American Strategic Deception Bureau

　Fili replied disapprovingly, because he knew that there were already a great many magical items under the control of official American agencies.

　If we say that when the fantasy world of "The Witcher" was first created,

　At first, he was quite cautious, not wanting to throw out too many magic items at once, for fear of making a mistake. But after trying a few times and making sure there were no jokes, Fili completely let go. To increase people's attention and better fool the world, he generously distributed all kinds of magic items, with the main goal of giving them away in large quantities.

　Take, for example, the New York stripper he'd just freed. Though she was clothless and without a single thread when she "traveled" back to Earth, she wore metal sandals imbued with feather fall magic, a magic collar with dancing lights around her neck, a variety of magic rings adorning her fingers, a magical belt that enhanced her stamina, an enchanted gold butt plug in her anus, and a magical gag that emitted colorful smoke.

　All in all, it was equivalent to her wearing seven or eight kilograms of gold, silver and jewelry, all of which were enchanted.

　Therefore, the number of magical items that have been scattered due to his "virtual time travel" prank has now reached hundreds.

　As the saying goes, things are valuable because they are rare. On the contrary, since there are already so many magical items, there will be more and more in the future.

　Then, they are no longer priceless treasures, but high-end materials that can be used appropriately.

　For example, if you add a set of rings to a magic ring to turn it into a "magic brass knuckles," and then engrave an English motto on the crosspiece of the brass knuckles, wouldn't it be possible to pass it off as a magic item from the "English wizarding world"?

　In addition, the enchanted luminous anal plug can also be embedded in an ancient British-style shield or helmet to add a night lighting function...

　After hearing Fieri's wild and imaginative ideas, Dr. Kissinger was stunned.

　—Using magic items from the “Polish magical world” and passing them off as fictional “magic products from the English other world”?

　What kind of "the wool comes from the pig" skin-changing magic trick is this?

　But, thinking about it carefully...it seems that it might actually work?

　"Ahem, as far as I know, the FBI does have some magical items. If you only want to borrow them for a short period of time, you should give it a try.

　However, a strategic fraud project like this, no matter how theoretical it is, still requires a team to carry out.

　My military adjutant

　Colonel Alexander Haig recently messed up something and was criticized very embarrassingly. He couldn't stay in the White House anymore and wanted to transfer to your side for a few months. Can your department arrange a position for him? "

　Kissinger thought about it and put forward these conditions to Firi.

　Well, you want to get someone into the Strategic Deception Bureau? This is a very normal deal. Fili was about to nod when he suddenly had an idea:

　Wait, Alexander Haig? Isn't that the future "half-president," Admiral Haig?

　Author's words: PS: Today I watched a science and education film introducing the remains of Japan's Jomon period. Six thousand years ago, the Japanese were able to build a large house of more than 300 square meters, and a watchtower more than ten meters high. The pottery was also very delicately made. It seems that they were not considered backward in East Asia at that time.

　However, these Japanese ancestors did not farm, but relied on sea fish, shells and chestnuts to fill their stomachs. It was really rare to use chestnuts as their staple food.

　I feel that before the emergence of Chinese civilization, there was no big gap in stone culture among different parts of East Asia. Perhaps the stone culture in Japan was more refined.

　The Hemudu ruins that I visited are, well, not as magnificent as the Jomon period ruins in Aomori, Japan.

　The Liangzhu ancient kingdom is certainly much more magnificent than the Jomon ruins, but it is also a thousand years later.

　But the people living in Northeast Japan at that time were still the Ainu people, right? They were completely different from the later Yamato people.

　Chapter 554: Only one year to be promoted from colonel to general?

　Colonel Alexander Meigs Haig, a native of Pennsylvania, is currently Dr. Kissinger's military adjutant (staff officer/advisor).

　In another timeline, he would have served as Deputy National Security Advisor, White House Chief of Staff, Commander-in-Chief of US Forces in Europe, and Secretary of State. In just over a year, he was promoted from colonel to four-star general, setting a record for the fastest promotion in the US military before the birth of a transgender general.

　Colonel Haig in 1971 became General Haig in 1972! What a fast promotion!

　What's even more outrageous is that during this period, he didn't win a single battle! At most, he played a role in the peace talks between the United States and North Vietnam!

