Big Time 1958

Chapter 966: Psychological Confrontation

“Negotiation is negotiation. I hope President Reagan will be more sincere. Using force to force opponents into submission is ok against ordinary countries, but it is a little bit worse against the Soviet Union.” Shelov yawned and said indifferently, “Besides, it is not just the Soviet Union. North Africa is not an area of interest for the Soviet Union, I believe you also understand.”

The other player is naturally France. The United States and the Soviet Union have to deal with it with all their strength if they want to confront each other. How can there be any spare energy to clean up the French? Unless Reagan can exchange major interests, Serov is not afraid. He also seized the soft underbelly of France, a full member of the Comintern, the Algerian Workers’ Party. The entanglement of interests between the country and the country is not easy to explain. How to weigh and choose, the French themselves have the most say.

“But I have to doubt the position of the Soviet Union. Is it really like what you said, in order to save the hostages, or smear the United States in silence.” What Reagan actually wanted to ask was whether he was smearing himself.

“Of course it’s to save people!” It’s mainly to smear you, Serov doesn’t care, who knows who is uncomfortable in this situation. The reason why Reagan was not as anxious as Carter was mainly because Reagan had been re-elected successfully. But this does not mean that these hostages are not important. Reagan wants to step down safely, not to be scolded to step down, but to properly handle the hostage crisis.

The Soviet Union is not worried about this matter, it is something else, but it needs to release a certain amount of smoke bombs to ensure real benefits. Not everything can be resolved in the diplomatic field, and many protracted negotiations, in fact, the final result is not important. The endless talk has been continued, in fact, in exchange for concessions elsewhere. Or waiting for another event to break the deadlock, which is no different from punching in at work.

Serov didn’t understand this principle before, but now he understands it, so generally he doesn’t put his hopes on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Instead, rely on the KGB to solve the problem, and when it is really irreversible, I will try to find a way from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In his eyes, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is only a channel of communication, and it is only a channel used to communicate with the United States when it is really critical.

The current two, one is the general secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, and the other is the president of the United States. It’s no longer a big spy and a third-rate actor, and the situation like seeing each other late will never happen again. The bit by bit of temptation that started now, accompanied by the confusion of the other party, is thinking about whether there is a possibility of being small and big.

On the Libyan hostage issue, it was Reagan who was more anxious. Serov was also anxious about other issues, and it was a kind of confusion in itself to pose so many issues at one time. to cover up the real purpose.

Soon Reagan also calmed down and began to test Serov on other issues. He also did not believe that the Soviet Union had nothing to ask for from the United States, and it was absolutely impossible to have nothing at all. If so, there would be no such meeting.

The reason is too simple. If the Soviet Union has no place to turn to the United States and has an advantage in all fields, how could it be possible for General Secretary Serov to come out to meet him? There must be an issue that the Soviet Union was very concerned about. The question is which one is this proposal? And so the second round of Reagan’s probing begins…

Regarding the strategic missile defense system, that is, the Star Wars plan initiated by Reagan, and the defense system that the Soviet Union decided to fight against. Reagan first stated indifferently the position of the United States that the Intermediate-Range Missile Treaty must not be tied to the Star Wars program.

“It is very dangerous to try to change the current status quo. The United States may not win.” Shelov replied very coldly, “Once the United States loses, the Soviet Union’s nuclear advantage will become an absolute advantage. I really don’t know if the Americans will choose to choose You regret it.”

“How can the technological power of the United States lose?” Reagan was very confident in his country’s technology. Of course, he did not forget to observe Serov’s expression when he spoke. This kind of dialogue is still a test.

Reagan believed that there must be something that the Soviet Union really cared about among the things being talked about today, but he doesn’t know it yet. The two men separately mentioned the Libyan hostage issue, the Star Wars program and the Intermediate-Range Missile Treaty. They are very restrained in their words, trying to figure out which aspect is the other party’s weakness through the other party’s expressions and actions.

It is very difficult to see through an actor’s disguise, but Serov can do it, and at the same time use the KGB to prevent Reagan from seeing the flaws in himself. Two hours later, the two came out of the small building, performed another wave in front of the waiting reporter group, and went straight to their respective residences by car after going out.

“This Sheloff has been a spy for decades, and he has done a great job of disguising. I can see where his bottom line is. He is a difficult person to deal with.” Reagan said to his wife Nancy after returning home. .

