Chapter 229
Chapter 229
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: Scandal
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On the surface, it looked like Kennedy had the military firmly in his grip, but that wasn't the reality.
The hawks in the military were still very much alive and kicking.
It was still anyone's guess who would end up holding the reins.
While we were discussing the issues in the U.S. military, an intelligence report came in.
It was an urgent briefing on the U.S.-Soviet summit that had taken place just a few hours earlier.
"Neither side mentioned anything about arms reduction. That's the official line."
Kennedy had talked his head off, but nothing about arms reduction?
"Maybe they discussed it in a closed-door session?"
"That's possible."
I put my weight behind the idea of a private meeting.
Given the timing, with arms control being such a sensitive topic, I figured they'd probably just sounded each other out and called it a day.
Not long after, Kennedy revealed the behind-the-scenes story of his meeting with Khrushchev, mentioning that there had been some common ground on arms reduction.
Khrushchev chimed in too, saying he'd had a great rapport with President Kennedy.
"Looks like they really hit it off."
It didn't jibe with how they'd been at each other's throats in the original timeline.
If left alone, this dialogue could advance at breakneck speed.
'Time for Yi Seong-jun's invisible hand to get moving.'
I decided to throw cold water on the friendly atmosphere both sides had created.
We'd already milked the Soviet tank threat for all it was worth, so now it was time to stir trouble from another angle.
"There's a massive gap between the United States and the Soviet Union!"
I had people start yapping about the cruiser gap that wouldn't even emerge until 1975.
"The Soviet Navy has 22 cruisers. By contrast, the U.S. Navy has only half that number."
It was utter nonsense, a play on words.
The U.S. Navy's DLG leader destroyers were classified that way, but they were far larger than anything in the Soviet Navy's cruiser fleet.
Not to mention the U.S. Navy had vastly more ships overall, with displacements that weren't even comparable.
But people are animals swayed more by the punch of a word than by reality.
"Cruiser gap? Our navy trailing the commie navy?"
It even sparked hearings in the U.S.
"The U.S. Navy losing ground to the reds? Does that even make sense? Explain yourselves!"
Afraid of being accused of dereliction of duty if they stayed quiet, the Navy brass did put out a clarification.
"The Soviet cruisers are smaller than our DLG leader destroyers. The cruiser gap is a myth."
But the public latched onto the word "cruiser."
The moment people thought the reds were ahead in naval power, they started clamoring for ways to close the cruiser gap.
The summit with Khrushchev, all other issues—everything got swallowed by the cruiser gap.
I'd torpedoed Kennedy's plans with cruisers, for now.
I'd planted the idea that the Soviets were competitors, no matter the talk of dialogue. There was no way arms reduction talks could gain traction now.
I made sure the Soviet military caught wind of the mood too.
"The American imperialists have more bigger, stronger warships, yet they're distorting the facts to push for military expansion. Do you really think trusting them and cutting our forces is in the best interest of the Federation's security?"
Of course, we didn't say it ourselves.
The Soviet military reacted instantly.
They were the type always primed to grab any anti-arms-control argument and blast it through a megaphone.
"We hear the American imperialists are spouting nonsense about cruiser gaps and such, painting us as militarists obsessed with arms buildup. Isn't it the Americans who are going berserk in the arms race?"
The U.S. and Soviets didn't hesitate to point fingers at each other.
The absurd cruiser gap myth got patched up when the U.S. Navy reclassified its leader destroyers as "cruisers."
For a moment, it seemed that way.
But these word games have a knack for snowballing once they start.
Tank gap.
Artillery gap.
Aircraft gap.
Yellow journalism flooded the airwaves with arguments claiming the U.S. military was at a disadvantage against the reds' sheer numbers.
Americans couldn't tear their eyes away from the arms gap debate once it ignited.
This gap-mongering was straight out of 21st-century South Korea's Ministry of National Defense playbook, hyping up North Korea's quantity-over-quality tactics.