　Moreover, before the armistice negotiations were successful, he had already been promoted to general!

　Thinking about Alexander Haig's speed of promotion, Firi, who is still only a major general, feels sad.

　You know, it was not easy for this major general of his to come.

　He cheated and deceived people in various ways, fought in the battlefields, cleaned up countless messes, fought against Castro in Cuba, fought against the Vietnamese army in Haiyunling, served the president's mistress and the first lady of a friendly country, served as the commander of the US forces in Vietnam twice, was deeply involved in the American Civil War, directed the destruction of New York, and was almost hit by a nuclear bomb twice in a row... Only then did he finally become a major general, and he was still a commander in name only.

　We are both partners of Kissinger, but why do I have to deal with so many troubles while Haig is the one who rises to prominence?

　(Kissinger: Brother Firi, don’t you look at your family background and Haig’s family background? If you were promoted to the Rockets, would you be able to keep your position?)

　Next, it's like a rocket.

　Compared to General Haig's speed, General Haig has an even more terrifying nickname: "Half President"!

　In 1973, as the Watergate scandal escalated, President Nixon, overwhelmed by legal action and public opinion, essentially devoted all his energy to the legal battles, leaving all national affairs to Dr. Kissinger and General Haig.

　Henry Kissinger, then Secretary of State, told Haig bluntly: "In the days ahead, you will be in charge of domestic affairs, and I will be in charge of external affairs. The president will focus on dealing with the prosecution."

　Thus, for the 16 months before Nixon resigned, General Haig essentially acted as the president of the United States for domestic affairs, while Kissinger handled foreign affairs. So much so that Watergate special prosecutor Jaworski, in an interview with a reporter, called Haig "half-president"!

　It is recognized throughout the United States and even the world that General Haig, who was promoted rapidly, "illegally" served as acting president for 16 months.

　However, despite Alexander Haig's successful career, his combat skills were somewhat disappointing.

　His most famous achievement during the Vietnam War was planning the last large-scale ground offensive of the United States in the Vietnam War, Operation Blue Mountain 719, a massive invasion of southern Laos along Highway 9, aimed at cutting off the Ho Chi Minh Trail from land. The North Vietnamese called it the "Battle of Highway 9."

　As a result, 40,000 American and South Vietnamese troops, under the "meticulous planning" of Colonel Alexander Haig, plunged headfirst into the encirclement of 100,000 North Vietnamese troops and were beaten to death. The casualties alone exceeded 20,000, and the loss of technical equipment was innumerable. The strategic goal of cutting off the Ho Chi Minh Trail was not achieved - all the attacking forces were driven back to their starting points like ducks, and the Ho Chi Minh Trail remained unobstructed thereafter!

　From then on, Colonel Haig gave up his involvement and no longer personally managed the war. Instead, he sat in his office and served as his "political general."

　In this dimension, because the Vietnam War ended early, Colonel Alexander Haig did not get the chance to send his head on the Ho Chi Minh Trail; because the Pentagon remained neutral in the civil war, Colonel Haig, an officer who was more inclined to civilian affairs, did not earn any military merit in the Second American Civil War.

　But after becoming Dr. Kissinger's military aide, Colonel Haig, eager to demonstrate his military prowess, couldn't resist organizing and planning a war in East Timor. As mentioned earlier, under President Nixon's orders, the US military withdrew from almost all of Southeast Asia, leaving only Bali, home to numerous nudist camps, as a commemorative trophy for the Pentagon and the final frontier position (a base for US soldiers to relax and fire artillery).

　But because the entire Indonesia was torn apart by the US military, the area around the picturesque Bali Island is actually not very peaceful.

　This is especially true of East Timor, which is still under Portuguese colonial rule. Not only is it itself riddled with rebels and traitors, it also supports the frequent rebellions of left-wing ethnic armed groups in neighboring West Timor, Sumba Island, and other places, undermining the rule of pro-American right-wing warlords. It has become a cancer that is reddening Southeast Asia.

　By the end of the 1960s, the Portuguese colonial army that ruled East Timor had been badly beaten by local rebels and could only stay in Dili, the capital of East Timor, trapped in an isolated city. The army's morale was shaken and it was in trouble three times a day, forcing the Portuguese government to cry for help everywhere and try to mobilize people for rescue.

