China, 1971 — palace coup attempt
Event Summary
The dataset records an event coded as a palace coup in China on 8 September 1971, the point at which, according to the official Chinese account, Vice Chairman Lin Biao ordered his followers to proceed with a plot to assassinate Chairman Mao Zedong. Lin Biao, Mao's designated successor and defense minister, had fallen out with Mao after the 1970 Lushan conference as Mao grew wary of Lin's power in the army. According to the official narrative, Lin's son Lin Liguo, a senior air force officer, had drafted a coup plan code named Project 571, and on 8 September 1971 Lin gave the order to carry out Mao's assassination.
The plotters' schemes to sabotage Mao's train failed when Mao unexpectedly altered his route and returned safely to Beijing on 12 September. Realizing the plot had collapsed, Lin Biao, his wife, and Lin Liguo fled by plane toward the Soviet Union, and their aircraft crashed in Mongolia on 13 September, killing all aboard. Mao survived and purged the army's high command.
Researched Details
Researched
Independent research, added record by record. Hover any label for what it means.
Sources
Editorial Note
Cross-Reference
Only one dataset carries it. One of the three reference datasets we check against carries this event; the others do not list it. That is not a contradiction — the datasets cover different periods and use different thresholds — but it means the record has had less outside corroboration.
Identifiers for finding this same event in the other datasets:
- Cline Center id
71009081971
How the match is made is described in crossref-report.md.
Outcome and Target
Coup Atlas research identifies the target as: Chairman Mao Zedong survived the alleged Lin Biao plot; Lin died fleeing and Mao purged the military.
Baseline coding: Coup attempt failed to remove the incumbent. Recorded leader fate: remained in office; not physically harmed. The baseline file does not name individual targets; researched names are kept in a separate layer.
Baseline Dataset Citation
Baseline Source-Document Entries
Wikipedia
New York Times
This is the citation trail carried by the baseline dataset, grouped by outlet and rejoined from the line-wrapped original. Coup Atlas has not independently re-checked every document; read the original before citing a specific claim. URLs the import damaged beyond safe repair are shown as plain text and listed in citations-report.md. How this list is built →