American Strategic Deception Bureau

　This analogy is actually quite inaccurate because it greatly underestimates the difficulty of the Apollo moon landing project.

　Crossing the Atlantic in a washing machine may sound absurd, but logically speaking, it is understandable.

　After all, a washing machine that doesn't leak water can still be a boat if thrown into the sea!

　If you encounter the right ocean current and the sea is calm all the way, it is not impossible to drift to the other side of the ocean on a washing machine!

　When European explorers first explored the New World, they discovered a group of black people there. This was before the first batch of black slaves were sold there. No one could tell how these black people came to the New World. The only explanation seemed to be that they drifted there on rafts or canoes.

　What's more, the Apollo moon landing was not a one-way ticket. Instead, it required running two 380,000 kilometers back and forth in one breath!

　If we must compare crossing the Atlantic Ocean to the Apollo moon landing project in the 1960s, then a relatively accurate analogy is:

　An American farted on the East Coast and sent himself to Europe. He farted again and sent himself back to the United States!

　——What kind of Crayon Shin-chan movie version of Aliens is this?

　Your imagination has been so wild that it seems impossible and unrealistic no matter how you look at it, right?

　However, such an imaginative Apollo moon landing happened right in front of people all over the world!

　To be honest, even if this kind of thing were right in front of them, it would make many scientists feel crazy.

　For them, even if there is a God who lifts Americans to the moon, it would be relatively easier to accept.

　In fact, in the original historical line, Soviet scientists were highly skeptical about the United States' determination to carry out a manned moon landing.

　Because according to the Soviet estimates, with the level of technology at the time, even according to the most optimistic view, a manned lunar landing would not be possible until the 1980s at the earliest - completing the task of flying from Earth to another planet in 20 years would be considered a miracle.

　Korolev, Kuznetsov, who led the Soviet space program at the time, and the entire Soviet Council of Ministers all felt this way.

　Even though President Kennedy was so inspired by Gagarin's space mission that he submitted a formal report to Congress, declaring: "The United States will send humans to the moon and return them safely to Earth before the end of this decade." The Soviet Union still felt that the United States was definitely engaging in strategic deception.

　In Khrushchev's view, this was just a double act, with Kennedy making high-sounding statements and Capitol Hill pretending to obey but actually going against the grain.

　Why do we sing like this?

　The first was to deal with the ignorant American public, and the second was to trick the Soviet Union into joining the moon race and consuming Soviet resources.

　So, in the first few years of the 1960s, the Soviets always regarded the Apollo moon landing as a joke and a scam.

　It was not until 1965, when the huge shell of the Saturn V giant rocket gradually took shape, that the Soviet top brass were stunned.

　So this isn't a scam? Are Americans really going to go all out and spend a fortune to create something spectacular?

　But, can such an imaginative miracle really be accomplished simply by being generous with money?

　How about we in the socialist camp give it a try as well?

　Therefore, the Soviets benchmarked the performance of the Saturn V and built a giant N1 carrier rocket with 30 rocket engines in parallel. The subsequent four test launches all failed, adding one gorgeous firework after another to the Baikonur launch site.

　In this way, Soviet scientists gave up hope, believing that it was impossible to send people to the moon with current technology.

　If the Party and the state insist on forcing them to carry out such a fantastic task, they would rather be sent to Siberia to dig potatoes!

　Faced with the serial explosions of the N1 carrier rockets, the Soviet high-ranking officials also became suspicious: Could it be that the United States is really engaging in strategic deception?

　Unexpectedly, a few days later, news came that Apollo 11 had successfully landed on the moon, which slapped them in the face.

　Given these lessons, when the United States proposed the even more ambitious "Star Wars" plan twenty years later in the 1980s, Soviet scientists still dismissed it as science fiction. However, Kremlin officials no longer dared to dismiss it as American deception.

　Because the Apollo moon landing twenty years ago, which they once thought was a brain-opening, is a lesson for them.

　The Star Wars plan was certainly unreliable, but was the Apollo moon landing in the 1960s reliable? But didn't American astronauts still land on the moon?

　So, no matter how imaginative the Star Wars plan was, the Soviet Union still gritted its teeth and spent huge amounts of money to start catching up...

　As a result...this time with the "Star Wars" plan, the Americans really engaged in strategic deception!

　Speechless and in tears!

　But even if the truth was known, it was too late; the Soviet Union's last breath had been drained.

　It wasn't until the end of the Cold War and the collapse of the Soviet Union that many people, belatedly realizing the truth, began to question: If the Star Wars program was a hoax, was the Apollo moon landing real? Could both programs have been hoaxes, with the latter only fooling the Soviets?

