USSR 1991

Chapter 127 Negotiation

"Oh, it's President Bush, hello. It's already late at night in Washington, so what's the matter?" Yanayev, who picked up the phone, pretended to be stupid and said, thinking about Bush How to speak first.

Yanayev's tone made Bush really hard to say. He scratched his head and said, "That's right, about one of our submarines colliding and missing near your country's waters, I want to know if your navy has Received a distress signal from our soldiers?"

Although both sides knew that these were superfluous nonsense, Bush still asked in a serious manner.His own submarine collected intelligence in other people's waters and was killed by the other party. This kind of shame is equivalent to a severe slap in the face of the American self-esteem.

While playing with the pen, Yanayev said casually, "Oh, there is such a thing, I will go to the Admiralty to ask. Hey, no, this kind of diplomatic incident should not let your American ambassador to the Soviet Union Why don’t you ask the embassy to submit the documents in person? According to the procedure, this seems to be a bit out of order.”

If the opponent was not the supreme leader of the Soviet Union, Bush would really want to slap him when he heard such a cynical tone, but the hundreds of officers and soldiers missing on the submarine are related to his next presidential election. At that time, the influence of family members and public opinion will be huge.

Although President Bush's public opinion and reputation are at the peak of his power, he does not want to withdraw from the next July's presidential election because of the impact of the Arctic Ocean incident.

How could Yanayev let go of this opportunity, continue to taunt Bush, and deliberately asked in a surprised tone, "Also, why did the American submarine crash in the waters near us? This is not logical, right? Could it be that the patrol route of your Americans has reached the border of our country? Or is there a problem with the navigation of your American submarine? Or that he came to our waters to collect intelligence and had an accident?"

"Now our side is also at a loss. Before seeing our crew, everything is still unclear, so I hope the Soviet Union can reply as soon as possible, President Yanayev." Bush changed the topic awkwardly , can only perfunctory the other party with not knowing.

"Of course, our Soviet Union has always been very enthusiastic. Even if the opponent is an opponent, we will carry out rescue out of humanitarian considerations. But you just called to ask us to help. The climate in the Arctic Ocean is so bad, I'm afraid those crew members are in danger. Less. But President Bush, we'll do our best."

Hearing Yanayev's last words, Bush's heart skipped a beat, and an ominous premonition flooded his heart. If someone from the crew really died in the Arctic Ocean, then he would also be unable to escape.Bush hung up the phone with a sigh.He raised his head and looked at the expectant eyes of the people around him, and said helplessly, "It seems that this incident is difficult to handle. The attitude of the President of the Soviet Union has always been perfunctory, and I am afraid that they will detain them and not exchange them. , I am afraid that this matter will trouble you diplomats a lot more."

Lawrence Sidney Eagleberg, acting White House Secretary of State, was well aware of the weight of Bush's words. He nodded quickly and said, "Your Excellency, don't worry. We won't be overwhelmed by the Soviet Union with its economic downturn." intimidated."

"You must be very careful, because we don't know if the Soviets have designed some traps waiting for us. Also, it's best to suppress this matter as much as possible, and don't talk about public opinion. This is for us It’s not a good thing.” Now the Soviet Union is the one that has taken the initiative, and that’s what Bush is most worried about.

The presidential election is approaching, and Bush has no energy to deal with another public relations crisis. If he does not handle it well, the Democratic Party will take advantage of this incident and replace the Republican Party in power.

It is not only President Bush who is also thinking about this matter, but Yanayev is also thinking about how to use this crisis to defeat Bush's arrogance.Next, in the presidential election in July 1992, Bush would eventually lose to the newly-emerged Clinton, and what Yanayev had to do was to put the last straw for Bush on the historical foregone conclusion.

Compared with Bush, Yanayev still likes Clinton a little more. This American president with a bit of a brain and Lewinsky's sex news can be regarded as a world-famous event in the 90s.However, what he did during his administration can be described as unsatisfactory. The bill to make gays public in the military finally ended in a way of indifference under the resistance of the military. The luxury tax hurt the interests of the middle class and the health care system The social backlash triggered by the reform failure led to the Democratic Party's disastrous defeat in the 1994 midterm elections, losing control of both the Senate and the House of Representatives.The only achievement is to drive the rapid development of the American technology industry in the 90s. However, this achievement also ended with the collapse of the economic bubble in the last year of his tenure.

"The U.S. military has such a heartless thing, the people can't be kept in the dark." Yanayev slapped his thigh suddenly when he thought of this, he picked up his personal phone and dialed Wallace's phone number , regardless of whether the other party has entered a dream, after the call was connected, he said directly, "I am Yanayev from the Soviet Union, Wallace, my friend, how are you doing recently?"

Wallace, who was woken up by the phone on the other side of the world, rubbed his sleepy eyes, and said to him in a bad mood, "It's not good at all. Waking someone up by calling in the middle of the night is not something a friend should do."

