Johnson's speech in Las Vegas was very successful. On that day, a platform was set up in the square outside the Hardy Hotel, surrounded by 20,000 people. The casino closed for three hours for the speech.
The square was filled with not only Las Vegas locals but also many tourists, and President Johnson gave a passionate speech.
The day after the speech,
President Johnson suddenly interrupted his trip and returned to Washington with his team. After returning to the White House, Johnson immediately summoned US Secretary of State Acheson and asked the National Academy of Resources to issue an announcement to the outside world that in view of the international situation, the United States would suspend all forms of assistance to the National Government.
"Mr. President, are you going to give up China completely?" Acheson asked in surprise.
Johnson said calmly, "It's time to make a choice. To be honest, I've already seen that he will fail. There's no need to waste energy. The United States' foreign strategy in the future will focus on Europe."
How could Johnson sit idly by in the face of betrayal and humiliation?
He is the president.
He has that right.
This is Johnson's revenge.
Two days later, the U.S. Department of State officially announced that the United States would change its previous policy toward China and suspend all assistance, including but not limited to material, military, and political assistance.
When this news reached China, many people were shocked. Some people still fantasized that the United States would send a large army to support them. Even many people in the military used these words to make a fuss, thinking that they had the support of the Americans behind them. But now this dream is shattered.
The United States publicly announced that it would stop all aid, and many people even fell into panic, naturally including Jiang.
"How could this happen? The Americans are so dishonest. They always say China is important, but they are so stingy when it comes to aiding China. If they had been more helpful in providing us with economic and military aid, would things have developed to this point?"
Someone shouted angrily.
Then he thought about his recent actions. Could it be that his support for Dewey had been discovered? It was very likely. He pondered for a long time and finally decided to send his wife to the United States to mediate.
......
And Hardy,
After a week of planning, we were ready to start.
arnold.
His external identity is a reporter for the Global Times New York bureau.
Participated in World War II.
He joined the newspaper when the New York branch was expanding. He is very smart and has reported several important news stories. He is one of the main reporters of the New York branch.
As for the other identity, he is an outsider of the HD security intelligence team.
In a rented apartment, a tape recorder was connected to a telephone and a handheld portable camera was propped up next to it.
“Crack.”
Arnold pressed the button and said to the camera, "This is a very risky operation. I hope to leave some information. If I am really killed, please help me pass this information to the police. Thank you."
"I found out that one candidate received money from a foreigner, which is a violation of federal law. I am now preparing to call that person to get more information."
After saying this, Arnold picked up the phone on the table and made a call.
"Ring, ring, ring~!"
The New York State Government is located in the small town of Albany, about 240 kilometers from New York City.
The governor's office phone began to ring.
The secretary picked up the phone and asked, "Hello, who is this?"
"I'm looking for the Governor," said Arnold.
"Who are you?"
"Just tell me I have something very important to discuss with Governor Dewey, something that concerns his life and political future," Arnold said.
The secretary was startled, "Please wait a moment."
The secretary found Dewey, who was meeting with his campaign aides to discuss a nationwide speaking tour. Johnson's approval rating was slowly rising, which made Dewey feel threatened. Although everyone was optimistic about him, he did not dare to slack off.
Who knows whether that salt fish will turn over.
You cannot underestimate any opponent, especially when that opponent is the president.
The secretary came up to Dewey and whispered in his ear, "Mr. Governor, I just received a call. The caller did not reveal his identity, but said it was about your life and political future. Do you want to answer the phone?"
Dewey frowned deeply after hearing what the secretary said.
It is nonsense to talk about this when it concerns one's own life, property and political future. Maybe it is just a bored guy using alarmist words to scare himself.
"No." Dewey said unhappily.
The secretary went back and picked up the phone and said, "I'm sorry, sir, the governor is in a meeting and doesn't have time to answer your call."
Arnold sneered twice, "Tell him about China's political donations. I believe he will answer the phone."
The secretary paused for a moment, but decided to tell the governor.
When Dewey heard the words "China" and "political donation" from his secretary, his face changed.
His last meeting with T.V. Soong was very secretive and he deliberately concealed his whereabouts. In fact, there was nothing wrong with the meeting. The most important thing was that the other party mentioned the word "political donations." As a former prosecutor, how could Dewey not know that accepting foreign political donations was a violation of federal law?