　At Portugal's repeated pleas, Australia sent a battalion to East Timor, but it was clearly a drop in the bucket and could not be of much use.

　Therefore, when the withdrawal from Southeast Asia was halfway through and a large number of American troops leaving the Indochina Peninsula battlefield arrived in transit stations such as Bali, Guam, Saipan and Samoa, Colonel Alexander Haig, who could not restrain his urge to do so, came up with an idea in October:

　Simply avoiding battle and retreating would be too shameful. Even if we want to engage in strategic retreat, we should at least win a battle and flex our muscles, right?

　Since the Pentagon has decided to retain Bali, the US military must at least try to eliminate the communists near Bali.

　So, while many veterans with rich combat experience are still stranded on Asia's marginal islands and have not yet been completely withdrawn to the country, and the remaining military supplies have not yet been used up, how about joining forces with friendly Portuguese and Australian forces to launch a "surgical strike" against the East Timorese rebels?

　Even if they can't completely wipe out the rebels in East Timor, they can at least deal them a heavy blow, preventing them from posing a threat to the "US Army Eden Resort" on Bali for a considerable period of time. And by the way, they can also show the world their military strength, showing that the US military is still as powerful as ever!

　To push forward his envisioned East Timor invasion, Colonel Alexander Haig first persuaded Dr. Kissinger, then secured the support of President Nixon and the Joint Chiefs of Staff, ultimately getting the Pentagon to agree to a small-scale "police operation" in East Timor during the withdrawal.

　Next, since this is a small-scale battle on an island battlefield, it is natural to call on the professionally matched fourth-class Marine Corps troopers.

　Just like that, the soldiers of the 4th Class of the 1st Marine Division, who had originally thought they would be able to return home soon, had just enjoyed more than a month of happy days on the picturesque and beautiful island of Bali, sleeping with women, drinking beer every day, and lying on the beach to enjoy the sea breeze. But they were suddenly ordered to go back into battle. Full of complaints, they boarded the landing ship and headed to East Timor, where they joined forces with the local Portuguese colonial army and Australian friendly forces to raid the headquarters of the East Timorese rebels.

　Initially, the amphibious landing operation went smoothly, and the 1st Marine Division encountered almost no resistance on the beach.

　They successfully occupied a large landing area, established a temporary dock, and then continued to advance deep into the enemy's rear, heading straight for the headquarters of the East Timorese insurgents not far from the coastline.

　But the problem is that this time the intelligence department made a serious mistake: no one expected that the indigenous monkeys in East Timor actually had the Soviet atomic bomb!

　As a result, accompanied by a bright flash, a loud bang and a rising mushroom cloud, the Marines of the 1st Marine Division, who had already suffered from PTSD from nuclear bombs in the past eight years, instantly collapsed and mutinied, throwing away their weapons and armor, turned around and rushed to the beach landing site, and then took the ship and escaped.

　A post-battle inventory revealed that the 1st Marine Division suffered only about twenty casualties, wounded, or missing—very minor losses. However, the tanks, artillery, ammunition, and supplies that had been brought ashore were practically completely lost. Many soldiers even abandoned their rifles and grenades as they fled toward the landing site.

　What is even more speechless is that a few days later, the M101 105mm caliber field gun abandoned by the 1st Marine Division was dragged to the outskirts of Dili by the East Timorese insurgents under the guidance of Soviet and Vietnamese instructors, and fired at the city, sending American artillery shells to the Portuguese.

　The Portuguese colonial soldiers in Dili were so angry that they started yelling, "Are you Americans here to help us or to cause trouble?"

　Well, I originally wanted to show my face, but ended up showing my butt.

　Since the war in East Timor turned out to be such a disastrous outcome, Colonel Haig, who proposed and promoted this war, naturally has to take the blame.

　Fortunately, the casualties were few; the loss was merely a loss of face. Over the past year, the American military had already lost almost all the face they could, so losing a little more wouldn't matter. So, after some scheming, Colonel Haig easily got through.

　But as a minimum punishment, he still has to be put on ice for a period of time. At least in the short term, Colonel Haig can no longer fly around with Dr. Kissinger and the White House advisory team, show off around the world, and appear in the spotlight of the news media.

