Technology invades the modern world

Chapter 158 The Only Way to Save Kennedy (4.8k)

When everyone had to stay home because of the pandemic, online communities became incredibly lively.

After all, when real society comes to a standstill, doesn't the online society become active?

Not only has Zoom's stock price hit new highs, but Reddit's traffic has also reached new highs.

Recently, an interesting discussion thread appeared on the America Politics forum: If you were a journalist and knew in advance that Kennedy was going to be assassinated, which camera position would you choose to capture the most impactful photo?

"Why take any more photos? Of course, we're here to save Kennedy."

"Why save Kennedy? Why not just buy a handgun and shoot him a few more times with the gunman?"

"Is this a redneck? What redneck idiot? Do you know why you're living such a miserable life now?"

A very important reason is that Kennedy died! The military-industrial complex swallowed up all the money that should have been used to improve our welfare.

"How so? Please explain in detail, upstairs."

Former Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker served in the Treasury Department around the time of the Kennedy administration's assassination. He recalled this period in his autobiography, "Changing Fortunes."

At the time, Kennedy wanted to end the Cold War early and withdraw all overseas troops, using the saved money for America's welfare and social reforms.

Because Europe was building welfare societies at the time, Kennedy wanted to follow suit.

Paul Walker said that Kennedy had established a committee to reduce military spending, and he was a member of that committee. They held several meetings and discussed whether the money saved from bringing back troops stationed overseas would be enough to cover domestic welfare expenses. The Treasury Department calculated that the amount was enormous and more than sufficient.

During the White House meeting, McNamara explicitly disagreed, saying that if the meeting was about cutting military spending, then there was no point in continuing. After saying this, he left the meeting room.

The vice president later became president and disbanded the committee to reduce military spending.

Paul Volcker left the Treasury Department to become a fund manager at a Wall Street investment bank.

Do you understand? Kennedy died, and military spending kept increasing until it became the monster that no one can solve today, while each of us struggles at the very bottom of society.

So if I had known beforehand, I would have definitely tried my best to save Kennedy.

"Don't even think about it. He wants to cut military spending, and the military-industrial complex will definitely oppose him. How could you possibly save Kennedy by yourself?"

Kennedy could have survived under those conditions unless he had hired the KGB to protect him, making it clear that he was cooperating with the Kremlin.

The assassination of Kennedy and Nikita's relinquishment of power were likely related to Kennedy's assassination, as Nikita also wanted to make internal reforms.

So, if Kennedy wanted to survive, the only solution was to cooperate with Nikita.

While the two sides shook hands and made peace, they took action against the stubborn opposition within their own ranks.

The KGB would first protect Kennedy. After Kennedy completed the reduction of military spending and the construction of the welfare system, Kennedy would then send an IA to protect Nikita. Ideally, Nikita would be able to promote the implementation of OGAS in the entire Soviet Union.

But that's obviously impossible. First, you couldn't possibly contact Kennedy, and second, you couldn't possibly contact the Kremlin.

Therefore, no one can solve this deadlock.

As Lin Ran scrolled through the posts, he thought to himself, "Who says there aren't people like that? I am one of those people."

"As the chief Grand Secretary of the White House, the White House doors are always open to me, the Imperial Guard bows its head, and no palace guard dares to obstruct me. The White House is heavily guarded, yet I move with the ease of a dragon entering the sea, directly into the Oval Office, sitting opposite Kennedy and chatting with Johnson. White House civil servants all stand at attention, holding their breath, and even high-ranking White House officials show me deference."

At the same time, I can go directly to the Kremlin, call Korolev, and then transfer to Comrade Nikita.

Lin Ran continued scrolling down, "Unfortunately, I'm neither American nor Soviet. Why should I let you successfully complete your major internal surgery in the 60s?"

It's a really strange feeling.

In the 60s, he was a master figure who straddled America, Soviet Russia, and China. He could enter the White House with ease, contact the Kremlin with effortless ease, and contacting China was as simple as drinking water.

Each party would have enough credibility with his words and would seriously consider his suggestions. If he wanted, he could even see anyone because of the door.

He is very confident that he can accomplish what netizens on Reddit believe is impossible.

In 2020, he was an unknown PhD student who had to stay in his suburban New York apartment every day due to the pandemic, only occasionally attending online meetings via Zoom.

This difference in identity struck Lin Ran as quite peculiar.

"Cool, if President Kennedy hadn't died, we could have the same welfare benefits as Europeans now."

“That’s right. Although taxes are high in Europe, America’s taxes are also high, and its welfare benefits are not as good as those in Western Europe.”

Why do rednecks hate Europe so much? In their view, our welfare benefits are poor because Europeans have taken away what we should enjoy.

That's actually quite true; there's some truth to it.

The cost that Germany pays for each American soldier stationed in Germany is 3000 RMB per month.

