Chapter 422: The Beginning Of Bloody Storms
Nixon sat in front of the desk, his hands clenched tightly into fists.
His gaze stared blankly ahead, as if he could see the surging angry crowd outside the window.
When Lin Ran walked into the room, Nixon had already regained his calmness.
“Professor, it’s good you haven’t returned to Huntsville yet. I think you already know what happened, right?”
How could he not know.
Newspapers, television stations, radio stations—everywhere was talking about this.
Now, the voices for ceasefire had vanished completely. The hawks chose criticism for the voices on campus longing for ceasefire, criticizing them as Soviet persons, as pro-G persons.
The voices for fighting occupied the absolute upper hand.
Almost overnight, in this country, the wind direction underwent a earth-shaking change.
Even the congressmen in Washington were even less tolerant of the behavior of Soviet persons.
For someone as powerful as Director Hoover, the Soviets could shoot him down like killing a chicken—what about them?
Is there still rule of law? Is there still law?
Companies in Washington D.C. have already launched security services specifically targeting these political animals, named “Fortress of Doom,” roughly meaning finding you a mountain around Washington, digging a cave, you live in the cave, and we guard the door outside for you.
Chinese people might find it a bit familiar upon seeing it—this isn’t a kiln cave? How did it get renamed Fortress of Doom in Washington? Not to mention, the name is quite unique.
In any case, the congressmen in Washington, whether you were doves or hawks before, now all have only one voice.
That is, we can no longer appease; we must give the Soviet persons a lesson.
“What should we do, Professor?” Nixon’s voice was low and weary. “Now, how should we explain this to the American people?”
You would be weary too if you were him.
Just moments ago, without paying any price, he was about to sign a peace agreement, achieving what President Johnson had tried everything to do but failed, gaining huge political achievements; moments later, the peace agreement turned into a death warrant, a symbol of weakness, labeled as appeasement.
Moments ago, peace was still the main theme, ceasefire the greatest common denominator; moments later, counterattack, spare no effort to give the Soviets a lesson—the voices for war became the absolute mainstream.
Such a 180-degree turn had Nixon at his wits’ end.
Lin Ran did not answer immediately. He walked to the liquor cabinet, poured two glasses of whiskey, as familiar in the White House Oval Office as in his own home.
Through three presidents, Lin Ran was still drinking whiskey here.
He handed one glass to Nixon and held the other himself.
“Mr. President, the conditions for peace no longer exist.” Lin Ran’s voice carried an emotionless cold analysis: “This is not a simple murder case, but a public provocation, a massacre with the flavor of a trial.
It happened at the most inappropriate time, in the most cruel way, carried out by the most unlikely person.”
He paused, took a sip of his drink.
“Domestic politics has pushed us to the edge of the cliff.
Protesters will link Hoover’s death to the stalemate in the Vietnam War.
They will say we are weak externally, so the enemy dares to assassinate our hero in the heart of our country.
If you choose to continue negotiations, you will be labeled as appeasement, just like President Johnson.
This is not just political failure, but moral destruction.
Prime Minister Chamberlain’s example is not far away; they will give you the nickname Cold War Chamberlain.
We can make mistakes, but we cannot do things that offend voters.
Similarly, another sentence for you, Mr. President: a political character can be disliked by voters, but absolutely cannot become a joke.
This is the unbearable weight for political characters.
I hope for peace, but if we choose peace now, we cannot obtain peace, and we cannot obtain respect.”
Nixon was also a veteran politician, rising and falling in Washington—from vice president in the Eisenhower era, to setbacks and defeats in the Kennedy era, to now entering the White House; he was undoubtedly a political animal.
He immediately understood the subtext of Lin Ran.
In the field of politics, a politician can bear the historical responsibility from wrong decisions, but absolutely cannot bear the consequences of losing political foundation by offending public opinion.
After all, the former may just be a historical stain, while the latter means the end of political life.
And being disliked by voters, in political struggles, being disliked by some is unavoidable.
Nixon himself was a controversial character; he knew he could not please everyone.
This kind of dislike is usually based on political stance, policy differences, or personal behavior.
This is normal.
But once becoming a joke, this is a more destructive state than “dislike.”
From the moment big T announced his candidacy, the Donkey Party has always wanted to shape big T into a joke, but they failed.
If a political character becomes a joke, it means he has lost the public’s respect; his authority, seriousness, and credibility will vanish completely.
He is no longer seen as a powerful leader, but merely an object for ridicule and satire.
Nixon’s breathing became rapid, his fingers trembling.