The various gap issues buzzing in the U.S. soon spread to Europe.
Naturally, the governments of each country didn't quake in their boots over it.
They all knew the real score to some extent—the visible numbers didn't tell the full story of the gap.
The problem was the public getting anxious.
Governments desperately needed measures to reassure the masses.
As a result, each nation's leaders had to soothe their people with promises of steady military investment.
In this climate, the U.S. going solo on arms cuts?
Impossible.
'Kennedy won't have much choice for the time being.'
I figured even Kennedy couldn't push his arms control agenda in this setup.
But Kennedy came at it head-on again.
"I want to explain to the American people why these various gaps are pure fiction."
Kennedy sent young, attractive male and female soldiers on TV to debunk the arms gap myths.
Having clean-cut hunks and babes draw eyes while they explained was the mark of someone who knew how to work the media.
'Come to think of it, he countered with media last time too.'
Kennedy was a young president with no hang-ups about using the media.
He ran this special broadcast nonstop for nearly a week.
My carefully orchestrated gap debate was neutralized by Kennedy's one masterstroke.
There was still some lingering effect, but not enough to derail the arms control push.
Of course, I'd prepared the next move in case this attack flopped. Plan A means having a Plan B—that's schemer basics.
If you can't shake the "post-Cold War" message, go after the messenger spouting it.
'The best way to hit a politician is with scandal, after all.'
Kennedy was no stranger to scandal.
He was the guy who'd fooled around with a teenage White House intern.
Women were always buzzing around Kennedy.
In the 21st century, could a politician get away with that kind of scandal?
I set loose a scandal aimed right at Kennedy's crotch.
"Spread it through the yellow press?"
"No hard evidence, but it'll trash his image perfectly."
"That's true."
"While we're at it spreading the rumor, let's spice it up right."
Talk of drugs or aphrodisiacs.
In the original timeline, he'd supposedly used aphrodisiacs with White House intern Mimi Alford, so it wasn't entirely made up.
Before long, tales of Kennedy's promiscuous sex life spread like wildfire across America.
Dirty, sleazy stories about celebrities have universal appeal, transcending time and place.
"I thought he was this young, clean politician, but he's a real sleaze."
"What do you expect from a rich heir to a fancy family?"
We monitored public opinion trends while watching Kennedy's response.
"Did you really have no sexual relationships with those women?"
Kennedy looked flustered under our assault.
He clearly hadn't imagined his private life being dragged through the mud like this.
Considering the 1960s zeitgeist, that was par for the course.
Who in this era would dare gossip loudly about a bigwig's personal affairs?
We kept pouring fuel on the rumors.
"They say when Jacqueline had her miscarriage, Kennedy was at a party. A guy rolling around with girls while his wife miscarries—is that a beast or a man?"
No evidence, of course.
Just the tabloid style of biting first and asking questions later.
But since it was based on real original-timeline events, Kennedy couldn't easily refute it.
With the president's morals under fire, his approval ratings started tanking.
From over 60% at the start, they plummeted below 50%.
As his ratings dropped, the military hawks who'd bowed their heads started raising them again.
"Negotiating with the reds? Cut that crap!"
"If you're talking arms cuts, tell the reds to downsize first. Why should we lead with reductions when we've got nothing lacking?"
Retired generals' op-eds started popping up again.
This was just the beginning.
The Republicans and other political enemies didn't sit idle either.
"Arms control is commie sympathizer talk. Compromising just gives the reds breathing room—what kind of negotiation is that?"
"It's time to scrutinize the Kennedy administration's ideology."
They tore into Kennedy's arms control talk like it was their golden opportunity.
Red-baiting in the midst of falling approval ratings was more than the Kennedy administration could handle.
Want to avoid getting red-baited by the Republicans?
Abandon the arms control talk.
For the foreseeable future, Kennedy wouldn't dare dream of pushing arms control.
I raised my wine glass to Kennedy sweating bullets on TV.
"No hard feelings, Mr. President."