American Strategic Deception Bureau

　Furthermore, the Kennedy administration was beset by internal and external difficulties. Not only was the Cuban War still ongoing, but international anti-war sentiment was surging. Domestic opposition forces also launched a flurry of accusations, accusing Kennedy of turning a "police action"—a sure-win war—into such an embarrassing display, demonstrating that "young people are unreliable" and that politics still needed more experienced, senior leaders at the helm.

　Specifically, progressives believed that President Kennedy's move to send a large army to resolve the Cuban issue was simply reckless and reckless. They sang the tune of love and peace, vigorously opposed all actions of the US military to abuse force, and even shouted the left-wing slogan of "oppose imperialism."

　Conservatives argued that Kennedy was too slow to send troops to Cuba until 1962. If he had left the Dominican Republic alone the previous year and sent troops to Cuba first, Castro would not have had time to receive the massive amount of Soviet military aid, and the invasion of Cuba would have been much smoother.

　Even if the attack on Cuba had to be delayed until this year, there should have been a more complete combat plan and more careful pre-war deployment, instead of being in such a mess as it is now. Cuba has not been taken yet, but the US mainland has been messed up, which is a complete disgrace to the world leader.

　Therefore, no matter which faction they belong to, they all believe that President Kennedy, as the commander-in-chief of the armed forces, was derelict in his duty and must reflect on himself and apologize!

　It would be best if the Cuban War could be concluded as soon as possible, rather than having a 100,000-strong army (navy, army, and air force) drag on endlessly as it is now.

　What makes the Kennedy administration feel most helpless is that the Pentagon has now developed a fear of the Cuban battlefield and does not want to fight anymore!

　During the previous secret negotiations between the United States and the Soviet Union, Soviet representatives revealed to the United States the nuclear weapons they had deployed in Cuba. There were only three nuclear mines in total, which were originally deployed in Trinidad, Havana and Santiago.

　Later, the first nuclear mine was detonated in Trinidad, blowing up the US Army's elite 1st Marine Division; the second nuclear mine deployed in Havana may have been destroyed by the US military's B53 hydrogen bomb, but it may also have been moved elsewhere in advance.

　Including the nuclear mine in Santiago, the Cuban revolutionary army currently has at least one and at most two atomic bombs.

　No one knows where these nuclear bombs are now. If the US military is allowed to continue fighting on the island of Cuba, there is a risk of being blown up in a mushroom cloud.

　Given these risks, President Kennedy initially requested that the Soviet Union disable the fuses of the nuclear mines, preventing them from detonating. However, Khrushchev expressed embarrassment, stating that Soviet electronic technology was too backward and that these mines lacked remote control capabilities or electronic locking systems.

　Well, theoretically, Soviet troops in Cuba could not detonate nuclear mines without Moscow's approval.

　The problem was that the Soviet Union had not yet built microwave communication facilities in Cuba, and radio communications were extremely unstable. Signals from Moscow were sometimes good and sometimes completely inaudible in Cuba. Therefore, authorization to use these nuclear mines had to be made on the spot by front-line commanders.

　As a result, after the mushroom cloud rose in Trinidad, Soviet officers in Cuba handed over the remaining two nuclear mines directly to the Cubans.

　——As for whether there is any secret instruction from the Kremlin behind this, only God knows.

　Anyway, even Khrushchev didn’t know where the two nuclear mines were now, or whether they were destroyed by the US hydrogen bomb.

　Upon learning the above information, Secretary of Defense McNamara immediately became extremely worried: "This is terrible! If the Marines or the Army continue to engage in ground combat on the island of Cuba, there is a 99% chance that nuclear mines will be triggered, and the consequences will be a horrific nuclear holocaust!"

　The Pentagon's generals actually agreed with this seemingly spineless statement—while the military was very interested in gilding their wartime reputations, the idea of ​​gilding their reputations by climbing atop a nuclear mine could easily lead to the annihilation of the entire army. Forget about such a dangerous undertaking!

　Major General James Masters of the 1st Marine Division, previously held captive by Che Guevara in Cuba, was likely dead by a US nuclear retaliation. The other generals had no desire to accept the same fate: either defeat and capture, or death at the hands of their own men.

