American Strategic Deception Bureau

　Well, while the 2506th Brigade continued to recruit soldiers in the Dominican Republic, the military strength of the Cuban revolutionary regime actually increased.

　- In the past year, Castro has obtained a large amount of equipment from the Soviet Union, Czechoslovakia and other Warsaw Pact countries, half buying and half giving away, including more than 100 T-34 medium tanks, IS-2 heavy tanks and SU-100 tank destroyers, more than 50 anti-aircraft vehicles equipped with 23mm machine guns, several 122mm howitzers and Italian-made 105mm howitzers, as well as a large number of light weapons.

　In addition, Castro purchased another 30 MiG-15s and asked aviation schools in Eastern European countries to help train a group of Cuban pilots, which enabled the Cuban Air Force to get rid of the low point of having only 10 pilots at least, and the spare parts for the original American-made aircraft were basically cut off, with no logistical guarantee.

　The problem was that, due to Cuba's size and financial resources, even with Soviet military assistance, Castro could only maintain a professional army of around 30,000 men. While the revolutionary regime also had a 200,000-man militia, mobilizing it would take time.

　Before the Cuban militia was mobilized, the enemy would likely have already entered the capital, Havana.

　Wait, you said that even if it is 30,000 against 8,000, Castro's army still has an absolute advantage in terms of military strength?

　In theory, this seems to be the case, but when the war actually breaks out, because the Cuban navy is so insignificant today and cannot defend the country from the enemy, Castro's army must adopt a passive posture and deploy troops dispersedly throughout the island of Cuba, and cannot gather in advance.

　On the contrary, the Cuban rebels supported by the CIA, as the attacking party, enjoyed the initiative to freely choose the landing site on the island of Cuba.

　Therefore, when the rebels landed, it was unknown how many of the nearby Cuban revolutionary troops would be able to reach the battlefield in time.

　The island of Cuba stretches a full 1225 kilometers from east to west, roughly the same distance as Berlin to Moscow. If the revolutionary regime couldn't use sea transport and had to rely solely on land for troop movements, the Cuban army would have no advantage in terms of interior defenses and would be exhausted simply by navigating the roads.

　So, throughout Cuba, the revolutionary regime was outnumbered by 30,000 men against 8,000, but on the landing grounds, it was probably just 1,000 or 2,000 men resisting the onslaught of 8,000.

　If Castro could not predict the enemy's landing site and allowed the rebels to take advantage of the opportunity, it would be very likely that the rebels would gain a local military advantage and, before the revolutionary regime could mobilize its main forces, use their first-mover advantage to defeat the enemy with greater numbers and quickly occupy several cities or even one or two provinces.

　"What's even more terrifying is that when the rebels come ashore, there might be traitors among us."

　Raul Castro, wearing glasses, sighed, "There are quite a few old acquaintances of ours in the opposing camp!"

　"Yes. Since this spring, spurred by the US military's deployment to the Dominican Republic, counter-revolutionary riots have continued throughout the country. The rebels on Mount Escambray have also become increasingly rampant. More and more old comrades have chosen to defect."

　Che Guevara, who was in charge of the anti-counterrevolutionary movement, was also very depressed. "I can hardly figure out who our enemy is..."

　——Most of the revolutionaries in the early days of the Cuban Red Revolution came from the middle class and had a strong petty-bourgeois style.

　Even as late as 1961, many people in the top leadership of the Cuban revolutionary government still hoped to maintain good relations with both the Soviet Union and the United States, to maintain a balance, and not to become a one-sided bridgehead for the Soviet Union in the Caribbean: after all, the Soviet Union was too far away from Cuba, while the United States was right at Cuba's doorstep.

　What's even more terrible is that even Castro himself was an informant of the CIA at the beginning, and he gradually got a lot of money from the CIA. Between 1957 and 1958, Castro received no less than 50,000 US dollars in funding from the CIA, as well as a large amount of air-dropped weapons and ammunition.

　His base in the Sierra Maestra Mountains was under the guidance of CIA Special Agent Frank Sturgess.

　, built up step by step.

　——It was also this Frank Sturgess who kidnapped Marita in 1959 and forced her to assassinate Castro.

　Even a considerable number of Castro's guerrillas, like the current 2506th Brigade of Cuban mercenaries, were trained by the CIA.

　This is all to ensure that after Castro takes power in Cuba, he will continue to obey the United States and not touch the United States' vested interests in Cuba.

　Unfortunately, the talks eventually broke down due to the huge gap between the prices offered by both sides and Nixon's diplomatic skills being too rigid at the time.

　However, the CIA's funding of Castro's numerous projects wasn't entirely free. Infiltration works both ways. While Castro benefited greatly from the US, significantly accelerating the revolutionary process, he also attracted a large number of pro-American elements.

　Therefore, even though Castro had carried out several major purges of his government team after establishing the revolutionary regime, there were still many people within the Cuban revolutionary regime who had maintained intricate ties with the CIA and could not be completely cut off.

　As for the pro-American factions in Cuba and the groups whose interests have been harmed by the socialist public ownership reforms, they are so numerous that it is impossible to catch them all.

　Therefore, although the real situation in Cuba was not as turbulent as some CIA informants boasted in their reports, with wars raging everywhere and uprisings against the evil rule of the Castro brothers, the newly established revolutionary regime was indeed not very stable.

　As long as the 2506th Brigade sets foot on Cuban soil and gains a foothold, it will inevitably cause a new wave of unrest within Cuba...

　"What's even more troublesome is that the rebels don't need to capture Havana or even occupy all of Cuba. Instead, they can simply capture any province, or even any larger city, and then declare the establishment of a 'Free Cuban Government' and call in the US military to join the fight."

　Raul Castro shrugged. "We must either annihilate the enemy on the beach in a short period of time, preventing the Pentagon from having any excuse to invade Cuba, or we must prepare for an all-out war with the US military..."

　"If the enemy had only 1500 men, our army might have been able to stop them on the beach with a little more effort.

　But now the enemy has swelled to over 8000 men and possesses absolute control of the sea. At the outset, they could easily split their forces and invade from multiple landing sites, leaving us vulnerable. It would be impossible to secure every city in the country and deny the US military an excuse to intervene.

　Che Guevara said irritably, "Besides, our export of revolution to the Dominican Republic has also failed. We were completely unable to delay the enemy's invasion! Juan Bosch is such a fool. He can't win an election, and he can't even start an armed struggle! He's completely useless!"

　Since the victory of the Cuban Revolution and its falling out with the United States, this increasingly communist revolutionary regime has quickly been subjected to a joint blockade by reactionary forces throughout the Americas, much like the Soviet Union, which was hostile and isolated by the entire world at the beginning of the October Revolution.

　So, Castro also followed the Soviet Union and began to export revolution, trying to disrupt the entire Central America in order to tie down the energy of the United States and its vassals.

　As early as April 1959, Cuba supported and launched the Panamanian Revolution, which was quickly suppressed by Panamanian authorities. In June 1959, Cuba funded Dominican exiles and launched two invasions of the Dominican Republic, one by air and one by sea, but both were wiped out.

　When the U.S. military launched Operation Crusade this year, using Cuban mercenaries from the 2506th Brigade as its main force and easily sweeping across the Dominican Republic, the Cuban revolutionary regime, realizing the impending disaster, immediately funded the Dominican left-wing political leader Juan Bosch, allowing him to return to his country to disrupt the situation.

　However, Juan Bosch's abilities were limited. He engaged in literary struggles and elections, but was defeated by Joaquín Balaguer, the legitimate president supported by the United States. After his defeat, his armed struggle was also a lot of noise but little action. He basically just held armed parades in the countryside to show his presence.

　On the contrary, it was the right-wing officers with the most reactionary ideas who caused greater trouble in the Dominican Republic in the past six months.

　Led by right-wing figures such as Donald Reed Cabral, Peña Taveras and Nicolás Silfa, they instigated the army to launch several military coups in major cities across the country in an attempt to counter the disarmament plan launched by President Joaquín Balaguer.

　However, under the strong suppression of the US military, the rebellious actions of these right-wing soldiers were still like a mantis trying to stop a chariot, and were easily crushed.

　Watching the enemy grow stronger and stronger in places beyond their reach, the Cuban revolutionary regime could only passively accept the blows, or even sit and wait for death...

　How could the leaders of the Cuban Red Revolution not feel worried or even anxious about this?

　"Don't be so depressed! Che, Raul!"

　Seeing the bitter expressions on his two trusted subordinates' faces, Fidel Castro, despite his own inner turmoil, forced himself to cheer up and said, "Even if the rebels and the Americans invade Cuba together and take Havana, we'll just go back to the mountains and fight guerrilla warfare! We persevered when we were reduced to only a dozen men on the Sierra Maestra. We should be able to do it again..."

　“But as long as there is a ray of hope

　Hopefully, we should try our best to hold on to Havana and keep the Cuban red regime going!"

　Che Guevara was silent for a moment, then suddenly spoke, "Now, if we want to preserve the fruits of the revolution in America's backyard, it's obviously not enough to rely on our own strength. We must ask the Soviet Union to give us more support and even make some bold decisions!

　For example, how about inviting the Soviet Union to deploy nuclear weapons in Cuba to threaten the U.S. mainland and deter reactionary interference?

　Castro Brothers:??!!

　Author's words: PS: New video has been released, showing the October 7th music festival massacre, which mainly involved Israel's own tanks and helicopters indiscriminately shooting at the fleeing crowds, firing forty shells into a crowded house, only to discover afterwards that the house was full of its own people.

　On the contrary, hostages kidnapped by Palestinians may have a higher survival rate.

　Chapter 91: Khrushchev's Gamble

　Late November 1961, Soviet Union, Moscow, Kremlin

　While the Caribbean islands in Central America were still basking in the tropical sun, Moscow had already been covered in freezing cold and snow.

　It was a rare sunny day, and the early morning sun pierced through the thin clouds and shone onto the Red Square, dyeing the thick snow into a dazzling golden color. It also shone onto the nearby Basil's Cathedral, making the colorful onion-domed spires all shine brightly.

　Under the warm winter sun, the entire city seemed bustling. While not as vibrant as New York or Chicago, it possessed a unique energy of a rising power. By this time, the Soviet Union had healed the devastation left by World War II and was beginning to flourish.

　This great red empire is about to reach its peak moment of greatness!

　Inside the Kremlin, the third-generation leader of the Red Empire, Nikita Khrushchev, nicknamed the "Corn Emperor," was stroking his chin as he stood next to a huge sandbox model of the world map, overlooking the vast Soviet territory from the direction of the North Pole.

　If we were to ask which Soviet leader in history had the most gangster-like air, it would definitely be Khrushchev.

　According to an American newspaper, "(Khrushchev) looks like a union leader."

　This is certainly not a compliment to his identity as a proletarian leader. Rather, it means that the Soviet leader looks like a fierce and aggressive bald boxer.

　——In the traditional impression of Americans, union leaders are basically gangsters who rely on their fists and muscles to fight their way up in bars.

　Only such a muscular man has the ability to collect membership fees internally and the courage to challenge the capitalists and make demands externally.

　After Khrushchev came to power, he engaged in a kitchen debate with Nixon, specifically asked to date Marilyn Monroe during his visit to the United States, banged his shoe on the table at the UN General Assembly, released a secret report repudiating Stalin, sparked chaos in Eastern Europe, and then planted corn on his own terms, causing an environmental disaster. He also inexplicably shattered the alliance with China over the long-wave radio and combined fleet incidents.

　All of this also created an image of Khrushchev as a reckless, vulgar, self-willed, and not very smart country bumpkin.

　Of course, whether this was just Khrushchev's disguise or was really his nature... well, even half a century later, there are still different opinions.

　At this moment, Khrushchev was looking at the vast Soviet territory on the sand table map with an unhappy face. But it was surrounded by American nuclear bombs...

　——At the end of 1961, the United States had 24,000 nuclear warheads, while the Soviet Union had only 2,900, a difference of a full order of magnitude!

　Most of these nuclear bombs are nuclear aerial bombs, and there are also nuclear artillery shells, nuclear mines, and nuclear depth bombs. Only less than twenty are missile warheads.

　In addition to the huge difference in the number of nuclear bombs, the locations of nuclear bomb deployment by the United States and the Soviet Union made Khrushchev feel like a thorn in his throat.

　The Soviet Union's nuclear bombs could basically only be deployed in Eastern Europe, the Caucasus, and Central Asia, targeting the old capitalist countries in Western Europe and pro-American countries in the Islamic world. However, the United States' nuclear bombs could be deployed forward, directly targeting the Soviet homeland! Targeting Moscow!

　Among them, the US nuclear missiles and long-range bombers located in the West German base had East Germany and Poland as a buffer between them and the Soviet border; but the US PGM-19 Jupiter missiles deployed in Turkey were only separated from the Soviet Ukraine by the vast Black Sea.

　These missiles were deployed within 2000 kilometers of the Soviet capital, Moscow, for use as a first wave of attack in the event of a major war. From launch preparation to striking Moscow itself, the entire process took just 20 minutes, at least 40 minutes less than launching a bulky intercontinental ballistic missile from mainland China. This provided the enemy with minimal warning and response time, thereby enhancing both deterrence and strike capabilities, much to the Soviet Union's chagrin.

　Every time Khrushchev went to his villa on the Black Sea for recuperation and vacation, he would look at the surging Black Sea and think about the pile of American medium-range missiles and nuclear weapons in Turkey on the other side that could directly hit Moscow. They were like the famous sword of Damocles, displayed in the open air (with neither mobile launch vehicles nor launch silos). He would always feel uncomfortable and even angry.

　In short, although both the Soviet Union and the United States had the ability to strike each other's territory from their own homeland.

　But the US nuclear bombs could threaten the Soviet Union's homeland and capital, but the Soviet Union's iron fist could only smash the US's Western European allies.

　for

　In response to the above-mentioned threat from its doorstep, the Soviet Union tested a super hydrogen bomb with a yield of 50 million tons, the "Tsar Bomba", on October 30, 1961.

　This is the most powerful nuclear weapon ever created by mankind. The radius of the fireball after the explosion reached 4600 meters, and the rising mushroom cloud was nearly 70 kilometers high. People as far as 1000 kilometers away could clearly catch a glimpse of the fire in the sky. The electromagnetic radiation generated circled the earth three times, and even the US military communications in Alaska and the Great Lakes region were interfered with. It became a hot news topic around the world.

　However, while the Americans marveled at the apocalyptic destructive effects of the Tsar Bomba, they also mocked the Soviets for setting off the world's largest firework. Because the bomb was so large and heavy, the Soviets had no way of dropping it on American territory!

　This is like having bullets but no gun. Who can it scare?

　Therefore, the Soviet Union's simple and crude intimidation measures this time did not work and could not bring about any substantial changes to the threat posed by the United States.

　Khrushchev could only continue to look with hatred at the American missiles and nuclear weapons surrounding the Soviet Union, feeling as if he had become a trapped beast in a cage.

　In fact, a few decades not too far away, another red country in the East that replaced the Soviet Union and became the opponent of the United States was faced with a large number of US military bases from the first island chain to the third island chain, the humiliation of being ridden over by aircraft carrier battle groups on a daily basis, and the daily provocations and chaos from many pro-American small countries around it. However, it was still convinced that the US military would not dare to take ruthless action and continued to leisurely compete with the United States in strategic determination (butt strength).

　But that's because Beijing is convinced that peace and development are the dominant themes of the world, and it sees the United States as both a wicked and cowardly paper tiger. As for the other small, noisy nations around it, they're not even paper tigers; at best, they're just paper cats.

　When China returns to its traditional position as the ruler of East Asia, these "barbarians" will naturally change from being fierce and belligerent to being able to sing and dance well.

　However, during the peak period of the US-Soviet rivalry, people at that time were not as confident as people later on about maintaining world peace.

　In 1961, the vast majority of people around the world believed that the law of 20th-century human civilization was that "a major war would break out every twenty years or so." And the 20th anniversary of the end of World War II was drawing ever closer...

　Therefore, Khrushchev probably really believed that there was a high possibility that World War III would break out in the next decade.

　The survival of the Soviet Union and the rise and fall of the international communist movement will also be decided in about ten years.

　More importantly, the strategic considerations of both the United States and the Soviet Union now do not rule out the possibility of a "first launch" of nuclear weapons against each other, aiming to strike the other's territory from their homeland when a conflict breaks out, in order to achieve the goal of annihilation and destruction, and to eliminate the other's manpower and counterattack forces in the first wave of attacks.

　In this situation, if the United States were to deploy a large number of nuclear warheads directly on the Soviet border, it would mean that the Soviet Union would have to endure the painful losses of the first wave of hundreds or thousands of nuclear bombs after the war broke out, repeating the nightmare of the early days of the Soviet-German War, and it was even possible that it would be destroyed by a wave of bombs.

　In order to get out of this unfavorable situation where he would be beaten badly if the war started and regain equal status with the United States, Khrushchev was thinking about a way out.

　“How many nuclear missiles do we have right now that can reach the United States?”

　Khrushchev turned and questioned the Minister of Defense, Marshal Rodion Yakovlevich Malinovsky.

　Malinovsky replied: "The R-7 can hit the east coast of the United States. We have produced and stored four of them. It is difficult to launch. It needs to be assembled and refueled on the launch pad of a space rocket. It also uses unstable liquid propellant. It has been discontinued and is ready for elimination.

　As for the R-16 missile, which could cover the entire United States... a total of 10 were manufactured, but only three were deployed in silos."

　- In comparison, the United States has 45 PGM-19 Jupiter missiles deployed in Turkey alone, each of which can hit Moscow!

　There is no way, because the Soviet Union is located at the center of the game in the Eurasian continent, while the United States is far away on another continent.

　The Iron Curtain of the Cold War itself was too close to the Soviet Union and too far away from the United States!

　When the United States attacked the Soviet Union, it only needed to use cheap medium-range missiles, but when the Soviet Union attacked the United States, it had to use expensive intercontinental missiles!

　Of course, in addition to missiles, both the United States and the Soviet Union were also equipped with B-52 "Stratofortress" bombers and Tu-95 "Bear" strategic bombers.

　Theoretically, these strategic bombers also had the ability to deliver nuclear warheads to targets within the enemy's territory. But in reality... with the advancement of air defense missiles and radar technology, the success rate of both the United States and the Soviet Union using bombers to raid the other's core territory was extremely slim.

　Therefore, the only nuclear weapons we can rely on right now are missiles!

　"Only 14 intercontinental missiles capable of reaching the United States? Only three deployed in silos? No, that's too few!"

　Khrushchev smacked his lips and said, "Comrade Malinovsky, we must find a way to throw the hedgehog into the Americans' crotch..."

　He pointed to the sand table map, where a long arrow stretched out from the Soviet mainland and pointed directly to the island of Cuba in the Caribbean Sea.

　——Across the Atlantic Ocean, in the Caribbean Sea,

　An arc of islands stretches nearly 5000 kilometers from the Florida Peninsula to the northern coast of Venezuela. The abundant rainfall brought by the northeast trade winds nourishes these islands with lush greenery, while the low-latitude tropical environment brings bright sunshine to the islands. The entire island chain lies like a string of emerald beads across the blue ocean. This is the famous West Indies.

　In the center of the West Indies lies a long, narrow island, occupying almost half the archipelago. Its shape is a slight arc rising northward, narrow in the northwest and wide in the southeast. Its eastern portion forms a distinct triangle, with its easternmost point suddenly tapering toward the Atlantic Ocean, as if about to swallow its "prey" from the east, like a great shark roaming the Caribbean Sea—this "shark" is called Cuba.

　Cuba's long and narrow shape gives it a coastline of more than 6000 kilometers, with a series of excellent pocket-shaped bays with small mouths and large bellies along the coast, including Havana Bay, Nipe Bay, Guantanamo Bay, Santiago Bay, Cienfuegos Bay, Onda Bay and Matanzas Bay.

　Cuba also boasts considerable mineral resources. Cuba holds nearly 40% of the world's nickel reserves, approximately 7 million tons of manganese reserves, and abundant iron and chromium reserves. Copper deposits are found in nearly all of Cuba's mountain ranges, and the country also produces tungsten and marble.

　Moreover, Cuba could provide tropical specialties such as coffee and sugar, which were in short supply in the Soviet Union and the entire Warsaw Pact.

　Of course, for the Soviet Union, which has vast territory and abundant resources, these resources of Cuba are not that enviable.

　The real key was that Cuba's geographical location made it a sharp weapon capable of piercing America's "soft underbelly." As long as the socialist camp established a foothold there, it would serve to contain the United States and alleviate the Soviet Union's military pressure from Western Europe.

　Therefore, in response to Castro's request for help, the Soviet Union showed extraordinary enthusiasm and concern, and almost responded to every request. In 1960, the Soviet Union established an alliance with Cuba, and various aid materials continued to flow into Cuba, just to consolidate this bridgehead in the Western Hemisphere.

　But the problem is that it is not easy to establish a red bridgehead on America's doorstep.