Technology invades the modern world

Chapter 424 Who is V?
Ben Bradley frowned as he listened to the voice coming from thousands of miles away on the other end of the phone.

On the other end of the phone, Sir Haley, editor of The Times of London, spoke with a trembling voice, his tone filled with disbelief. The message he had just conveyed was enough to shake the entire free world.

If Hoover was a Soviet agent, who in this world can be trusted?

“John, are you sure this is true?” Bradley asked wearily.

He has witnessed the chaos that has gripped Washington recently.

In America today, the media still works for the country, not for any particular party.

Project Robin: A large-scale operation allegedly orchestrated by an IA to bribe and influence journalists, editors, and media organizations both in America and abroad.

According to related allegations and declassified documents, the program shaped public opinion by inserting propaganda messages favorable to the American government into news reports and suppressing reports that were unfavorable to its narrative.

Unlike the Chinese media, America's media at this time hoped that America could win the Cold War, and they were worried about America's future.

This is especially true for Ben Bradley.

“I don’t know, Ben,” Haley sighed on the other end of the phone. “The letter was sent to the BBC editorial office. There was no sender, just a short sentence and a videotape: ‘Hoover has been working for Moscow.’ It sounds like the ravings of a madman, but you know, everyone’s gone mad this week.”

We watched the videotape. It was in a room that looked like a secret chamber, where Hoover was talking to Dobrynin. The two were very close, and they even hugged before parting ways.

Most importantly, the email was signed "V".

V, the nightmare of the free faction, no one knows what he's up to.

Bradley paused for a moment, his mind replaying the recent turmoil: the White House's decision to send in more troops, President Nixon's distrust of Secretary of Defense McNamara, and the Kremlin's denial of Dobrynin's presence at Hoover Villa.

It all felt like a meticulously planned stage play, but the lines and script seemed to be off.

“That videotape,” Hailey’s voice became more serious, “not only did we receive the videotape, but all the major European newspapers, including those in France, Germany, and Italy, received the letter and the videotape.”

“This is a trap,” Bradley retorted instinctively. “The Soviets want to use this to smear our people and incite infighting.”

“Perhaps,” Haley’s voice held a hint of helplessness, “but you know, there’s not much difference between rumors and the truth. Especially when it comes from V.”

Neither of them said anything more.

Because this is outrageous.

Once the data comes from V, everyone acts like they've lost their minds.

From the moment V appeared, and from the moment he revealed the death of President Kennedy, no one ever doubted the authenticity of his information.

Because every video is so clear.

Take Kennedy's death as an example: the video itself is clear enough, and the audio recorded matches other video materials.

Even if there are unreasonable aspects, everyone automatically ignores them.

For example, how could Dobrynin's face be so clear at four in the morning?

For example, how was the meeting between Dobrynin and Hoover filmed, and so clearly?

Nobody knows.

Just like no one knows V's identity.

Just because you don't know doesn't mean it's fake.

Bradley hung up the phone and immediately summoned all the core members of the editorial team.

“We received an anonymous letter from London that Hoover had been working for the Soviet Union all along, and that there were videotapes as evidence.” He looked at the shocked faces in front of him, his voice calm, as if he were talking about something perfectly ordinary: “I know this is absurd, but we must be prepared that once this news is made public, it will be a huge bomb.”

In the editorial office of The Times in London, Sir Haley sat at his desk piled high with newspapers, his head throbbing with pain.

They ultimately decided to publish screenshots from the videotape, but also raised questions in the editorial.

“We’re playing with fire, John,” his deputy editor George said worriedly. “We could become V’s accomplices in destroying our strongest ally.”

“No, George, we are moving toward the truth,” Sir Haley explained. “If it is true, we have a responsibility to expose it, no matter how terrible it may be. If it is false, we also have a responsibility to track down whoever is behind it, no matter how dangerous it may be.”

He knew that they had become pawns on the chessboard, being used by V.

But at the same time, he also knew that this chess piece could also have its own will.

“We must give the Americana a chance, a chance to find the truth,” Sir Haley said, “instead of being overwhelmed by fear and suspicion as they are now.”

Two days later, the news set the whole of Europe ablaze.

Parisian tabloids were the first to publish screenshots from the videotape, and the news spread like wildfire.

In the photo, Hoover's angular face appears unusually enigmatic in the dim light as he whispers to a man identified as Dobrynin.

The background is a secret room filled with documents and bookshelves.

The Washington Post did not immediately publish the news, but instead conducted an internal investigation.

However, this could not stop the spread of rumors.

Major European media outlets such as Die Welt, The Guardian, and Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung reprinted the article, accompanied by front-page editorials.

The editorials were mostly skeptical and shocked, questioning the internal security of America's government and speculating whether it was a Soviet attempt to sow discord.

