Chapter 105: The Nobel Prize Really Doesn’t Matter At All
“What? Me?”
Lin Ran, working at Redstone Arsenal, really didn’t want to be interrupted by such trivial matters again.
Traveling thousands of miles to Geneva.
And specifically named by the Soviet Union.
This was not a good thing.
No accident last time doesn’t mean there won’t be one this time.
“That’s right, they specifically requested you to attend, even if I attend it won’t work. It’s probably Korolev or someone else’s idea.” Lyndon Johnson said.
The other side continued: “Because their request was so abrupt, we also made a similar request to them, demanding that the Chinese delegation mediate in the middle.
Additionally, this negotiation will not only discuss the hotline issue, but also mediate the recent Berlin Crisis.”
Lin Ran had no mind to listen to anything else; he knew China would definitely go.
Regardless of the current time point, at any time point, for such mediation, China would send people to participate.
The reason Lin Ran only gave the algorithm was because giving other things, transmitted back to China through the channel, carried heavy risks in between.
If the Chinese delegation came personally, it would be different.
However, on the phone, Lin Ran remained composed, “I obey the White House’s arrangements and hope to make a contribution to world peace.”
Lyndon Johnson, after hearing this, said: “Good, then that’s it; we’ll continue communicating with them.
You be ready at any time, and we’ll notify you immediately once there’s confirmed news.”
Due to the Berlin Crisis further spreading.
Both sides recognized the necessity of the hotline and will send delegations to Geneva for negotiations, with China acting as the neutral mediator, including not only the “hotline” but also the Berlin Crisis.
“If Dahg hadn’t died, we wouldn’t be arguing here.
It was the controversy brought by Dahg’s death in the first place.
Awarding it to Dahg already violated Nobel tradition, and awarding it to Randolph Lin also violates Nobel Prize tradition.
So why can’t we award it to Randolph Lin? To inspire him to make even greater contributions to world peace?
Is it just because of the ridiculous rumor that Alfred Nobel disliked mathematicians?” Carl said indignantly.
At Henrik Ibsen Street 51 in central Oslo, inside the Nobel Institute of Norway, similar arguments had started since September when Lin Ran proposed the “hotline” concept.
Each Nobel Prize has its own Nobel Committee responsible; the other committees are all in Stockholm, Sweden, only the Peace Prize is decided by Norway’s committee.
Moreover, the five members of Norway’s committee are all appointed by the Norwegian Parliament and are all congressmen.
So why does the Nobel Peace Prize lack value? It’s because of this—the awarding committee itself is highly linked to politics, so how can the awarded prizes be unrelated to politics.
“Awarding it to Hammarskjöld at least has precedent, but awarding it to Randolph is too abrupt.
I don’t oppose awarding it to Randolph; we could even decide today to award next year’s Nobel Prize to Randolph.
But at this time point, awarding it to Randolph is really too unusual.”
Among the five committee members present, four approved awarding it to Randolph Lin, only Chairman Gunnar Jahn still insisted on awarding it to Hammarskjöld.
“Hammarskjöld unfortunately died last month in an airplane accident. Although the Nobel Committee has past cases of posthumous awards, those were from 1931.
Traditions from 30 years ago are a bit too outdated.
Plus, Randolph’s proposed hotline concept and pushing the White House and Kremlin negotiations in Geneva all demonstrate his outstanding contributions to peace.” Carl persisted.
Gunnar said: “This is a destruction of the Nobel Prize’s credibility.”
Another committee member, Hansen, who besides being a politician is also a lawyer, with rich experience in law and international affairs:
“Gunnar, I know what you’re worried about.
You’ve gone back to the 1931 Nobel Literature Prize posthumously awarded to the deceased Erik, why not be more fundamentalist?
Mr. Nobel’s will never said we are prohibited from selecting our own winners.
In cases of extreme events where someone suddenly makes major contributions without being nominated, we can adjust the rules through an internal special meeting.
We just need unanimous agreement and then approval from the Nobel Foundation; this procedure is not complicated.