　However, the war on the island of Cuba has reached this point. The United States has almost gambled its face and prestige, and is now in a difficult situation. It cannot just withdraw its troops and admit defeat in disgrace, allowing the bearded Cuban Castro to stand with his hands on his hips and laugh triumphantly, bragging about his victory everywhere, right?

　In this way, the US military is unwilling to take the risk of stepping on the nuclear mines on the island of Cuba, and Castro's troublemaker club must be eradicated...

　How to end this mess?

　The military’s proposal was: Since this mess on the island of Cuba was originally caused by the CIA, then the CIA should also be the one to put an end to it!

　Therefore, under the proposal of Secretary of Defense McNamara, the White House cabinet quickly passed a decision called "Cubanization of the War."

　In short, it is

　The task of overthrowing the Cuban red regime and eliminating Castro was thrown back to the CIA, which triggered the war - to be precise, the mercenaries of the 2506th Brigade under the CIA's Cuban Special Task Force.

　No matter what, they were the ones who provoked the Cuban War, so naturally they should be allowed to fight to the end even at the risk of a nuclear explosion!

　-

　"Cubanization of the war? Using Cubans to fight Cubans? But why me? I've only been in the CIA for a little over a year!"

　After hearing the CIA director's explanation, Firi nodded, but immediately asked, "Such an extraordinary promotion doesn't seem appropriate, does it?"

　"Since its establishment, the Bureau's Cuban Special Task Force has only had two leaders. One was you, and the other was Estelion. Now, Estelion has unfortunately disappeared in Cuba. The most suitable successor is naturally you, Major Ferry King!"

　Director Dulles patted Fieri on the shoulder with a broad smile on his face. "The mission of conquering Cuba is now in your hands, young man!"

　Glancing at the affable Director Dulles, then at the stern-faced General LeMay, known as the "Tokyo BBQ Master," Ferry's heart suddenly began to tremble. Despite the pressure from his two superiors, he pressed on. "From what I understand, Director, the 2506th Brigade was destroyed by a Soviet nuclear bomb in Trinidad. How am I supposed to lead a nonexistent army to accomplish this difficult mission?"

　"The 2506th Brigade did suffer heavy losses during Operation Tropic Thunder, even the brigade commander was killed, but they were not completely destroyed."

　Director Dulles explained in a good-tempered manner, "Deputy Brigadier General Irnedo Oliva is still leading 300 men to fight in Guantanamo Bay, the easternmost province of Cuba. In the Dominican Republic, there are also 3000 reserves and reinforcements who have not yet been deployed to the battle..."

　Uh, 300 terrified survivors of a nuclear explosion, plus 3000 rookies who hadn't completed basic training and whose previous commanders were too scared to take them into battle? And then, with these few soldiers and generals, I'm going to kill Castro and Che Guevara?

　Fili immediately translated it in his mind, and at the same time he felt a black screen in front of his eyes.

　It was not until Director Dulles claimed that the agency would continue to provide special funding and General LeMay also promised that the US Air Force would continue to participate in the war and provide a certain degree of fire support and transportation services that Fieri became a little more spirited and reluctantly accepted the order.

　However, when he was about to leave the Langley Building, he found that several offices near the main door had been turned upside down, even the safes had been pried open, and there were even signs of arson. Ferry casually asked a passerby and learned that the office had been burglarized a few days ago.

　Is there a thief?

　Did the thieves steal from the CIA?

　Is this some Arsene Lupin-level thief?

　Well, there is no limit to the outrageous things in this world. I remember that the seal of the Minister of War in the Qing Dynasty was lost for several years. No one cared about it. No one knew how the official documents were issued during that time. As a result, the emperor was almost furious after the incident.

　By analogy, even if the CIA was broken into by thieves, it doesn't seem so outrageous?

　Perhaps, the director would be secretly happy and ready to take the opportunity to settle the accounts and eliminate a lot of holes!

　Firi thought so with a wry smile and set off on his journey to take up his new post.

　Castro's whereabouts were unknown, but because Biran was so close to Guantanamo Bay, the 2nd Marine Division at the base also saw the mushroom cloud rising in the distance. It was said that afterward, black radioactive dust mixed with rain drifted overhead. This caused the officers and soldiers of the 2nd Marine Division to be so enraged that they went on strike in defiance of orders, nearly causing the camp to collapse.

