Chapter 135: Professor, What Should I Do?
On November 20, Washington D.C. Truman Building, a few minutes’ drive from the White House, Kennedy held a press conference here about the successful resolution of the Cuban Missile Crisis.
In the past month, the Cuban Missile Crisis went from burning to spreading and finally to its end, with the Soviet Union military withdrawing missiles from Cuba being broadcast live on American television throughout.
This won enormous prestige for this Kennedy administration, successfully salvaging the precarious reputation after the Bay of Pigs crisis.
At least no one would think Kennedy was too young to solve complex international problems.
Simply from this Cuban Missile Crisis, Kennedy undoubtedly performed very well.
As for America also withdrawing missiles from Turkey and Italy, America doesn’t say anything, who knows they ever deployed missiles in those two places.
One more thing here, during the entire Cold War, the Soviet Union shot down no fewer than 4 U-2s, they also fully had the ability to replicate the U-2, the reason they didn’t do so was because for the Soviet Union, they had a better choice, that was the MiG-25 two years later.
The high-resolution camera equipped on the U-2, with the Soviet Union’s optical industry capabilities in resolution and miniaturization, also couldn’t achieve direct replication.
But the Soviet Union had its own way to confirm that the Americans had withdrawn the missiles.
“I want to say that the events of the past month have been a profound and stern test for us all. We live under a dangerous shadow, a danger few generations have experienced.
But in these days, I am proud of the courage and calmness of our people, this courage and calmness enabled us to do what must be done, while avoiding reckless or rash actions that might drag us all into disaster.
We won a victory, not a victory over any country or people, but a victory for the cause of peace and security that we all seek.
This does not mean the end of all our problems—whether domestic or foreign. But it does mean that we can now face these problems with more confidence.”
After Kennedy finished speaking, thunderous applause erupted from the audience below.
Reporters from various countries around the world gathered here.
At this time, the White House press office in the traditional sense of later generations had not yet been put into use, that specific room was not formally built and put into use until 1969-1970, at this time the White House press office was still just a small work area for the press secretary to communicate daily with reporters.
Not suitable for such a large-scale occasion as now.
At least more than five hundred reporters came, along with live broadcast equipment from television stations.
Not to mention the press office, even the White House’s largest room, the East Room, couldn’t fit so many people.
“President Kennedy, I am Mike, reporter from the Washington Post, I would like to ask if the Soviet Union has withdrawn all offensive weapons?”
“Yes, from the time we reached the agreement until a week ago, it was all under the supervision of all American people, I confirm they have withdrawn all offensive weapons!”
“President Kennedy, I am George, reporter from the New York Times, will America continue aerial reconnaissance over Cuba?”
“Of course, we need to ensure the Soviet Union will not continue to act against Cuba.”
“President Kennedy, there are rumors that the hotline played an important role in this Cuban Missile Crisis, is that true?”
“Yes, the first contact between the White House and the Kremlin was through the hotline, we used the hotline to get a preliminary judgment of each other’s bottom lines.”
“President Kennedy, there are rumors that White House Special Assistant for Aerospace Affairs Randolph Lin was deeply involved in handling this Cuban Missile Crisis, is that true? If so, is that inappropriate, as it expands the scope of Assistant Lin’s power.”
“Lin participated, he put forward very constructive suggestions, played a crucial role in handling this crisis, I don’t think there is anything inappropriate about it, does the White House have a strategic master like Lin, are we supposed to leave him unused?”
Lin Ran was not at the press conference site, although the White House strongly invited him to attend, Lin Ran declined the press conference on the grounds that NASA affairs were busy and Redstone Arsenal was actively carrying out a series of work.
But that doesn’t mean he wasn’t paying attention.
He and James Webber sat in front of the sofa, the television was playing the live television broadcast of Kennedy being interviewed.
James Webber asked curiously: “Professor, why didn’t you go to the site.”
Lin Ran stared darkly at the television and said: “This is President Kennedy’s highlight moment, it’s not appropriate for me to go.”
This was Kennedy’s second highlight moment in life.
The first highlight moment would appear next year.
Lin Ran thought of the conspiracy theory he had seen.
Military leaders headed by Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman General Maxwell Taylor actively sought to go to war, while civilians headed by Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara tended toward negotiation.
The two sides had differing opinions.
In the end, Kennedy directly had Robert Kennedy bypass all parties and conduct private negotiations with the Soviet ambassador Dobrynin.
Finally, both sides negotiated successfully.
The entire negotiation bypassed the military, the military was completely unaware.
The conspiracy theory believes this caused dissatisfaction in the military, Kennedy’s assassination was related to this, and six years later in 1968 Robert Kennedy was also assassinated after winning the primaries in California and South Dakota.
Taking this conspiracy theory to the next level.
What Lin Ran needed to do was just wait honestly for the day Kennedy was assassinated.
Find an opportunity to capture the entire process with a high-definition camera, and provide these photos to the media.
