American Strategic Deception Bureau

　So, when Dr. Kissinger heard that President Nixon had privately promised to promote him to Secretary of State, he was certainly very excited on the one hand, but on the other hand he felt that there seemed to be little hope: his current status was actually probably that of the president's "house slave" - ​​how could a house slave be made prime minister?

　Although the president is free to appoint anyone as Secretary of State, the Senate can reject the nomination if it is not satisfied with the candidate.

　"Please don't be too modest, Dr. Kissinger. With your full forehead, eyes full of wisdom, and strong body, you can definitely become the greatest Secretary of State of this century!"

　Ferry put down his knife and fork, wiped his mouth with his napkin, and replied. Then he glanced at Colonel Haig, who was about to be promoted to Washington, smiled slightly, and continued to "spoiler" the future in a certain timeline. "In my opinion, not only you, Doctor, but Colonel Haig could also become Secretary of State in the future!"

　"Haha, according to what you said, there are actually two Secretaries of State sitting at this table?"

　Dr. Kissinger and Colonel Haig looked at each other, obviously not taking Fieri's "prediction" seriously, and just smiled and said it casually.

　They continued to eat and chat in this way. After a while, the three of them had basically filled their stomachs, so they called the servants to come and remove the tableware and leftovers, changed the tablecloth, and set out coffee and snacks.

　At this time, the music playing on the transistor radio switched to "Fireball" sung by another country singer, Lolita Lynn.

　After taking a sip of his coffee, listening to "Fireball" and watching the blue flames of the high-end dessert "Flaming Alaska" brought by the servants, Dr. Kissinger said, "I've just been thinking carefully. Alexander might really become Secretary of State in the future, but me?" He shook his head self-deprecatingly. "The United States has never had a precedent of appointing a foreign-born person as Secretary of State!"

　Although theoretically only the president needs to be a US-born citizen to run for office, and there are no birthplace requirements for positions like the Secretary of State, in reality, until Dr. Kissinger, the United States had never had a precedent of a first-generation, foreign-born immigrant serving as Secretary of State.

　Even other positions in the cabinet are rarely filled by foreigners - foreign experts usually only serve as staff.

　"People need to have some dreams, Dr. Kissinger, please have more imagination! I never thought about myself in the past.

　I never thought the United States would establish a space force in my lifetime! But in the end, I was given this position that only appeared in science fiction.

　Fieri pointed to his cap badge and epaulettes. "Why would you lose confidence in becoming Secretary of State simply because you were born in Germany? Given your contributions to thawing Sino-US diplomatic ties and President Nixon's visit to Beijing, who would dare to say you're unqualified?"

　"Yes, although even now I can't imagine how the President of the United States could be a woman.

　However, if, according to the information brought by the British from the 21st century, the United States is really defeated by Japan and is on the verge of extinction in the future, and is saved by a woman, then if I were to live to that day, I would definitely support Ms. Elizabeth Kress as a female president.

　So, if women can become president of the United States in the future, why can't you, Dr. Kissinger, become secretary of state?"

　Colonel Haig also echoed the sentiment and cited a "future case" he knew, which made Fili, who knew the inside story, twitch his mouth slightly.

　- Ms. Elizabeth Kress, in the world of Cyberpunk 2077, is the new female president of the United States who has been re-elected for nine consecutive terms. She is a super ruthless person who has ruled half of the United States for 35 years since 2018, just like a queen.

　Born in 1978, she was entrusted with the task of leading a new America that had already fallen apart in the cyberpunk world of the early 21st century. She fought back in the fateful Fourth Corporate War, miraculously defeated the seemingly aggressive Arasaka Corporation, and nuked Night City, temporarily driving the Japanese out of North America, thus pulling the United States back from the brink of complete destruction.

　Next, she worked dismally in Washington for more than 30 years, struggling to rebuild the cohesion of the United States, awakening the patriotism of at least some Americans, withstanding all kinds of tricks of the Europeans, and laying a solid foundation for the future reunification of the United States.

　In terms of her historical significance in that world, she is perhaps similar to Emperor Alexios of the Komnenos dynasty of the Byzantine Empire. It was the wise ruler who, when the Byzantine Empire was at its wit's end, wrote to the Pope for help, thus initiating the Crusades. Although the Crusades caused considerable trouble for the Byzantine Empire, at least through the power of the Crusades, the Komnenos dynasty was able to recover most of the empire's lost territory.