　So, Marita's suspicion

　After thinking for a while, Firi could only say vaguely, "For ordinary Americans, the Apollo moon landing program is definitely real. In a few years, we will probably see the good news of the successful moon landing on TV and in newspapers.

　But will NASA shock the world or just fool it? As for that, we can only wait for history to prove it..."

　-

　The second-hand shop that Fili opened in downtown Los Angeles on orders to sell surplus supplies for the CIA was located in Chinatown north of Sunset Boulevard.

　This is not due to any national cultural sentiment from the previous life, but because this is the gathering place of all kinds of strange shops and "abnormal business practices" in Los Angeles. It is dark, narrow, chaotic and noisy, looking like Diagon Alley and Knockturn Alley in "Harry Potter".

　Nowadays, if Los Angeles residents want to buy some strange and rare things, they often go to Chinatown to shop.

　Of course, those petty thieves who have no connections will often choose to sell their stolen goods in shops in Chinatown if they want to sell them.

　The CIA's own spy gadgets and the weird gadgets its agents collected from all over the world were not afraid of investigations by the police and the FBI. Fieri openly hung the national emblem at the door of his store, along with a sign that read "CIA Surplus Sales Office."

　But in terms of their nature, these goods are probably no different from stolen goods, so it is natural that they should be sold on the same street.

　Unfortunately, in the half month since opening, the store’s performance has been far from ideal and has not made any progress at all.

　Although many people came here for the CIA's prestigious name and were amazed by the various spy props in the store, some even couldn't put them down, they were also shocked by the high prices. In the end, very few customers were willing to pay for them.

　The people who run the store now are still Firi's first group of subordinates in the CIA, the four old, weak and disabled people in Florida - Cuban Chinese old man Bai Siwen, Texas fat radio technician Wolf Lee, diabetic sniper Daniel Reyes, and one-legged proprietress Armas.

　Because the new CIA director wanted to "reduce staff and increase efficiency," these people were not laid off directly for Fieri's sake. However, they were all kicked out of the "Wave" brothel in Miami and followed Fieri to Los Angeles to find new jobs in disgrace.

　Former Deputy Director Richard Bissell, under the guise of a "Cuba Special Mission," embezzled over $30 million to build and renovate the "Wave" brothel. It is now the CIA's largest intelligence station and a key distribution center for Cuban drugs.

　For such a crucial city and a source of wealth, the new director would naturally have to parachute in his trusted subordinates to keep it under tight control. How could he allow outsiders to wander around?

　Not to mention these "old, weak, sick and disabled" agents who are obviously useless - it's good that they were not fired directly!

　Bai Siwen, who was over seventy years old, saw that there was no hope of returning to Cuba and originally wanted to retire. However, his family made some investments after fleeing to the United States, and then naturally went bankrupt in the stock market crash during the Cuban nuclear crisis, and lost all the property that the Bai family brought out from Cuba.

　Therefore, this white-haired, dark-skinned, mixed-race Chinese had no choice but to continue working as a "silver-haired office worker" in the CIA so that he could use the CIA's cover to protect his family and allow them to resettle in Chinatown in Los Angeles without being harassed by any underworld or white-world forces.

　The gangs in Chinatown were indeed intimidated into silence: I don’t think any gang would dare to collect protection fees from the CIA.

　In this way, Bai Siwen worked as a receptionist, Armas as the female store manager, Daniel was in charge of security, and the Texas fat man Wolf Lee did some odd jobs. The four of them managed to run the store. Except for the fact that the sales volume was not ideal for the time being, everything else was fine.

　Fili didn't say anything about this - when a new store opens, it usually has to make losses for a while before it can gradually make a profit.

　Besides, he, a local boss in Los Angeles, hasn't figured out a suitable marketing method yet, so there's no hope for these guys who are unfamiliar with the place.

　In addition to checking the business in the store, Fili also has to take official documents from here and obtain some information and intelligence.

　"Boss, the bureau's weekly intelligence summary has arrived. Would you like to read it here or take it back?"

　Wolf Lee, the fat guy from Texas who was cleaning the store, put down the broom when he saw Ferry coming, picked up a brown paper bag and asked.

　"Just look at it here. I have a social party to attend in Santa Monica tonight, so it's not convenient for me to carry confidential documents!"

　As Fili answered, he took the brown paper bag, tore open the wax seal on it, took out the documents inside and began to read.

　——The CIA usually compiles some intelligence with a low confidentiality level and outdated information into bound volumes and circulates them within the department. They are roughly similar to the so-called "internal reference documents (内參)."