He understood every word Lin Ran said.
Precisely because he understood, he was afraid.
As a politician who step by step reached the center of the political stage relying on the Longzhong Plan in Huntsville, Nixon had absolute trust in Lin Ran’s political judgment.
If it really came to that point, this president might as well not do it.
“No, absolutely not. I’ve been president for less than a month; if I become a joke like this, how am I supposed to govern the remaining four years?” Nixon muttered.
In front of Lin Ran, he didn’t mind exposing his weak side; after all, back in Huntsville, Lin Ran had seen him at his most embarrassed.
“Professor, we must now abandon those secondary considerations of morality and history, and focus on the core issue of survival.” Nixon’s voice began to harden.
Lin Ran completed what he hadn’t finished: “Exactly, Mr. President, how to maintain your political authority and image.
In this historical moment rare in a century, staying tough and resolute is the only path to avoid becoming a political joke and to regain voters’ trust.
Mr. President, now we have no choice but to choose toughness.
We must suspend all peace negotiations; we must announce to the world that Hoover’s death is a blood debt of the Soviets, and we will take all necessary actions for it. We must let the Soviets understand that we desire peace, but we absolutely do not fear war.”
Nixon looked at Lin Ran, this unconventional Washington politician known for calmness and pursuit of peace; at this moment, an unusual gleam flickered in his eyes.
Nixon knew that what the professor said was not a choice, but a path that had to be taken.
He had no choice.
“Peace has value only after victory.” Lin Ran concluded finally, his voice filled with determination. “And now, we must first win this war!”
White House East Room, the White House East Room was once again packed by reporters, but this time, the atmosphere lacked the relief after the peace press conference, replaced by suffocating tension.
Nixon stepped onto the podium, his face grave, gaze resolute.
He did not exchange pleasantries and went straight to the point.
“My fellow Americans, half a year ago, we lost a great patriot, FBI Director Edgar Hoover.” Nixon’s voice was low and powerful, each word striking hearts like a heavy hammer. “At that time, the FBI investigation reached a shocking conclusion: Director Hoover and his eight bodyguards were killed in a premeditated operation using Soviet-standard weapons.
At that time, our experts extracted bullet mark samples from the scene, and through the most advanced ballistic comparison technology, we confirmed that the murder weapon was a Makarov PM pistol, the standard issue weapon for Soviet army and KGB.”
He paused, letting the weight of this news permeate every corner.
In 1969, bullet mark identification technology already existed and was widely used in forensics and criminal investigation.
Although the technology level at the time could not compare to modern DNA or complex digital analysis, the basic scientific principles and comparison methods were already very mature.
“However, due to lack of direct evidence, we could not identify the perpetrator. In the past six months, we have remained restrained, striving to seek the dawn of peace.” Nixon’s gaze swept the audience, with an unquestionable determination.
Since he was to stir up a storm of blood and violence, he needed to publicly admit his previous mistake.
Nixon, to avoid becoming a joke, made an irreversible choice.
“Today, I can announce to everyone that we have decisive evidence.” Nixon’s voice became even colder: “A video tape that clearly records, on the night of the incident, vehicles and personnel from the Soviet embassy appearing at Mr. Hoover’s villa. Through the image, we can clearly identify Soviet Ambassador Anatoly Dobrynin.”
Nixon’s words were like a blockbuster bomb, igniting an uproar in the audience.
This news had already spread widely in the past, but coming from the president’s mouth, it carried completely different weight.
Reporters shouted questions one after another, flashes lighting up the room.
Nixon raised his hand, signaling everyone to quiet down.
“We will not yield to any threats, nor tolerate such blatant violations.
Peace is our wish, but only when national security and dignity are guaranteed does peace have meaning.
We have issued the strongest protest to Moscow, demanding they immediately explain this matter.”
His gaze swept the audience:
“Today, we hereby suspend all negotiations related to the Vietnam War peace agreement.” Nixon announced, a decision that shocked everyone: “We will dispatch more troops to Vietnam to ensure our soldiers receive the fullest protection until we receive a satisfactory response.”
Nixon’s words rang out clearly; he no longer mentioned peace or hope.
His face showed only the coldness and majesty of the commander-in-chief of the armed forces.
He concluded finally: “A country can bear mistakes, but absolutely cannot bear insults. We desire peace, but we absolutely do not fear war.”
After speaking, he left the podium without looking back, leaving behind a scene of shock and clamor.
The whole world understood that this dawn of peace had been completely overshadowed by Hoover’s blood.
War was now unavoidable.