In America, the media's reaction was more complex.

The New York Times called for a thorough government investigation, while the Los Angeles Times criticized it as yet another "disinformation campaign" by the Soviet Union.

Some tabloids sensationalized the story, portraying Hoover as a two-faced SPY, and even fabricating various plots.

Washington, D.C., West Wing of the White House, outside the Oval Office
Kissinger returned from Europe, exhausted from the relentless negotiations.

He saw Nixon sitting at his desk, newspapers spread out on the floor in front of him, each front page featuring the same blurry photograph: Hoover and Dobrynin.

The president's face was hidden in shadow, like a frozen sculpture.

“Henry,” Nixon’s voice was hoarse and low, “they believed it.”

He finally learned that the ease in Lyndon Johnson's tone during their last conversation at the White House before leaving office was genuine and not an act.

This seat is really uncomfortable.

They'll surprise you with something you never expected all the time.

PS: Lyndon Johnson had some suspicions about Hoover working for the Soviet Union, as mentioned earlier, but he did not share the relevant intelligence with Nixon.

Kissinger didn't say anything, but simply placed his briefcase on the table.

He knew that the president was referring not only to the general public, but also to the wavering European allies.

In Paris, the head of French intelligence hinted that their trust in America had wavered, a common occurrence in France.

In London, the Prime Minister went so far as to ask whether Washington had become a sieve of infiltration. London's questioning of Washington demonstrates the intensity of the impact of the Hoover affair.

“This doesn’t sound like the KGB, Henry.”

"They used to only cause trouble secretly, but now they're just throwing weapons in our streets," Nixon looked up, his eyes filled with confusion and bewilderment. "They want us to kill each other, and we're doing just that."

Kissinger stood there, his mind filled with images of Paris and London.

European newspapers are like hungry hyenas, relentlessly pursuing every rumor.

He knew this was not just a photograph, but a psychological war, a nuclear strike based on trust.

In Kansas, at the counter of a small restaurant, a rancher named Frank slammed that day's Kansas City Star onto the counter. He had lost count of how many times he'd been arguing with people.

“This must be fake!” Frank slapped the newspaper with his rough, calloused hands. “Mr. Hoover is a national hero; he fought for us and the socialists for half a century!”

Across from him, a young veteran named John was drinking an iced tea.

He had just returned from Annan, exhausted and bewildered. He pointed to the photo in the newspaper, his voice calm: "Then how do you explain why he was there? And why didn't the president let McNamara stay in the White House? These things are not baseless rumors."

“Listen to what you’re saying! You shed blood for this country, and now you believe the nonsense in the newspapers?” Frank stood up angrily, unable to accept that the hero he had always believed in was a traitor.

“It is precisely because I have shed blood that I am even more determined to find out,” John insisted. “If he really is a traitor, then what was the point of my bloodshed? Was it for a war machine manipulated by a traitor?”

The people in the restaurant fell silent; no one could answer the question.

They all felt deceived, but they preferred to believe it was a lie rather than face the possible truth. Lin Ran was stunned. "When did I get this video? How come I didn't know?"
He immediately knew that this was a video released by the Soviets.

"Mr. President, I think none of that matters right now. Good news from the battlefield is the most important thing."

News can be covered up; sooner or later, people will forget about it.

But we cannot fail; we cannot tolerate further defeat on the front lines of the Vietnam War.

"Professor, have you heard the joke called The Prague Spring?" Nixon suddenly changed the subject.

Lin Ran paused for a moment, knowing Nixon's train of thought was jumping around, but still continued: "Of course, the Soviets rampaged through Prague, crushing Dubček's attempt."

“That’s right,” Nixon took a deep drag on his cigar and exhaled a smoke ring, “but do you know the world’s reaction at the time? It was nothing but condemnation.”

Washington has exercised restraint in its tough stance against Moscow and has not crossed any red lines.

Because we know that as long as Soviet Russia does not directly threaten our interests, we can maintain a controlled confrontation.

He stubbed out the cigar in the ashtray, his gaze turning cold as he stared at the extinguished embers.

"But this time, they didn't use tanks, or even missiles. They used a ghost, a man who was already dead, to sow discord among us."

Whether it's Soviet Russia or V, they are both our enemies.

This is not controllable, Henry.

This has penetrated directly into our nervous system.

Nixon stood up, walked to the window, and looked down at the White House lawn.

"They made us doubt ourselves, doubt our heroes, and doubt our beliefs."

If the foundation of a nation begins to crumble, then no amount of victory will amount to anything more than castles in the air.

The defeat in the Vietnam War was merely tactical, but the failure of the Hoover affair was a matter of faith.

Once a nation's faith collapses, it can never be rebuilt.

He turned around and looked directly at Lin Ran.