On the contrary, not awarding it to Randolph would be strange.
Especially if he successfully mediates the Berlin Crisis this time and establishes a direct communication channel from the White House to the Kremlin.
It would be inappropriate if we didn’t award it to him.”
Actually, it was still because Lin Ran proposed the hotline concept too late.
Because for the 1961 Nobel Prize, nominations generally start at the end of 1960, and are announced in October 1961.
Lin Ran was still a mathematics professor at Columbia University at the end of 1960, completely unrelated to the Nobel Peace Prize.
The Norwegian Nobel Committee couldn’t claim they had long received nominations from America.
“What if similar major emergency events happen in the future? Do we change the person every time on the fly?” Gunnar’s disagreement was not only about credibility but also concerns about power being stripped; changing every time and then the Nobel Foundation voting to decide.
That would greatly deprive the Norwegian Nobel Committee’s power.
Currently, each Nobel Prize has its own committee responsible, totaling five.
Among them, the four prizes except the Peace Prize, their corresponding Nobel Committees can only make suggestions, not final decisions.
Winners of the Physics Prize, Chemistry Prize, and Literature Prize need to be decided by the entire academy; the Physiology or Medicine Prize by the academy’s 50-person assembly.
Only the Nobel Peace Prize is special; Norway can decide it itself.
Doing it this way this time would mean the uniqueness of the Norwegian Nobel Committee no longer exists.
“Similar things are unlikely to happen again.
Moreover, after we change this time, we can just not allow patching next time.” Carl said.
Mainly because the 1961 Nobel Peace Prize was too special: the originally decided winner died in an airplane accident one month before the announcement, and Lin Ran was too special—never appearing on space race pages, always on international politics pages.
Finally, the Norwegian Nobel Committee compromised and decided to award it to Lin Ran, still because of the tank standoff in Berlin.
At Checkpoint Charlie in Berlin, East Germany tried to restrict Western diplomats from entering East Berlin; America protested by escorting personnel with tanks, and then the Soviet Union also deployed tanks.
The two sides were only hundreds of meters apart, with the standoff lasting a full 16 hours.
The further development of the conflict led the Norwegian Parliament to feel they should award the Nobel Peace Prize to Lin Ran, as a call for European peace.
“Geneva Negotiations: America and Soviet Union to Consult on Hotline, Address Berlin Crisis
(Geneva, November 1961) As the Berlin Crisis continues to cast a shadow over Europe, America and the Soviet Union are about to hold negotiations in Geneva to discuss establishing a direct communication hotline from the Kremlin to the White House.
This unprecedented initiative proposed by White House senior official Randolph Lin aims to avoid nuclear conflict triggered by misunderstanding or misjudgment amid escalating global tensions.
In 1961, tensions around Berlin reached a dangerous peak, making Europe the global focus. Soviet Union’s Nikita demanded Western countries withdraw from West Berlin, while US President Kennedy firmly promised to defend the city’s freedom.
To express support, America Vice President Lyndon Johnson visited West Berlin on August 19, receiving a warm welcome from the public, highlighting America’s firm stance toward its ally.
Against this turbulent background, the Geneva negotiations became a rare pragmatic move between superpowers, with both sides seeking to establish crisis management mechanisms to prevent loss of control.
The core of the negotiations is the proposed hotline and the current tensions in Berlin. This direct communication channel aims to provide the two countries’ leaders with a swift and reliable dialogue method. The initiative originated from Randolph Lin’s proposal during a BBC interview.
The Berlin standoff exacerbated months of mutual distrust; the fact that both sides are negotiating reflects their shared recognition that misjudgment in the nuclear era could lead to catastrophic consequences.
According to the latest White House news, the America delegation is led by Vice President Lyndon Johnson, with hotline concept creator Randolph Lin also attending.
The Soviet Union dispatched Anastas Mikoyan, this experienced diplomat renowned for his superb skills, embodying both sides’ reciprocal stance. The two will jointly supervise the negotiations and finalize the hotline’s technical and operational details.
