(3rd Update)

The Secretary of Defense, who had just fallen asleep, was woken up by a phone call and was no longer sleepy, and a call from the Pentagon told Dick? Cheney, a Los Angeles-class nuclear-powered submarine lost a trace in Soviet waters in the Arctic Ocean a few hours ago and is currently missing. Realizing that something was wrong, he immediately got up and rushed to the Pentagon headquarters, thinking that it was time to cause another diplomatic storm that caused a sensation around the world.

Also emerging from the bed were US President George W. Bush, US Chief of Naval Operations Frank? Kelso. In addition to worrying about the fate of all the officers and men on the US submarine, the US Government is more worried about what kind of crazy retaliation and actions will be made by the Soviets, whose thinking and understanding are no longer on the same level.

In the Pentagon's operations command room, Dick, who was the first to get the news? Cheney showed everyone a recording of the last message Captain Jones of the Barton Rouge sent to the command. Captain Jones's tone sounded panicked and unprepared in the recording.

"Our submarine was rammed by the Soviets, oh my God, it's crazy Ivan, these damn Soviets. Command, the hull is damaged, repeated, the hull is damaged, the command, the Baton Rouge is ready to abandon the submarine, the coordinates have been sent to you. We waited for rescue in place, and we waited for rescue in the same place. ”

Then there was a rustling sound, and after a brief recording, a sleepy-eyed Bush asked, "Can anyone tell me what the crazy Ivan mentioned in the recording means?" ”

"That's the underwater submarine tactical maneuver that the Soviets used to use." Chief of Naval Operations Frank? "They'll use the submarine to make sharp turns to detect sonar spots, but it's a very dangerous tactical move. Suppose there are other submarines behind you. Then it is very likely that the two submarines will collide. And then there's the end of the burial at the bottom of the sea. ”

"You mean one of our nuclear-powered submarines sank in the waters of the Soviet Union? And the soldiers in the submarine are still missing? Bush held his forehead and said weakly.

Kelso touched his nose a little embarrassed, this kind of espionage was not a glorious deed that could be discussed on the table, but he still replied honestly, "Yes, Your Excellency. I think the most urgent thing is to negotiate with the Soviets and extradite our soldiers back so that we can find out what is happening. ”

Kelso doesn't make sense. The United States is now ignorant of the events taking place in the waters of the Soviet Union and is in a blank spot in intelligence. The Soviets, on the other hand, had an absolute right to know in their own waters, which meant that from the very beginning it was not an equal dialogue and exchange between the two countries, but a unilateral reproach by the Soviet Union.

"Let's assume that the Baton Rouge sank in the waters of the Soviet Arctic Ocean, that the entire crew of the submarine was saved by the Soviet Navy, and that the only thing left to do now is to negotiate with the Soviets and send our soldiers back. And then we will talk about that submarine. As a nuclear submarine of our country, Baton Rouge has many secret technologies that the Soviets have coveted for a long time, and they must not be allowed to get it! Moreover, it will take at least three months for the Soviet Union to penetrate the secrets of the Los Angeles-class nuclear submarines, which is enough for us to constantly exert diplomatic pressure. Let the salvaged nuclear submarine be returned to us. ”

"I will first talk to President Yanayev through the hotline to see what the Kremlin's attitude is. I hope that this issue can be resolved in a peaceful way. Bush sighed. After all, his own nuclear submarine and a boatload of officers and men were still in the hands of the Soviet Government, and if the Soviet Union did something stupid if his attitude was pressed too hard, he Bush would have to step down under the indignant protests of the people at home.

In addition to the White House, Yanayev in the Kremlin was not idle, and after hearing on the phone that the Americans' nuclear submarine was rammed and destroyed by the Soviet Navy's Serra-class submarine, Yanayev's first reaction was to subconsciously shout, "Navy boys are doing a good job." ”

Of course, schadenfreude is schadenfreude, and the aftermath is another matter. The U.S. Navy's infiltration into the waters of the Arctic Ocean was a very embarrassing event, and Yanayev decided to give these untouchable guys a little color. Otherwise, Uncle Sam really thinks that the five oceans of the world are their back gardens, and they don't have to pay tickets if they want to come and go.

