There are several factual errors--some more significant than others--that should be noted in this piece. The correspondent writes: • In late April, I accompanied thousands of students marching miles from their campuses to Tiananmen Square. Such marches, unapproved by the security services, were (and remain) illegal. Along the way crowds applauded the students and offered them food and cold drinks. We reached a roadblock formed by army trucks and lines of soldiers. correction: no army trucks/soldiers entered beijing until the imposition of martial law the night of may 19. the roads were blocked by police. • I noticed the soldiers taking off their belts, with buckles bearing the characters "Eighth Route Army", after Mao's legendary forces during the civil war, correction: pla belt buckles do not say "eighth route army" but "august 1" (the date of the pla's founding). • and wrapping them around their fists, always a sign of impending violence. I found myself pressed nose to nose with a young, sweating, trembling soldier. Over his shoulder, I saw an officer and wondered whether the soldiers would now beat us up — or worse. I had already noticed armed soldiers in the trucks. correction: again only police were present, and chinese police did (and do) not carry firearms, only truncheons. • A few days later, on Changan Avenue, Beijing's main thoroughfare, I saw hundreds of unarmed soldiers trotting towards the square. Before long, they were set upon by ordinary Beijingers, who scolded them for daring to threaten "our students". The soldiers fled back the way they had come, tails between their legs. correction: this event took place the night of june 2-3, not late april • With the square in the grip of demonstrators, [Gorbachev] had to be smuggled into the Great Hall of the People through the secret tunnels dug under Beijing especially to guarantee safety for the leaders in case of emergencies for his audiences with an embarrassed leadership. correction: Gorbachev entered the Great Hall of the People through a side door opposite Tiananmen. It defies credulity that the Chinese leadership would escort a Soviet leader through their secret tunnels. • At his press conference, Gorbachev said that if such demonstrations had happened in Moscow, "I would have gone into the streets to talk with the people." He clearly imagined that the Beijing regime would not endure. correction: gorbachev did not give a press conference. From the day's NY Times report: Gorbachev Queries Journalists According to Soviet reporters who were present, the Soviet leader summoned a small group of senior Soviet journalists and diplomats to the Soviet Embassy late Monday night and questioned them for more than two hours about the events in the city. Drinking tea with the journalists until midnight, Mr. Gorbachev heard a detailed account of the student demonstrations, including the assessment of some Soviet journalists that the protests were a major force that would ultimately push the Chinese Government to liberalize its policies. Mr. Gorbachev reportedly told the journalists that the issue was delicate and cautioned them to keep in mind the sensitivities of their Chinese hosts. Today when the subject of the students came up in a meeting with Mr. Zhao, Mr. Gorbachev expressed sympathy with the Chinese leadership, Gennadi I. Gerasimov, the Soviet Foreign Ministry spokesman, said at a news briefing late tonight. ''We are struggling with similar phenomena,'' Mr. Gorbachev was quoted as saying. ''We also have hotheads who, in most cases, favor the renewal of socialism, but who are more intent on that renewal than on the leadership of the party which began the policy. They want it all done in one night. ''This is not the way it happens in life. This happens only in fairy tales.'' • if the word Tiananmen appears on the Chinese internet, whoever has used or accessed it can expect a knock on the door correction: this is hyperbole. merely using or accessing the word tiananmen on the chinese internet is highly unlikely to result in any official response whatsoever. • I asked Gorbachev's press spokesman, Gennady Gerasimov, how his boss had enjoyed his discussions in Beijing. He replied, "Next time he comes here, except for Zhao, he hopes he never sees any of these guys." was this statement on the record and duly reported? surprisingly candid for a press spokesman speaking to a times reporter