Meanwhile, the PRC side will send representatives as the intermediary to participate throughout, with independent autonomous third-party Chinese diplomats cooling the tensions.
The significance of this initiative far exceeds the communication technology itself. The establishment of the hotline marks an initial but crucial step in easing Cold War tensions.
Despite the deep ideological divide between Washington and Moscow, this agreement highlights both sides’ common interest in avoiding nuclear disaster. Observers believe the hotline could become a key safeguard, reducing the possibility of conflict from errors or misjudgments.
A senior official from 10 Downing Street stated: This hotline is no panacea, but it provides a practical means to buy time and clarity for decision-making in critical moments.
If the negotiations succeed, the hotline could pave the way for further arms control dialogues, bringing a glimmer of cautious hope to a world in tension.
This newspaper believes these negotiations are a decisive moment in the Cold War. The Berlin Crisis exposed the fragility of Europe’s divided peace, while the superpowers’ contact in Geneva indicates that pragmatic attitudes might overcome brinkmanship. Johnson and Mikoyan represent their respective countries, bearing global expectations, striving to forge a stable tool amid uncertainty.
If an agreement is reached, the hotline is expected to be operational within months. The Geneva negotiations could become a turning point—not the end of the Cold War, but a way to ensure humanity can withstand its risks.”
On October 27, on the eve of the Geneva negotiations, in Oslo, Norway, Nobel Institute hall, dozens of seats were left empty in the audience for invited reporters, diplomats, Norwegian officials, and scholars.
The atmosphere on site was solemn.
At exactly 11 o’clock, the five members of the Norwegian Nobel Committee entered the hall, led by Chairman Gunnar Jahn, followed by the other four members; they wore formal suits, expressions serious due to Europe’s current tensions.
Gunnar Jahn stepped onto the podium and greeted the audience in Norwegian: “Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Nobel Institute of Norway. Today, we will announce the winner of the 1961 Nobel Peace Prize.”
“After difficult deliberations by the Norwegian Nobel Committee and unanimous voting by all Nobel Foundation committee members, it is finally decided to award the 1961 Nobel Peace Prize to Randolph Lin, in recognition of his outstanding contributions to stabilizing the world situation.
This mathematics master used creative thinking to find a way to prevent the world from imbalance, making his own contribution to humanity not returning to the era of torches and stones.”
The announcement ceremony differs from the award ceremony; the announcement is first made in Norwegian, then repeated in English for international media to record.
After the announcement, the site first fell into silence, followed by light applause.
Reporters quickly lowered their heads to take notes, discussing the significance of this posthumous decision.
Reporter Hans Müller from Frankfurter Zeitung asked: “Chairman, I would like to ask if awarding it to Professor Lin violates Nobel Prize tradition?”
“We don’t think so; this is a manifestation of the Nobel Prize keeping pace with the times. We will focus on the individual making the greatest contribution to world peace at present.” Gunnar Jahn answered, “This has also received unanimous agreement from the Nobel Foundation.”
Reporter Tom Wick from the New York Times asked: “Chairman, does awarding the Nobel Peace Prize to Professor Lin indicate that the Nobel Committee is optimistic about the negotiations starting on November 1 in Geneva achieving effective results?”
“Yes, we are very optimistic about both sides’ efforts for peace.”
Lin Ran was still at Redstone Arsenal; before departure, he would take a special plane to Washington to meet Lyndon Johnson, then fly straight to Geneva together.
He also received a call from Norway, notifying him of the award and inviting him to attend the award ceremony and celebration banquet at the end of December.
Compared to the upcoming Geneva negotiations, Norway’s Nobel Prize had no appeal at all.
After all, the Geneva negotiations offered the chance to personally meet one of China’s most important big shots.
Lin Ran’s mind was fully preparing for this meeting.
If he didn’t personally give the other side something, this trip to Geneva would be in vain.
Lin Ran had already thought very clearly about what to give the other side.
Under the name of Area 51, directly deliver technological creations from the future into their hands.