Dewey thought for a moment, stood up, and went to his office to answer the phone. He said in a deep voice, "Hello, this is Thomas Dewey. Who are you and what do you want to do?"
"Governor Dewey, let me first identify myself. I am a reporter. As for why I came to you, here's what happened. I was at a golf course in New York that day and accidentally saw something and took photos of it."
"Mr. Governor, you met with a senior official from China, and you made a promise to him. Afterwards, you received a political donation of 5 million US dollars."
Dewey gritted his teeth, and the muscles on both sides of his cheeks bulged.
"What do you want to say?" Dewey asked in a deep voice.
"Haha, Mr. Governor, if I remember correctly, accepting foreign political donations is a violation of federal law. If the public knew that the presidential candidate they supported actually violated federal law and accepted political donations from foreigners, they would definitely be very angry."
"Is our candidate bought by foreigners? Will he sell out American interests in the future? Is it right for us to support such a candidate? Do you think they would think so?"
Dewey was filled with turmoil. The thing he least wanted had happened: someone knew that he had accepted political donations from foreigners and was using it to threaten him.
"I have not accepted any political donations from foreigners, so please do not slander me at will." Dewey said through gritted teeth.
"Haha, Mr. Governor, you were once the most famous prosecutor in New York. I know you have investigated many cases. Based on your ability to investigate cases, would it be difficult to find out where this political donation came from?"
"If this matter is exposed, the country will definitely intervene in the investigation. You know this better than me, right? I believe that the truth will be revealed. What do you think?" Arnold said with a smile.
Dewey naturally knew that this matter was not difficult to investigate, and it was very easy to investigate. The FBI could find out with just a simple check, without any effort at all.
Even if we don't know who the money belongs to, the fact that it came from São Paulo, Brazil, and ended up in a campaign fund account is enough to determine that the money was foreign.
If Johnson knew about this, he would definitely use national power to suppress us as a competitor.
"I tell you, I will not accept any form of threats." Dewey said coldly.
Arnold smiled and said, "Then our negotiation has failed. Fine, I will sell this news to the newspaper. After the newspaper reports it, I believe the FBI will definitely investigate. Then I will hand over the information I have to them."
"As for the outcome, you know more about the law than I do, I believe you can guess it. Well, our call ends here. I wish you victory in the election and become president. Haha, I mean if the people don't care about a president who violates federal laws and may sell out their interests, goodbye."
"Wait~!" Dewey shouted urgently.
"Oh, do you have anything else to say, Governor?" Arnold asked.
Dewey's expression kept changing. He was engaged in a fierce struggle in his mind at this moment. He longed for the presidency, very much. In the last presidential election, he had competed with Roosevelt, but because of the wartime, Roosevelt defeated him with the power of victory in the war.
He was unwilling to accept the defeat, but he had no choice but to admit defeat.
In this election, Dewey was favored by all parties from the beginning. In his mind, his ascension to the presidency was a foregone conclusion.
He doesn't want to fail.
But if the news of him accepting political donations came to light, it would definitely be a huge blow to him and a huge political stain on him.
Dewey has always been a fair and honest law enforcer. During his time as a prosecutor, he dealt with hundreds of gangsters, making him a nationally renowned star prosecutor.
However, as a law enforcer, if he blatantly violates federal law, the image he has established in the eyes of the people may collapse.
This is something he can never accept.
"What exactly do you want?" Dewey took a deep breath and asked in a deep voice, trying to suppress his emotions.
"What do you think?" Arnold asked back.
Dewey was silent for a while, then said, "You didn't break the news to me immediately, but called me instead. You must want to get more benefits from me. Tell me, what do you want?"
"How much can you give?" Arnold asked with a chuckle.
Dewey was silent for a while. He was struggling and entangled in his heart. If he accepted the facts now, what kind of consequences would he have to endure? If he took a step further, what would happen to him?
"Fifty thousand dollars, hand over everything and shut up," Dewey said in a deep voice.
He eventually went to the other side.
I don't know if that's the abyss.
If others heard what he said, they would be shocked. It is illegal for a celebrity prosecutor to buy evidence against himself.
