James Bond and the Vietnam War Protests?

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• RichardTheBruce I'm motivated by my Duty.

  August 2022 Posts: 13,807

  

  

  THE UNIQUE WEAPONS OF
  MACV-SOG’S COVERT
  COMMANDOS IN VIETNAM

  See the complete article here:
  

  https://www.sandboxx.us/blog/the-unique-weapons-of-macv-sogs-covert-commandos-in-vietnam/

  Travis Pike | October 7, 2021
  
  I love when military forces use something other than the same old standard issue kit. I like the what and the why of the situation–the mission sets, circumstances, and individuals who are forced to look outside the confines of the base armory for their loadout. The MACV-SOG weapons, like the very men in the elite and secretive unit, most certainly stand out.
  
  The Military Assistance Command, Vietnam – Studies and Observations Group, or MACV-SOG, was one of the most secretive special operations groups in the world. MACV-SOG mixed a number of Special Operations forces and CIA men to form an elite team that could conduct special and black operations in places the United States could not acknowledge they were going at the time.
  
  The Why Behind the MACV-SOG Weapons
  
  To accomplish their incredibly dangerous and secretive missions, the men of MACV-SOG were armed with a variety of weird and unique weapons. One of the most significant reasons these special operators weren’t rocking the same firearms as the rest of the service was that the standard-issue weapons just didn’t fit many of their special mission profiles.
  
  Perhaps most importantly, however, MACV-SOG conducted secret operations fighting North Vietnamese guerillas in Cambodia and Laos, both nations U.S. troops were not authorized to fight in. The weird MACV-SOG weapons gave the United States a degree of plausible deniability in the event things went wrong and the MACV-SOG commandos didn’t make it back.
  
  Deception was also a critical factor in the survival of the MACV-SOG operators, and carrying indigenous weapon systems, or weapons that were capable of unusual and specific functions, sometimes aided in that effort.
  
  The XM177 Commando
  
  The Mk 22 Hushpuppy
  
  Swedish K
  
  AKM
  
  The Uzi

  

  Walther PPK

  The Walther PPK is famed for its use by James Bond in numerous movies and books, but it also rolled with real black ops commandos in the MACV-SOG world. The Walther PPK was very small and fired the 380 ACP round. This round is subsonic by nature and with a suppressor, it’s a very quiet gun. This made it one of the earliest suppressed pistols used by Vietnam commandos and provided an off-the-shelf option before specially made weapons became available.
  
  This little pistol allowed SOG commandos to dispatch their enemies quite silently. It was also small and lightweight, and these guys liked shaving weight, seeing as they had to carry everything they used through the jungle.

  Cut Down RPD
  
  Browning High Power
  
  V-40 Mini Grenades
  

  Hitting Hard
  
  MACV-SOG weapons were capable weapons that allowed these soldiers to accomplish their unique missions. These forces provided a clandestine edge to American forces in Vietnam. While these small arms were really a tiny part of the greater war, in the hands of the men of MACV-SOG, they could accomplish a great deal.

  

  Why U.S. Special Forces Loved
  to Use Captured AK-47s in
  Vietnam

  See the complete article here:
  

  https://nationalinterest.org/blog/reboot/why-us-special-forces-loved-use-captured-ak-47s-vietnam-197519

  December 6, 2021 by War Is Boring
  Topic: AK-47 Region: United States Blog Brand: The Reboot
  Tags: U.S. ArmyVietnam WarNavy SEALArmy Special ForcesMACV-SOG
  
  The AK-47's dependability and the ability to surprise enemies were both factors in why American soldiers sometimes used the Soviet assault rifle.
  
  Key point: The practice of taking enemy weapons from the battlefield as trophies was hardly new in the 1960s. But captured weapons—especially AK variants—quickly became important parts of U.S. Army Special Forces and U.S. Navy SEAL Teams’ combat arsenals.
  
  While the Soviet Avtomat Kalashnikova has become the iconic weapon of bad guys in Hollywood blockbusters and big-budget video games, U.S. commandos made good use of the rugged rifles in Vietnam.
  
  By the end of the conflict, the American military had reissued captured AK-47s, made new ammunition for them and came up with a few other surprises.
  
  It’s often because the commandos hated their own U.S.-made guns.
  
  “Initially, the AK-47 was available in only small numbers to the Viet Cong fighting in South Vietnam,” historian Kevin Dockery explained in his book Special Warfare Special Weapons. “This resulted in the AK-47 being something of a prestige weapon.”
  
  This extended to the Americans.
  
  [MORE}
  
  MACV-SOG’s personnel became among the most notable users of captured gear. In September 1970, the group even asked the Army’s Land Warfare Laboratory to modify six of its captured AKs.

  Less than a year later, the technicians returned the guns with silencers and modified sights, according to official progress reports. The weaponeers also created 10 silenced Walther PPKS pistols — the famed sidearm of fictional super-spy James Bond — as part of the project.

  
  

  
  

  

  Why MACV-SOG Used the Walther
  PPK

  See the complete article here:
  

  https://gatdaily.com/why-macv-sog-used-the-walther-ppk/

  By Travis Pike - January 28, 2022

  

  The Vietnam War began the outline for the anti-insurgency tactics, gear, and firearms we’d use to this day. This long, drawn-out war forced the United States military to develop modern special operations forces, and alongside these forces, they developed equipment still in use today. This includes night vision, protective vests, and suppressors. One of the premier special observation units was MACV-SOG. This inter-branch Special Operations Group pioneered asymmetric warfare and used a variety of non-standard firearms. One odd firearm of choice was the Walther PPK.
  