He initially wanted to prevent all this from happening, but later thought that Kennedy’s assassination bought extremely important strategic time for China to develop its own atomic bomb, after thinking of this he still planned to take no action, but to create even bigger waves after Kennedy’s death.
After making this decision, Lin Ran naturally did not want to interfere with Kennedy’s greatest highlight moment while alive, but to leave the entire stage to him.
James Webber looked at the confident Kennedy on television, thoughtful: “Professor, you’re right, I think no one will doubt President Kennedy’s ability in international affairs anymore.
The election two years later will be without question, if Nixon is smart he will choose to run again six years later.”
For old China, Kennedy was the joyful Kennedy with wild ideas, but in reality for America, Kennedy was one of the symbols of the Golden Age.
His sudden death would help American people infinitely beautify his image.
There were many factors in this, the Apollo Moon Landing set by Kennedy, successfully preventing the spread of the Cuban Missile Crisis, the first live television broadcast, etc., but the most important was still the Civil Rights Act.
This bill truly laid the foundation for America’s transformation from a white person country to a great melting pot of various cultures.
This was also America’s most milestone civil rights legislation.
Speaking of this, black people had voting rights at the time, yes, but in the southern states they were set up in a particularly disgusting way.
Black voters had to pass something called a “literacy test” before voting, in plain words it was discriminating that black voters had low education levels, you had to pass the exam to get voting rights.
Targeted enough at black people, right.
Even more exaggerated was that the exam content itself was set very perverted, even educated black people couldn’t pass.
A 1965 Alabama literacy test sample included: “If a pigeon flies over the Mississippi River on Sunday, where will it arrive on Monday?”
Louisiana required black voters to answer: “How many words are in the Constitution?”
Such questions had no answers at all, pass or fail all depended on the subjective will of the white registration officer.
Even if black voters answered correctly, local white registration officers could say you failed on grounds of “incorrect pronunciation” or “misunderstanding.”
All kinds of ways exacerbated this inequality.
Don’t think literacy tests targeted everyone, whites didn’t need to take the exam, they had something called the “grandfather clause” that exempted them from the test, meaning if a person’s ancestors had voting rights before a certain specific date, then that person could be exempt from the literacy test.
Obviously before 1867 only white males had voting rights.
The Civil Rights Act completely abolished these inequalities, giving black people voting rights.
Lin Ran being in this era, plus spending time with Kennedy during this period, instead made him understand the other more.
But just so that China’s atomic bomb would not be affected by the butterfly effect, you should still go on your way obediently.
“In the nuclear age, communication is as important as power. The hotline proved its value”
“Game rules changer for crisis management”
“Direct and immediate communication is crucial for avoiding misjudgments that could drag the world into nuclear war”
“Well-deserved Nobel Peace Prize”
“The hotline demonstrated the importance of clear communication in international relations. It allowed the two leaders to frankly express concerns and find solutions acceptable to both sides without the delays of traditional diplomacy.”
From newspapers to television to people from all walks of life, all highly affirmed the role played by the hotline in the peaceful resolution of this Cuban Missile Crisis.
Even conservative media that didn’t like Lin Ran, didn’t like Chinese descent leading NASA forward, this time had to admit that Lin Ran’s suggestions played a crucial role in preventing the world from stepping into nuclear war.
The information was not declassified, everyone didn’t know that Robert and Dobrynin conducted negotiations bypassing all parties.
From the outside perspective, it was the hotline that played a role first, both sides expressed sufficient restraint, which allowed the situation to be controlled within a solvable range.
This incident won Lin Ran enormous prestige worldwide.
Even someone on the Nobel Peace Prize selection committee proposed whether the award should be given to him a second time.
“The Cuban Missile Crisis began on October 14, 1962, when American reconnaissance aircraft discovered nuclear missiles deployed by the Soviet Union in Cuba, only 90 miles from the American coast. This discovery triggered a 13-day tense standoff, with the world on the edge of nuclear conflict. The hotline already existing between the White House and the Kremlin provided the two leaders with an immediate, private dialogue channel, becoming a key tool in easing the crisis.
The hotline symbolizes the further consolidation of the bipolar world order. Through direct communication, the two superpowers could privately negotiate global affairs without relying on other countries or international organizations (such as the United Nations). This mechanism allowed both sides to occupy a dominant position in the international system, weakening the influence of other great powers. The use of the hotline may have made European allies feel marginalized, as the US and Soviet Union could resolve the crisis directly without consulting NATO. This shift intensified the ‘bipolarization’ of global politics during the Cold War, with the US and Soviet Union becoming the main actors on the international stage.
Kissinger”
An article signed by Kissinger was published in the Foreign Affairs magazine.
Kissinger, at this time just a professor in the Harvard University politics department, looking at the past reports around Lin Ran, was eager to try and impatient to take the historical stage.
He at this time found Nelson Rockefeller to mediate, hoping to get a position under Nixon.
In Kissinger’s view, Nixon would enter the White House sooner or later.
And to show his value, this article on foreign affairs was the stepping stone.
