Technology invades the modern world

Chapter 444 Enjoying Johnson's Treatment in Advance

The predicament at the front was clearly unexpected by everyone.

The drone swarm, which was expected to wreak havoc and launch an unprecedented offensive against North Vietnam, turned out to be a huge joke.

The North Vietnamese press team, which had been prepared in advance, faithfully recorded this scene.

It spread rapidly around the world.

Video clips this long, almost like GIFs, have an incredibly strong viral effect.

It rivals the memes of later generations.

It's a bit like when you watch TV, whenever it's a news program, the host will casually bring up this video and then talk about it at length.

Countries friendly to America would naturally emphasize that most of these were drones, and the loss of pilots was not as horrific.

However, for Eastern European countries, Asian, African and Latin American countries, which are inherently hostile to America, or countries like France that are inherently rebellious, they will deliberately ignore the fact that most of these are drones. They will emphasize that North Vietnam achieved a stunning reversal and caused irreparable damage to America.

For a time, America's morale plummeted to an unprecedented low.

Anti-war sentiment is strong.

Cronkite's report caused a national sensation.

Audience feedback poured in like an avalanche, anti-war organizations cited his words to organize rallies, and Democratic members of Congress called for an investigation into the Air Force losses.

What was unacceptable to the Nixon administration was that the drones were so weak and their performance fell far short of expectations.

Once they withdraw their troops, can South Vietnam hold out for even a year?

Withdrawal led to the collapse of South Vietnam like an avalanche, and America's role in the Vietnam War proved to be a complete mistake.

This is unacceptable to them.

Therefore, the Nixon administration attempted to retaliate, claiming that the media was exaggerating, and seizing the moment when America had suffered heavy losses to launch a sympathetic mobilization, trying to incite public resentment towards North Vietnam and support them in continuing to intensify their offensive.

Nixon wanted a ceasefire, but not a humiliating one.

He still needs to run for office, his political life needs to continue, and Lyndon Johnson and his party challenger Fred are still eyeing the White House.

If they were to retreat at all costs, abandoning America's dignity and honor, who couldn't do that?

Why should anyone elect you president? Your "glorious retreat" in the 1968 election will become a sharp arrow aimed at you in the 1972 election, one from which you will be unable to retaliate.

So at this point in time, as the images of the plane crashing kept repeating on the television screens in the Oval Office, Nixon's desire to continue the war and teach the North Vietnamese monkeys a lesson had never been stronger.

At the same time, he realized that his team needed to have a serious talk with China.

It can't be delayed any longer.

"Henry, right now, you need to talk to China again. This time you can tell them directly that we will withdraw, and we will withdraw from Annam sooner or later."

We need a dignified ending.

This time you can be even more blunt.

After a moment of silence, Kissinger said, "Mr. President, what if the Chinese insist on talking to the professor?"

Nixon recalled that in late 1968, North Vietnam had hoped to talk with Lam Nhan, and Lam Nhan had ultimately negotiated a very good outcome for America in Geneva, enabling them to peacefully withdraw from North Vietnam.

At the same time, he thought that the war was supposed to end in 1969 with the signing of an armistice agreement between the two countries, but the damned V and the Soviets reignited the flames of war.

Go talk to the North Vietnamese now and say that you want to make peace, stop the war, and draw a border between North and South Vietnam that is acceptable to both sides.

Even professors can't do that.

Nixon was filled with hatred for Russia and the Soviet Union, which had put him in such a predicament.

At the same time, it reminded me of the professor's invincibility.

"In that case, you should first go to Singapore and China to make initial contact."

Didn't the Chinese suggest that the professor go to Nice, France to talk to them?

Okay, then let the professor go to Nice!

I will speak with Georges Pompidou.

Nixon said.

After a moment's thought, Nixon continued, "Also, Henry, when you make initial contact with China this time, remember to tell them that you should finalize this matter first."

That is, if we withdraw our troops, then China's air defense system in North Vietnam will also need to be dismantled simultaneously.

This is our bottom line: they cannot sell air defense equipment to North Vietnam.

Nixon also wanted to make a last-ditch effort to ensure the long-term existence of South Vietnam after America's withdrawal.

Kissinger's impression of Singapore was so-so.