  Sure, MACV-SOG was a secretive force, but they were no James Bond-level spies. While the little Walther PPK proved itself in the hands of fictional spies, it’s an odd choice for commandos. Those feisty Germans designed the Walther PP family as police pistols. In the United States, police pistols have always been full-sized firearms, but in most of Europe, a police pistol was rather small.

  

  The PP stands for Polizeipistole. The K model is the shortest variant of an already small pistol. It has a shorter barrel, grip, and frame with a slightly reduced capacity. From the ground up, the idea was concealment. In 1931 it hit the streets intended for plainclothes and undercover police work.
  
  Why The Walther PPK Was A Weird Choice
  MACV-SOG wasn’t hard up for handguns. Heck, they had the pick of the litter. Big Army had the M1911A1, and they could’ve certainly carried it. MACV-SOG had access to the Browning Hi-Power, the S&W 39, and even a number of revolvers. They had fighting pistols, so the Walther PPK seemed like an odd choice.
  
  The benefit of concealability wasn’t necessary. These guys were rocking Tiger Stripes and CAR-15s. They weren’t trying to appendix carry concealed carry rigs. The Walther PPK is a fine pistol in a concealed carry role but doesn’t have a lot of appeal when bigger options are available.

  

  Sure ounces, equal pounds, and all that, but the difference in fighting potential can’t be ignored. The Walther PPK fired the anemic 380 ACP. Modern 380 ACP is the minimum for concealed carry these days. Without modern ammo, I imagine those 380 ACP FMJs weren’t ballistically that impressive.
  
  The Walther PPK only held seven of those feisty little rounds. The sights are super small and would be tough to see even on a good day.

  

  It’s not a bad gun. It’s reliable, ergonomic, and accurate. However, it’s not designed to be a warfighting pistol and certainly wouldn’t excel in that role.
  
  So Why Did the PPK End Up In Service?
  Well, it’s quite simple, really. The Walther PPK worked very well as a suppressed pistol. Remember, this is the Vietnam timeframe. Most handguns used a Browning short-recoil design, and suppressors added weight to the barrel that would prohibit reliable function. Nielsen devices hadn’t seemed to catch on just yet, so the 1911, Hi-Power, and S&W 39 weren’t a great choice in the early days of the war.
  
  Sure, they figured it out before the war ended, but in the early days, there weren’t a lot of options. The Walther PPK fits the bill. It didn’t need a Nielsen device due to the fixed barrel and blowback design. Thus, it would operate without issue when suppressed.
  
  The 380 ACP cartridge might be anemic, but plenty of commercial loads was subsonic at the time. This made it very easy to have a reliable, suppressed pistol that was quite quiet. The small size of these pistols made them easy to carry with a suppressor on as well.
  
  I’d imagine they were used for up close sentry removal and guard dog elimination. The suppressors blocked the sights, so they weren’t that easy to aim with. It’s certainly a specialized setup that’s certainly seems designed on the fly.

  
  The Hushpuppy would be the future of Suppressed pistols in Vietnam

  Turning Bang to pew
  The Walther PPK isn’t the most well-known sidearm of the United States military, but it deserves a little glory. The little fella gave the MACV-SOG commandos a silent option at a time where a silent pistol could be tough to come by. It’s a testament to Walther’s design and the robustness of their pistol. It’s certainly an interesting part of American military firearm history as well.

  

  
  
• RichardTheBruce I'm motivated by my Duty.

  August 2022 Posts: 13,807

  

  

  Sir Roger Moore helps UNICEF fight iodine deficiency

  See the complete article here:
  

  https://www.abc.net.au/worldtoday/content/2003/s977798.htm

  The World Today - Wednesday, 29 October , 2003 12:24:45
  Reporter: Tanya Nolan
  
  This is a transcript from The World Today. The program is broadcast around Australia at 12:10pm on ABC Local Radio.
  
  You can also listen to the story in
  REAL AUDIO
  https://www.abc.net.au/reslib/200310/r11274_26712.ram
  and
  WINDOWS MEDIA
  https://www.abc.net.au/reslib/200310/r11274_26713.asx
  formats.

  ELIZABETH JACKSON: This year marks half a century since the United Nations Children's Fund first used celebrities to promote its cause and one of those who's been an active and passionate supporter of UNICEF for more than a decade now is the former 007, Sir Roger Moore, encouraged by his good friend and former goodwill ambassador, the late actress Audrey Hepburn.

  After travelling to more than a dozen countries and, as he puts it, "reminding Hollywood" of the plight of children in the developing world, Sir Roger Moore was knighted by the Queen this month for his efforts.

  He's currently in Vietnam, looking at UNICEF projects to combat iodine deficiency and childhood injury prevention, and he spoke to our reporter Tanya Nolan from Ho Chi Minh City.

  ROGER MOORE: It's a very difficult sell IDD, you know, first of all you have to explain what iron deficiency disorders mean and then to, sort of, get people to contribute towards something that they really don't quite understand. They don't understand why. Well, we have iodised salt; what do we have it for? You know, for goitres. We don't have goitres. No, goitres is not visible today because of the iodisation of salt, but it does affect one-fifth of the world's population.
  
  So, that's what we were looking at in Cambodia and also the fact that this week, the Prime Minister in Cambodia signed a decree that no salt would be sold or imported in Cambodia that was not iodised.
  
  TANYA NOLAN: Well, another issue that I understand you've been seeing a bit more about whilst in Vietnam is this issue of childhood injury prevention and I understand that the Vietnamese Government is about to embark on the world's first-ever childhood injury prevention program.
  
  Can you tell me a bit about that?
  
  ROGER MOORE: UNICEF has been working on it within Vietnam over the last few years and it was finally…agreements were signed this year and UNICEF started this campaign for education in schools and families of accident prevention because, if you can imagine 30,000 children die every year from an injury in Vietnam, which is 80 children a day.
  
