27th "was responsible for most of the death and destruction at Tiananmen Square on June 3." The same cable notes that the 27th was commanded by the nephew of CMC Vice-chairman Yang Shangkun, a known hardliner. The cable accused the 27th of killing "soldiers from other units run over by the 27th APCs and tanks" in addition to taking up position on a highway overpass and "poised for attack by other PLA units." Then-Secretary of State James Baker's morning summary for June 6 stated that China was seeing a "descent into chaos" as "according to press reports, elements of the 38th Army clashed with the 27th Army, which is being blamed for the worst atrocities against civilians during Saturday night's attack on Tiananmen Square" while "troops still entering Beijing are arriving without authorization and are intent upon attacking the 27th Army." The Secretary's morning report the following day refuted the previous day's reports of clashes between army units as "available evidence suggests that few — if any — significant engagements have occurred." The report stated that "some leaders may have envisioned an outcome that would blame most of the atrocities on the 27th Army, relieve its top commanders, and remove senior officials who ordered armed action against civilians." That same day an embassy cable alleged that, as the 27th was withdrawing from Beijing as part of a troop rotation, its soldiers had sealed off the Jianguomenwai diplomatic compound and fired above the rooftops of the apartments apparently in an attempt to flush out a sniper. The shooting damaged many buildings, including apartments housing foreign diplomatic officials. The cable states that an unnamed journalist explained that the withdrawal of the "much-hated" 27th and replacement its with the 20th Group Army was "intended to improve relations between the military and the residents of the city," though the cable states that this explanation is unconfirmed. References Field armies of the People's Liberation Army Military units and formations established in 1949 Military units and formations disestablished in 2017 Beijing Military Region