"Hehehe~~~" Arnold let out a light laugh.
"What are you laughing at!"
Dewey was a little angry and embarrassed. He was laughed at by a small person, which made him very angry and upset.
"Mr. Dewey, you are the governor of New York and perhaps the next president. $50,000 is not enough to satisfy me. I want $500,000 in cash," Arnold said.
"500,000, you are really greedy." Dewey scolded.
"No, no, no. 500,000 is only one tenth of the political donation you received. If you agree to trade with me, you only need to pay one tenth of the price, and you can also avoid this matter from being known to others. In fact, this deal is worth it for you." Arnold said.
Dewey was confused for a few seconds.
"Okay, I'll give you $500,000, but you have to hand over all the evidence and promise not to reveal a single word to anyone from now on," Dewey said.
"No problem, I also have professional ethics." Arnold said with a smile.
"How do we trade?" Dewey asked.
"Don't worry, I'll call you again." Arnold said.
"Don't play tricks!"
"Mr. Governor, you are in a high position and I am just a small reporter. I am afraid that you will play tricks on me. I am short of money and I really need it. I hope to complete this deal smoothly, but I am more worried that you will kill someone to silence him. So I have to make some preparations and make sure that I can survive after getting the money before I will make the deal." Arnold said bluntly.
"Who do you think I am? How could I do that?" Dewey said angrily.
"Mr. Governor, in order to survive, I must use the most despicable thoughts to speculate on everyone, including you. Don't worry, for the sake of the 500,000, I will not easily expose you. Contact me again."
Arnold said this and hung up the phone decisively.
Dewey was still in a daze holding the microphone, with countless thoughts running through his mind. If this matter got out, he would be criticized, how would the voters view it, and how would his competitors take the opportunity to attack him.
Dewey gave the other party 500,000 US dollars. In fact, he did not care about the money. He was afraid that the other party would take the money and still keep his evidence. If he became president, he would continue to be extorted by the other party.
He has always been a proud person. He doesn't want to have any stain on himself, let alone any handle.
I don't want to be molested.
There is a time bomb next to him that can explode at any time.
Dewey had two people he trusted most. One was a former subordinate in the prosecutorial system who had followed him all the way, and the other was his aide and his greatest think tank.
He called the two men to his office and told them about the threats and extortion.
When the two heard that Dewey was threatened, they immediately realized the seriousness of the matter. The assistant suggested: "This person is always a threat. We should find a way to get rid of him."
"This is not a question of money. What if we give him money and he keeps the evidence? When you become president, he sells the evidence to other countries and you may be impeached."
Dewey felt a little irritated.
Trying to cover up one thing may lead to a host of other problems, and the more you think about it, the more problems you will have.
He thought about the money.
Suddenly, he felt extremely resentful towards the man who gave him the money. Originally, he had the support of several forces and was not short of money, but that bastard insisted on coming to him to give him money. At first, he was impulsive and thought it was nothing so he accepted it. He did not expect to put himself in such an embarrassing situation.
"What do you say we should do?" Dewey asked his staff in a deep voice.
"Kill that reporter." The aide said simply and directly.
Dewey frowned.
If he kills the reporter, then what's the difference between him and those mafia members?
However,
To be honest,
This thought had crossed his mind when he was threatened.
Because only in this way can we put an end to it all.
As for the money, he could return it quietly afterwards.
This way, no one will know about it.
"Please investigate where the call just now came from and see if you can find this person." Dewey said to his assistant.
"Okay, I'll get someone to investigate."
......
In the room rented by Arnold.
After Arnold hung up the phone, he pressed the recorder button and said to the running camera: "What happened just now was recorded on camera. I want to make it clear that I blackmailed Governor Dewey not for money, but to obtain more evidence."
"I don't know what will happen next, maybe there will be danger. I will mail this tape to my friends, and if anything happens, my friends will help me hand it over to the police. I will continue to record the whole process. If this is successful, I will make a documentary. I'll think about what to call it."
Then Arnold walked towards the camera and turned off the camera.
After turning off the camera, Arnold packed his things, left the newly rented apartment, got in his car and left.
This place has been used up, Arnold will not come back again.