　As for the Fourth Crusade's capture of Constantinople? The Komnenos dynasty had already ended by then, so who would have cared about such a distant event?

　So, when the above information from the world of Cyberpunk 2077 was brought back to this world by a British frigate that traveled through time and space, and was regarded as real future history by Americans in this dimension, although most Americans felt shocked, confused and ashamed, they had to express their recognition and support for this female president who seemed to be very rebellious at the moment. At the same time, they were curious whether she would continue to be born "on time" in 1978?

　Or that every American family with the last name Kress who had a daughter in 1978 would name her Elizabeth?

　Then, if even a woman can become President of the United States in the 21st century, why can't a foreign-born person become Secretary of State?

　"It's not that simple, gentlemen. This is still the 20th century, not the 21st! In today's Washington, any unconventional ideas will come crashing down. The inertia of the old system is too heavy.

　Besides, a position as high and powerful as Secretary of State cannot be decided simply by relying on the president's favor; it also requires merit."

　After listening to Colonel Haig's advice, Dr. Kissinger curled his lips and said disapprovingly, "Past achievements only represent the past. During my recent mission to Sweden and other European countries, I made a fool of myself. I was met with setbacks everywhere and was even fooled by the Soviets!

　"Alas, after the nuclear bombings in Paris and Frankfurt, and this time the scramble for Africa, Europeans now hate us to death. As the president's special envoy, wherever I go, people throw rotten tomatoes and spit at me. It really makes me feel uncomfortable!"

　While gently stroking the mother-of-pearl inlaid on the armrest of a carved chair, he said with emotion, “Even my hometown is no exception!

　"While I understand President Nixon's frustration, if the US, for its own selfish interests, has tormented NATO allies into this state, repeatedly turning the knife inward and robbing its allies, what will become of NATO, the collective defense organization? Can it still be maintained?"

　Dr. Kissinger was born in Fürth, Bavaria, southern Germany, and immigrated to the United States at the age of fifteen to escape Nazi persecution. While the site of the nuclear bomb attack on Germany wasn't in Bavaria, it wasn't far away. Even if you couldn't see the mushroom cloud, you could at least hear the explosion...

　It is conceivable what kind of expressions Dr. Kissinger saw on the faces of his fellow villagers when he took the opportunity of his diplomatic mission to Europe to return to his hometown.

　However, in the eyes of Firi, who is always good at reverse thinking, this fully proves that Europeans only remember to eat and not to be beaten, and they need to be beaten a few more times.

　"Alas, Europeans are still too arrogant. Even after being hit by an atomic bomb, they don't know how to humble themselves or submit to the strong.

　How arrogant the Japanese were in the past, but after being hit by our two atomic bombs, they were as obedient as could be! Now that Europe has been hit by so many atomic bombs, how can we

　Don’t Europeans know how to kneel down and beg for mercy, and work hard to serve the United States and pray for its favor? "

　Firi complained, "I really don't understand why old Europe thinks that as long as it has similar values ​​to the United States, it can feel at ease and get the US's security protection for free and enjoy a prosperous and peaceful life.

　No one in this world is born in heaven. Those who are born with a silver spoon in their mouth are only born because their parents suffered for them.

　If old Europe still fails to clearly see its true position in the new era and still clings to its past glory, then what awaits them is bound to be an even more brutal blow and an even more tragic fate—Europe today is no longer as important as it was in the past, and if nothing unexpected happens, it will become even less and less important in the future..."

　Author's words: PS: There was another plane crash in the United States just now. This time the plane landed belly up, but no one was killed. It must be God's blessing that they were so lucky.

　Chapter 605: Glory No Longer Belongs to Europe (Part 1)

　"Europe has become unimportant? How is that possible?"

　After listening to Ferry's "weird talk", Dr. Kissinger couldn't help but laugh, and Colonel Haig next to him didn't seem to agree.

　Indeed, many simple-minded American young people born after World War II often have the arrogant idea that "America is the whole world."

　But intellectuals like Dr. Kissinger, who was born in Germany, and Colonel Haig, who came from a military family, who have received higher education, traveled to many countries, and have broad horizons and rich experience, would not have such superficial ideas.

　In their view, since the modern era, Europe has been the center of civilization in the world, and whoever controls Europe controls the world.

