Chen Xitong
In 2012, a book titled "Conversations with Chen Xitong" based on interviews with Chen, authored by Yao Jianfu, a retired journalist of the Xinhua News Agency, with a foreword by Wu Guoguang was published by New Century Press. In this book Chen sought to challenge the idea that he played an important part in the crackdown. As for the idea that he convinced Deng Xiaoping to adopt hard line tactics, Chen argues that he had never been to Deng Xiaoping's house. He argues further that Li Ximing actually misinformed him about the student protests. Regarding the report he read on behalf of the Communist Party, he contends that he was never part of the drafting process of the report. This is confirmed by Li Peng's unpublished diary, which stated in its June 18 entry that he and Jiang Zemin in a PSC meeting chose Chen Xitong to read the report even though he was not at the draft meeting. On his administration of the martial law order, Chen was puzzled by the idea that he was in charge of the crackdown of June 3–4 and claims he had no knowledge of this until Li Peng's diary surfaced in 2010. Wu Guoguang's foreword states that due to the chaotic nature of those few days, it is plausible that Chen was not informed about his role in the crackdown in advance. He would go on to say he was "sorry" for the event of June 4, 1989, saying that no one should have died in the crackdown.