Chapter 158 Chapter Thirty-One

I don't know if this is her parting letter, but I haven't replied to her for a long time.I have been immersed in loneliness, my heart is like an empty wallet.Many times I came close to opening the letter that contained the phone number of Modena, and even once, my finger was on the dial, but I gave up. The work took over my mind and body, and I haven't thought about it since.Yet I found myself useful to my father.Although he could crack a lobster's claws with a little concentration, his concentration wasn't always the same, and his desk was always like an unmade bed.And his erratic playmaking ability is as excruciating as an unpleasant hangover.Yet I love him, and that's what I've discovered from working on the details, and that attention to detail has given me a new passion.I'll take care of some sanitation, like sending his clothes to the laundering; and of course I'll be scrutinizing him and McCone, Helms, Montagu, and the fifty other officers still working at JM/WAVE. Memos in between, checking incoming cables and our preferred traffic routing patterns.Seriously, I've grown to love handling these chores, and Carl's secretary, Eleanor, has been working so hard for years that she needs an assistant to help her out, and I'm glad Eleanor and I hit it off.These days, what's on my desk is closer to life than where I live, and it really doesn't matter whether I'm in Miami and Washington or Langley and Zannit.Once again I realized how little my knowledge was.The more energy I have, the more I can be involved in the beginning, middle, and end of things while feeling less fulfilled.I read spy novels when I was alone at night. One thing that makes me very satisfied is that its description is not at all the same as the real work, but after all, the novel is a novel, and there is still a certain gap between it and real life.My thoughts didn't stop at the surface, I also thought about the nature of the plot of a novel, which is never complete in life.Anyway, that's half the focus of people, because we never have to push ourselves harder than the main character in the script.If you insist on seeing your life as a continuous story, the other half of one's life is just about accumulating habits, mistakes, luck, chance, and lots of help, which are just the stuff of everyday talk .Therefore, I am grateful for this summer, in which I did not have many personal details, but learned in many details, and my father and I also put together a respectable team.

However, he still has some work that I don't know.I know he's making a connection with Ann/Rash, but if the big event of September 8th doesn't convince Carl to let me take on the big job, then I don't know how long I'll have to learn.As soon as I walked into his office that morning, he handed me a clipping from The Washington Post that told the story in Havana.On the evening of September 7th, Castro attended a banquet at the Brazilian embassy, ​​during which he took an Associated Press reporter aside and said: "Kennedy and our Batista are Same guy, we have uncovered a terrorist plot to eliminate Cuban leaders. If American leaders dare to aid these plans, I guarantee that they will not be able to live in peace themselves."

"That's a hint for us," Carr said. "Can you tell me the background of the story?" I asked. "An/Rashi is now in the Cuban Consulate in Sao Paulo, Brazil, and our people have already met him." "That's enough information," I said. "There are so many places in Havana where you can talk to AP reporters, and Castro chose the Brazilian embassy." "Yes," Carr said, "this morning in Richard Helms' office we discussed the creation of a counterintelligence team and the counterintelligence activities that would follow."

True, they had a few meetings in September about it, but by the end of the month Carl said, "We're still in the process." I checked a copy of the final memo Helms sent to the counterintelligence team : "Even if Ann/Rashi has not been turned into a double agent by Castro, the evidence we have is not enough to make any conclusions below, but we must be prepared to give up this very important resource. However, in the Caribbean we have no other There are more people who can talk to Castro than Ann/Rashi, so we will continue to keep in touch with Ann/Rashi on balance." Why did Helms support my father?I have a reasonable guess at this.In mid-September we received word that the United States and Cuba were engaged in secret peace negotiations.Charlotte is still in touch with the agents sent to the FBI, so we have a steady stream of tapes from the bureau about conversations between the Cuban ambassador in Washington and the Cuban representative to the United Nations.The Bureau of Investigation also tampered with Adlai Stevenson's office in the United Nations building. Every morning we receive envelopes from the "grave robbers" in three ways. I understand, Ambassador Stevenson His office was supposed to be off-limits to the FBI, but who suggested that Hoover do it?In any case, we have enough information material.If these scattered fragments of my guess are really the miserable life of an intelligence officer, then I can at least understand the messy situation.

On September 18th, William Atwood, Special Adviser to the U.S. Mission to the United Nations, sent a confidential email to Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Avril Harriman: In my opinion, the policy of isolating Cuba has further stimulated Castro's determination to create conflicts in Latin America, and at the same time, it has also set off our image as a bullying power. UN neutral diplomats believe that we have reason to believe that Castro will somehow establish normal diplomatic relations with us, even if this action will anger his core communist elements, he may still establish diplomatic relations with our country.