This place is just a tiny island; its only redeeming quality is its geographical location, where ships from the East and West meet before continuing on their way to their destinations.

Besides, the climate is hot and humid, the accommodation is simple, and there are many mosquitoes, so it is hardly a comfortable choice.

The problem is that only this place meets the conditions for secret negotiations.

In Hong Kong, without a valid reason, you're guaranteed to be spotted by the English if you go there.

Previously, the Lam Yan Mathematics Centre was established. Now that I want to go there again, does that mean I'm going to set up another Lam Yan Mathematics Centre at the Chinese University of Hong Kong?
Singapore? That would be so convenient.

On a sweltering June night, Kissinger quietly took off from Andrews Air Force Base in Washington.

His public itinerary included a diplomatic visit to Southeast Asia, claiming he was traveling to Thailand to attend an informal meeting of the Southeast Asia Treaty Organization.

This organization was founded in 1954 with the aim of cooperating with Southeast Asian countries to oppose the CCP, and was formally disbanded in 1977.

On the way to Thailand, we stopped in Singapore for a short rest.

That makes perfect sense.

Kissinger's plane was a low-profile C-135 executive jet, carrying only two close aides, Winston Lord and an expert in encrypted communications.

Inside the cabin, Kissinger looked exhausted; this was much more tiring than teaching in Harvard.

Of course, it should also be much more interesting.

When the professor negotiated very favorable terms for them in Geneva, Kissinger never imagined that the war would not only fail to end, but would escalate continuously over the next year.

Not only has the intensity of war escalated, but the form of war has also evolved, with the technological content of warfare becoming increasingly sophisticated.

This is a feeling that you can never experience in the classroom.

He muttered to himself, "If those Fulbright guys find out, we're finished."

The plane landed at Changi Airport at dawn.

The area around the airport was shrouded in fog, but the staff in Singapore had already made all the necessary arrangements.

Kissinger bypassed the official entrance and instead used the side door granted by diplomatic immunity to quickly slip into an unmarked black sedan.

The convoy headed straight for a private villa on the outskirts of Singapore, a low-key building nestled in a tropical garden.

Kissinger remembers this place as having the most mosquitoes.

Outside the villa, special staff disguised as gardeners kept watch over the surroundings.

Another good thing about Singapore is that it keeps the media quiet; no reporter dares to disturb distinguished guests.

Kissinger appreciated this point; at least when he was in Hong Kong, those reporters were just as annoying as the ones he encountered in London.

Reporters would never appear in front of him here.

Inside the villa, Kissinger and his assistants waited under the dim light.

Communications experts set up encrypted telegraph lines directly to the White House, using the code word "Polo" to refer to China.

A few hours later, a connecting flight quietly arrived.

It wasn't a Chinese flight, but a commercial airliner from Pakistan International Airlines, used as a buffer to avoid being tracked. The Chinese representative, using the alias John King, arrived in Singapore.

Like Kissinger, he got into an unmarked black sedan.

We didn't get this kind of treatment last time.

This treatment is determined by one's strength.

As everyone knows, the reason why monkeys were able to bring down eagles is because pandas provided them with bamboo poles that had aiming capabilities.

You previously mentioned that we were hosting the event out of consideration for America.

It was merely a matter of politeness towards China.

Their attitude has escalated dramatically, and they no longer care whether you're exporting goods to Southeast Asia.

When the Chinese negotiators appeared in the villa's living room, Kissinger gave a tired smile: "Your Excellency, we were very impressed by the gifts you gave us in North Vietnam."

Your progress is too rapid. Perhaps before long, the country we need to worry about will no longer be Soviet Russia, but China.

Kissinger's words were just polite pre-negotiation remarks; negotiations also require breaking the ice.

But little did they know that their words would become a self-fulfilling prophecy.

The Chinese representative said calmly, "No, your military weapons are very advanced."

Their weapons are far more advanced than ours.

GPS, a weapon that belongs to space, left a deep impression on us.

Mr. Advisor, don't you realize that all the weapons we provide to North Vietnam are based on the principle of defense?

We cannot yet achieve the same aircraft technology as America, so we must rely on air defense systems, missiles, and radar for defense.

Since we can't attack, we'll shoot down your planes to keep the battlefield on the same level.

