Chapter 99

Although it had not been long since he became the head of the bodyguards, Shelepov was already bored. Khrushchev's goodwill in personally coming to the United States, which kept the two countries in a state of détente, seemed to be extremely short-lived in his memory. It was even shorter than the period under Brezhnev, who had initiated a full-scale arms race. This was simple: during Brezhnev's era, the Soviet Union had become so powerful that the United States had to seek détente. In Khrushchev's time, the Soviet Union seemed to lack just a bit of that strength.

The endless banquets had already made Khrushchev irritable, and Shelepov was no different. By now, he no longer felt like witnessing history; he had no desire to join the banquets. He would stand far away, as if flying a kite. Later, he would directly go outside to play with his TT-33 pistol, leaving the security matters to other deputies.

"What's going on!" Shelepov, sitting on the lawn outside the hall, picked up the walkie-talkie and asked.

"The First Secretary and the Mayor of Los Angeles have started a debate!" The walkie-talkie reported the latest developments at the banquet amidst static. Again? Shelepov struggled to stand up from the lawn, not wanting to give the capitalist mosquitoes a chance to build their reputation. He wobbled back inside.

As soon as he entered the door, he heard Khrushchev's distinctive voice through the microphone. He grabbed a deputy and asked, "What's the cause?" After listening, he shook his head. It was still Khrushchev's line, "We will bury you," but this time the debate was initiated by the Mayor of Los Angeles, who said, "We are happy and willing to live this way. If anyone wants to bury us, we will fight to the death."

"No problem. The First Secretary will handle it!" These words were meaningless and not worth paying attention to. But isn't this a free country? How can the Mayor of Los Angeles speak like the Secretary of the Moscow City Committee? Representing the entire American people in a life-and-death struggle with the Soviet Union? Who said the people of a free country wouldn't be represented?

"We will bury you." His meaning was that socialism would surpass capitalism in economic and political competition. But the American media distorted his words, interpreting them as a terrifying strategy, "Khrushchev wants to get rid of you." Over the next three years, Khrushchev explained the meaning of his words multiple times, but this time he did not want to explain again.

Khrushchev said angrily, "You know, I came here with good intentions, but some of you always try to turn serious matters into a joke. Perhaps some see him and his delegation as poor relatives begging for peace. Maybe they invited him to give him a chance to 'see the world' and show him the strength and power of America, to make him kneel. If that's the case, he is ready to return home at any time. Our plane is waiting at Washington Airport, and I can call it here at any time to fly back to the Soviet Union."

Shelepov helplessly picked up the walkie-talkie and resumed his usual work, which was to stir up the atmosphere. He said in a provocative voice, "If war starts now, we are willing to die..."

All the Soviets present responded enthusiastically to Khrushchev, and under Shelepov's lead, war cries echoed from everyone's mouths, supporting Khrushchev not to back down, even if the war started tomorrow.

The entire banquet site was silent except for the Soviet clamor. The Americans looked uneasily at the Soviet agents around them. Even the Soviet writers who had been chatting happily with Hollywood producers now looked serious, ready to sacrifice themselves. Many eyes turned to Shelepov, who was closest to the door. Shelepov did not disappoint these seasoned actors. With a calm expression, he unholstered his pistol and, under everyone's gaze, loaded it with bullets, ignoring the attention focused on him.

He then said something into the walkie-talkie, and all the armed Soviets present revealed their weapons, as if a world war were about to break out in the next second.

"Mr. Mayor, if you think our First Secretary's words are wrong, please consider what Americans themselves do! As an intelligence officer, I respect and understand my opponents! The House Un-American Activities Committee has always investigated writers who are ideologically close to socialism. Otherwise, Marilyn Monroe's husband, Arthur Miller, would not have been denied the opportunity to meet us!" Shelepov walked up to Mayor Bowron of Los Angeles, holding his pistol, and pushed the bullets into the chamber.

Everyone thought Shelepov was about to shoot the seasoned Republican on the spot. Some women even covered their eyes, unable to watch. However, Shelepov handed the loaded pistol to Mayor Bowron and said, "If Mr. Bowron likes to solve problems this way, I personally admire you. If you don't mind, I can represent the KGB and immediately recruit you into our organization!"

Mayor Bowron, holding Shelepov's pistol, was at a loss. Khrushchev promptly scolded Shelepov, which relieved everyone present. No one expected a gun to be drawn at such a banquet, and many were already preparing to use the scene as a topic to boast to their friends.