　Despite this, Dr. Kissinger, who was very kind to his own people, did not give up on this new partner with rich experience and strong background. Instead, he tried his best to arrange a better transitional position for Colonel Haig.

　This time, when Dr. Kissinger was kicked out of the China visiting team by President Nixon and sent to Los Angeles to discuss things with Fieri, he brought Colonel Haig with him - he originally wanted to squeeze Colonel Haig into the now purely empty Federal Space Force to add a name to it and get the empty title of Deputy Commander of the Federal Space Force: although there is no power, it at least sounds impressive and gives people a very prestigious feeling.

　But now, after listening to Ferry's nonsense, he changed his mind and felt that the current Strategic Deception Bureau seemed to have greater potential. It would be better to let Colonel Haig be the deputy director of the Strategic Deception Bureau, which might be more helpful for his future career.

　Then, faced with Dr. Kissinger's recommendation, what else could Firi do? Of course, he could only agree to it!

　No matter what, having a future Secretary of State at your disposal is always a psychologically fulfilling thing.

　My brain is working as fast as a computer!

　It only took him three days from taking up the job, familiarizing himself with the environment, understanding the work situation, to coming up with an action plan!

　This was because Colonel Haig had never done this kind of publicity work before. It was an efficiency achieved by learning and applying what he learned on the spot during the hasty transition!

　In particular, the publicity plan that Colonel Alexander Haig came up with after consulting a bunch of people was so impressive that even Ferry, a time traveler, couldn't help but applaud: "Use a portable 8mm or 16mm home (film) camera to shoot a pseudo-documentary about another world, and then show it in theaters as promotional material? Recording the scene of a lucky person traveling to another world? Oh, this idea is great, it will definitely cause a sensation!"

　In the eyes of time traveler Firi, isn’t this pseudo-documentary routine the marketing strategy of the bizarre American film "The Blair Witch Project"?

　——The Blair Witch Project, released in 1999, is a masterpiece in Hollywood history and an ultimate example of low-cost, high-grossing film:

　The people who filmed "The Blair Witch Project" were just a group of students. They used cheap home video cameras and didn't spend much on costumes and props. The entire production cost was a pitiful $30,000, but it brought in an exaggerated box office of $300 million. It can be said to be a genuine "profit of ten thousand times"!

　A group of young people raised some money through crowdfunding, and their debut film became an instant hit, grossing hundreds of millions! This story, reminiscent of a novel, is a true myth, a true example of the American Dream. It will undoubtedly be remembered as a dark horse in Hollywood and a global film history.

　So, how did "The Blair Witch Project", whose pictures are as rough as those of later mobile phone selfie short videos, become so popular?

　In simple terms, "The Blair Witch Project" tells the story of three students who venture into the woods near a small town to investigate the local legend of the Blair Witch and prepare to film it as a documentary. However, along the way, they encounter a series of unexplained paranormal events, ultimately leading to their disappearance and the discovery of their bodies. A year later, the film they had filmed beforehand reveals the fate of these suicidal students.

　——The producer cunningly made false propaganda, claiming that "The Blair Witch Project" was not a commercial film or an art film, but a documentary, edited with tapes shot by "missing students", and it was a true documentary of a supernatural story!

　In order to create a 100% sense of reality, even long after "The Blair Witch Project" was released, the producers insisted that the film was edited based on real footage purchased from the police. The producers also deliberately falsified the authenticity of the film through movie programs and websites.

　Its effectiveness was also very outstanding - people's curiosity is easily aroused, and everyone has implicit or explicit voyeurism. The film was initially shown in only dozens of cinemas, and later expanded to thousands. The film copies were developed like crazy, which shows how popular it was.

　Of course, this was still a borderline scam, and audiences who realized the truth quickly became furious. So while the three stars of "The Blair Witch Project" became instant stars, their reputations were ruined and they became mediocre from then on, effectively overdrawing their futures.

　However, the competition among the handsome men and beautiful women dreaming of stardom in Hollywood's world of fame and fortune is brutal. Compared to those who have spent their entire lives languishing in the middle of the pack, or even just as extras, the cast of "The Blair Witch Project"—even if they relied on fraud and deception—to star in a legendary, dark horse film that grossed hundreds of millions at the box office, becoming an instant star and achieving national fame at such a young age—even if it meant ruining their reputation, it was worth it!