　This is to allow the agents to have a rough understanding of the world situation, rather than knowing nothing except the area they are responsible for.

　But to be honest, the intelligence that can be sent to Firi is basically the same as what is publicly available, and is often even reported by the news media first.

　However, despite this, Firi can occasionally see some intelligence content that is eye-opening or eye-blinding from this "American version of internal reference". For example, today's "internal reference" mentioned the CIA consultant's proposal on the South Vietnamese front.

　The latest battle plan.

　"The infamous strategic village? How can I describe this plan? It's even more outlandish than the Apollo moon landing!"

　Fili muttered with a twitch of his lips, "The terrible war in Cuba has just ended, and the new director can't wait to stir up trouble in Asia?"

　-

　——Speaking of which, ever since the Korean War ended in a draw, the US top leaders have been very wary of starting a war around Red China.

　However, Vietnam's Ngo Dinh Diem was not even as capable as South Korea's Syngman Rhee. He was about to collapse before North Vietnam launched a large-scale attack.

　When the wheel of history reached 1962, President Ngo Dinh Diem's ​​rule in South Vietnam could almost be said to be in a mess and shaky.

　If we only look at history, people in later generations will often think that the reason why President Ngo Dinh Diem's ​​reactionary rule in South Vietnam was overthrown was mainly due to the Viet Cong guerrillas relying on the continuous support of the Ho Chi Minh Trail, constantly expanding their base areas, and carrying out the "surrounding the cities from the countryside" strategy.

　However, while the Vietcong certainly played a significant role in this incident, the Vietcong were not the only force opposing President Ngo Dinh Diem in South Vietnam at the time.

　It can even be said the other way around, that in the entire South Vietnam at this moment, it is not uncommon to oppose President Ngo Dinh Diem, and it is rare not to oppose him!

　Why? Because, as a failed dictator, the mentally ill Ngo Dinh Diem had already offended everyone he could!

　This is truly a perverse act!

　The author's words:

　But the problem was that the 1st Marine Division was fighting in enemy territory at the time. It had already fought a bloody battle and was suddenly hit hard by the nuclear explosion. In addition, the electromagnetic storm destroyed all communication tools and vehicles. All the soldiers instantly turned into light infantry, and the fleet at sea abandoned them and fled.

　In addition, the division commander was captured and the command center was destroyed. The remaining soldiers looked at the mushroom cloud in front of them and the radioactive dust floating down from their heads. At the same time, they had lost contact with their superiors and friendly forces, their ammunition supplies were almost gone, and there was no way to retreat - even the 1st Marine Division could not withstand it.

　Moreover, having already been hit by a nuclear bomb, who knows if there will be a second one (if there is one)? Morale must have plummeted to the ground, right?

　Chapter 145: The Brain-Opening 1960s (Part 2)

　Why do we say that President Ngo Dinh Diem offended almost everyone he could during his rule in South Vietnam?

　Because he really was constantly messing around! He didn't stop for even a minute!

　A dictator with such a unique style as Ngo Dinh Diem is a rare figure in the entire history of mankind in the 20th century.

　First of all, as a member of a scholar-official family of a feudal dynasty, Ngo Dinh Diem, who was once the Minister of Personnel of the Nguyen Dynasty of Vietnam and came from a scholarly family, overthrew the last Vietnamese monarch "Emperor Bao Dai" who appointed him as Prime Minister, usurped the Nguyen Dynasty, and forced Emperor Bao Dai to go into exile in France, where he was unable to return home until his death.

　Thus, in the eyes of Vietnam's traditional landlord class, Ngo Dinh Diem was a replica of Yuan Shikai, the "thief who stole the country," and Cao Cao. He was clearly the son of an official who had received the country's favor, but he colluded with foreigners to deceive the emperor and usurp the throne. He was a traitor in every way! Who would treat him well?

　What's more, it was Emperor Bao Dai who promoted Ngo Dinh Diem exceptionally and protected him during the conflict with the French. Are you repaying his kindness with enmity?

　Although this matter will fade away with the passage of time, it has only been six years since Emperor Bao Dai was deposed. Who could forget it so quickly?

　Therefore, Diem's ​​initial series of brutal actions is truly puzzling. Facing the threat of the Red North, why not just leave Emperor Bao Dai as a figurehead in the South and become the real Prime Minister? Why did he have to depose the emperor and be branded a traitor?

　Even Ho Chi Minh considered preserving the Nguyen Dynasty temporarily and only serving as prime minister. How come Ngo Dinh Diem didn't even have this magnanimity?