  TANYA NOLAN: That seems like an extraordinary figure. What is causing these deaths?
  
  ROGER MOORE: Well, you know, it's all sort of things we may take for granted. If you take a country like this which is, you know, 3,000 kilometres long and there is a long coastline and there's much lowland and many rice paddies and many houses built on stilts on waterways, then you have an awful lot of drowning.
  
  TANYA NOLAN: How did you become a UNICEF goodwill ambassador? I understand that you were spurred a bit by the involvement of your good friend, the late Audrey Hepburn.
  
  ROGER MOORE: It was her passion talking about children that intrigued me into finding out more about the functions of UNICEF.
  
  TANYA NOLAN: Well, you've been doing this for UNICEF for about 10 years now…
  
  ROGER MOORE: Yes.
  
  TANYA NOLAN: …and you were recently recognised for you work by the Queen, who knighted you. What did that mean to you?
  
  ROGER MOORE: Well, for me it was a) a tremendous honour but it was a recognition of the fact that there is an organisation like UNICEF, and that I am fortunate enough to be somebody who's reasonably well known and for that I have a use within UNICEF when it comes to fundraising.
  
  And it is a recognition of all the countless number of people that work within UNICEF, those that are paid and also those, the many thousands who are volunteers.
  
  TANYA NOLAN: Is it a recognition for being a "nuisance", as you described yourself?

  ROGER MOORE: (Laughs) Yeah, for being a nuisance with governments and ministers, sort of bending their ear, you know, all they want to sort of is ask you about what it's like to be James Bond and I just start telling them what it's like to be a child.
  
  TANYA NOLAN: And have you drawn on anything from your time playing 007 for your role as goodwill ambassador for UNICEF?
  
  ROGER MOORE: Well, first of all, role implies you're playing a part, uh, you know, James Bond was a part. When I was doing it I didn't think about the politics of it, it was just a piece of entertainment and wasn't, uh, a real thing at all.
  
  To me Bond, there was no reality because James Bond is supposed to be a spy who is…but he's recognised everywhere. He walks into a bar and everybody says, oh, 007 have a martini, shaken not stirred. They even know his alcoholic tastes! I mean, that is not a spy.
  
  TANYA NOLAN: Do people still ask you if you want a martini?
  
  ROGER MOORE: I do get that occasionally and I also get people saying, where's your halo?
  
  ELIZABETH JACKSON: In case you didn't get that, that's a reference to his TV role as The Saint. That was former secret agent James Bond, now UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Sir Roger Moore, speaking to our own Tanya Nolan.

  

  Remembering Bond actor Roger
  Moore and his heartwarming Vietnam
  visit

  See the complete article here:
  

  https://e.vnexpress.net/news/life/remembering-bond-actor-roger-moore-and-his-heartwarming-vietnam-visit-3589574.html

  By VnExpress, Reuters May 23, 2017
  UNICEF says the world has just lost 'one of its great champions for children.'

  Actor Roger Moore, who earned international fame playing British secret agent James Bond in seven movies, died of cancer on Tuesday at the age of 89, his family said.
  
  His 12 years as action man 007, the fictitious spy with a voracious appetite for danger and sex, made Moore a millionaire and a heartthrob the world over, though in reality he was a shy, private man who found some of Bond's escapades embarrassing.
  
  "It is with a heavy heart that we must announce our loving father, Sir Roger Moore, has passed away today in Switzerland after a short but brave battle with cancer," his three children announced in a statement on the Twitter account.
  
  Tributes poured in from celebrities including actors Russell Crowe and Mia Farrow and from UNICEF, the United Nations Children's Fund for which he worked as a "goodwill ambassador".
  
  The official Twitter feed of British composer Andrew Lloyd Webber posted, "Farewell dearestRoger, All our love", while U.S. reality TV star Kris Jenner dubbed Moore "the ultimate James Bond".
  
  The son of a London policeman, Moore once said the upper-crust image he portrayed both on and off the screen was a carefully nurtured cover for his shyness and timidity.
  
  “"I couldn't walk into a restaurant on my own for 20 or 30 years ...," he once said, saying that all changed when he found fame in the role. "(But) that's not really me. Timid me would rather stay home and have a sandwich."
  
  Moore said he was terrified by the stunts he had to perform as Bond and would steel himself before facing the cameras in sex scenes with a mixture of valium and beer.
  
  Moore's big breakthrough as an actor came in 1962, when he won the part of "“The Saint" in a popular television series of the same name. In this role, he honed his image of the urbane Englishman with a stream of damsels to rescue from distress.
  
  In 1973 came the role of James Bond, writer Ian Fleming's suave secret agent, and it held cinemagoers across the world in thrall. The Bond films were said to have earned Moore 14 million pounds ($22 million).
  
  Moore, who replaced Sean Connery as 007 and was the third actor to take on the role, starred in seven Bond movies including "The Man with the Golden Gun", "The Spy who Loved Me", "Moonraker" and "Octopussy".
  
  He moved to the United States to become a tax exile.
  
  "I don't see why a chap shouldn't do what he likes and live where he wants on his money, and the British government, which allows talent to go abroad because of taxation, has only itself to blame," he said in an interview in 1989.
  
  After handing over the role of Bond to Timothy Dalton, Moore went into semi-retirement, living a millionaire's life and travelling between his homes in Los Angeles, Switzerland and the south of France.
  
  He became an ambassador for UNICEF in 1991, a role he retained until his death.
  
  In October 2003, he visited Vietnam for the first time see first hand two crucial programs – water and environmental sanitation and childhood injury prevention.
  