Based on 2024 data, Germany's contribution to the NATO common budget is approximately €6.08 million, accounting for about 16% of the total budget, and the number of American troops is 35000.

Germany incurs approximately €1.5 million annually in costs for hosting these soldiers, amounting to about €4300 per soldier.

America contributed military spending, Russia contributed energy, China contributed markets, and Eastern Europe contributed manpower; together, they created the economic miracle and high-welfare society of Western Europe.

"If President Kennedy hadn't died, America today wouldn't be such a divided society, and its social welfare would be much better! If I could go back to that time, I would even take a bullet for President Kennedy with my body!"

This kind of emotion is something that Chinese people cannot understand.

Chinese people will go crazy making all sorts of memes, like Melancholy, the whole world knows he's going to die, only he himself doesn't know.

But in the eyes of the American people, Kennedy was undoubtedly a president who truly cared about them.

"Leaving aside other things, let's get back to the question posed by the original poster."

If you only have the camera you had at the time, I suggest going to the grassy hills at Dealey Plaza in Dallas; that way you can capture the decisive moment.

French photography master Henri Cartier-Bresson proposed the theory of the decisive moment, emphasizing that photographers should perfectly combine all factors such as form, conception, composition, light, and event at a specific moment.

You can only capture that one moment, and you believe that candid shots have much stronger dramatic tension than posed shots.

"If you can bring your smartphone, I suggest you record a video directly."

Ideally, it should be on the grassy hill in Las Deli Square. If not, then a high point on a nearby building will also work.

Capture the whole scene with video, but don't rush to release it after you're done.

Once the investigation committee is established, the investigation structure will be released to the public, and then photos that contradict their findings will be published in magazines or newspapers.

In short, every time they release their survey results, you refute them with photos.

If this continues, the White House's credibility will be destroyed, and correspondingly, the more credibility the White House loses, the greater your reputation will be.

I can't think of anything more brilliant than this. With this one move, you can become the most famous journalist in the United States.

Following that, we should also report on events like Watergate, the White House chicken-eating scandal, and ideally, the Clinton family assassination case.

Of course, the premise of doing this is that you survive. You won't be an uncrowned king, you'll be the King of Washington, and politicians will tremble before you.

Netizens really have a vivid imagination.

All sorts of imaginative ideas are constantly emerging.

"Nixon, you didn't want Watergate to be exposed, did you?" A thought flashed through Lin Ran's mind.

"Professor, come, come, sit down. It's rare for us to have a meal together. What do you think of my suggestion?"

Lin Ran is required to travel to Washington, D.C. regularly to report on his work.

When Kennedy was in the White House, he would occasionally invite Lin Ran to have dinner together.

There were several reasons for inviting Lin Ran, including Lin Ran's own abilities, his enormous influence in academia and the Chinese community, and Kennedy's personal preferences.

October had arrived, and the countdown to Kennedy's death had officially begun. "Of course, I think it's very creative, but unfortunately you can't get the approval of the congressmen," Lin Ran said.

This refers to America's collaboration with the Soviet Union to land on the moon.

Indeed, Kennedy mentioned in his UN speech last month that he hoped to promote peace and cooperation through a Cold War truce, and space would be an ideal area for such cooperation.

The full text of his speech at the United Nations on September 20, 1963, is too long; here we only quote the part related to space:

"Finally, in an area where we all have special capabilities: space, there are new avenues for collaboration to further work together to manage and explore space. I think these possibilities include a joint lunar mission."

"Why must the first human lunar landing be a competition between nations? Why must we and the Soviet Union get bogged down in huge duplication of research, construction, and expenditure when preparing for such an expedition? We should certainly explore whether scientists and astronauts from our two countries, and even scientists and astronauts from around the world, can work together to conquer space and send the moon on behalf of all our nations, not just a single country, within this decade."

Kennedy's proposal clearly caused a huge uproar and drew collective opposition from federal lawmakers.

Even Lyndon Johnson disagreed with the proposal.

In the minutes of the White House meeting in September 1963, Johnson did not mention the proposed cooperation, but instead focused on ensuring the progress of NASA's budget and the Apollo program.

In his correspondence with Lin Ran, he emphasized that America needed to maintain its technological independence.

“But it seems they don’t quite agree with my proposal,” Kennedy sighed. “That way we can save the budget and use it to improve the lives of the people.”

After listening, Lin Ran thought to himself, "Even when America didn't owe much money, Kennedy was already so concerned about the federal finances, trying every possible way to save every penny and improve the welfare of the people."

The money you saved wasn't saved; it was taken from the pockets of Commissioners Smith and federal suppliers.

In other words, I, Lin Ran, don't care about money. If I did care about money, I would also dislike you.

why?
Because Lin Ran owns shares in General Aerospace, and General Aerospace's main orders come from NASA, if a joint lunar mission is planned and the federal government cuts NASA's budget, General Aerospace's revenue and profits will also be affected. Wouldn't that harm Lin Ran's interests?
In short, Kennedy's proposal may have been beneficial to the people, but it was detrimental to all interest groups except the people.