　At this point, President John F. Kennedy, who could no longer withstand the various pressures at home and abroad, had to temporarily stop the retaliatory nuclear strike against Cuba. At the same time, he announced that the US military was about to end the Cuban war and was preparing to gradually lift the maritime blockade of the waters near Cuba and withdraw troops back home in batches.

　The subsequent Cuban war would be fought by the "Cubans" themselves - to be more precise, Cuban mercenaries recruited by the CIA.

　After all, no matter how ugly the war is, it is difficult for the United States to accept defeat, especially if it happens on its doorstep.

　As a world leader, the US's deterrent power is based on its invincible military might. If its prestige is undermined, its hegemony will naturally be shaken.

　Even if the Cuban War turned out to be such a mess, the Pentagon would never admit defeat, but it could throw the blame back to the CIA.

　As a result, the CIA's original fantasy that "as long as the war is started, the American army will come in and crush us with ease" has completely failed.

　Now, the CIA has to rely on its own strength to conquer an island country with an area of ​​110,000 square kilometers and a population of millions.

　The mere thought of this is outrageous - how can the army be forced to retreat while the intelligence agencies are forced to retreat into the trenches?

　The once envied Cuban Special Task Force has become a scapegoat that all senior officials in the agency are afraid to avoid.

　This is why Major Ferry King, who had only been the acting leader of the Cuban Special Task Force for a while by chance and whose main job was to embarrass people in various ways and wave baguettes to pretend to fight, was able to stand out and take the blame despite being far less qualified.

　Obviously, Major Ferry King, who was ultimately chosen as the scapegoat, must have been in a terrible mood:

　Can the remaining remnants of the 2506th Brigade really defeat the Cuban revolutionary army armed with nuclear bombs?

　In Firi's impression, modern mercenaries who are paid to do things have always done dirty work, mainly used to oppress the good, massacre women and children, fight guerrillas armed with scrap metal and poor peasant refugees who have risen up, or serve as the core backbone in drug lord fights.

　It is roughly equivalent to a firepower-upgraded version of the Axe Gang and the Yamaguchi-gumi, that is, all members are equipped with guns, and some are violent gang members with heavy weapons.

　Therefore, the battles that most mercenaries can fight are usually "lightweight" street fights and village battles, and their opponents are generally not too strong.

　But now, the country wants to send a group of mercenaries to fight a nuclear war? Isn't this a bit too difficult?

　It's like asking a genuine first-grader to guest-star in Detective Conan!

　Even if it was the real Kudo Shinichi when he was in the first grade of elementary school, if he had acted like Edogawa Conan, he would probably have failed!

　But military orders are as heavy as a mountain. No matter how many complaints he had in his heart, Fili had no choice but to bite the bullet and take the plane to take up his post at the director's urging.

　Fortunately, he is only the financier and manipulator behind the scenes, not a military commander. He does not have to go to the battlefield to face the bullets and guns in person. Instead, he can sit in the "Wave" training camp in Coral Gables, Florida - or the "Wave" brothel, and remotely control the war.

　Just like Commander Nimitz in the Pacific War, he basically commanded the naval battle remotely from Pearl Harbor instead of going out on the flagship.

　In short, after landing at a military airport in Florida, Major Ferry King nervously got into the Ford car that the one-legged proprietress Armas drove to pick him up, and returned to the "Wave" brothel where he had been away for nearly half a year. By the way, he hung a sign that read "Cuban Operations Command" at the door.

　Well, commanding operations in a brothel really makes him look like a CIA agent who is evil and capable of doing all kinds of evil!

　However, before Fili could catch up with his former subordinates, the "four old, weak and disabled people", and discuss how to carry out the work next, he was surrounded and clamored by a large group of poor and down-and-out people who deliberately put on a "very arrogant" look.

　-

　"Mr. Jin, what is the Cuban Democratic Revolutionary Front planning to do in terms of reorganization and reelection? Or is it simply rebuilding the Cuban Provisional Government?"

　"The government team of former Prime Minister Cardona? They were all wiped out in the nuclear explosion in Trinidad! They were either dead or captured!"