  “I don’t like statistics but they are often necessary to get a message across – when two thirds of rural Vietnamese don’t have adequate sanitation and eighty children are dying every day from preventable injuries, something must be done," Moore said in a statement released by UNICEF at the time.
  
  "I will go away from Vietnam rich in the memories of smiling faces and the warmth of the people, in spite of the adversity still faced by many of them.”
  
  UNICEF goodwill ambassador and former James Bond star Sir Roger Moore (L) and his wife Kristina Tholstrup read children's notebook at a kindergarden at Trieu Thuan Commune in the Vietnam's central province of Quang Tri in a file photo taken in October 28, 2003. Photo by Reuters/Kham
  
  "With the passing of Sir Roger Moore, the world has lost one of its great champions for children – and the entire UNICEF family has lost a great friend," the agency's executive director Anthony Lake said in a statement.
  
  "In his most famous roles as an actor, Sir Roger was the epitome of cool sophistication; but in his work as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, he was a passionate – and highly persuasive – advocate for children."
  
  Pinewood Studios, where Moore filmed several of the James Bond films, described Moore as "a force of nature" in a tweet. "His humor and spirit will be missed by all of us," it added.
  
  Moore is survived by his fourth wife, Scandinavian socialite Kristina "Kiki" Tholstrup, whom he married in 2002, and by his three children from an earlier marriage, Deborah, Geoffrey and Christian.

  I will go away from Vietnam rich in the memories of smiling faces
  and the warmth of the people, in spite of the adversity still faced by many of them.
  Roger Moore, Vietnam visit, 2003

  
  
  
  
  

  
  
• RichardTheBruce I'm motivated by my Duty.

  August 2022 Posts: 13,807

  
  
  
  
  

  https://twitter.com/halotrustusa/status/1458080188999348233

  
  
  

  

  007 attends the virtual launching ceremony of
  Cambodia’s first “Safe Ground” campaign

  See the complete article here:
  

  https://indochinakings.org/007-attends-the-virtual-launching-ceremony-of-cambodias-first-safe-ground-campaign/

  (IndochinaKings.org) James Bond actor Daniel Craig virtually attended the launch of Cambodia’s first Safe Ground on Jan 22 at 7.30pm in a live online event organized by United Nations Development Programme Cambodia (UNDP).
  January 23, 2021 274
  
  UNDP said Craig is the UN Global Advocate for the Elimination of Mines and Explosive Hazards.
  
  During the online event, Craig would speak about why he cared so deeply about this issue and what further efforts could be made to end the scourge of landmines which still claimed thousands of civilian lives each year.
  
  UNDP resident representative Nick Beresford said the event had been organized to support Cambodia’s goal to achieve mine-free status by 2025.
  
  Craig would be speaking with Cambodian Mine Action Authority (CMAA) first vice president Ly Thuch for the virtual event.
  
  Beresford said the Safe Ground campaign turned minefields into playing fields – safe spaces for children to learn and play.
  
  UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres launched the five-year Safe Ground campaign on April 4, 2019 as part of that year’s International Mine Awareness Day, which has been observed annually since 2005.

  

  The Safe Ground campaign would be launched in Cambodia in a small village in Battambang province at Stoeng Toch Krom primary school, which was located on a former minefield.
  
  Thuch told The Post on Jan 19 that Cambodia is happy to have such a famous celebrity to help raise awareness of the impact of mines in the country and to help raise more funds to support demining activities.
  
  “We have been working with UNDP and they invited Daniel Craig. He wanted to visit Cambodia but due to Covid-19, UNDP was forced to change the event into a video conference, ” Thuch said.

  The presence of “James Bond” at the Safe Ground event was meant to serve as a wake-up call to donors around the globe to consider the impacts of explosive remnants of war and to support Cambodia’s demining efforts.

  Thuch said Cambodia would show the planned video conference to the annual international mine assembly and at other big events related to the demining issue.
  
  He noted Cambodia still had 800sq km of land littered with mines – especially along the border with Thailand.
  
  “The Kingdom will need to demine more than 100sq km of land each year going forward in order to meet its mine-free target date of 2025, ” he said

  
  
  Daniel Craig's message for International Mine Awareness Day 2021 (2:18)
  
  
  
• RichardTheBruce I'm motivated by my Duty.

  September 2022 Posts: 13,807

  
  

  

  MIGHTY HISTORY
  The British fought Vietnam
  alongside Gurkhas, Indians, and
  Japanese POWs – and won

  See the complete article here:
  

  https://www.wearethemighty.com/mighty-history/the-british-fought-vietnam-and-won/

  Team Mighty | May 21, 2022
  
  For hundreds of years, the country we know today as Vietnam has been invaded and occupied by outsiders the world over. At the end of World War II, the Vietnamese had enough of colonialism and external rule by a foreign power. They were going to gain independence by any means necessary.
  
  In the annals of military history, the occupiers and invaders of Vietnam most often remembered are the French and the Americans, neither of which truly succeeded in subduing Vietnam. Even China’s invasion of the country was short-lived.
  
  For a short period of time after the end of World War II the United Kingdom went to war in Vietnam. The only difference was they were successful in achieving their wartime aims.
  
  The United States spent almost 20 years aiding South Vietnam and preventing a Communist takeover of the country from its northern neighbor. Before that, Vietnam fought a war for independence from French colonial rule in the years following World War II.
  
  What neither country could fully grasp from the locals was that the Vietnamese saw themselves as fighting for freedom from outside rule. They wanted a Vietnam run by the Vietnamese, and they were willing to pay any price to get it. That price was very high.
  