“Mr. Nixon, two years from now, your propaganda focus should be on how the hotline can only solve immediate contradictions, not core contradictions, and cannot help America win the final victory in the Cold War.
Moreover, it relies heavily on the judgment of both leaders, on both sides’ rationality and restraint, if one side is hardline, the hotline will become a tool of confrontation rather than a bridge of reconciliation.
Not everyone is suited for the hotline.
You can emphasize that Kennedy’s weakness is what made the hotline a suitable tool.
For you, you can directly lead America to victory, rather than through the hotline.”
After listening to Kissinger’s long speech, Nixon was dumbfounded, I just lost, now Kennedy is at the peak of momentum, who said I’m running against him two years from now?
He even inwardly complained about Nelson Rockefeller, you say this person is a top operator, but the other side isn’t that clever either.
This talk didn’t show any level at all.
“Okay, I understand, professor.” Nixon was very polite, but actually distant.
Hidden under the polite surface was that he didn’t think much of him.
He didn’t think much of Kissinger at all, felt that Nelson’s introduction as an intermediary exaggerated the other party.
What realism power balance master, Nixon even thought of another professor: Randolph Lin.
This was the master he understood.
In current Washington, professor refers to Lin Ran, no need for surname, no need for prefix, no need to emphasize Chinese descent, just professor is enough.
But fortunately, he would soon meet the real professor.
Nixon joyfully discovered that on the autograph book of a 1960 Elephant Party fundraising dinner, Randolph Lin’s name was prominently written.
If it was just this name alone, it couldn’t confirm this Randolph was that Randolph.
Plus John Morgan next to it, then it could be confirmed.
For Nixon, it was a blessing from heaven.
As someone who had been vice president, Nixon obviously wouldn’t give up the chance to return to the White House.
But how to return, how to win voters, that was a difficult problem.
And with Lin Ran, everything would be much easier.
If this was the Three Kingdoms, Lin Ran would be equivalent to Lu Bu, adding considerable combat power for him.
Striving for Lin Ran’s support, having Lin Ran join his team, there were many considerations.
Including the other’s Chinese descent identity, if Lin Ran was willing to cooperate with him, it would mean naturally gaining Chinese descent votes.
The other’s strategic master identity, after this hotline was rendered by the media, Lin Ran was hailed as a modern geopolitics master, believed to have the thinking of a top strategist, able to strike at the essence of problems with a mathematician’s mindset.
With Lin Ran joining, it means their team’s professionalism.
Additionally, like special assistant for aerospace affairs, meaning victory in the space race, etc.
In short, in all aspects, with Lin Ran’s joining, it equals various positive buffs stacking mindlessly.
So Nixon was so happy, the other originally supported him, only joined the Kennedy camp out of necessity.
That fundraising dinner was held by his core staff Robert Finch.
Not core supporters couldn’t participate at all.
Nixon had enough of this Jewish white person’s incessant talking, in his view the other spoke all nonsense, without any substantial help.
“Professor, I think your suggestions are very valuable, but your content is a bit too much, I need to digest it, looking forward to our next meeting.” Nixon said politely.
This was sending the guest off.
Kissinger smiled: “No problem, future president.”
Nixon was even more speechless, I lost two years ago, aren’t you reminding me of my previous failure.
Additionally, Nixon’s current situation was very bad, he lost the presidential election in 60, and on November 7, 62, which was not long ago, he lost the California governor election.
He even publicly said: “Gentlemen, there won’t be a Nixon again for you to kick around, this is my last press conference.”
A few days later, American Broadcasting Company’s news commentary program did a special report on this election failure titled “The Political Obituary of Richard M. Nixon.”
If not for such a predicament, he wouldn’t meet Kissinger who was just a university professor at this time.
But this doesn’t mean he didn’t want to return to the White House.
At this time, Nixon urgently needed a real master to guide him.
After seeing the “fake master” Kissinger, Nixon now urgently needed to see the “true master” Randolph Lin, even if the other was unwilling to join his camp, he still needed to get guidance from the other.
So earlier it was said that autograph book was an unexpected joy.
It wasn’t even Lin Ran coming to Washington to see him, but him rushing over to Huntsville, Alabama to see Lin Ran.
This was also the city next to Redstone Arsenal, with Huntsville Airport, this airport was built during World War II, converted to military airport use at the end of the 1940s.
Lin Ran was very depressed, he never thought he would become Kennedy’s Special Assistant for Aerospace Affairs, so when going with John Morgan to attend the impart, he also boldly signed his real name on the autograph book.
The result was unexpected that Nixon traveled thousands of miles to see him. Although the other didn’t threaten, on the phone the surprised tone: “Professor, I didn’t expect you to be my supporter.”
He didn’t even need to threaten, just release this news during a media interview, and naturally it would arouse suspicion from the White House side.
Plus Lin Ran was indeed interested in this future president elected in 68, so Lin Ran didn’t refuse to meet Nixon.
But the first sentence after meeting was:
“Professor, what should I do?”
