A Press Briefing .. and More Rumours of Massacre

Three days in to our voyage and even amongst the most hardened and experienced press-hounds, the dangerous combination of boredom, frustration and speculation had begun to spawn a swell of rumours. So it was with some relief that on the morning of 16th July, we were called to a second briefing by the most efficient and professional communications officer, Captain Jennings ...

Gentlemen, we have now completed our analysis of all the information that we have received about the situation at the foreign legations and, at this time, we area able to advise you that:
   A census at the legations, taken on 2 July has identified 473 civilians: 245 men, 149 women, and 79 children, of which British and American nationals are the most numerous. There are also 409 military guards; British, American, French, German, Japanese, and Russian, defending the legations. About 150 of the civilians are actively assisting the guards in their operations.
   The Austrian and Italian legations have been abandoned and the majority of the civilians have taken refuge in the British Embassy, the largest and most defensible of the legations.
   The British Minister Claude MacDonald is acting as the commander of the defence, with Herbert G. Squiers, an American diplomat as his chief of staff. Defence lines have been established in an area known as the Fu, a large palace and park, where approximately 2,000 Chinese Christians have been taking refuge
   On July 3, the foreigners launched an assault against the Chinese with 26 British, 15 Russian, and 15 Americans under the command of American Captain John T. Myers. A number of Chinese troops were killed in this assault.
   That is all the confirmed information that we have for you at this time. We can also advise you that further information, in the form of recently published newspaper reports, has not been verified and we request that you take this into consideration when filing your reports.

An urgent sea of hands was immediately raised, signifying the numerous questions that we all had. These were left unanswered, though, with the polite but precise missive from the young officer that there was no further information, but we would be advised as soon as there was ...