　How does the saying go? Black and red are also red!

　People in the entertainment industry are not afraid of being scolded, but they are afraid of having no traffic and fame!

　——Instead of living a cowardly life, it is better to be a big star, even if it is only for one movie!

　Ahem, back to the topic, if the "pseudo-documentary" format of "The Blair Witch Project" is put into the present day, it would be Colonel Haig's propaganda routine.

　Although it was 1970, not 1999, and the technology was much more backward, the United States, as the most advanced developed country in the 20th century, had already popularized 8mm and 16mm miniature hand-cranked cameras for home use as early as the 1930s and 1940s.

　Well, in Chinese Republican dramas, especially those set in Shanghai, this thing occasionally appears as a prop.

　In the 1950s, the American middle class generally used it to record images of family and school life, such as holiday celebrations, birthday parties, weddings and funerals, graduation celebrations, etc., and then projected them with a home mini projector to reminisce from time to time - it was equivalent to a moving photo album.

　By the 1960s, home video cameras capable of shooting color movies had been upgraded and were quite popular in the United States.

　Although it only has the function of recording images, it cannot record audio at the same time - that requires the use of a large camera used by a TV station photographer.

　Therefore, home videos of this period were mostly silent, or they might have subtitles and dubbing. But for fabricating "pseudo-documentaries," wouldn't it be much more convenient and easier to not have sound?

　"Right now, we need to buy a few old 8mm home video cameras from the second-hand market, build a secret studio, and shoot a few silent films on the theme of "English-speaking other worlds" - not by professional photographers, but by amateurs.

　"We have to account for any issues like backlighting and hand shaking, so that they won't be noticed by experienced hands. But the scenery and props must be as realistic as possible, and no flaws can be easily exposed."

　Colonel Alexander Haig pointed to his plan and said to Phiri, "Next, we will make a few copies of the film and take them to a reliable Hollywood studio to commission them to use these materials to make a documentary.

　Officials would then appropriately leak information to attract public attention and arouse the interest of moviegoers in the documentary. Finally, the FBI would secretly work to urge theater chains to promote and distribute the documentary. Then, this fake documentary would "naturally" appear in theaters across the United States, sparking heated discussion.

　I believe that compared to articles in newspapers and magazines, a documentary about another world should be able to give the American people a more intuitive experience."

　Well, yes, given the American people's anti-intellectual tradition of not liking to read books, movies do have a much greater influence than printed materials.

　Instead of publishing a bunch of sleazy literature like "Easter Island Alien Statues" and "Egyptian Pyramids Are UFO Bases" in newspapers and magazines, or having a few fake "time travelers" participate in talk shows on radio and television stations and talk about soporific topics...

　It would be better to just make a "pseudo-documentary" about a "different world" to fool the public!

　You know, even in 1999, there were still many American audiences who believed that the story in "The Blair Witch Project" was true.

　Not to mention that in 1970, there were already real "travelers" returning from the "other world"...

　Fili reached out and touched his chin. The more he thought about it, the more excited he became. His soul of deception was delighted, and he felt that this matter was really promising!

　Indeed, the 1999 film "The Blair Witch Project" became a hit dark horse largely due to viral marketing on the Internet.

　But compared to the 21st century, the internet was still in its infancy in 1999, with its influence covering only a few million people. Its contribution to the $300 million box office of "The Blair Witch Project" was limited—or, even without the internet, "The Blair Witch Project" could have found another way to become a hit!

　It was 1970, and although there was no Internet, with the federal government's support, the publicity and promotion effects should not have been too bad.

　Next, for the strategic deception director, even if the economics weren't the only factor, but the political ones, making a pseudo-documentary like "The Blair Witch Project" and successfully fooling the world would surely be a huge plus in KPI assessments.

　President Nixon might not care about what articles you've produced, but he'll probably notice a new movie that's sparking a wave of public opinion!

　However, just by relying on such a "pseudo-documentary" to let the American public know that there is a fantasy world where English is spoken, and that the English-speaking people have also carved out a living space in one or several magical worlds...will they immediately cheer up as if they had been injected with chicken blood?