  War with the west wasn’t always the one way forward for Vietnam. During World War II, Ho Chi Minh and his Viet Minh fighters sided with the United States and the Office of Strategic Services to harass Japanese forces and rescue American pilots. After the war’s end, Ho declared independence for Vietnam, directly quoting the U.S. Declaration of Independence.

  
  Hồ Chí Minh, 1921 (Public Domain)

  Ho used the excerpt to get American support in keeping the French out of Vietnam after the war. It didn’t work. Just 11 days after the official surrender of Japan aboard the USS Missouri, fighting broke out in South Vietnam between the Viet Minh under Ho Chi Minh and a surprising mix of allies set to impose colonial rule on the country.
  
  Before World War II ended, it was decided that the Chinese under Chiang Kai Shek would receive the Japanese surrender in Northern Indochina while the British would accept a Japanese surrender in the South. Just before the Allies arrived, the Viet Minh had taken control of the government and imprisoned a French garrison as POWs.

  
  Chiang Kai-shek (Flickr, Public Domain)

  The POWs were eventually released, rearmed, returned to control of Saigon. But the Viet Minh began cutting off the city from the rest of the country. The impending return of French rule had turned the once-friendly communist forces against the Allies.
  
  By October 1945, Allied forces formed a motley crew of British, Indian, and French troops along with Nepalese Gurkhas and Japanese POWs to launch a campaign to push the Viet Minh away from Saigon and back north. The Viet Minh saw some successes in small unit combat, but were devastated by British air power and machine guns and, on one occasion, a Gurkha kukri knife charge.
  
  In the last major battle of the campaign, the Viet Minh were cut down in overnight fighting, losing 100 troops to British machine gun nests. The defending British and Indian troops didn’t have a single fatality. The Viet Minh spent the rest of the conflict conducting ambushes and hit-and-run attacks.

  
  General Leclerc reviews troops of the 20th Indian Division, Saigon, French Indochina, 22 December 1945.

  The British left Indochina in mid-1946 and the French took back control over the country. The win was fleeting, however. The French would have nominal control over Vietnam, fighting the Viet Minh until being forced to withdraw in 1954.

  
  
  
  
  

  

  Unhistory: Britain’s Forgotten Indochina Connection

  See the complete article here:
  

  https://zcomm.org/zblogs/unhistory-britains-forgotten-indochina-connection/

  By Elliot Murphy | March 14, 2015
  
  The popular myth concerning Britain’s relation to the Vietnam conflict in the 1960s and 70s – accepted and repeated to the point of delirium – is that parliament did not send troops, and therefore had no involvement at all. In a recent think piece for the BBC News website justifying the logic of austerity through a discussion of historical antecedents to military spending cuts, feature writer Tom de Castella argues that Britain had ‘no place in Vietnam’, and that ‘the UK was not involved, prime minister Harold Wilson having refused to send troops’. But Wilson in fact supported the US, since MI6 dispatched a team of Malays and tribesmen from Borneo to South Vietnam to participate in a tour of duty alongside ethnic Montagnards. The Observer reported during the 1972 Christmas bombings that ‘the British government has no intention of joining in the international condemnation’ of US aggression, and ‘private comments leave no doubt that British official thinking supports Mr Nixon’s actions’ (Robert Stephens, ‘Britain silent on bombing,’ 24 December 1972).
  
  British academics have been silent on their country’s role in the Vietnam conflict, in which the US used 15 million tons of munitions, killing between 2 and 3 million people. Mark Curtis explains in Web of Deceit that ‘Britain conducted secret air flights from Hong Kong to deliver arms, especially napalm and five-hundred-pound bombs. MI6 also assisted the Malayan government to transfer arms and other military supplies secretly to South Vietnam. British counter-insurgency experts were also seconded to Saigon as part of a British Advisory Mission. Some soldiers were seconded to Fort Bragg, home of the US special forces, and then inducted into the US army. Britain trained US, Vietnamese and Thai troops at its jungle warfare school in Malaya in the late 1960s, and for several years one of Britain’s leading counter-insurgency experts, a veteran of the war in Malaya, advised the Nixon regime on Vietnam policy’ (Web of Deceit: Britain’s Real Role in the World, London: Vintage, 2003, p. 105).
  
  But Britain’s chief form of solidarity with the US army was intelligence sharing, with MI6 station heads in Hanoi sending reports to the US: ‘The British monitoring station at Little Sai Wan in Hong Kong provided the US with intelligence until 1975. The US National Security Agency coordinated all signals intelligence in Southeast Asia, and Little Sai Wan was linked to this operation. Its intercepts of North Vietnamese military traffic were used by the US military command to target bombing strikes over North Vietnam’ (ibid). Along with the Wilson administration, the Macmillan, Douglas-Home and Heath governments all lent diplomatic support to the US: ‘Conservative governments were especially enthusiastic but Labour leaders were also consistently sympathetic to basic US objectives and most of its actions. Despite occasional criticism of some specific US military strikes, one will search in vain for British government statements questioning the US’ basic right to conduct the war or questioning its supposed noble, moral motives’ (ibid).
  
  Of central concern to Whitehall in its support of the war was to ensure that the US continued to support Britain in its hostility towards the popular nationalist Sukarno’s Indonesia in his conflict with Malaysia, a vital British colony. The consequences for Britain’s policy in Malaya if it decided to defend the 1954 Geneva Accords and oppose US aggression were outlined by the Foreign Office in December 1964, which noted that ‘not least because we need American support over Malaysia, we probably have no option but to give diplomatic support, as long as we can, to whatever policy the US government choose to adopt [in Vietnam]’ (Foreign Office brief, ‘Visit to Washington by Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary’, December 1964, PREM13/692). Lord Milverton once cautioned the House of Lords ‘not [to] forget … that the prize in this contest is the richest country for its size and population in the world’, thanks to its ‘rubber and tin, the coal and iron ore … all the tropical produce of Malaya, from palm oil to pineapples – to say nothing of the oil of Brunei and Sarawak.’ This made Malaya the ‘greatest material prize in South-East Asia’ (House of Lords debate, 27 February 1952, Col. 333).
  