"Haha, forgive me for being unreasonable, friend, you must know that it is still broad daylight in Moscow now." Yanayev glanced at the sun outside the window and said jokingly.He didn't talk too much about it now, and directly got to the point, "That's right, I'm looking for you because I have a piece of news that will shock the whole world in my hand. I wonder if you are interested in an exclusive report?"

"Huh?" Hearing Yanayev's words, Wallace suddenly lost his mind.If it is said that others say this sentence, he can be regarded as a lie, then the weight of saying it from the mouth of a country leader is quite enough.

He sat up from the bed, turned on the bedside lamp, held the microphone and asked, "What are you talking about news? Will there be a large-scale conflict between the US and the Soviet Union?"

"That's not true. A Los Angeles-class submarine from the U.S. military entered the Soviet Union's Arctic Circle to collect intelligence, and finally sank in our waters due to an accident. The number of casualties in the accident is currently unknown. Is this big news?" Yana Yeve deliberately used the unknown number of casualties to tug at Wallace's heartstrings.

As soon as he thought that the United States might suppress public opinion on this matter, he gave Wallace an early warning. Of course, he also gave some information to those members of the Democratic Party who had long been eyeing the position of the Republican Party.

"Forget it, of course forget it!" Wallace couldn't be more excited. This kind of big news will undoubtedly make him a Pulitzer Prize winner again.He pushed his glasses and said excitedly, "But I still need more information, such as the situation of the detained crew, and the specific sea area where the crash occurred. President Yanayev can send these information without involving confidential information." Send me a photo?"

"Of course, no problem. I am still happy to help old friends of the Soviet people. Tell me your address, and I can send it to you. That is an exclusive photo." Yanayev said with a smile.

"Of course no problem." Wallace reported a string of addresses to the other party. When the time comes, those exclusive photos will be sent to Wallace's home, and he will immediately integrate these materials and publish them.

The reason why Yanayev chose to delay the report for a few days is to create an atmosphere in American society that the government is covering up the truth.The US submarine accident was not reported at the first time, but was exposed by reporters afterwards.It is obvious that Yanayev's approach is aimed at President Bush, and the outburst of public opinion may not be properly resolved by Bush.

At that time, I am afraid that the public opinion of the president and the Republican Party will fall to the bottom.

Chapter 128 Diplomatic Disturbance

There are two things that Jack F. Matlock, Jr., the American ambassador to the Soviet Union, hates most. One is to try vodka that tastes like industrial alcohol, and the other is to step into the Kremlin to meet with Soviet state leaders.The former would at most make his stomach churn for a few days, but the latter would give Matlock nightmares for days.Especially Yanayev's cold eyes, he is an actor who can win the Oscar for Best Villain.So much so that when Matlock saw Yanayev, who was close to the people in the newspaper, he often wondered whether he was seeing the same person.

Fortunately, this time I met Tasnia Shevardnadze, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Soviet Union. Compared with Yanayev's gloomy face, the polite and amiable Shevardnadze relieved Matlock's nervous mood Quite a lot.

"Hello, Ambassador Matlock, I'm Shevardnadze, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Soviet Union." Shevardnadze greeted him with a smile, and his gentle smile relaxed his nervous heart a lot.Sometimes Matlock wondered why he was nervous.

"Hello, Minister Shevardnadze, I'm glad you took time out of your busy schedule to meet with me."

After sitting down in the chair, Matlock, the US ambassador to the Soviet Union, greeted Shevardnadze politely on the surface, thinking about how to ask him about that matter later.After all, the task entrusted to him by Washington is to return as much as possible the officers of the ships detained in the Soviet Union.

However, what Matlock did not expect was that Shevardnadze was the first to mention the matter of the American submarine, "I received your request for help, which is about the accident of the USS Baton Rouge in the Arctic Ocean. Of course we The search and rescue boats of the North Sea Fleet were also immediately used to search for the wrecked personnel. Fortunately, we quickly found the personnel of the wrecked submarine and brought them back to Murmansk, where your crew will receive comprehensive medical treatment .”

Speaking of this, Shevardnadze sighed deliberately, and Matlock's heart suddenly became tense.Shevardnadze continued, "But according to the report in my hand, several crew members have contracted infectious diseases due to physical reasons, so we can only isolate your crew members for treatment, and wait until everyone recovers before sending them to the hospital. They give it back to you."

Hearing this, Matlock breathed a sigh of relief, and he said hastily, "So how long will the treatment take? How long will it take for me to welcome our people back?"

"Well..." Shevardnadze scratched his head deliberately, and said, "Maybe, it will take about a month and a half, plus some later observations to confirm that the person is actually returned to you. About a month."

"Two months?" Matlock almost stood up from his chair. He calmed down his emotions and asked in a calm tone as much as possible, "Are you serious? Minister Shevardnadze. A small A small viral infection takes two months?"

Matlock's subtext is that he doesn't believe the excuse.

Anyone can see that the Soviet Union is playing a scoundrel, but Matlock just can't pierce this layer of paper.