Shelepov smiled apologetically, took the magazine from his pocket, and retrieved his gun from Mayor Bowron. When everyone saw that Shelepov had handed over an empty gun, he made a gesture of apology, saying, "I was just joking with Mayor Bowron. Mayor Bowron will not join the KGB. Only members who have made significant contributions to the Soviet Union can join, otherwise, we won't set a precedent!"

"Please note, Mayor Bowron is absolutely not a KGB agent!" Shelepov pulled Mayor Bowron to his side, easily overcoming the old man's resistance, and gestured to the Soviet agents. After the flash of cameras, their image was captured. This negative? No one could take it from Shelepov's hands. His obvious disgust towards the Mayor of Los Angeles did not escape the notice of the elites present, and some could not help but laugh, forgetting the earlier incident.

In terms of forgetting pain once the wound has healed, the Soviets and Americans were not much different.

What was different was that some Hollywood stars from the day before were still there, including Elizabeth Taylor and Marilyn Monroe. In the Soviet Union, no matter how rich you were, without power, you were nothing. In the United States, power was always in the hands of the capitalists, and the government was just a facade.

Seeing Elizabeth Taylor head towards the restroom, Shelepov's eyes moved, and he walked up to an FBI agent and asked, "Sir, where is the restroom?"

"Thank you!" Shelepov politely thanked him and walked confidently to the restroom, where he twisted his pen to check for listening devices. He then closed it, as technology was not infallible, and anti-detection methods were not always effective. He washed his hands in the restroom and, in a less than gentlemanly manner, played the role of a peeping tom. He stood in the corridor, one foot on the window sill, pretending to tie his shoelaces, waiting for Elizabeth Taylor to appear.

Hearing the unmistakable sound of a woman's footsteps, they suddenly became chaotic and stopped. Shelepov tied his shoelaces and turned around to see Elizabeth Taylor's panicked purple eyes. He muttered to himself, "Martha! If you don't obey, you will be eliminated. The people from Hesse will notify you when to go!"

After a simple sentence, Shelepov lifted his other leg and, facing the window, continued to tie his shoelaces. Listening to Elizabeth Taylor's footsteps gradually fade away, the entire process was very short, and Shelepov's behavior was very natural, his voice controlled to a level that only the two of them could hear. Even if someone saw from a distance, they would not suspect anything, as it looked more like a chance encounter, and the conversation was just a formality.

Martha was the name on Elizabeth Taylor's documents, chosen by Shelepov to prevent anyone from knowing that Elizabeth Taylor was his informant. In Shelepov's eyes, Elizabeth Taylor's role was to get close to Marilyn Monroe and obtain Marilyn Monroe's diary, which recorded her conversations with Kennedy. As long as this task was completed, any financial cost was worth it.

After tying his shoelaces, Shelepov returned to the banquet as if nothing had happened, not even glancing at Elizabeth Taylor. Based on historical records and his direct impression from their meeting, Marilyn Monroe, in Shelepov's eyes, was instantly categorized as a silly, big-headed woman. Would a normal woman dare to threaten a president, especially one with Kennedy's background? Her eventual fate was not surprising.

The next day, Shelepov accompanied Khrushchev and his wife to visit 20th Century Fox. The company was filled with plainclothes police, both American and Soviet. They checked the bushes outside, the flowers on each table, and the men's and women's changing rooms. In the kitchen, chemist Ray Pink from the agricultural soil laboratory tested the food for radioactivity and also checked the box where Khrushchev would sit to watch the filming of "Can-Can."

Shelepov used this time to buy a hamburger, took a bite, and threw it in the trash, as it did not suit his taste. He also bought a newspaper reporting on Khrushchev's visit to the United States, enjoying the process. Surprisingly, the American people who interacted with Khrushchev also liked him. Although he was still a dictator to them, he had become a legendary figure. Sometimes he laughed heartily, sometimes he was witty, and sometimes he complained, making him unpredictable. The media's constant coverage made him a star. To Americans, Khrushchev gradually became a familiar character in a sitcom, like a temperamental, quick-tempered uncle, but a genuine one.

The newspaper also reported on the covert battle between Shelepov and the Mayor of Los Angeles, but it omitted the part where he played with his gun. However, Shelepov knew that the incident would definitely be spread by those present, whether reported or not.

Subsequently, Shelepov accompanied Khrushchev to the next stop, San Francisco, where they stayed for a day before returning to the starting point of this tour. Khrushchev would meet with Eisenhower at Camp David. (To be continued.)

PS: My keyboard is broken. A keyboard that costs only a few dollars is not worth trusting. I gathered a few hundred words of material to meet the word count. Please forgive me.