Chapter 72

General Zelyanov entered and gave Shelepov a big hug, exuding a carefree demeanor as he said with a smile, "Yuri? How many days have you been back from Berlin? No wonder you are our KGB's ace director, the West Berlin riots were handled beautifully!"

"Hey!!! Don't talk nonsense. That was the choice of the people of West Berlin, it has nothing to do with me!" Shelepov chatted with the head of the KGB Border Troops. To be honest, the relationship between Shelepov and General Zelyanov was not particularly close among the various KGB directors, at best it was lukewarm. However, the commander of the KGB Central Asian Border Troops, General Kudryashov, was someone Shelepov had promoted from the Dzerzhinsky Regiment.

The reason General Zelyanov was so courteous to Shelepov was that he knew Shelepov had been a member of the Serov group from a very early stage, enjoying more trust than any of the KGB directors. Moreover, Shelepov had indeed resolved the funding issues for the Border Troops, which managed 300,000 KGB border guards. The border guards needed more than just salaries; they required military training and the purchase of weapons, all of which required money. Each time the KGB budget was discussed, General Zelyanov faced enormous pressure from almost all the KGB departments. If it weren't for Shelepov using the First Directorate to make money abroad, he would have considered hanging himself.

"By the way, every time you go abroad, you bring back significant expenses. How do you manage to do that!" General Zelyanov asked with some curiosity.

The specific methods used by the First Directorate, such as the pyramid scheme, international phone scams, casinos in the Americas, smuggling in Africa, and agreements signed with revolutionary organizations across Asia, Africa, and Latin America, could not be disclosed to others, and General Zelyanov was no exception. However, Shelepov hinted to his colleague, "All the quick money-making methods of capitalism are recorded in our Soviet criminal code!"

Ha ha, the three KGB directors smiled at each other. General Sakhachevsky pointed at Shelepov and shook his head, strongly agreeing with Shelepov's habit of criticizing the United States whenever possible. He spread out a map of Azerbaijan and said, "Let's talk about the situation in Iraq. Our three departments will cooperate to set up a training camp in Azerbaijan. The Military Administration will issue orders, the Border Troops will build the camp, and the First Directorate will be responsible for bringing the Iraqi Communist Party members into Azerbaijan!"

"Basically no problem!" Shelepov took out a pack of Camel cigarettes and threw it on the table, saying, "But the specific training direction needs to be carefully discussed. We can start with individual training. At the beginning of the year, when I wasn't in Berlin, I selected ten model soldiers from various units around Moscow. This time, they can go to Azerbaijan!"

"I also believe we shouldn't teach them complete military training. Even if we did, Iraq doesn't have enough tanks for them to use. It's better to focus on infantry training!" General Zelyanov agreed with Shelepov's view.

"In our kind of subversive work, the worst thing is to be hasty. So, our three departments need to have the right mindset. We should write frequent reports, but slow down our actions!" Shelepov nodded and analyzed, "We can either let the Iraqis fight each other and just provide weapons, or we can act with 100% certainty. If we act, we must change the sky in Iraq! We need to do more preparation. Once the opportunity comes, we can crush all the enemies of communism in one go!"

Saying this, Shelepov habitually put a cigarette in his mouth and said to his two colleagues, "This time, I want to bring in a group of colleagues, not just the KGB!"

"Are you going to reorganize the joint operations of the intelligence agencies of nine countries?" General Sakhachevsky shook his head and said, "From the moment you started re-establishing intelligence sharing mechanisms with brother countries two years ago, I could see that you were still thinking about the intelligence agencies of nine countries!"

"Of course, I can't forget about it!" Shelepov coldly snorted and said with a serious expression, "The intelligence agencies of nine countries should not have been dissolved. In September, we will hold a meeting in Bucharest to strengthen the intelligence sharing mechanism, which will be the second step in restoring the intelligence agencies of nine countries! Collective strength is the foundation of our work! Just like now, if the Comintern still existed, wouldn't it save us a lot of trouble? We could directly contact the Iraqi Communist Party through the Comintern, instead of taking so many detours..."

A thirty-year-old, considered young among all the KGB directors, but this young man always had his own ideas, especially regarding the Comintern. Sakhachevsky and Zelyanov did not have much nostalgia. The Soviet Union could lead the world socialist movement without it. What would having the Comintern achieve? It might attract too much attention, limiting the Soviet Union's ability to implement its will.

Even though the two did not express their opinions, Shelepov's perceptiveness clearly detected that his colleagues were not interested in the Comintern, believing it might limit Soviet influence and make their actions less free. So, he did not say more and refocused on the situation in Iraq.

"The civil war in Iraq is not brutal enough. In the past few months, there haven't been many significant battles! With only a few thousand casualties, this is called a war?" Shelepov shook his head and said, "Is it a problem with the weapons? We can bring in a batch of World War II light weapons from Czechoslovakia and East Germany. We will provide the guns and ammunition; they just need to fight!"

"Exactly, those tribal elders and religious leaders, though respected, are no match for the Kassem military government! It's more like the government is suppressing unrest!" General Sakhachevsky, through the Middle East Department, was well-informed about Iraq and naturally saw this obvious issue.

"That's right. Let the civil war spread throughout the country, involving all forces! We can then support our Iraqi comrades with peace of mind. During this period, they must consolidate their territory and root themselves in the masses, without getting involved in the civil war or joining any side!" Shelepov summarized his plan for Iraq, "Any side is stronger than our comrades. The strength of the Iraqi Communists lies in their better organization and good reputation. They should not join the civil war and tarnish their reputation! They need to consolidate their territory and wait for our command. Once we act, they can quickly sweep across the country!"

After discussing how to manipulate the situation, General Zelyanov took his leave. The headquarters of the Border Troops was two hours away, and General Zelyanov preferred to stay there. Coming out to meet today was already a great show of respect. At this point, General Sakhachevsky held back Shelepov and lowered his voice, "More than a year has passed. Has your suggestion in Algeria finally received a response from France?"

"Really?" Shelepov's eyes lit up, but he quickly returned to his usual calm, rubbing his hands and saying, "Then we'll see how much money the new French president is willing to offer as a token of gratitude for the KGB's assistance. After all, Algeria is four times the size of France. It's not worth the risk of being discovered by third-world countries to help them..."