British Civil Servant

Vol 2 Chapter 1608: Thatcher's visit to the Soviet Union

This contract is unprecedented and surpasses the historical Al-Yamaha arms contract, although the UK paid more for Typhoon fighter jets and Tiger helicopter gunships, both of which kept the US arms makers alive. Products in the shadows, but also take into account exchange rate issues.

Historically, when the Al-Yamaha arms contract was signed, the British pound had depreciated several times, and the exchange rate with the US dollar was almost the same.

Taking into account the exchange rate issue, the more than 100 Typhoons and Tigers that the UK paid for were not considered a loss. Not to mention the opening of a military base, restoring British influence over Saudi Arabia.

Arms sales are not only about making money, but also about foreign relations. If it were not for the contribution of the Israeli lobby, this big order would not have fallen into the hands of the United Kingdom.

The biggest beneficiaries of this big order are, of course, the Mountbatten Group, the manufacturer of the Typhoon fighter, and the British Aerospace Corporation, the manufacturer of the Tornado fighter. boosting effect.

For Saudi Arabia, this transaction is absolutely not at a loss. For Saudi Arabia, which holds the world's energy, the cash brought by oil exploration is of course important, but more importantly, a sense of security.

Such transactions as arms sales have never been simple. The UK has to make a certain level of security commitment, otherwise it will not be enough for Saudi Arabia to provide such a big benefit.

For the United Kingdom, setting up a military base in Saudi Arabia is much simpler than the original history, because the United Kingdom's Middle East Joint Operations Command is still in operation, and the military force is still not far from the Middle East. As long as a little military force is allocated, it can be done. a little.

Of course, black box operations also exist in this transaction. Pamela Mountbatten has prepared more than 100 million pounds of funds to thank the Saudis for facilitating the agreement of the century.

"What's the problem with this, can it be more difficult to deal with than the Indians?" Alan Wilson expressed his approval of the idea of ​​​​giving favors when talking to his wife. How can there be so many tested transactions? In fact, the appetite of the Saudis is definitely not excessive compared with the powerful powers.

This is really called starting from the position of strength. If the United Kingdom hadn't fought a war against Argentina, how could this arms sale have been successful? Things are universally connected.

Saudi Arabia uses energy as a weapon, and this weapon is also useful to the current UK. The trade unions are going on strike, and the coal that the main coal workers rely on is also energy. With the import of Saudi oil, the government will be more comfortable in responding to strikes.

Alan Wilson is still thinking, is it possible to take the initiative to pierce the window paper, so that the coal union can understand in advance, not to put the idea of ​​hitting the stone into action? It is also good to be able to stop the strike in advance. After all, if there is a riot, the British economy will definitely be affected.

"I'm not in a hurry, I always have to take care of both public and private." During the beginning of the year, Alan Wilson still decided to give himself a vacation to accompany his wife and ladies of equal status.

But the news of Andropov's death forced Wushang authority to break free from the complicated private affairs. After thirteen months in power, and Andropov, who had not appeared in public for half a year, finally did not defy the sky. Changed his life and left the country he led. After a lapse of one year, the Soviet Union had to prepare for the national mourning again.

The rare Mrs Thatcher took the initiative to greet Alan Wilson to No. 10 Downing Street, obviously to discuss the Soviet Union, and straight to the point, "I can attend Andropov's funeral."

"It's an unexpected decision." Alan Wilson said with a surprised smile, "I believe that the announcement will surprise many people."

When Mrs Thatcher entered British politics, she was always recognized as an anti-Soviet politician. Her fiery anti-Soviet rhetoric came to the fore not long after she became leader of the Conservative Party.

At that time, the Helsinki Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe had just opened, and the European continent was shrouded in an auspicious atmosphere of "deviation", but Mrs. Thatcher took the lead in questioning and attacking the de-escalation, believing that the Soviet Union's "destination" policy was not credible, and accused the Soviet Union of The pressure on the West continues unabated by the development of a strong military force under a smokescreen of de-escalation.

The first time he entered No. 10 Downing Street, Prime Minister Thatcher took the lead in supporting the US government's tough stance on the Soviet Union and stood firmly with the United States. All these have brought the relationship between the two countries to a freezing point when Margaret Thatcher became the first prime minister.

As for Mrs Thatcher's funeral to attend Andropov's funeral, there must have been a mental journey. Alan Wilson remembered that after the real chaos in the Soviet Union, Mrs Thatcher showed a completely different attitude, especially It was in the hope that the Soviet Union would prevent the unification of Germany.