　Secondly, as a representative of the comprador forces supported by foreign forces, Ngo Dinh Diem was incompatible with the traditional comprador forces in South Vietnam.

　why?

　Because Vietnam had always been a French colony and semi-colony in the past (the Nguyen Dynasty still had a small piece of territory in name, existing as a protectorate), and the compradors in Vietnam were naturally compradors supported by France, and they were the French who obeyed the orders of Paris.

　However, Ngo Dinh Diem was not a running dog of the French. Instead, he was forcibly parachuted in by the Americans. As soon as he came to power, he broke off relations with the French.

　As the saying goes, competitors are mortal enemies. This old comprador who speaks French and the new comprador who speaks English really can't get along at all!

　——Just like the pro-Western factions in modern Russia, there is a difference between pro-British and American and pro-French and German factions, and the two pro-Western factions have been fighting each other to the death.

　What’s even more terrible is that although the Ngo Dinh Diem government was supported by the United States, the United States did not have the ability to instantly create a pro-American army in Vietnam.

　Therefore, the South Vietnamese government's army was still a Vietnamese puppet army left behind by the French colonialists. The senior officers of the army were either members of the Nguyen Dynasty royal family or had studied in France. It can be said that all of them disliked Ngo Dinh Diem, the "thief who stole the country" and "American running dog."

　The former hated Ngo Dinh Diem for destroying the Nguyen Dynasty, and the latter hated Ngo Dinh Diem for betraying his French master - both can be regarded as national and family hatreds.

　When Ngo Dinh Diem deposed Emperor Bao Dai, the South Vietnamese generals publicly declared that they would launch a coup, and threatened to

　Said they wanted to kick him out of Vietnam.

　Fortunately, the Eisenhower administration of the United States strongly supported Ngo Dinh Diem and dispatched American diplomats and CIA agents to exert pressure and intimidate him, which barely intimidated a group of puppet army generals of French descent and prevented these cowards from exterminating on the spot.

　But Diem also knew that these generals were either remnants of the previous dynasty or French in spirit, and could not be trusted. Therefore, in recent years, he had been supporting his own army and squeezing out the old puppet troops left by the French. As a result, the contradictions between the two sides were deepening, and assassinations and rebellions were endless.

　The presidential palace in Saigon was blown down by the rebel air force, and there were countless assassination attempts. Everyone in the army was like a little Lu Bu, and everyone wanted to rebel.

　If we say that the party-state during the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression was "passive in resisting the war and active in suppressing the Communists", then the current South Vietnam is "passive in suppressing the Communists and active in rebelling"!

　How can we expect a South Vietnamese army that is only focused on rebelling and killing the president to wholeheartedly wipe out the Viet Cong?

　So it was only natural that within a few years, "the countryside of South Vietnam turned red."

　Vietnam has been a Buddhist nation since ancient times, but Ngo Dinh Diem was a devout Catholic. Before coming to power, he took advantage of the transitional period following the signing of the Geneva Armistice and before Ho Chi Minh took control of Hanoi and other territories to launch the "Freedom Road" movement in North Vietnam, leading 800,000 North Vietnamese Catholics southward to escape religious persecution by the atheist Vietcong. He was hailed in the West as the "Moses of Vietnam."

　Moreover, after deposing the king and becoming president, Ngo Dinh Diem has been working hard to promote the Catholic faith in South Vietnam, forcibly confiscating Buddhist temples and Buddhist properties and distributing them to Catholic believers who followed him from North Vietnam, just like the land grabbing after the Eight Banners entered the pass in the early Qing Dynasty.

　Even Oda Nobunaga, the "Sixth Heavenly Demon King" who burned Mount Hiei, could be considered respectful to the Buddha compared to him.

　The entire Vietnamese Buddhist community was resentful of Ngo Dinh Diem and early on gave him the title of "enemy of Buddhism".

　Well, since President Ngo Dinh Diem wants to suppress Buddhists, who are the main religious group, for the sake of Catholicism, then he has to carry out united front work and win over small non-mainstream religions such as Hoa Hao and Cao Dai in South Vietnam. Only in this way can they unite and deal with the deeply rooted Buddhism!

　However, Wu Tingyan, who was known for his unique style, chose not to engage in united front work, or rather, he engaged in a "reverse united front" and treated other non-mainstream religions such as Hoa Hao and Cao Dai equally, suppressing them in various ways. He managed to make his enemies more numerous and his own people fewer!

　Generally speaking, his religious policy was roughly "abolishing all schools of thought and respecting God alone"... But the question is, do you have the prestige of Emperor Wu of Han?