　Just like in the distant Roman Empire era, Rome and Italy were the center of the Western civilized world, and whoever controlled Rome controlled the world.

　Even though the brutal slaughter and devastation of the two world wars have weakened Europe for the time being, just like the endless civil wars in the history of the Roman Empire, they cannot destroy the foundations of Europe quickly, but require a long and accumulating process.

　From the outbreak of the full-scale civil war of the Crisis of the Third Century to the final fall of the Roman Empire, two and a half centuries passed. Even from the split of the Eastern and Western Roman Empires to the end of the Western Roman Empire, a full eighty years passed!

　In this case, according to Dr. Kissinger, even including the twenty-year "interwar" period, Europe's turmoil and chaos lasted only thirty years. While it did indeed destroy Europe's colonial empires, it seems far from completely destroying the glory of European civilization!

　On the contrary, as long as Europe can revive again, the lost colonies can still return in another form!

　Even with Dr. Kissinger's wisdom, he did not see through this and still believed that Europe had enough resilience to revive again.

　——After all, although he became famous in the United States, he is still a German after all, and he is born with a certain sense of superiority as a European.

　Moreover, the "future information" brought back by the British frigate from the "future world (Cyberpunk 2077)" also "proves" this.

　After all, if we follow the timeline of "Cyberpunk 2077", the world pattern of the 21st century is roughly as follows: "The disintegration of the United States, the weakening of the Soviet Union, China's enclosure and self-development, Japan's ups and downs, Britain's destruction by civil strife, Germany and France quarrel while joining forces to rule the world with the help of the European Community: and Germany always rides on the Gallic rooster, the other third world countries return to their colonial nature, and then the whole world uses the euro."

　In other words, after a brief period of gloom and silence in the second half of the 20th century, Europe has once again become the center of world civilization in the 21st century. Although this new Europe, led by Germany, is far less glorious than the former British Empire and lacks the overwhelming global dominance, and its challengers are stronger and more numerous, can you still say that the European Community is hegemonic? The Europeans over there can push an asteroid to bombard the United States!

　You can't say that Constantine the Great is the Roman emperor, but Emperor Justinian is not the Roman emperor, right?

　As a result, despite repeated attacks from foreign powers, the Eurocentrism has become even more rampant in Europe.

　However, as prosperous as Europe is in the new century in Cyberpunk 2077, Europe in the 21st century is actually in a state of decline.

　If we say that since the Cold War, with the successive loss of European overseas colonies, any single European power has been unable to compete with the two superpowers of the United States and the Soviet Union, and must band together to form a "Greater Europe" to enhance bargaining power, then by the 2020s, even the entire European Union, with its size, is no longer a competitor to China and the United States.

　But in the 1970s, it was still unclear whether Europe's decline was inevitable. Even though the United States and the Soviet Union had become superpowers that truly determined the fate of the world, a considerable number of Americans and Soviets still looked up to Europe.

　——Just like before the Qing Dynasty was overthrown by Western colonizers, Asian countries still regarded it as the "Celestial Empire" out of inertia.

　There are even many old-school Americans who believe that the reason why the United States can now be a world leader is because it controls half of Europe!

　They believe that if NATO collapses, the United States will become a superpower.

　The United States' status would also be shaken - this is why the United States, despite being the world's most powerful country in its golden age, often unconsciously bowed down to the Europeans, sometimes even acting like a lapdog...

　But in Firi's view, this cultural inferiority complex is completely incomprehensible to Americans in their heyday.

　Europe today is no longer qualified to speak from the perspective of strength, and naturally it is not qualified to stand on the high ground of civilization and point fingers at the Americans.

　In fact, the reason old Europe seemed relatively respectable in the early days of the Cold War was entirely due to the fact that their ancestors' wealth accumulated during the Age of Exploration had not yet been exhausted, and that a benevolent United States had not plundered it all. Once these prodigal sons completely squandered their ancestral heritage, and the United States broke through Europe's civilized filter and inferiority complex, it became extremely vicious and wanted to exploit Europe as it had done to Latin America, sucking its blood out of its bones...

　Then, the playboys in France will have to ride bicycles to pull bananas like Odebiu in black Africa.

　Therefore, instead of letting these old European prodigals squander their ancestral heritage without restraint in a life of drunkenness, laziness and eating too much, it is better to hand these things over to the United States and kick Europe back into the traditional civilization depression in advance!