  In a conscious breach of international law, in September 1965 the British Foreign Office ‘agreed to export 300 bombs intended for the US air force “for use in Vietnam”, saying that “there must be no publicity” and that “delivery should be in the UK”. The previous month the Foreign Secretary had agreed to provide the US with 200 Saracen armoured personnel carriers for use in Vietnam “providing that delivery took place in Europe” and that there was “no unavoidable publicity”’ (Mark Curtis, Unpeople: Britain’s Secret Human Rights Abuses, London: Vintage, 2004, pp. 233-4).
  
  After over 40 years of journalistic experience, John Pilger added in the New Statesman: ‘In the aftermath of the US war in Vietnam, which I reported, the policy in Washington was revenge, a word frequently used in private but never publicly. A medieval embargo was imposed on Vietnam and Cambodia; the Thatcher government cut off supplies of milk to the children of Vietnam. This assault on the very fabric of life in two of the world’s most stricken societies was rarely reported; the consequence was mass suffering’ (‘The real first casualty of war’, 24 April 2006).
  
  In September 1970, Britain relaxed the restrictions on its arms sales and bombs and helicopter machine-gun turrets were sold to Thailand, which was proceeding to engage in air strikes against Cambodia and Laos. Yet major school textbooks in Britain completely ignore Heath and Wilson’s direct support of the US operations in Vietnam, opting instead to harass Sixth Formers and undergraduates with fun and exciting exercises to test their ability to blandly critique some overtly or – for advanced students only! – implicitly patriotic speech or cartoon. Efforts like Edulens, documenting the patriotic and pro-business biases in mainstream education curricula, act as small voices for the suppressed history of British state violence, and it’s not hard to imagine other creative ways to encourage suspicion of official truths. People don’t always react when you tell them things like this, they often nod and raise their eyebrows in bland agreement or shrug it off entirely; the goal is to hammer the point home enough until this form of behaviour turns into serious action.

  
  
• RichardTheBruce I'm motivated by my Duty.

  September 2022 Posts: 13,807

  Modern-day collaboration with the West circa 2015 for Spectre as Khám phá qua tầng (Explore through floors) and Kám phá than pho cua the gioi (Discover the Worlds Bar).
  
  

  

  HEINEKEN invites Viet Nam to open Bond's World

  See the complete article here:
  

  https://heineken-vietnam.com.vn/en/news-events/press-release/heineken-invites-viet-nam-to-open-bonds-world.html

  As part of its integrated global Spectre campaign, Heineken® has unveiled a new TV ad entitled ‘The Chase’ featuring Daniel Craig as James Bond in a series of adrenaline pumping actions along a high-speed boat chase and an unexpected twist.
  
  Heineken®’s Spectre campaign is the brand’s largest global marketing platform of 2015. Spectre, the 24th James Bond adventure, from Albert R. Broccoli’s EON Productions, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios, and Sony Pictures Entertainment, will be released in the UK on October 26 and in the US on November 6.
  
  The Heineken® TVC will be launched mobile-first via Facebook, and will be shown on TV and cinema screens worldwide 24 hours later. Heineken® is the only Spectre partner who has created a TVC starring Daniel Craig.
  
  Heineken®’s TVC uses Spectre cinematographers and stuntmen to ensure the action sequences are authentically Bond like the scene in the film Spectre. The added twist involves a young woman, Zara, who accidentally becomes involved in a high-speed boat chase where she helps the world’s favourite spy to save the day. Heineken’s Spectre TVC:

  

  Mr. Andre Koo, Heineken Vietnam Marketing Manager, Vietnam Brewery Limited said, “In celebration of a partnership spanning 18 years, our Spectre campaign is our most innovative ever. The very nature of the Bond film franchise gives us opportunities to take a cutting-edge and pioneering approach that both excites and adds real value to the film fan’s experience. By featuring Daniel Craig in our TVC once again we will give fans access to the world of James Bond”.
  
  To further heighten anticipation ahead of the movie’s release this autumn, fans will be given access to exclusive Spectre content, through an estimated half a billion Spectre bottles on sale around the world. Fans simply scan the Heineken® logo on special edition Spectre bottles, cans and packs to unlock exclusive content with Daniel Craig, plus behind the scenes footage from five of the movie’s dramatic locations; Mexico City, Rome, London, Austria and Morocco.
  
  The most anticipated event of the campaign is undoubtedly the glamorous, star-studded SPECTRE premiere night in Vietnam, hosted by Heineken. At this event, scheduled for November 5th 2015, Vietnamese fans will have an opportunity to take great photos in Bond’s world. Vietnamese A-listers and celebrities are expected to grace the event. The premiere night is set to bring an extraordinary experience to loyal fans of both brands and enrich the lives of the Man of the World with a sense of coolness, style and drama.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
• RichardTheBruce I'm motivated by my Duty.

  October 2022 edited October 2022 Posts: 13,807

  Another modern cross-over.
  
  
  Pho 007 Littleton, Denver. AKA Double-Pho Seven.
  
  
  
  
• RichardTheBruce I'm motivated by my Duty.

  October 2022 Posts: 13,807

  
  

  

  Party Themes for Corporate Events in Vietnam
  Our party themes will make your corporate event a memorable moment!