Shevardnadze was sitting behind the desk, holding a cup of coffee and looking at Matlock's uncertain expression, thinking that I like the way you Americans can't understand me and can't stop me from building the great ideal of socialism.Shevardnadze heheed, and said nonsense to Matlock in a serious manner, "We didn't detain your crew on purpose, Ambassador Matlock. You must know that bacterial infections in the Arctic Ocean are very deadly. If you haven't figured out which ones I’m sorry I can’t let them go before the virus is infected. This is responsible for us, and also responsible for your safety. If something really happens, it’s not good to turn back to us.”

Matlock felt that his blood pressure was a little high. He made a pause gesture to Shevardnadze, sat on a chair to calm down, "Let me calm down first, Minister Shevardnadze."

"Okay, let's continue talking when you calm down." The first round of confrontation ended with Shevardnadze winning.He waited until Matlock's expression gradually calmed down before signaling whether the other party wanted to continue. After all, Matlock's physical condition did not seem to be so ideal.

Matlock nodded and said, "Of course, I put forward a condition, that is, let the American medical team enter your Murmansk to treat our crew members. Isn't this request too much?"

"It still doesn't work." Shevardnadze showed a very embarrassed look, "You know, they are currently undergoing treatment in the base of the North Sea Fleet. Generally speaking, outsiders, especially opponents, cannot enter In the base of the North Sea Fleet, no one knows whether there will be some sensitive and special personnel mixed in. So please forgive me, Ambassador Matlock."

Everyone knew that the special personnel that Shevardnadze referred to were intelligence spies of the US military, and Matlock had a headache.It was obvious that the Soviets were perfunctory him, and in the end they could only choose to ask straight to the point, "So how can I see the crew members detained by you as soon as possible?"

"Pay attention to your words, Ambassador Matlock. It is aid, not detention. You must be very cautious in terms of diplomatic language, otherwise it will cause diplomatic disturbances." Shevardnadze is still gentle and sad. He said, "As I said before, the crew cannot be released unless it is finally confirmed that the crew members are in good health."

"Anyway, in our Soviet Union, everything will be prudent. When the crew is really okay, it will naturally be returned to you. Oh, by the way, and all expenses incurred during rescue and treatment will be paid by the US government. This is our responsibility. condition."

Matlock was a little dumbfounded. Is this still a socialist camp that does not pay attention to economic benefits, but only pursues equality for everyone?It is even more vicious than the blood sucking of Wall Street bankers.He immediately retorted, "I hope Minister Shevardnadze can figure out one thing. Rescue is humanitarian, and interests or personal emotional factors should not be brought into negotiations."

"Oh, that's it, then I will count the losses caused by your relationship." Shevardnadze said solemnly, wringing his fingers, "First, your submarine Baton Rouge has not been approved by the Soviet government. The permission to break into our waters and caused damage to one of our Sierra-class submarines, we didn't ask you to pay for this expense, did we?"

"Second, in order to rescue your personnel, we have dispatched many destroyers and rescue boats to search and rescue your crew members. You have provided the best medical treatment services, but Matlock, as a diplomatic staff, you still only care about Regarding the matter of your crew, you have no scruples about our feelings."

"Third, what about the fact that you sneaked into the Soviet waters and attempted to eavesdrop on our intelligence? Regarding this matter, we can formally protest, and even detain your crew members openly and give them the worst treatment, instead of treating them. These white-eyed wolves are returned to you. If it is despicable to say that we are responsible for the health of this group of crew members, then what you Americans have done can be described with fingers?"

"It's just a group of cunning foxes!" Shevardnadze's cannonball questions made Matlock unable to resist, but at this time the problem of high blood pressure happened again.Subconsciously, Matlock wanted to take a few pills from his pocket and swallow them to suppress the shock, but a dizziness caused him to fall off the chair and onto the floor.

Seeing this situation, Shevardnadze quickly called the medical staff to come in, and Matlock, who was gradually losing consciousness, looked at the communist symbol of sickle and hammer on the ceiling, as if it was a merciless mockery of him. It was someone who provoked someone, and he had to suffer such torture.

Paramedics rushed into Shevardnadze's office and administered emergency treatment to Matlock.The instigator, Shevardnadze, pretended to be innocent and stood aside, looking at Matlock with gloating eyes.

"It is estimated that the Soviet ambassador to the United States will be transferred." Shevardnadze thought secretly.

Chapter 129 I'll be there

"Pfft, what did you say? American Ambassador Matlock fell to the ground due to Shevardnadze's high blood pressure? And Shevardnadze also pretended to have nothing to do with him. Sorry, let me introduce I'll laugh for a while. Hahahahaha..." Yanayev, who was eating lunch, almost laughed and spat out the meat he was chewing when he heard the news.

Laughing unceasingly, he couldn't help shaking his head, but Shevardnadze was only allowed to delay the time, but he didn't let him send him to the hospital angrily.This is great, the Soviet Foreign Minister successfully caused a diplomatic disturbance, and it is estimated that he will have to come to the door to apologize in the end.