　"Major King! I was originally slated to be the cabinet secretary of the provisional government. After Cardona's unfortunate death, should I be the successor?"

　"Bah! You're a remnant of the Red Bandits who fought guerrilla warfare with Castro four years ago. What qualifications do you have to be the leader?"

　"It's better than a washed-up old bastard like you who's lived in America for thirty years! Do you know anyone in Cuba?"

　"Mr. King, Mr. King, how can Cuba Libre remain in a state of anarchy? We have just contacted several groups and established a preparatory conference for the reconstruction of the Provisional Government of Cuba Libre. Shouldn't the CIA's original subsidy for the provisional government be transferred to us?"

　"Oh God! You, the March 31st Revolutionary Steering Committee and the Fourth Eastern Front, have

　What qualifications do you have to represent a free Cuba? Don't think we don't know that your people are full of Castro's spies! You stench like Bolsheviks!

　"Shame on you! You are the fascists who came from Spain with funding from dictator Franco and have swastikas tattooed on their arms!"

　"I'm reporting it! Garcia from the Free Youth Organization has had secret contacts with the Russians. He must be a KGB informant!"

　"Mr. King! Don't listen to the barking of these stray dogs. They can do nothing but brag! I have many brave warriors with me, all of whom are willing to serve the great cause of freedom! I also have many acquaintances in Cuba. As long as the money is in place, they can immediately be mobilized to help!"

　"Don't listen to Gonzales' nonsense! I have connections in Cuba too! As long as the US is willing to pay, I can definitely recruit more followers than him!"

　……

　In the lobby of the Wave brothel, Fili listened to this group of exiled politicians, unemployed professors, incompetent lawyers, and down-and-out gang leaders, all shouting in a mix of Spanish and English. Some demanded power, some money, some status, some everything. Others attacked and denounced each other... Caught off guard, the clamor was so intense that his head spun, his ears buzzed, and his brain throbbed with pain.

　Not to mention, even in January in Florida, the temperature was still quite hot, and the smell in the brothel lobby was extremely bad, a mixture of sweat, body odor, cigarettes, alcohol, and the cheap perfume of cheap prostitutes, which made Phili almost suffocate and almost vomit on the spot.

　——There is no way. The "Cuban Democratic Revolutionary Front", which was established in Florida in 1960 as the CIA's political poster for invading Cuba and overthrowing the Castro regime, is composed of 184 Cuban exile political groups.

　There are so many Cuban exile groups, covering almost the entire political spectrum from far right to far left, from anarchism to fascism.

　The intensity of its internal strife, division and mutual oppression even surpassed that of the Tongmenghui in late Qing Dynasty China!

　The Tongmenghui in the late Qing Dynasty only had a history of more than ten years, even if we count from the time when Sun Dapao joined the Xingzhonghui in Honolulu to the Xinhai Revolution.

　Among the Cuban exile political groups in the United States, there are both newly established newcomers and century-old parties with a long history!

　That is a genuine century-old party that was established in the United States long before the Civil War!

　Back when Cuba was still a Spanish colony, those Cuban revolutionaries who fought for independence would often flee after their rebellion failed, settling in the southern United States, forming organizations to gather together for support, while secretly accumulating strength and waiting for the opportunity to return to Cuba to start a revolution.

　Thus, from the middle of the 19th century to the end of the 19th century, the Cuban independence uprising against the Spanish colonists lasted intermittently and vigorously for half a century. Various Cuban exile political groups were also active in the United States for half a century, sometimes fighting each other and sometimes uniting.

　In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, after Cuba achieved nominal independence through the Spanish-American War and became a vassal state of the United States, the consistent lack of morality of American imperialism and the incompetence of its ruling class led to numerous military coups in the country.

　Every time a military coup occurs in Cuba, regardless of the outcome, the next step is usually accompanied by large-scale political persecution and expulsion and purge, which forces more Cuban elites to leave their homeland and go into exile in the United States, forming more exile political groups in the United States.

　Thus, over the course of more than a hundred years, hundreds, perhaps even thousands, of Cuban exile political groups emerged in the southern states of the United States. Many of these groups vanished silently in the course of time, but many others stubbornly survived.