  See the complete article here:
  

  https://team-building-vietnam.com/party-themes-vietnam/

  Our party planners will create the perfect atmosphere for your Corporate Event in Vietnam!
  
  007 Casino Fever Party Planner Vietnam

  007 Casino Fever

  Our team of party planners will create the most charming party theme you will ever see. The 007 Casino Fever party theme is set and it’s all for your eyes only. You gala dinner will have an elegant décor from table decorations, magic light moon balloons, centrepieces and James Bond and Bond girls silhouettes.

  No one does it better!
  
  The largest portfolio of team building activities with the experienced team in the creation and production of exceptional entertainment in Vietnam.

  
  
  
• RichardTheBruce I'm motivated by my Duty.

  November 2022 Posts: 13,807

  

  The Unimagined Community: Imperialism and Culture in South Vietnam, Duy Lap Nguyen. 2019.
  Chapter 6 Surveillance and spectacle in Bùi Anh Tuấn’s Z.28 novels Get access Arrow
  Duy Lap Nguyen
  https://academic.oup.com/manchester-scholarship-online/book/34043/chapter-abstract/288961295?redirectedFrom=fulltext

  https://doi.org/10.7765/9781526143976.00012
  Pages 214–247
  
  Abstract
  Chapter six proposes a reading of one of the most successful examples of South Vietnamese popular culture: Bùi Anh Tuấn’s Ian Fleming-inspired Z.28 novels. The novels’ primary source of appeal was the language of advertising employed in the prose, a phenomenon that became pervasive during the war. The novels consist of narratives of surveillance modelled on commercials for name-brand commodities. In the series, however, the character of the spy also appears as a symbol for the Republic. The frivolous tales of high mass consumption also suggest a reflection on the place of the nation within the Cold War balance of power. In the Z.28 series, the Republic appears as a state that is undermined by its ally, a nation threatened by its dependence upon its superpower patron. The American government is portrayed as both an ally and an object of political enmity. The Vietnamese spy, then, appears as a figure that opposes its ambivalent ally through the act of consuming American aid in the form of brand-named commodities. In the novels, therefore, the celebration of consumerism implies both an endorsement of US “neo-colonial” consumer culture, as well as a repudiation of the dependence on American aid that created this culture.

  
  
  
  

  
  The Unimagined Community:
  Imperialism and Culture in South
  Vietnam
  Dr Duy Lap Nguyen
  with Jonathan Chan and Sharmaine Koh
  
  Transcribed by Law Ee Jean, Edward Nguyen, Sharmaine Koh

  SK: It’s fantastic that you brought that up [the Ngo regime], because one of the questions we wanted to ask was how exactly your book interacts with the idea of Anderson’s imagined and unimagined communities. You mention print culture, and we would like to know if you could share with us some interesting examples of print culture that were fun to work with or that you found particularly interesting?
  
  
  DLN: After the fall of the First Republic, the post- Ngô Đình Diệm governments was worried that the Americans were going to criticize them for not promoting enough press freedom. For the Americans, that was the barometer of democracy and the mandate of a viable government: lift censorship laws and maintain a free press. At that point, there was an explosion of newspapers. Newspapers can only survive if people read them. But people were only reading them if these newspapers contained serialized fiction. Suddenly, all of these novels, like by Kim Dung (Jin Yong) the martial arts writer, got serialized in these newspapers. I looked at this South Vietnamese copycat of the James Bond novels — the Z.28
  
  novels – which also got serialized in the newspapers. The papers are completely dependent on serialized fiction. People will only buy them if they have serialized fiction, which means newspapers can only get advertisers to pay for ads if they have the serialized fiction. But what ends up happening, is that newspapers in Saigon begin to contain more of this stuff. Stuff like horoscopes, instead of news of the war going on in the countryside.
  
  The communists think that this is some kind of imperialist plot, that the Americans are deliberately putting all of these martial arts novels in popular media to destroy the national spirit during the time of war. Instead of promoting consciousness and so forth, it was assumed that they were dumping mass culture onto the Vietnamese people to dissolve their national spirit. In fact, as the argument I make in the book goes, there was an autonomous effect of the free market for media. The South Vietnamese weren’t lying when they said they were a free society, because they just let the media take on a life of its own. But the unintended effect of all of that was to isolate the imagination of the urban population from the people in the countryside, without anyone trying to deliberately do this.
  
  
  JC: The Communists are not unfounded in their fears that this is a kind of capitalist encroachment, because this is literally a market mechanism at work for the press in South Vietnam. So that’s really interesting and as well as how there are these distortions, I guess, in the national communal imaginary of only certain kinds of stories being privileged, especially if they privilege urban subjects as you pointed out. But the base of this revolution is these profound changes and transformations that are going on in the countryside that are increasingly beyond the reach of print media. In terms of the kind of revolutionary literature that was being distributed, I assume the Communist Party and the Workers Party had their own respective chains of distribution that were bypassing what the regular press was doing?
  
  
  DLN: Yeah, the Communists are claiming that all of this popular fiction is destroying the will of the Vietnamese people to fight, but it’s also backfiring on the Americans because the Americans want to promote nationalism, so they want more content on television that makes people want to fight. But it turns out that most people want to buy things that are not nationalistic because nationalism is boring. But it also has an interesting effect on Communist propaganda, so the Communists try to find ways to combat this popular culture. There is one document that I found that was detailing all these urban propagandistic strategies that the Communists had, and one was to take these novels by Kim Dung (Jin Yong), these martial arts novels, and take out the pages and insert Communist propaganda inside, which as you can imagine, would be totally ineffective. Because you go out to these stores and buy one of these martial arts novels, and you open it up and it’s a bunch of propaganda on how bad the USA is - you probably won’t continue reading. So it seemed like it was difficult for them to develop an effective strategy against this kind of consumerist culture that was beginning to emerge in the South in this period.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Other sources of interest:

  Z.28 and the Appeal of Spy Fiction in Southern Vietnam, 1954-1975, Cam Nguyet Nguyen, 2001.