“Mr. President, this is human nature, and we must never go against human nature,” Lin Ran said.

Kennedy suddenly brought up Nixon and Fred: "I heard you helped Nixon design a path back to the White House?"

Lin Ran was somewhat surprised, not because Kennedy knew about this, but because Kennedy would bring it up in public and discuss it with him.

how to say.

Lin Ran deeply felt the naivety in Kennedy's actions, speeches, and dialogues.

They're so naive even though they've made it to the White House.

However, he did not dislike this naivety and admired idealists like Kennedy from the bottom of his heart. It's just that idealists who have ideals but no ability usually don't have a good ending.

"Yes, what I'm best at is giving advice. Nixon came to me for advice before."

After Lin Ran briefly mentioned his advice to Nixon, Kennedy suddenly realized, "I see."

No wonder I kept seeing Nixon praising a small New York real estate developer in the newspapers lately.

Professor, I must say, your suggestion is very practical.

Kennedy didn't care, because it wouldn't harm his interests.

He'd love for Fred to be the one to choose.

As for Nixon, how old would he be by the time his tactics actually worked?

Would voters really buy into Nixon's approach when he was old?

However, it must be said that the professor's plan is very feasible.

Previously, the chance of Nixon entering the White House was one percent, but now it's at least thirty percent.

This made Kennedy realize that the professor truly lived up to his reputation, always able to offer imaginative yet feasible advice on any matter.

“Professor, I would like to ask you, what should I do to obtain the same rights as Roosevelt?” Kennedy asked.

Lin Ran almost spat out the water in his mouth. You brat, aren't you afraid of death? You want to take me down with you, huh?

Kennedy went on to explain, “I want to do something for America, which is a very unbalanced society right now.”

But it seems that I'm hampered by Congress, the military, and corporations whenever I want to do something.

Lin Ran shook his head: "I'm sorry, Mr. President, your question came too suddenly, and I don't have any better solution."

However, I think the circumstances are different, and it would be very difficult for you to replicate President Roosevelt's actions.

The Roosevelt era benefited from the economic crisis, namely the Great Depression of the 1890s, which made his propositions more appealing.

The people of America are much better off now than they were back then, with strong economic growth, so there's not much of a desire for change.

It's not suitable to make any big movements at this time.

To put it in the words of our Chinese classical texts, governing a large country is like cooking a small fish.

The general idea is that governing a country requires caution and prudent action, and one should avoid making any major moves.

The same applies to the aerospace field. NASA has many systems and equipment that are outdated, or I can tell at a glance how they need to be improved.

But as long as it still works and doesn't have any problems, I won't think about changing it.

Because aerospace is a systematic project, the old equipment may have problems with performance or stability, but after modification, the chain reaction may cause even worse effects.

Managing a behemoth like America is a far more complex systemic project.

For a president like Roosevelt, both internal and external circumstances needed to reach a suitable point before he could wield greater power than other presidents.

Of course, Kennedy at best turned the fire up a bit too high; more than sixty years later, America replaced him with someone who made pancakes.

Kennedy listened thoughtfully, though he was clearly still unwilling to accept it.

After all, Lin Ran wasn't the first person to try to persuade him.

There were plenty of people who tried to persuade him.

"Professor, I will seriously consider your suggestion."

"I now plan to strengthen my image in the public eye through more populist activities, both to prepare for next year's presidential election and to gain public approval for what I'm doing," Kennedy continued.

Lin Ran sighed inwardly, thinking, "Em, you're still not giving up, are you? A people-friendly event? A parade in a convertible?"

Lin Ran said, "I think it's great. President Roosevelt shaped his image through newspapers, while you can do it through television, which is more direct."

In that era, it would be extremely difficult to know from reading newspapers that Roosevelt was actually disabled.

“That’s right. My next plan is to tour all over America during the presidential campaign and interact directly with voters,” Kennedy added.

Lin Ran thought to himself, "I'm doomed. Even if you don't die in that Texas convertible, you'll get shot during your subsequent speaking tour."

You're hopeless. How can you be saved if you keep thinking about how you're courting death?
Even a god couldn't save them.

"Mr. President, I wish you success. But you might occasionally consider learning from President Coolidge."

President Coolidge was nicknamed "Silent Cal" because he advocated "laissez-faire" and believed that the government should intervene as little as possible.

Kennedy nodded and said, "I understand."

As Lin Ran left the White House, he turned his head and glanced back, thinking that this might be the last time he would have lunch with Kennedy, and soon the White House would change hands.

President Coolidge was right, the White House is right there.

"Jenny, come with me to Houston."

　Please give me a monthly pass! If you have any monthly passes, please give me one!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)