“Although Regan is an actor, there is no one I can’t see through. He thinks that Star Wars is the most important thing. It’s very good. I’ll play with her for two days.” Climate, the Soviet Union’s seasonal tourism is a tradition, never leave the sunny beach in summer, come to Iceland to see the seaweed.

This kind of thing is always up to the woman at home, but the big one is at home, isn’t there a small one around? This kind of trivial matter can’t be concealed from the old rogue. After taking the water from little Valiya, Serov began to think about the next temptation.

I believe this was also Reagan’s idea, and in different places, this confrontation is still going on, just like the general environment of the Cold War.

Most people think that the most important thing in the Soviet Union should be the Star Wars program. If Reagan can abandon the Star Wars program, it will fundamentally ease the increasingly tense relations between the United States and the Soviet Union since the 1980s. What do most of the cadres of other countries and the Soviet Union think, even the important newspapers of the Soviet Union. But Serov just thinks that signing the Intermediate-Range Missile Treaty is more important. Anyway, Serov also knows that Star Wars basically has no effect. Strategic defense and missile penetration are not difficult things at all. Naturally, he is not afraid of Reagan’s mouthpiece.

From today’s contact, he also felt that Reagan’s thinking was no different from that of ordinary people. The strategic missile defense system was his biggest move so far, and he would never give up because of the Soviet Union’s proposal. On the contrary, the Intermediate-Range Missile Treaty has not paid much attention to it. It is just a consolation to the Western Europeans, a by-product of this meeting.

“This is no problem, we will talk about Star Wars tomorrow.” Sheloff said to himself, preparing to talk with Reagan himself about the president’s proud work, and start the second day of meeting around Star Wars.

The photo of the two pretending to be close was passed around the world through journalists in Iceland. This deception had a huge effect. Even some optimistic media in Europe predicted that the most dangerous time had passed, and both the Soviet Union and the United States had to accept it. The reality that the other party has been in the same world with himself for a long time.

This reality can be accepted by many countries, but both Sheloff and Reagan felt that this kind of humiliation was unacceptable. Even if there is only a very slim chance, the two will choose to let the other die.

The population of Iceland is just that. Although Icelanders know that two big people have come to their country, they still live as usual. In the 1980s, Icelanders continued to do their own traditional projects, went to work in factories, and went to sea to fish. Of course, some tourists from Europe will also be received, but compared with the former, it is still negligible.

Unlike these Icelanders, who are at sunrise and sunset, the confrontation between the United States and the Soviet Union continues here. Serov is not afraid that most of the country is not friendly to the Soviet Union. Anyway, the Kirov battlecruiser has a nuclear bomb on it. In order to ensure his own safety, he can do anything.

“If we keep talking like this, it will be meaningless. The United States still lacks sincerity.” Shelov returned what Reagan said yesterday. The Soviet Union has always advocated that the issue of intermediate-range missiles and the Star Wars program should be discussed together. The United States has always refused. This is the decision of the Soviet Ministry of Foreign Affairs. As general secretary, he did not interfere.

Now take out the issue of the Star Wars plan, Sheloff also said that he is very concerned about this matter, showing an attitude.

The mutual testing between the two is still going on. This kind of psychological relief is very boring, but it is a necessary process. During most of the meeting, Serov was talking about the Star Wars plan. Of course, he couldn’t do the cowardly behavior of Ge Tutu, but took the Soviet Mir space station to the sky, showing that the Soviet Union’s technology is better. Strong, the Americans simply cannot win.

“Isn’t the launch of the Mir space station still a problem? Especially after the volley explosion of the US Challenger at the beginning of the year, the reliability problem of the technology of the two countries can be ended.”

As long as the goal can be achieved, the general secretary will not care about the hatred, so what about the scars. Is it less time for the United States to hate the Soviet Union? Reagan was unmoved on this issue, and answered without hesitation, “But the last space race was the first U.S. landing on the moon, and the general secretary seems to be rather forgetful…”

“I have fought a hundred battles and won once. This can also be a reason for boasting. It is the first time I have seen it.” Sheloff looked at Reagan teasingly and said with a frivolous expression, “The shameless in the media like the United States. , it’s really worth learning.”

The whole world is watching the meeting between the two. As time went on, Reagan also understood that the real purpose of the Soviet Union was to hope that the United States would abandon the Star Wars program. Knowing this, Reagan was relieved and prepared to let the Soviet Union make concessions.

“As long as the Intermediate-Range Missile Treaty is signed, I will try to dismantle all intermediate-range missiles within two years. This process must be accelerated. At that time, our biggest threat will disappear, and we can increase efforts in other directions.”