　——Europe in the Middle Ages was poor and backward for a long time. The Europeans at that time looked at distant India and China as if they were looking at heaven.

　"It's true that since the Industrial Revolution, Europe has determined the fate of the world. But this isn't due to Western-centrism, or white supremacy, or the progressiveness of Christianity; it's simply a matter of power."

　As Firi sipped his coffee, he spoke eloquently, "The power of the Industrial Revolution has radically changed the balance of power between different civilizations and nations, easily bringing down those ancient Eastern nations that were once high and mighty and admired by the people.

　Whether it was an unconscious coincidence or a destined destiny, when Britain, the first country to launch the Industrial Revolution, created the myth of the British Empire at the cost of the chimneys of the Industrial Revolution and the black water of the Thames, the era of European rule over the world arrived.

　The reason why Europeans were able to quickly conquer and divide the world in a very short period of time was not because of their racial, bloodline, cultural and moral superiority, but because of Europe's huge industrial strength, which has always occupied the core of the world's industry for a century and a half.

　Whoever owns Europe's industry will have the power to rule the world. The weak must obey the strong, it's that simple.

　Next, with the power to rule the world, the wealth of the whole world will come along - only the strong deserve to enjoy wealth!

　As for modern European culture and art, they are nothing more than derivatives of wealth.

　However, just as ancient agricultural civilization spread, the modern industrial revolution will also spread, and at an astonishingly faster speed.

　After seeing the power of industry, any visionary group will strive to develop it, otherwise it will be eliminated by history.

　Therefore, lagging countries will not lag behind forever, but will strive to catch up, and it is difficult for Europe to stay ahead forever..."

　He spread his hands and said, "The first industrial system independent of Europe was born in the United States across the Atlantic, the 'New Rome' formed by the integration of immigrants; then there was Russia on the other side of Europe, where generations of tyrants wielded whips and drove the ignorant serfs into factories.

　Next, Japan and China in the East also embarked on their own industrial paths.

　Among them, by virtue of Manifest Destiny and the rich resources of the New World, the United States was the first to possess industrial power comparable to that of European powers.

　However, as a pioneer of the Industrial Revolution, Europe's industry was still able to prevent the United States from dominating the world until the beginning of the twentieth century!

　Fortunately, the two world wars broke out, and Europe's powerful industrial strength was reduced to ruins in the flames of internecine warfare, and the global colonial empires of European powers collapsed. Unfortunately, the benefits of World War II were not only to the United States, but also to the Soviet Union, thus triggering the Cold War..."

　Speaking of this, Firi couldn't help but sigh. After truly integrating into this era, he realized that the reason the United States launched the Cold War wasn't entirely due to the deception of that fat British man Churchill. Instead, it was because everyone from top to bottom seriously overestimated the Soviet Union's ideological advantage!

　For the American top leaders just after the end of World War II, the Soviet Union, which was established with the red ideal as its bond, was an unfamiliar opponent.

　Many Americans believe that unlike Nazi Germany, which emphasized nationalism and could not effectively unify Europe even if it conquered it, the Soviet Union's universal ideology could break down the barriers of ethnicity and national borders, truly unify the whole of Europe, and then utilize the Old Continent's more advanced industry and technology, coupled with the rich natural resources on Russia's vast territory, to eventually form an opponent capable of defeating the United States!

　To preserve its newly acquired hegemony, the United States had to prevent this horrific scenario from happening—and thus, the Cold War began.

　However, by the 1970s, the United States had already discovered its mistake—the bureaucratic Soviet Union was not so formidable, and the passion of the Red ideal was only a flash in the pan. The real threat to American hegemony was actually the resurgence of Europe and the rise of Japan!

　Seeing the economic collapse and colonial system disintegration of Europe after World War II, Europe fell from the global hegemony to the "crack zone" between the US and the Soviet Union. The ruling classes of European countries woke up from their dreams and began to try every possible way to save themselves, even at the cost of many

　Things that were simply unimaginable in the past.

　With the help of the Cold War Iron Curtain, France and West Germany finally broke their long-standing stubbornness and prejudice, and quietly launched the internal integration of Europe based on the framework of the European Community. The old imperialists have their own arrogance, and even though they have fallen on hard times, they are unwilling to become puppets of the New World!

　Indeed, in terms of hard power, Europe can no longer compete with the United States and the Soviet Union. But in terms of soft power, Europe still has many cards to play.

