether Xu Linde was a spy posing as a technician.
Soon after the symposium began, Xu Linde revealed his horse's feet. As the leader of the expert group, he will only follow the script when faced with questions from his peers. This move was looked at by Zhang Wenqi, and he already had a plan in mind. So, taking advantage of the rest time, he took the initiative to pour a glass of water for Xu Linde, so as to talk with him.
Zhang Wenqi pretended to mention casually: "Mr. Xu was born in the United States, right?" ”
As soon as this remark came out, Xu Linde was very surprised, he stared at the black-eyed and yellow-skinned Chinese and asked, "How do you know that I am an American?" ”
Zhang Wenqi smiled and said, "I listen to your speech as if it were an American accent." In order to further close the distance with the other party, he also added: "I was also born in the United States." ”
Seeing that the person across from him also claimed to have been born in the United States, Xu Linde laughed and said happily: "OK, then we are friends!" ”
Therefore, since then, Xu Linde has gradually lowered his guard against Zhang Wenqi. The attentive Zhang Wenqi found that Xu Linde liked to walk around alone and secretly take photos of the forbidden area.
All of this increased Zhang Wenqi's suspicions about Xu Linde, and it was not until the "mailing" incident that Zhang Wenqi determined Xu Linde's identity.
In November of that year, the Xinqiao Hotel in Beijing received a package from Watt from Lanzhou, and the package was immediately intercepted by the police.
Finally, when I took it apart, it was all foreign food cans. However, just when everyone was confused by the second monk, the careful case-handling personnel found that there was a word on the inside of the canned food trademark, and after careful identification, they found that it read:
"Mr. George, what your lady brought out has been seized, and you have failed. Please write a letter of complaint to the International Court of Justice against the Chinese government, try to send it out and then commit suicide in order to create international public opinion. ”
And the sender of the package is Xu Delin!
Zhang Wenqi, who got the news, immediately realized that Xu Delin was afraid that he was going to escape. So I immediately reported to the foreign affairs department of Lanzhou.
At about 10 p.m. on the same day, Xu Linde, who wanted to escape, was arrested at the airport.
After Xu Linde saw that it was actually Zhang Wenqi who led the team, he was very shocked, and the first sentence he said was: "I didn't expect it!" ”
Sure enough, the staff found a lot of important information after searching Xu Linde's bag.
Looking at these documents with no punctuation, no branches, no segments, and all arranged in English capital letters, Zhang Wenqi recognized at a glance that this was the usual way american agents wrote intelligence!
In addition to this, the staff also found carefully preserved dust specimens and microfilm, which were much needed intelligence and materials from the CIA!
Looking at the scene of people stealing and getting it, Zhang Wenqi was overjoyed, but before he could think about how to deal with this batch of spies, even bigger trouble appeared!
(CIA logo)
On December 12, Yang Qiqing was arrested.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="27" > Third, Zhou Enlai's decision</h1>
As an important leader in this case, Yang Qiqing originally played an important role in uploading and dispatching. However, due to the fact that Yang Qiqing was deeply involved in the whirlpool of struggle and was suspended from all work, Zhang Wenqi faced the embarrassing situation of no one to report and no one to guide.
But the stakes are high, and there must be a solution. Thinking about it, Zhang Wenqi decided to go to Li Qiang, minister of foreign trade, and ask him to tell Premier Zhou about the progress of the case.
On this day, Zhang Wenqi pushed open the door of Li Qiang's office with a nervous mood, but what he did not expect was that Li Qiang actually recognized him.
Before he could speak, Li Qiang said bluntly: "Don't report it, tell you that this case was approved by Premier Zhou." The company's personnel in China left the country within a time limit, immediately abrogated the contract signed by the British company with the Chinese technology import company, and demanded that they compensate for economic losses. ”
Zhang Wenqi was a little anxious when he heard this, and said busily: "Minister Li, what I want to report is the espionage activities of these foreigners. ”
Therefore, he reported in detail to Li Qiang on the review of these spies.
After listening to the report, Li Qiang realized the seriousness of the matter and was a little confused for a while. It should be known that both Watt and Xu Linde enjoy diplomatic immunity, and if they are not handled properly, they will inevitably lead to international disputes. The current situation has exceeded its own handling authority, and it must be reported to the central government! So, after a little thought, Li Qiang dialed the phone of the General Office of the State Council.
"Please take over the Prime Minister's office."
After the phone was connected, Li Qiang said two words briefly, and then handed the phone directly to Zhang Wenqi, "You tell the premier directly!" ”
Zhang Wenqi did not expect that he would have the opportunity to report directly to the premier, he answered the phone in a daze, and before he could speak, he heard the familiar voice: "I am Zhou Enlai." ”
"Premier, I am a scout from the Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau..." Zhang Wenqi was extremely nervous, repeating his identity several times, afraid of saying the wrong thing. But in spite of this, Zhou Enlai did not have the slightest impatience, but instead laughed lightly and reassured him: "Don't be nervous, you talk about specifics." Upon hearing this, Zhang Wenqi immediately raised his spirits and said the beginning and end of the case from beginning to end.
Zhou Enlai listened patiently, and when he finished speaking, he said firmly: "You have worked hard, you must carry the case to the end, cooperate with the struggle on the diplomatic front and the foreign trade front, and wish you greater victories." ”
Hearing such encouragement, Zhang Wenqi became bold, he said: "The handling opinions of the case have been sent up, please approve it quickly." ”
Zhou Enlai thought about it and consulted with Zhang Wenqi: "Please give me a little time to think about the problem, okay?" ”
Zhang Wenqi said yes in a loud voice, and the stone in his heart finally landed. He was sure that with Premier Zhou's instructions, the case would definitely come to light, and these foreign spies would certainly be punished as they deserved!
Sure enough, soon after, Zhou Enlai's relevant approval of the case passed to Zhang Wenqi.
"Beijing Public Security Bureau: I agree with Comrade Zhang Wenqi's opinion on the handling of the international espionage case."
Finally, in the People's Daily in 1968, the international espionage case was publicly exposed, and the espionage storm caused by two rats was finally quelled.
epilogue:
On the road to the development of New China, the dangers faced are everywhere. And it is precisely because of the unremitting efforts of countless soldiers who have the country in their hearts and are dedicated to the people that the country can achieve good and rapid development. Therefore, we should always remember these heroes who have made contributions to the country!
bibliography:
1. Ling Hui. The story of Yang Qiqing, the "Minister of Public Security" of the Republic[M]. Changsha:Hunan Children's Publishing House, 1999.12.
2. Shi Feng. Two Rats and China's First Spy Case[J].Life and Companion (Month-End Edition), 2014, (No. 3).
3. Shi Feng. Zhou Enlai directed the foreign espionage case[J].Leaders of the New Century, 2006, (No. 5).