"Therefore, while victory on the battlefield is important, what is even more important is how we win this invisible war."

We want the world to see that no matter what lies the Kremlin tells, America will not be divided.

We must portray Hoover as a martyr vilified by communism, and Dobrynin as a despicable and shameless liar.

Nixon's voice was firm and powerful, as if he had regained his direction.

"This is not a news war, Professor, it is a battle between good and evil."

We must win, not just in Vietnam, but here, in Washington, and in the hearts of every American.

Nixon's tone was firm.

Lin Ran thought to himself, "Oh my god, do you know how close the cooperation between Hoover and Moscow is?"

How dare you say that?

How could you do this?

Lin Ran felt that the whole thing had spiraled out of control from the moment the Kremlin chose to use the V.V. name to bring up Hoover in an attempt to cool things down.

Washington, White House press conference

“I reiterate that the allegations against Director Hoover are outright lies.”

White House Press Secretary Ronald Ziegler stood on the podium, beads of sweat sliding down his forehead.

He repeated the same lines over and over again, and his voice grew increasingly weak in the face of questions from hundreds of reporters in the audience.

"The videotape is fake! The documents are fake! This is a carefully orchestrated fake news campaign by the Kremlin to undermine our internal unity!"

The reporters in the audience were not convinced.

A reporter from The New York Times raised his hand and asked: "Mr. Ziegler, aren't these videotapes from V? Does the White House have any evidence that they came from the Kremlin?"
And if what you say is true, and all of this is fabricated, then why would the Kremlin choose Ambassador Dobrynin as the protagonist? Why was the location such a secluded, secret room? Why were the two so intimately connected? What could they possibly have to talk about for so long?

Ziegler could not answer.

He was only there to carry out the president's will.

In short, we simply refuse to acknowledge it.

We cannot admit it, and we have no way of admitting it.

To the reporters in the audience, silence was the best evidence.

In Moscow, at the Kremlin, Dobrynin sat at his desk, his teacup long since cold. He had returned to Moscow, temporarily ending his term as ambassador.

After the Kremlin made the decision to expose Hoover's identity, Dobrynin was urgently recalled to the United States to prevent America from taking desperate measures and forcibly inviting Dobrynin to undergo "investigation".

If a poll were conducted now, Dobrynin would definitely top the list of Americans' most hated people.

The second is V.

He looked at the telegram from Washington and a victorious smile appeared on his lips.

“They’re still denying it,” he said to Yuri Andropov sitting across from him. “That’s exactly what we want. The more they deny it, the more suspicious the public becomes.”

“I have even more surprises in store for them next; it’s time to present our second gift,” Andropov said with a smile.

He took an envelope from the drawer and handed it to Dobrynin: "This is a new videotape. It records Hoover telling us about the personnel arrangements he made after Lyndon Johnson took office."

The new videotape has sound.

“This will completely destroy Nixon’s credibility,” Andropov smiled slightly. “They can’t refute it, and we can keep them busy by simply continuing to release these messages through our ‘mouthpiece’ in Europe.”

As Andrew Bove stated, a new round of evidence leaks has begun.

This time, it's not just a videotape with pictures, but a more realistic videotape with clear sound.

The videotape was anonymously sent to tabloids in Europe and America, bearing the signature of V.

They described in detail exactly what Hoover said.

This time, mainstream European media outlets such as The Guardian and Le Monde were no longer simply reposting the documents; they began to analyze them in depth.

In America, media positions began to diverge.

But no one dares to deny the authenticity of this evidence.

Some media outlets have begun to publicly criticize the White House and defend traitors like Hoover.

Nixon was under unprecedented pressure.

Ben Bradley sat in his office, before the latest issue of The Washington Post, its front page headline reading "Hoover: Hero or Traitor?"

He knew that the title itself was a compromise and a dangerous signal.

“We can’t wait any longer, Ben,” his deputy editor Carl said anxiously. “We have to make a choice. We can’t let this division continue. We have to uncover the truth, the truth for both sides.”

“Carl, what should we do? We have no evidence to prove these are fake, and no evidence to prove they are real,” Bradley’s voice was full of exhaustion. “We’re like walking on a tightrope right now, one wrong step and we’ll fall into the abyss.”

“We’re going to find V,” Karl’s voice was firm. “Whether it’s the Soviets, other factions in America’s government, or the specter of the Third Reich, we need to find the source of this leaked intelligence.”

Only by finding this source can we unravel the whole mystery.

Otherwise, we will forever be the losers in this war of public opinion.

Bradley looked at him, speechless: "? We can find V?"

There's no need to look for him; Lin Ran has had enough of being used as a pawn by the Soviet Union.

He planned to bring V out and make the fire burn even brighter.

(End of this chapter)