　As the birthplace of the Enlightenment and the Industrial Revolution, post-World War II Europe still sees itself as the source of modern civilization. Its cultural heritage, artistic achievements, and democratic institutions are widely recognized as representatives of "universal values," allowing Europe to maintain its influence through historical narratives.

　Therefore, after World War II, European countries often positioned themselves as "mentors" in areas such as culture, environmental protection, human rights, and progress. This strong cultural confidence not only partially offset the decline in Europe's actual economic status but also successfully deceived a considerable number of powerful figures within the United States and the Soviet Union, allowing Europe to oscillate between the two superpowers and profit from both sides.

　This confidence in its position as a "center of civilization" and its long-term soft power output have allowed Europe to demonstrate a considerable degree of independence despite its long-term reliance on the United States for defense and key industries. While enjoying US security protection, it has shifted the blame for its arduous military obligations onto the US. Meanwhile, it has defiantly and repeatedly defected, even allying with European capital to destroy the US Bretton Woods system! This is nothing short of a futile act.

　It’s just like the so-called “independent women” in later generations don’t need to be financially independent and can take money from their sponsors while scolding them.

　Unfortunately, the imprint left by European civilization on American thinking was so profound that, despite decades of servility, they still failed to recognize that European nations were no longer worthy of great power status. It wasn't until the end of the Cold War that Eurocentrism faded from American thinking.

　Therefore, during the Cold War, countries such as Britain, France, Denmark, and the Netherlands generally enjoyed the happiness of "independent women" who "wanted it all."

　Western Europeans born after World War II were the lucky few, blessed by fate. For them, the brutal history of hunger and war was a distant memory, and a cradle-to-grave welfare state was their reality. With even the slightest bit of ambition, high-paying jobs were readily available. Even if one simply lay back and enjoyed life, the government unemployment benefits far exceeded the daily toil of countless slaves in the Third World.

　Even the most useless, lazy and greedy "white trash" will have beautiful women from all over the world flocking to them like moths to a flame, and they will pay for it, just to get a chance to immigrate through marriage, as long as they don't have those unbearable bad habits.

　While Americans and Soviets were fighting all over the world, Western Europeans were lying under the wings of the United States and enjoying a paradise life.

　——Even if Koreans in Park Chung-hee's era worked hard day and night, endured a year-round absence of rest, and worked themselves to death, the money they earned was not as much as the unemployment benefits that the French could receive by lying at home and taking every day off during the same period!

　The lower limit of old Europe's ability to lie flat is already far higher than the upper limit of most countries in the world that want to work hard to become stronger!

　Is this reasonable? Obviously not!

　Firi thinks that as the world hegemon, how can the United States be so self-indulgent as to act like a bootlicker?

　It is time to wake up quickly, correct this irrationality, and kick Europe into the garbage dump and become a homeless person!

　Therefore, he fully supported President Nixon's move to hit European allies hard and severely punish European gold coins.

　——This time, President Nixon's way of getting the United States out of the economic crisis did not rely on some illusory progress in productivity, but on using force to destroy Europe's security environment, induce the internal collapse of old Europe, and force Europe to give up overseas markets and withdraw from technological competition with the United States and the Soviet Union.

　The talents, markets and resources that Europe will release after its collapse will actively flow to the United States, allowing the United States to gain new economic growth points.

　If European countries stop striving to advance their technological capabilities, their scientific and technological talent will find themselves unable to find career paths in their own countries. Consequently, they will spontaneously migrate to the United States, unwilling to waste their knowledge, and gradually become Americans—just as countless waves of immigration from Europe to the United States have over the past century. European capital will also shift its investment direction to the United States, as Europe becomes less secure.

　By depleting Europe's gold coin once more, the United States could return to the glorious era of the post-World War II era, when American industry and commerce dominated the world. And the cost would be nothing more than a mere loss of international image—how cheap!

　Anyway, because of the crazy dropping of nuclear bombs during the Vietnam War, the image of the United States in this dimension was already similar to that of the devil and Nazi Germany.

　On this basis, even if it gets a little worse, what will happen? Maybe it will even give the United States a kind of evil charm!

　It is certainly good to make yourself loved by everyone, but making yourself feared by everyone is also the pursuit of many ambitious people!

　Of course, this simple and crude method of breaking the deadlock by force, although beneficial to American industrial capital, is seriously detrimental to American financial capital.