The above information may be true or false, but regardless of whether Castro is really willing to negotiate peace, and regardless of whether we have figured out his next plan, we have nothing to lose in this process.If Castro is willing, then I can go to Cuba in my own name. Of course, I will inform Mr. President of my whereabouts. A few days later we got word that Atwood had told Adlai Stevenson of Harriman's reaction, saying that the proposal would have put Kennedy at great risk: "It doesn't matter who the Republicans are, they Get a little word of mouth, and we'll pay dearly." Harriman, however, told Atwood he felt "too risky" and suggested that Robert Kennedy come forward.Bobby wrote on the edge of Atwood's note: Worth Tracking, Contact Mike Bundy.Then Bundy told Atwood: "The president would like to see Castro break away from the Soviet camp." Encouraged by this, Atwood took the initiative to contact Carlos Lechuga, the Cuban ambassador to the United Nations.

Immediately afterwards, the three-person meeting of Helms, Charlotte, and Carl started one after another.Their strategy, they told me, was to have the Special Operations Team commanded by Director McCone to carry out a new round of sabotage in Cuba.After Carl was appointed, he quickly launched an operation to destroy the oil refinery. At the same time, a hurricane in the Caribbean Sea on October 6 took up a lot of ships and labor.However, the attack was unsuccessful and two of the pilots who landed in Cuba were arrested. Carl wasn't particularly upset. After all, he didn't know those two people, and neither did I.Butler Dix returned my call and said he had rushed into action.Whether we were unlucky or he was unprepared, this question cannot be concluded without an inquiry, but it is clear that our people will never have the opportunity to investigate An/Laxi again.

My father wasn't sad, but Butler was angry.He called from Miami and he was complaining in a Langley HQ tone, and I couldn't stand being a big man, so I said, "Okay. My father's responsible, I'm responsible, what about you? You have Didn't realize the slightest mistake of my own?" "No," said he, "you first sent me Javert Fortes, and I had to choose him as my liaison." "You don't need it if I give it to you. You don't need to be so reluctant to work." "No time, I repeat: no time, I have to use him. He must have tipped the Cuban Coast Guard secretly."

"How could he? Didn't you tell him where our men landed in Cuba? Did you?" "He may have sent an ordinary alarm on the spot." "Where is he now?" "Who knows where he hid, and I haven't seen him go to work in the bank again." "Did he just disappear like this?" "He called me and said he'd show up when I calmed down. I'll have a showdown with him and I'm sure he won't forget." "Did you tell him that?" "No, I told him that there is nothing to calm down. What is needed now is to regroup the team, not to blame each other."

I don't know now whether I should coerce Fortes to show up to meet Butler, or should I face Butler's accusations, which is really a painful choice. In addition, I don't know where Fortes is hiding. On October 13, Castro publicly condemned the raid: "The Cuban people are fighting against the hurricane. This disaster has taken thousands of innocent lives. When the people are struggling to save themselves, what did the United States do? They used pirate ships to carry a ship of saboteurs and explosives, raided Cuba, and took advantage of people's dangers." Look what we got!Fidel Castro was unhappy, and so were Atwood's men.Then, we heard from Charlotte the transcript of the Cuban delegation's conversation at the UN office, and learned that the secret meeting between our country's high-level officials and Castro was still being planned: it was possible to send Atwood to a small airport near Havana ?