The Chinese negotiators thought back to the war on the Korean Peninsula many years ago. If they had had the equipment they have now back then, America, who could not have gained absolute air superiority, would not have been able to inflict such heavy losses on them.

The negotiations lasted for three days.

The two sides reached more consensus.

Before leaving, Kissinger said, "We have agreed in principle that the professor should travel to Nice to attend this year's Congress of Mathematicians."

Kissinger and the Chinese representative's disguised trip should have been flawless, but the Soviet Union had already laid a trap.

Did Soviet Russia know that relations between China and America were about to improve?
of course I know.

They had a vague feeling that they were only accepting US dollars when doing business with China.

This includes the China-America Mathematicians Congress and the visit of the America Table Tennis Team to China.

These are all diplomatic signals.

This is a prelude to the easing of tensions between the two sides.

Moscow has already caught wind of this.

Before that, they could ignore it, not because they didn't care, but because the Soviet Union felt that China and America could never be together, and the prelude could never become the main theme.

Back then, who could have imagined that China-America friendship would become the dominant theme?

The two sides have irreconcilable contradictions.

If America normalizes relations with China, how will you maintain your three allies: Japan, Korea, and ROC?

But when China showed unprecedented potential, and the Soviet Union decided to win over China, then they had to intervene.

You don't know until you get involved, and once you do, you're shocked. First, Kissinger went to Hong Kong, and the Soviet Union astutely deduced from official Chinese reports that important Chinese figures were not in Beijing during those days.

Being away from Beijing means there's a high chance he'll be in Hong Kong, having a conversation with Kissinger.

Based on the negotiations in Geneva at the end of 1969, besides Lin Ran, Kissinger was the only other member of America's negotiating team.

Therefore, Moscow is paying close attention to Kissinger's movements.

Try to find any suspicious interactions between the two parties.

Moscow was a step too late in the first Lion City Dialogue.

They only noticed it, but didn't capture any crucial evidence.

For the second Singapore-City Dialogue, Moscow's elite forces were already prepared at Changi Airport.

When the White House announced that National Security Advisor Kissinger would be traveling to Tyrell to attend informal talks with the Southeast Asia Treaty Organization, Andropov realized that his opportunity had arrived.

European businessmen had already been lurking around the airport, equipped with telephoto lenses and wireless equipment.

Two scenes were captured by a Leica camera in Moscow that day.

One scene shows Kissinger stepping out of the plane, scanning his surroundings, and then getting into the same black Mercedes.

Another scene shows the Chinese representative getting into a black Mercedes.

The vehicles are all the same one.

The key details in the photo are similar.

Same vehicles and airport background.

In the latter, photos taken in Moscow even captured half of Kuan Yew's face.

"This is no coincidence!" the Soviet elite murmured, holding the photograph.

He felt both joy at completing the mission and unease about the fate of the Three Kingdoms.

The Washington Post's editorial office is where a large number of reports originate and influence the country.

Their most important focus recently has been the Vietnam War, telling the public the true situation of the war, what happened with so many plane crashes, and the current state of Chinese technology.

Bradley, as usual, sat at his desk looking at the reports written by the editors.

Jimmy Wicklin, who was no longer an intern but a full-time employee, walked in with a rather unpleasant expression.

Bradley, as if on a conditioned reflex, exclaimed: "V again?"

Jimmy nodded and handed over a brown envelope with no postmark and only a hastily written "V".

The envelope was bulging, and it was clear that several photos were stuffed inside.

The KGB's perverse sense of humor.

Or rather, it's the perverse sense of humor of anonymous whistleblowers in this era.

Because there are too many V's.

Therefore, you can't tell who is real and who is fake.

V didn't use any anti-counterfeiting features.

"What photo?" Bradley asked as he opened it.

Jimmy has the authority to open it; that's what he does.

Jimmy swallowed hard. "Sir, I don't know either."

The envelope was left in the mailbox outside the door, with no sender listed.

Inside were several black and white photos that looked like something out of a spy movie.

I glanced at it, but I had absolutely no idea what it meant.

Two men got into the car? One was of Asian descent, and the other of Western descent?

I can't determine what signal the timestamp represents.

(End of this chapter)