Obviously, Mrs Thatcher also knew that the Soviet Union was really dying, and the value of Britain would be greatly reduced. She was able to speak nonsense internationally and receive courtesy from the United States because of the value of the Soviet Union's United Front.

"I am the Prime Minister and Secretary General of the United Kingdom. The Prime Minister also serves the interests of the United Kingdom." Mrs. Thatcher said, "I am not what you think, I do not know my nationality."

A shrewd and resolute statesman knows how to advance and retreat. Margaret Thatcher's policy toward the Soviet Union will never be rigid. What she pursues is a pragmatic Eastern policy that conforms to British interests, so as to win Britain's presence on the international stage. There is a larger space for activities.

"I'm glad that the prime minister has such an understanding." Alan Wilson finally discovered the bright spot of a female prime minister after Mrs Thatcher had been in power for so many years, "This reminds me of many glorious deeds of prime ministers, now watching The prime minister still has the qualities of a great prime minister."

In this way, Alan Wilson offered to attend Andropov's funeral with Mrs Thatcher, in order to show that he had two brushes in his diplomatic work, when Mrs Thatcher asked who the zombie successor was. , the supreme authority replied happily, "It's no accident that he is still an old man, but we can take a look at the next action. It is not a good thing for any country to always have a state funeral. I believe the Soviet Union should also recognize this. The problem is, maybe there will be some new faces in politics."

Mrs Thatcher agreed, and Alan Wilson set about arranging the work. First of all, he took out the notepad and asked Arnold to take care of the former Minister of Industry's trip to the court in his place.

It has been a while since the last general election. Not only do politicians know how to fight back if they win, but they hold grudges if they lose, but civil servants also understand this.

If Cecil Parkinson was forgotten, the former industry minister might think his political career was worthless, and even the cabinet secretary looked down on him. To prove the worth of the former Industry Secretary, Alan Wilson must continue the political hunt.

Andropov's funeral guests can be described as grand. British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and US Vice President Bush attended. As the British Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher is undoubtedly the most famous one of the guests this time. Alan Wilson He applied for a study tour of Moscow. Having said that, every time he came to Moscow, he had to conduct a study tour of Moscow.

It's just another burden on the eldest son. Alan Wilson took a look around Lubyanka Square with great interest. "Alyosha, you are almost forty years old."

Alexeyev didn't answer. He really didn't understand what to ask about age, and he heard Alan Wilson say, "Now the age of cadres at all levels in the Soviet Union is generally too old. One of the consequences of coming here, I heard that the chairman of the funeral committee is Chernenko, and his health is also very poor. I will come to attend the national mourning next year. By the way, Defense Minister Ustinov is not like It's really hard to look healthy."

Normally, there should be a group of younger and important cadres in the Soviet Union, and there were originally, such as Shelepin, Semichasny, and Yegolychev. It's a pity that these were all targets of Brezhnev's elimination, and now the entire cadre class is out of touch~www.wuxiaspot.com~ Does the Secretary-General want to criticize the Soviet Union at this time? Reagan is not too young, right? "Alekseev said, thinking that his old father was a double standard.

"Of course he is not young. Not only is he not young, but he also has Alzheimer's disease. But he is only one person. Now the aging of Soviet cadres is all over the country. This is much more serious than the United States." Alan Wilson shook his head and said , "I really hope that the Soviet Union is stable and stable. After all, once the Soviet Union is not good, the value of Britain in the eyes of the United States will decrease. There is still a gap between the national strength of the United Kingdom and the United States."

"Oh, one thing to remind, the Chernobyl nuclear power plant occupies an important position in the intelligence seminar, and the protection should be strengthened. I don't know if the United States will do it, but be careful, the United Kingdom is You can't move out of Europe, unlike the United States."

The supreme authority lied solemnly again, as if it really happened, the Chernobyl nuclear power plant should be safer. If this incident can be avoided, Alan Wilson will have more capital to bargain with God in the future. Less, it can almost be listed as the three major conscience events in this life with the rescue of Yugoslav Tito's opponents and the avoidance of Indonesia's total collapse.

Almost at the same time, Mrs. Thatcher was also making her own visit. This was her first visit to the Soviet Union. It was also on the occasion of the funeral to see what state Chernenko was in. Through a brief meeting with Chernenko Meeting, the sharp-eyed Mrs Thatcher knew that the new leader, plagued by illness, was numbered.

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