Adlai Stevenson is also concerned about this matter, he said: "So far, many people involved in this new Cuban plan are secretly involved." Atwood responded that, as far as he knows, the only person who knows The only officials involved in these contacts with the Cubans were the President, the Attorney General, Ambassador Harriman, McGeorge Bundy, Stevenson, and himself. Because Carl and Charlotte have selected agents from our team to be on duty at Langley HQ, the FBI has the UN report and will leak it as Hoover needs it, while JM/WAVE and Cuba are in exile The leaders of the leaders will also get the news from everyone, so I think the only person in charge so far must be Secretary of State Rusker, and John McConn.On several mornings, Carl's office received four or five letters from various departments at Langley, all of which referred to Atwood's Cuba proposal and to the rumors that Carl and I had secretly spread the other day. Hunter even took me to Langley's fancy cafeteria to check what he'd heard. "I knew Jack the Laughing Tiger was not to be trusted, but isn't this betrayal too obvious? Has your father heard from Dick Helms?" "He'll just have to try," I told Hunter. "If Karl doesn't confront Helms directly, I will publicly oppose Helms myself." "However, it's better not to be so extreme. Karl can contact him." "Give my regards to your father, is he in a good mood?" "Today? Pretty good." This is not a lie.Yesterday afternoon, October 24th, John McCone took Richard Helms, Hugh Montagu, and Boardman Hubbard to a meeting, together with Bobby Kennedy and the Special Operations Team, who managed to persuade the other party to authorize thirteen major sabotage operations, lasting three months, from November 1963 to January 1964, averaging Down is once a week.Power stations, oil refineries and sugar mills were all targeted for damage. "It's a good time," Carl said. "Everybody's dying right now. We can get Fidel Castro into a canker sore, that bastard! How dare you play missiles with the Soviets! If given the chance, even To sacrifice myself, I would also like a grenade to kill Castro, Raul, and Che Guevara at the same time." He is serious.My father was getting older, his small flaws were becoming more apparent, and his commitment to outsiders was becoming bigger and bigger.But if you don't have the courage to do what he says, then you have no right to laugh at him.To perish together with the enemy, this kind of death is the best success. That was the greatness of my father, and even a lion has its frailties.I found him as vulnerable as an old lady to the wiles of the enemy.On October 25th, the second day after the special operations team approved our sabotage activities, within twenty minutes after Hunter and I returned from lunch, Carl's mood became particularly bad.Yesterday afternoon, while he was talking to the Special Operations Team about his course of action, he learned that President Kennedy had been interviewed for half an hour by Jean Daniel, a respected French journalist.The interview with the Frenchman was arranged by Atwood, who is now on his way to Havana.Hey, it's a pity the Oval Office can't have any bugs.But on the night of October 24, the FBI issued a report at the United Nations: Atwood told Ambassador Stevenson that Jane Daniel was a professional reporter and he was reluctant to repeat what he had said to President Kennedy.But Daniel revealed that his conversation with President Kennedy was "very stimulating" and that "Castro's response may be quite productive." "Yes," Carl said, "as you can imagine, Jack the Smiling Tiger introduced Jane Daniel to Mrs. Kennedy. After all, our first lady is still very attractive in Paris. You can make such a top reporter meet for the first time." As soon as the lady went home? Jack told Jane that he was not against collectivism, but that the Soviet Union was insulting and rude. Maybe he was implying to Jane that he would find a way to coexist peacefully with the Soviet Union. I believe Jack Kennedy has Ability to describe the big contradiction as a small family misunderstanding." "How do you know this?" "If you're willing to spend three months watching those sinister Washington villains in action, you'll find how interesting it is!" Who can say that my father had no foresight?Fifty days had passed since Jane Daniel's interview with Jack Kennedy before the report was released. From The New Republic December 14, 1963 On Thursday, October 24, President Kennedy received me at the White House.As we passed the small room where his secretary was working, Mrs. Kennedy was coming out of a room with French windows to go to the private garden of the White House. The President stopped her and introduced me to her. Washington Summer, the weather is very warm, President Kennedy and his wife are wearing thin clothes, giving people a youthful, simple but charming impression, which is completely opposite to their usual seriousness and majesty.After the president's wife left, the president asked me to sit on the semicircular sofa in the middle of his office, and he sat on the rocking chair opposite.The interview lasted 20 to 25 minutes, except for a phone call, there was no other interruption... Now that my notes are in hand, I can quote President Kennedy: "I want to talk to you about Cuba..." The following words are very convincing, and he automatically makes simple gestures to emphasize what he said In every sentence, this is already well known. "I'll tell you this: I believe there is no country in the world with worse economic colonization, mining, and shame than Cuba, but it's also partly due to our country's political influence over Cuba during the Batista period, I believe. This is our unintentional spur to Castro's rebellion. I think so many mistakes have affected all of Latin America. This is also a very important issue in the foreign policy of the United States. I can assure you that I understand the Cuban people, Also supported Castro's rebellion in the Sierra Maestra area, when he called for fairness to the world, especially hoped that Cuba could get rid of corruption. I would even say: to a certain extent, Batista did a lot on behalf of the United States Evil. Now we must pay for these evils. As far as Batista's regime is concerned, I support the first reforms in Cuba. There is no doubt about it." We were silent for a while, during which Mr. President felt my surprise and my curiosity, and he continued: "But it is obvious that the problem is not limited to Cuba alone, and it has risen to the level of internationalization, that is, Said, the Soviet Union was also involved. I am the president of the United States, not a sociologist, I am the president of a free country, and we have a responsibility for the freedom of the world. Castro betrayed him in Maestra Oath sworn by Shan, now he has become an agent of the Soviet Union, doing illegal activities in Latin America. I know that because of his mistake, the world almost had a nuclear war in October 1962. Whether it is because of his 'independence Will', or his madness, or his communism, in short he was wrong. The USSR knew it well, at least our counterattack will help him see the situation. But what about Castro? I have to admit I don't know if he's aware of it, or if he cares." He smiled and continued, "The next time you come, you can tell me the answer. Anyway, Latin America It is impossible for a country to achieve fairness and progress in 'that' way, I mean overthrowing communism. From economic repression to Marxist dictatorship, it is impossible for them to enter a fair and developed society. Now, the United States Being able to support and save Latin America as before, I would even say that only we have the ability to prevent communism from completely dominating Latin America." Then, Mr. Kennedy stood up, which means, the interview is over...