Chapter 91

It's nothing much, just some daily posturing. There's no loss in putting on a show once in a while. However, thinking back, it's quite suspicious how Kennedy managed to defeat Nixon, who had just gained prominence after the Kitchen Debate. If I remember correctly, Kennedy and Nixon's election was the closest in American history. Of course, Kennedy quickly gained popularity after taking office, but regarding the election itself, Kennedy indeed had a strong suspicion of cheating.

"It seems that Director Shelepov considers himself all-knowing and all-powerful, but this is America! Mr. Director seems a bit arrogant!" Nixon appeared unperturbed on the surface, but he couldn't help feeling somewhat nervous inside. This was mainly because Shelepov had already revealed something unknown to everyone earlier, creating a preconceived notion that the Soviet Union had a secret and very powerful intelligence network in the United States.

"It's the same everywhere, as long as we don't leave Earth! National borders, which are invisible to us, do not exist!" Shelepov looked down at his shoes and said, "I won't issue meaningless threats like some of my colleagues, but the United States should still ensure the security of the places the First Secretary will visit! As some of my colleagues say, even an unsuccessful assassination attempt could lead to a nuclear war, which is naturally impossible! But eliminating a batch of so-called senators would be no problem at all!"

"Let me finish! Also, since the last time I met Mr. Nixon, I have been promoted and am now the Deputy Chairman of the KGB..." Shelepov interrupted Nixon's rebuttal, "Our security work is not without limits. I myself would not break the unwritten rules to assassinate a foreign politician! I am a rule-abiding person, but don't assume we are afraid to use unconventional means to solve problems. Your United States would be the first to suffer, as the KGB's influence is far greater than your CIA and FBI!"

"Are you stating that you follow the rules, or are you boasting about your department?" Nixon had regained his confidence. After returning from the Soviet Union, Nixon indeed received widespread praise, and the initiative he had lost when Shelepov said he would fail in the presidential election had returned.

Shelepov knew that Nixon still didn't take Kennedy seriously, which was better! If he lost, there might be another force that would consider assassinating Kennedy. If Kennedy died, it could be used to their advantage.

"Although the KGB's influence has weakened compared to ten years ago, it is still undoubtedly the world's first! Add to that the world's second, the GRU, and I am speaking the truth! I am not boasting at all!" Shelepov shook his head in a helpless manner, "People are always like this; they don't believe you when you tell the truth! Goodbye, future President..."

Just after saying Nixon would lose, he called him the future President, which made Nixon completely dismiss Shelepov's words as baseless boasting. There was no need to respond to such nonsense.

The conversation between the two lasted only a few minutes. After stimulating Nixon, Shelepov caught up with the Khrushchevs and stood behind Nixon and Eisenhower with a few guards, "Today I have come to the United States, and I thank President Eisenhower for his warm hospitality, so I have brought a gift!" After Khrushchev spoke, Shelepov clapped his hands, and the guards brought out the gift Khrushchev mentioned.

It was a model of a lunar satellite. Just the day before Khrushchev arrived in Washington, this satellite had successfully begun its journey to the moon. Needless to say, this major achievement by the Soviet Union was a heavy blow to the Americans, as if the Soviets had "planted" a flag on the moon, which read "Soviet Union, September 1959." The slogan, though brief, symbolized an indelible fact.

Shelepov clearly sensed Eisenhower's anger, but politicians are politicians; they didn't show any emotional fluctuations on the surface, except for Shelepov, who could detect abnormal brain waves.

"Thank you for the gift, Mr. Khrushchev. Look, this is the pinnacle of human technology! It represents humanity's escape from Earth's gravitational pull!" Eisenhower praised naturally.

Shelepov watched the insincere performance and thought, "Politicians are really exhausting!" Compared to Anna Stasiyana's tireless translation, Shelepov was quite fortunate, as he only needed to stand there like a utility pole. As for the verbal sparring, it was still relatively restrained on the first day of their meeting.

After the talks and the banquet, Shelepov escorted the Khrushchevs and Foreign Minister Gromyko back to their hotel. Shelepov walked in front and, upon arriving at the hotel, asked the Khrushchevs to go to the adjacent room first. He then ordered the agents around him, "First, clear the First Secretary's and the Foreign Minister's rooms to check for any listening devices!"

The people in front of him included men and women, three from the Eighth Main Directorate of Communications and two from the Technical Directorate. In electronic surveillance, there was still some overlap of responsibilities within the KGB, mainly handled by the Seventh, Eighth, and Technical Directorates. The Seventh Directorate was responsible for technical surveillance and investigation, which was not useful in the United States, so the two directorates responsible for counter-technical surveillance were the ones who came along.

"Yuri, the Americans are unlikely to be eavesdropping in this situation!" Gromyko said with a smile.

"For your safety, it's better to be cautious," Shelepov said humbly. After a while, the agents returned and reported no issues. Shelepov arranged the guards in the surrounding rooms and then escorted the Khrushchevs and Gromyko back to their rooms, saying, "Comrades First Secretary and Foreign Minister, your safety is my responsibility. I hope you will cooperate with my work!"

Khrushchev patted Shelepov's shoulder and said, "Yuri, relax! It might be a matter of youth; it's your first time out, so you might be a bit nervous. Get a good night's sleep in your room! Otherwise, you might be exhausted by the time you return to the Soviet Union after ten days!"

"Understood, Comrade First Secretary, have a good rest!" Shelepov closed the door without changing his expression and could still hear Khrushchev talking to his wife about the stress young people face. He chuckled and returned to his room. He had seen the big cities of fifty years later; what was there to be nervous about seeing the United States now?

Shelepov, lying in bed, held a button-sized listening device between his fingers and looked at it for a while before handing it back to the agent who found it, "Keep it and hand it over to the Technical Directorate when we return! Study it to see if there are any useful insights. Keep one person awake in each room, taking turns to rest! That's all, go rest..."

At that moment, in the U.S. Department of Justice building, an old man with sharp eyes and a stiff face was reading an investigation report. Despite his age, his eyes were sharp, "Allen Dulles lost to this little guy twice? What a disgrace!" Edgar Hoover commented disdainfully on the CIA director.

【I'm about to push it...】

Page flip AD starts

Page flip AD ends