  Sovereignty, Surveillance and Spectacle in South Vietnamese Spy Fiction, Duy Lap Nguyen, 2018.
  Abstract
  This essay develops a reading of Bùi Anh Tuấn’s Ian Fleming–inspired Specter over Red Square (Bóng Ma trên Công Trường Đỏ). Published during the war in Vietnam, the novel was one of the most successful examples of the new forms of mass culture that emerged in the context of the US military intervention in South Vietnamese cities. In the novel, the character of the Vietnamese superspy appears as a figure for the ambivalent political situation of the Republic of Vietnam within the geopolitics of the Cold War.
  
  PDF: https://www.academia.edu/36075505/Sovereignty_Surveillance_and_Spectacle_in_South_Vietnamese_Spy_Fiction_Duy_Lap_Nguyen

  
  
  

  Z.28 Specter over Red Square (Z.28 Bóng Ma trên Công Trường Đỏ), Bùi Anh Tuấn, 1969.

  [Short English translation]

  
  Z.28 The Phantom On The Red Square
  
  
  
  
  ACTION published 1969

  
  
  
  Chapter I - Ghost On Red Square
  
  Van Binh solemnly raised the bottle of vodka to his eyes. Vodka with tea is a popular drink in Russia. Van Binh is no stranger to vodka, although normally he only loves whiskey.
  
  Characteristics of vodka is transparent white color, smell no aroma. Vodka must be 46 degrees to be delicious. But the bottle of wine in Van Binh's hand gave off a pungent aroma. Frustrated, he slammed the bottle of wine down on the table.
  
  I thought it was a good wine, but like this, it makes my stomach hurt.
  
  The girl looked at him with innocent rabbit eyes. Perhaps for the first time she heard a foreign guest criticizing the vodka soda. She turned the bottle label towards Van Binh and said:
  
  Just drink it and you'll know. This wine is not bad. It is distilled in Leningrad with fermented wheat, mixed with cornstarch and potato starch. The hotel has a total of 50 vodkas, 30 of which are from the Leningrad factory. Each has its own scent, depending on whether it is mixed with sugar or pepper. Earlier, you told me something strong, so I brought this bottle for you. That coco, ten times better than Polish vodka...
  
  Van Binh smiled charmingly:
  
  - Just looking at her butt is enough to get drunk, no need to drink anymore. What is her name?
  
  - Do you remember where this is?
  
  - Mac private science.
  
  Must to. Moscow is not the same as Ballet or New York. The Métropole hotel he is staying at is managed by the State, not privately, so the staff is not obligated to pamper guests.
  
  - Wow, she has a very well-proportioned, well-proportioned body!
  
  The hotel staff girl's scowling face suddenly brightened. There's nothing beautiful about her. Her face, her mouth, her breasts, her butt were listed as average. Her round, moon-like face was no longer up to the standards of fame. Her mouth is a bit large, disproportionate to her face, but has thick, slightly curved lips, the kind of lips that men like to kiss, seem to be made of glue, touching and sticking for hours to release. She wore a thick, long, knee-length bra, covering the parts that Western women often try to show off, so Van Binh could not guess the size and tightness of the breasts. However, with an eye capable of penetrating flesh like an X-ray, he estimated that the girl was not of the super-volcanic class.

  [Vietnamese language]
  https://vietmessenger.com/books/?title=z28 bong ma tren cong truong do
  

  Người Thứ Tám
  
  
  Z.28 Bóng Ma Trên Công Trường Đỏ
  
  
  HÀNH ĐỘNG xuất bản 1969

  
  
  
  I
  
  Bóng Ma Trên Công Trường Đỏ
  
  Văn Bình trịnh trọng nâng chai rượu vốt-ka lên mắt ngắm. Vốt-ka với trà là món uống phổ thông ở Nga sô. Văn Bình không lạ gì vốt-ka mặc dầu bình sinh chàng chỉ mê huýt-ky.
  
  Đặc điểm của rượu vốt-ka là màu trắng trong suốt, ngửi không có mùi thơm. Rượu vốt-ka phải đủ 46 độ mới ngon. Nhưng chai rượu trong tay Văn Bình lại tỏa ra một mùi thơm hăng hắc. Bực mình chàng dằn mạnh chai rượu xuống bàn.
  
  Tưởng là rượu ngon, chứ như thế này thì uống thêm đau bao tử.
  
  Cô gái nhìn chàng bằng cặp mắt thỏ đế ngây thơ. Có lẽ lần thứ nhất nàng được nghe khách ngoại quốc chê rượu vốt-ka sô viết. Nàng quay cái nhãn chai về phía Văn Bình rồi nói :
  
  Ông cứ uống thử thì biết. Rượu này không dở đâu. Nó được cất tại Lêningờrát bằng lúa mì lên men, trộn với bột bắp và bột khoai. Khách sạn có cả thảy 50 loại vốt-ka mà 30 loại là của nhà máy Lêningờrát. Mỗi loại có một mùi hương riêng, tùy theo được pha với đường hoặc hạt tiêu. Hồi nãy, ông dặn thứ mạnh nên tôi mang chai này cho ông. Rượu cô-sắc đấy, ngon gấp chục lần vốt-ka Ba lan …
  
  Văn Bình cười duyên :
  
  - Chỉ nhìn mông cô nói cũng đủ say rồi, chẳng cần phải uống rượu nữa. Tên cô là gì?
  
  - