American Strategic Deception Bureau

　The US military was still being bombed, but Dr. Kissinger in the conference room actually smiled happily.

　This is how Dr. Kissinger defended himself after being accused by a military representative.

　"Although this may seem disrespectful to our soldiers currently under missile attack at Guantanamo Bay, dying on the battlefield is their duty. And through their sacrifice, we can confirm one fact: the Soviets are also doing their utmost to prevent the war from escalating!"

　He pointed at a map of Cuba tacked to the blackboard and drew several lines from San Cristobal, a suspected Soviet medium-range missile launch site, to Guantanamo, New Orleans, and Miami. "It's obvious that the Kremlin can't abandon its Cuban allies while the war isn't over. The Soviet troops on the island must continue to fight. But launching missiles at the U.S. mainland could trigger an all-out war."

　So, Khrushchev ordered Soviet missile forces already on Cuba to deliberately bombard the Guantanamo Bay base, also on Cuba, exhausting all their medium-range missiles. Then, when the Cuban communist regime was on the verge of collapse, he would have a reason to explain to Castro and other allies why they didn't launch a missile war against the US mainland - because they had already used up all their missiles! This would seem very reasonable..."

　Everyone in the room nodded in admiration at Dr. Kissinger's assertion. Although the White House now held separate meetings of cabinet ministers and smaller ones of advisors, there was still some interaction between the two venues. Dr. Kissinger's "debate of ideas" and his theory of "limited nuclear war" quickly piqued the interest of Vice President Johnson and the cabinet.

　Then, amid the envious gazes of his advisors and assistants, Dr. Kissinger was summoned to the Oval Office and had a pleasant conversation with the Vice President...

　Vice President Johnson was still hesitant about whether to immediately launch a nuclear attack on Cuba—after all, he was only the Vice President, while the President was still in critical condition at the Naval Hospital. If President Kennedy recovered quickly, he might be very dissatisfied with the Vice President's unauthorized use of nuclear weapons.

　But Dr. Kissinger's other views, especially the need to fight the Cuban War to the end, were unanimously agreed upon.

　Nuclear weapons are not a magic bullet! If the US could let Castro off lightly just because he borrowed nuclear bombs from the Soviet Union, then he would be a hopeless leader of the liberal camp! Who can guarantee that Khrushchev won't send nuclear bombs everywhere and cause trouble for the US?

　So, at 3:30 p.m. Eastern Time on January 13, ten hours after President Kennedy was rushed to the Naval Hospital for emergency treatment, Vice President Johnson, who was acting as president, finally made a vague announcement about the policy of "not escalating the Cuban incident" in response to the current nuclear crisis.

　Specifically, all available military means would be used against Cuba. However, the war would remain confined to Cuba and the Caribbean, with the sole objective of eradicating Castro's communist regime, rather than escalating into a global war between the US and the Soviet Union.

　Of course, if the Soviet Union took the initiative to provoke a war, the United States and NATO would not be afraid, but would fight to the death.

　As soon as this news came out, most of the world breathed a sigh of relief, and it was generally believed that the nuclear crisis was nearing its end.

　While the US national emergency will continue for some time, and the US military will likely retaliate against the nuclear bombing of Cuba, as long as the conflict remains localized and doesn't escalate into a world war between NATO and the Warsaw Pact, then God will be merciful.

　But the problem is that although Dr. Kissinger did not misjudge the Soviet Union's thinking, he seriously underestimated Khrushchev's appetite and recklessness...

　-

　"The Cuban incident will not escalate? Can the White House alone make a decision on something that concerns the future of human civilization? Why do Americans think they can decide everything that happens in the world?"

　In the Kremlin in Moscow, after meeting with the Cuban ambassador who came crying for help, Khrushchev, who had just learned that Vice President Johnson had unilaterally announced the so-called "non-expansion of the Cuban incident" policy, sneered for a moment, believing that the United States had no right to issue orders to him.

　In fact, when Soviet nuclear mines destroyed the 1st Marine Division on the island of Cuba and Soviet nuclear torpedoes sank a US aircraft carrier in the Caribbean Sea, Khrushchev was secretly happy, but he was also quite afraid, fearing that World War III would break out in an instant and a large number of intercontinental missiles would fly towards Moscow.

　Well, not only him, but the entire Soviet Politburo also felt the same anxiety, which was quite similar to the feeling at the beginning of the Soviet-German War.

　After all, at this moment, the disparity in the size of the nuclear arsenals between the United States and the Soviet Union is simply too great...

　Even if a bomber carrying nuclear bombs took off from Germany, there was a certain chance of a successful penetration.

　At present, neither the United States nor the Soviet Union has developed effective technical means to intercept missiles.

　In other words, if the United States and the Soviet Union went to war, hundreds or even thousands of mushroom clouds would rise in the Soviet Union.

　On the other hand, if the Soviet Union wanted to attack the US mainland, it would have to use larger intercontinental missiles (missile nuclear submarines were not yet mature at the time).

　If we don't count the medium-range missiles without nuclear warheads deployed in Cuba, then the Soviet Union theoretically had twenty intercontinental nuclear missiles capable of reaching the United States. In reality, there were only three intercontinental nuclear missiles that could be launched at any time.

　Why is there such a gap between theory and practice? You have to consider the Soviet officialdom's consistent tendency to be overly ambitious and exaggerated...

　In addition, Soviet industrial products are always clumsy and unreliable - the missiles were produced, but only God knows whether they can be launched.

　If the United States had been determined to launch a nuclear war from the outset, the damage the Soviet Union could have inflicted on the American mainland would have been minimal. However, the United States could have inflicted immense damage and destruction on the Soviet mainland, even bombing the Soviet Union's major industrial areas into a state reminiscent of Tokyo and Dresden in 1945!

　The United States would be hit by at most three nuclear bombs, while the Soviet Union would be hit by 300 or even thousands of nuclear bombs! What is nuclear imbalance? This is nuclear imbalance!

　If a situation really arises where nuclear bombs are dropped on each other, then even if the steel torrent of the Soviet group stationed in Germany can break through the Iron Curtain and rush all the way to the English Channel, it will soon be paralyzed by lack of fuel and ammunition due to lack of support and supply, and will be unable to continue fighting.

　Therefore, after the 1958 detente with the United States failed and also destroyed Sino-Soviet relations, Khrushchev quickly went from one extreme to another, attempting to use various threats and intimidation to force the United States to withdraw its missiles from around the Soviet Union and restore the nuclear balance.

　He helped the Soviet Union, whose geopolitical environment had become increasingly worse, gain some sense of security, and also allowed him to gain some political achievements.

　Previously, Khrushchev's détente with the United States was largely wishful thinking and extremely hasty. He lacked extensive consultation and took into account the positions and interests of other allies. This angered China, prompting the Kinmen artillery battle, leaving both China and the Soviet Union embarrassed and suffering diplomatic losses.

　Coupled with the agricultural disaster caused by the rash promotion of corn planting, Khrushchev's reputation is now very bad and his position can be said to be very unstable.

　Therefore, Khrushchev was eager to win some victories in other areas to make his throne a little more stable.

　However, when the Cuban Missile Crisis did not unfold as planned but was completely interrupted by the US invasion and then turned into a nuclear crisis, Khrushchev, who had poor adaptability in international affairs, suddenly became panic-stricken and found himself in a dilemma.

　——With the US military officially entering the Cuban battlefield, the fall of the Castro regime seemed to be a foregone conclusion, and the Soviets could neither reach it nor save it.

　On the other hand, facing the crisis of national extinction, the Kremlin could not help but let Kastro use all means to make a last-ditch effort. And the Soviet nuclear mines and medium-range missiles that had been sent to Cuba could not be withdrawn and could only be used or captured.

　Instead of giving these weapons to the Americans and parading them in Washington and New York to embarrass themselves, it would be better to use them all on the Americans!

　However, if a nuclear war were to break out in Cuba with the Americans, regardless of the outcome on the battlefield—they would almost certainly lose, and the destruction of Red Cuba would be a minor matter. But wouldn't the flames of war spread further, spreading across the entire globe, turning the Cold War into a hot war?

　I really don’t want to experience three world wars in a row in my lifetime!

　Then, just as Khrushchev was feeling uneasy, the Cuban nuclear crisis broke out.

　Although the mushroom cloud rose over Cuban soil, it was the 1st Marine Division, the US Army's elite unit, that was destroyed.

　Next, a Soviet submarine directly sank an American aircraft carrier in the Caribbean Sea!

　As always, the Kremlin appears tough in words, talking in high-sounding tones and constantly talking about world revolution and the liberation of the proletariat, but in fact it is worried inside: Could the Third World War really break out like this?

　When nuclear bombs fall and civilization is destroyed, will Moscow's subway lines... be enough?

　However, in the following days, although the United States spoke very toughly, it did not launch nuclear missiles at the Soviet Union without any reason. NATO's various military deployments also clearly showed a defensive rather than offensive posture - does this mean that the United States is actually scared?

　This made Khrushchev and other Soviet high-ranking officials, who were originally uneasy, become more excited.

　Perhaps, possibly, perhaps, the United States isn't that bellicose after all? Perhaps it's actually frightened by the nuclear bomb?

　Is it possible to make the Americans suffer a loss in Cuba and allow the Soviet Union to gain a point on the international stage?

　So, when the United States finally announced the policy of "not expanding the Cuban incident" after some chaos, Khrushchev was relieved but also felt a little unwilling - it was good not to have to fight a third world war and be hit by nuclear bombs and play "Metro 1962", but it would be bad not to keep the little brother Cuba.

　If the United States had overthrown the Castro regime in Cuba, the Soviet Union would have lost this round of the game.

　——Although the whole world knew that the Soviet Union would definitely not be able to defeat the United States in the Western Hemisphere, but losing is losing, and no one would be happy to see defeat.

　Furthermore, Vice President Johnson's so-called "non-escalation of the Cuban incident" was a unilateral US decision from beginning to end, with no negotiations with the Soviet Union. Not to mention public treaties and agreements, not even a secret agreement was signed, making this a completely unreliable claim.

　In this case, since the decision was made unilaterally by the United States, it can also unilaterally tear up and change it, and expand the war at any time!

　Just like in the early days of the Korean War, when the Incheon landing was successful, the North Korean army was defeated, and Kim Jong-un escaped from Pyongyang, US officials also hypocritically declared that the battlefield was limited to the Korean Peninsula and that the US military would not approach the border near the Yalu River, trying to appease the Chinese in the north.

　But the question is, could the Chinese people at that time believe such a verbal promise without any binding force, or even just empty talk? Would they dare to believe it?

　In fact, General MacArthur immediately ignored this remark and continued to order the UN forces to rush towards the Yalu River without stopping.

　Then they let the Chinese volunteers who were not fooled cross the Yalu River and beat them severely.

　Similarly, the current Cuban nuclear crisis will not disappear just because Vice President Johnson said, "The Cuban incident will not escalate."

　What if, after the United States has dealt with the Castro regime in Cuba, it continues to use this as an excuse to cause trouble for the Soviet Union?

　Therefore, Khrushchev thought about it for a long time and felt that he could not let the Americans get away with it like this, and he had to force the Americans to the negotiating table!

　What's happening in Cuba today is a fierce battle between the socialist and capitalist camps. Regardless of whether the Kremlin wins or loses, it cannot accept a unilateral decision by the United States. At the very least, it must conclude through negotiations and an agreement.

　The best outcome, of course, would be for Castro to make some concessions, such as recognizing the permanent lease of the Guantanamo base, but preserving Cuba's red regime.

　Even if the worst-case scenario is that the negotiations break down and Cuba is occupied by the US military, it is at least much better than being ignored the entire time!

　In short, the Soviet Union must continue to stir up trouble and make its presence felt in the Caribbean, so that the United States will feel more pain!

　The White House must be clear that no matter what major problem they want to solve in the world, they cannot avoid the Kremlin!

　"However, we are currently unable to provide any support to our Cuban allies across the Atlantic."

　Upon hearing Khrushchev's latest request, General Anatoly Gribkov, the Soviet Deputy Chief of the General Staff and the architect of the Cuban missile deployment plan, who had originally believed the nuclear crisis was over, was shocked and immediately looked perplexed. "The US Navy has blockaded the entire Caribbean Sea. Do we really have to send our submarines there to fight a desperate battle?"

　In any case, Cuba was indeed far beyond the Soviet Union's range of military power projection.

　Soviet merchant ships that previously delivered arms to Cuba and Soviet submarines that attempted to sneak into Cuban waters, including the B-59 Soviet submarine that used T-5 nuclear torpedoes to sink the "Shangri-La" aircraft carrier and several other US warships, have now been ordered to retreat urgently.

　Apart from the Soviet officers and soldiers besieged on the island of Cuba, the Soviet Union had no other military forces in the Western Hemisphere.

　It is impossible for the Soviet Union to initiate World War III and launch intercontinental missiles at the United States from its homeland just to rescue Cuba, right?

　This approach is not only putting the cart before the horse, but also seeking one's own death!

　"It is certainly not acceptable to send the submarine force to the Caribbean to die again."

　Khrushchev shook his head. "How many missiles do we still have in Cuba? I mean, the kind that can reach Washington and New York."

　According to the previously formulated "Anadyr Plan," our army should have deployed five ballistic missile regiments in Cuba, totaling 40 launchers and 60 medium-range missiles. However, due to the US invasion, only two regiments actually arrived in Cuba, one in Havana and the other in San Cristobal.

　The ballistic missile regiment deployed at San Cristoforo had already expended all twelve of its R-14 medium- and long-range missiles on the US military base at Guantanamo Bay, rendering it incapable of further combat. The regiment's officers and soldiers had just destroyed the launchers and were transferring them to infantry use.

　The regiment in Havana was attacked by US airstrikes, and some of its launchers and missiles were damaged, leaving only six intact R-14 missiles.

　General Gribkov immediately replied, "All missiles have conventional warheads, and the only nuclear weapons that have arrived on the island of Cuba are nuclear mines."

　"Six more R-14 missiles? Then fire them all! Aim at Washington!"

　Khrushchev waved his hand and declared, "Isn't Castro very dissatisfied with the fact that our missile troops only attacked Guantanamo and not the US mainland? This time, let's fulfill his wish and drop missiles on the US capital!"

　-

　So, late at night on January 13, Fieri, who had been an unknown figure in the White House all day, walked out of the conference room with his elder brother Bernard, who was an advisor, and was about to find a place to have some midnight snack when they suddenly heard a sharp air raid sirens in the night sky.

　Everyone who was busy moving around under the lights in the White House was suddenly stunned, their minds going blank.

　Air raid siren?

　You're right! This is Washington, D.C.! The center of world power! The heart of America!

　How could anyone dare launch an airstrike on Washington?

　Was it a drill, or was it a mistake on the part of the alarm operator?

　Unfortunately, the next moment, the door to the Oval Office burst open, and Vice President Johnson, carried by two bodyguards, rushed out. Then a group of cabinet members rushed out with briefcases under their arms.

　Firi even saw Dr. Kissinger, wearing black-framed glasses, carrying a box and following behind, shouting as he ran, "Run! The Soviets are crazy! Missiles are flying towards Washington!"

　What? Are nuclear bombs really going to fall? Is the Cold War turning hot? Is the radioactive wasteland actually real?!

　Amidst the sudden explosion of noisy voices, Fili's mind went blank and he seemed to have lost his soul.

　Just like that, with their minds in a mess, Ferry and Bernard subconsciously mixed in with the crowd, rushed out of the White House in a disorderly manner, and then stood on the street shrouded in the night and the cold wind, looking at the others who were running around, at a loss for a moment.

　Uh, now... where should I go? Is there a bomb shelter near the White House that can withstand a nuclear blast?

　The two Kim brothers looked at each other, and finally decided to go straight to Capitol Hill. It is said that the congressmen who are afraid of death have built many tunnels there for hundreds of years. Maybe they can withstand the flash and shock wave of a nuclear explosion?

　Next, on the steps in front of the Capitol, Ferry and Bernard watched in horror as huge, bright balls of fire streaked across the dark night sky like meteors, then crashed down with a terrifying shriek, exploding in a dazzling display of fire...

　Phew, fortunately, there was no nuclear flash or mushroom cloud, just a conventional missile.

　Furthermore, the missiles that fell before and after seemed to have poor accuracy. Not only did they miss the White House or the Capitol, they didn't even land in the city center, but mostly landed in the sparsely populated suburbs... Wait! Something seems off about the direction of the fire!

　"Oh my God! The place where the explosion and fire occurred over there seems to be..."

　Ferry and Bernard exchanged a look, then shouted in unison, "Pentagon!!!"

　Chapter 120: Today's weather in New York is sunny, and speculators are

　December 14, 1962, White House, Washington, D.C., USA

　Firi, who had not slept much the night before, sat in the corner of the conference room with a haggard look on his face, listening to the Spanish speech coming from the radio.

　"Some people ask me why I would dare to do such a thing? To launch missiles at Washington.

　My answer is that those who brazenly undermine peace and launch unjust wars must be prepared to bleed, get injured, and pay with their lives.

　As long as the invaders have not left our borders, it is completely reasonable for the Cuban people to adopt any means of resistance!

　Today, the brutal war continues, and enemy troops bearing the Stars and Stripes continue to wreak havoc on our land. In Havana alone, tens of thousands have been killed. Greedy American capitalists have already divided up Cuba's land and assets, leaving the Cuban people with only death and poverty.

　Faced with the most brutal and tyrannical neo-colonial invasion in the world, faced with the slavery that American imperialism has always wanted to impose on us, our ancestors once taught us a lesson - the fate of slaves who dare not resist is not worthy of sympathy!

　We don't care whether others sympathize with our fate, nor do we ask for sympathy. The Cuban people have simply decided to stand up against exploitation and slavery, to take up arms and defend freedom! No matter how terrible the price, we will never kneel down and surrender to the powerful enemy!

　Because the price of freedom is one generation, the price of submission is generations..."

　"The missile attack on Washington on January 13th was a stern warning! Arrogant American rulers, do not think you can hide in a safe place. You can calmly order the destruction of our cities, the massacre of our people, and then enjoy the blood-stained spoils of war!

　On the contrary, the flames of revenge will also burn on your heads, taking your lives and destroying everything you know!

　We not only have the ability to turn the US military base in Guantanamo into a sea of ​​fire, but also have the ability to reduce Washington and New York to ashes!

　If you want to avoid a nuclear inferno, remove the clutches of greed from Cuba..."

　"Some accuse us of being terrorists, but if our revenge for the deaths of the Cuban people is considered terrorism, then history will be our witnesses, witnessing our just and terrifying revenge! Each of us is ready to sacrifice for this!

　Given the tragic history of the past, we don't want to be perfect victims! We just want to repay tooth for tooth, blood for blood!

　The missiles fired at the United States not only represent the flames of revenge of the Cuban people, but also represent the cry of resistance of the entire Latin America!