He summoned in the conference room the Minister of Defense Yazov, the Chief of the General Staff Lobov, the Minister of Foreign Relations Eduard Edward? Shevardnadze, discuss this matter together. Everyone noticed such an important thing, Yanayev actually did not summon the commander-in-chief of the Navy, Marshal Chernavin, and the hidden meaning behind it is worth savoring.

"Comrade Shevardnadze, when the time comes, the US ambassador to the Soviet Union must remember to divert the topic when he negotiates with you, especially when it comes to the submarine issue, you can only use the perfunctory words of not knowing and not understanding clearly, understand?" Yanayev said.

In the aftermath of the collision, Soviet Navy destroyers rescued American soldiers who had frozen purple lips in the waters of the Arctic Ocean before towing the Los Angeles-class submarine back to port for dismantling.

For this reason, the North Sea Fleet also made a special show in front of the officers and men, and the remaining destroyers deliberately aimed their shells in the direction of the Los Angeles-class submarine, making a move to blow it up. And now the submarine has been dismembered in the dockyard, and submarine experts carefully examine every detail, constantly absorbing the technology and secrets of the Americans.

"I understand this, but how long am I going to hold them back? A week or a month? Foreign Minister Shevardnadze asked. This is the issue he is most concerned about, and it will be a headache to talk to the ambassador every day.

Yanayev said, "Anyway, you're just playing the role of a microphone, and when exactly will they have to wait for their navy to understand the technology and secrets." Comrade Lobof. ”

"Okay." Shevardnadze rubbed his temples and said helplessly.

"Yes, General Secretary." Lobov said with a serious expression, he is a general carried by Gorbachev, but he is also one of the few people who still holds a high position after the August 19 incident. Yanayev once told him that as long as he was loyal and dutiful, he would not embarrass Lobof, so that Lobov became the most loyal watchdog by Yanayev's side.

"You know why I'm leaving this matter to you to take care of, I don't want the Navy to meddle in this matter." Yanayev nodded at Lobof, "So I also hope that the dockyard can speed up the progress and find out the secrets inside the American submarine as soon as possible, you know?" ”

"Understand that we will certainly live up to the expectations of the general secretary." Lobof said in a firm tone.

"One more thing to report to you, General Secretary Yanayev." Defense Minister Yazov replied, "The news I got from the crew of the Barton Rouge was that the news they finally reported to the United States was that the ship was damaged and that they had abandoned it and escaped. That is, the meaning conveyed to Washington is that their submarine has sunk. I think we can make a fuss about this. ”

"You mean to deliberately deceive the Americans that their nuclear submarine sank in the waters of the Arctic Ocean, and we need to carry out salvage for several months? And then you can be off the ground again to learn the secrets of the Baton Rouge submarine unscrupulously? Yanayev suddenly became interested.

"Yes, as for the officers and soldiers, we can detain them for a few months with cumbersome procedures, anyway, our Soviet Union is what you call a bloated bureaucracy, and since the bureaucrats want to release people so much, it is naturally not so simple."

The idea is shameless, but I love it. These cunning old foxes don't have a face, but the Tsar Bomba can't break the skin. Yanayev almost wanted to give Yazov a thumbs up, but held back for the sake of the image of the supreme leader.

After the meeting, Yanayev returned to his office. He had barely sat down when the presidential hotline on his desk rang. Nothing good will happen when this hotline for communication with the Office of the President of the White House rings. But Yanayev still had to pick up the phone and say hello.

"Hello Comrade Yanayev, I'm US President George W. Bush." The man on the other end of the phone spoke in Russian with some humility. (To be continued.) )