　As you can imagine, after a century of development, the Cuban exile community has become incredibly diverse, ranging from cults to utopian visionaries. The CIA's attempt to unite these groups, selecting a group of leading figures to unite and form a plausible anti-Castro political alliance, would be no less challenging than trying to bring the White Lotus Sect, the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, the Triads, the Shanghai Green Gang, and the Taiwanese Bamboo Union together to fight together...

　Ferry really didn't know how his predecessor, Mr. Estelian, had completed the above challenge. Anyway, he got a headache just thinking about it.

　What's worse is that Firi is currently unable to inherit the political legacy of the former team leader Estelion.

　Because most of the official members of the Cuban Democratic Revolutionary Front were unfortunately wiped out when they were discussing the establishment of the "Provisional Government of Free Cuba" at the Isnaca Estate outside Trinidad. They were either killed on the spot under the mushroom cloud of the nuclear explosion or later became prisoners of Che Guevara.

　In other words, the political banner that the CIA had previously reluctantly put together for the invasion of Cuba was now gone and had to be rebuilt.

　Then, upon learning that the "Provisional Government of Free Cuba" had unfortunately collapsed and that the CIA might have to replace the political leaders who would rule Cuba, those frustrated Cuban politicians, refugee intellectuals, and down-and-out leaders who had unfortunately lost the previous election suddenly became excited and rushed from all corners of Florida to the "Wave" brothel in Coral Gables, hoping to get a job.

　At the very least, can the CIA now give those damned bastards the allowances and subsidies they previously gave them?

　etc.

　They want to take advantage of the power of others in the future to return to their hometown in Cuba to act tyrannically and levy heavy taxes, but they are also looking forward to the dog food they receive now!

　Besides, among this group of people, there are probably quite a few Castro and KGB spies who want to take advantage of the opportunity to steal intelligence...

　Firi understands the demands of these unreliable Cuban exiles, but the problem is that, on the one hand, he feels these "remote keyboard politicians" are basically useless, and on the other hand, he has not yet figured out how much money he has, so he dare not show off his affection.

　Therefore, he just managed to maintain a smiling "business expression" and tried to keep a distance from these barking hungry dogs. He laughed it off and said that he had just taken office and had not had time to grasp the situation, so he asked these impatient Cuban exiles to be patient.

　After finally sending away, or having the brothel bodyguards forcibly drive away, this group of Cuban public intellectuals who were begging for dog food, Firi returned to the office of the head of the Cuban Special Task Force where he had worked for half a year, and looked through the various account books and materials left by the former head of Estelline.

　Although Team Leader Esteline had relocated his office to Santo Domingo, the capital of the Dominican Republic, after the Dominican War, the new Dominican government issued a deadline for the 2506th Brigade's mercenaries to leave, and Esteline moved his office back here.

　As a result, before he could find out what was left of the Cuban Special Task Force, someone came from the Dominican Republic overnight to ask for a meeting.

　Moreover, the person who came was an old acquaintance of Fili's - the son of José Miro Cardona, the former Prime Minister of the Cuban revolutionary regime who defected to the United States and the leader of the "Provisional Government of Free Cuba" who had just died in office. Last year, he went to Key West with him and led mercenaries to carry baguettes, dance to the accompaniment of an elementary school band and an American cheerleading team, and paraded through the city in a formation, performing embarrassing tricks in front of the TV cameras.

　However, before Fili could offer any words of comfort to the Cuban officer whose father had just died, he heard some bad news from him: "What? Over 3,000 mercenaries from the 2506th Brigade who remained in the Dominican Republic and didn't go to the battlefield have engaged in a large-scale mutiny and desertion?"

　Fili was shocked when he heard this. "The bureau shouldn't have owed them their wages, right? Why are they all running away before the battle even starts?"

　"This... has spread throughout the troops. The US military is about to withdraw from Cuba, and it will be up to them to fight a nuclear war with Castro. Most of the real Cuban fighters are fine. But those Dominicans who are just mercenaries for the money are all gone. They would rather not take the salary than be reduced to ash by a nuclear bomb. Then they just leave without waiting for the approval of the officers."

　Torres replied awkwardly, "We are currently living in the Dominican Republic and have been asked to leave the country within a certain period of time. We can't catch deserters..."