Matlock stood in a conference room in the Kremlin, anxiously waiting for Yanaev to appear. This was one of the few times he had stepped into this forbidden place that was regarded as heresy by the liberal country. According to the Soviet reception rules, he had no right to meet Yanaev directly, but because of the urgency of this incident, he had to cross the so-called rules and meet Yanaev directly with the authorization of the US President.
As to whether this rumored tyrant was as cruel and bad-tempered as Stalin, Matlock could say that he knew nothing about it. It had been two months since the August 19th coup, and he had not spoken a word to Yanaev in person.
Almost fifteen minutes had passed since the request was submitted, and Yanayev had not yet appeared. Matlock had no choice but to sit in the conference room, tapping the table with his fingers, while calculating how to negotiate with the Soviet president.
In short, the American ambassador to the Soviet Union was the one who cleaned up the mess when the CIA guys didn't act cleanly and efficiently, and the messenger for resolving diplomatic issues. Whether or not to rescue the other party, in what way, and what conditions to negotiate with the Soviets were all designed. He only had to bargain with the Soviets according to the script provided by Washington. In short, it was a thankless job.
"I'm sorry, Ambassador Matlock, I've kept you waiting." A deep and magnetic Russian voice came from behind Matlock. He turned around and saw Yanaev walking into the conference room with a smile on his face. He ordered the guards to stand three steps away so as not to disturb Mr. Matlock.
Standing in front of him was a middle-aged man with a kind smile. There was no trace of cruelty or bloodiness in his body. Matlock was a little confused. When he saw Yanayev's photo before, he thought that this man should be a mild-mannered person. So was he really the tyrant who personally approved the execution of 400 political prisoners? The Luciferian political leader demonized by the West?
Seeing Matlock standing in front of him in a daze, Yanaev raised his voice slightly and asked again, "Ambassador Matlock, I'm sorry to have kept you waiting."
"Oh, I'm sorry, I lost my composure, President Yanaev." Matlock apologized quickly, bowed slightly, and quickly glanced at the expression on the other's face. Seeing that Yanaev still had an expression that showed no joy or anger, he breathed a sigh of relief.
Yanayev waved his hand coolly and said, "It's okay, haha. Many of you Western journalists will be distracted like you when they see me. They all think I'm an unreasonable and domineering person. I heard that there is a news anchor named Mike Wallace in your CBS who has always wanted to interview me to get to know the true ruler of the Soviet Union. If there is a chance in the future, I would like to invite him to Moscow for an exclusive interview. Haha, I think it will definitely be a very exciting debate on democracy and freedom."
Matlock didn't know how to continue Yanaev's topic, but the other party didn't seem to care about the awkward silence and continued to talk to himself, "I heard that Ambassador Matlock came here to discuss the incident of an American citizen being detained by the KGB?"
"Yes." Seeing that the topic was finally brought up, Matlock nodded quickly. "I think this must be a misunderstanding. The American passenger has a clean record. He is not a criminal suspect, nor is he a CIA agent. We in the United States will not abandon any citizen who encounters a life-threatening situation abroad."
"Oh? This is very interesting." Yanayev deliberately dragged out his words, "But even the KGB didn't give any specific feedback on who they had arrested or what country he was a citizen of. How come you Americans could predict it?"
Facing Yanayev's sarcasm, Marklock still had a shameless face and began to repeat his usual diplomatic words, "I think there must be some misunderstanding. Before being arrested, this American citizen called the diplomatic consulate and said that he was being followed by the KGB. Before he finished speaking, he disappeared. That's why we guess that he is in the hands of your government."
Yanaev sneered in his heart. Can you find a better excuse? Since when did the United States intervene in the security incidents of the Soviet Union? In a serious sense, this is interference in internal affairs. Yanaev changed his posture and continued to talk to Marklock. "That's strange. When I received your request, I called the leader of the KGB and he said he would pay attention to the development of this incident. So please wait for a moment, American Ambassador. We will give you a detailed reply in a few days."
Marklock realized that he had been fooled by the fabricated excuse, and Bush had warned him that he could not wait any longer and must rescue Leo Vanta from the Soviet Union by any means. After all, he still controlled the treasury of Bush and the interest groups.
In other words, Vanta was the custodian of the treasury. If he gave in, the funds would be completely exposed to the enemy. Although they could use the power of the bank to freeze all the funds in the known accounts, Bush knew that no custodian would keep to their own business. They might have their own treasuries independent of the treasury of the interest groups, which were extra gains when helping the president to make profits. The KGB certainly could not use the funds in the frozen accounts, but these small anonymous accounts were their favorite fat meat. All in all, there were at least 30 or 40 million in funds, if not 100 million.
Vanta gave in, which was a nightmare for Bush.
"Let's be direct, President Yanaev." Matlock frowned. He was going to be frank with Yanaev, who was still smiling in front of him. "What we want is Leo Vanta, who is detained by you. If you are unwilling to return him, don't blame us for not reminding you of what will happen next."
"I understand. Is this a threat, Ambassador Matlock?" Yanaev asked, holding his chin with his hands crossed, pretending to be indifferent. "An economic fraudster who came all the way from the United States joined forces with corrupt forces within the Soviet Union to completely crush the Soviet economy that was originally on the road to recovery. If such a person does not accept the Soviet trial, will he be handed over to you evil financiers to continue to serve in squeezing the wealth of the people of the world?"
Ambassador Matlock was about to interrupt when Yanayev interrupted him and listed the crimes of the Americans in a tone of conversation between old friends. "It is true that we are not as good as the elites on Wall Street in terms of economy because of the long-term planning system, but this does not mean that we cannot see through your attempt to use the dollar as hegemony, establish the evil axis of London-Wall Street, use debt to control the people of the world, and use the wealth created by 99% of the labor force to serve you 1%. You hope that after human beings are liberated from the slave owners, they will once again become slaves of capitalists, and socialist countries are your biggest obstacle."
"But here, I want to tell you that as long as the Soviet Union does not fall, you Wall Street vampires will never have a good night's sleep. The goal of our communism is to eliminate the bourgeoisie and completely liberate the proletariat from the shackles of your capital extortion!"
Every word of Yanaev's words struck Ambassador Matlock's heart, making him shudder. Although the other party still maintained a smiling expression, the murderous intent contained in his words made Matlock, who was always known for his calmness, sweat on his back.
"So go back and tell Bush that he can do whatever he wants. The Soviet Union has never been afraid of us, and it is not afraid of us now, and it will not be afraid of us in the future. Oh, of course, there is one more thing. If Leo Vanta really wants to return unscathed, I hope the US government can sincerely pay a considerable amount of ransom. Otherwise, haha, in a few days, the whole world will know what the United States did in the Soviet Union, and the sensation it will cause may be no less than the Watergate scandal."
When Yanaev stated the conditions, Matlock breathed a sigh of relief. His mission of conveying the order had been completed. Now all he had to do was to throw these words intact to the elites gathered in Washington or the White House, so that they would have a headache. But before Matlock stepped out of the Kremlin, he whispered to Yanaev beside him, "President Anaev, what you said just now reminded me of a patriarch with a special nickname, the Merciful Butcher. And you perfectly illustrate this point."
"I'll take it as a compliment," Yanaev replied politely. Before Matlock got into the black car, he glanced at Yanaev uneasily, but he was slightly relieved when he saw that the other party's eyes were not on him.
Yanaev escorted Matlock out of the Kremlin and watched him get into a special car and leave out of sight before turning back, thinking that the White House thousands of miles away would be even more lively than he had imagined.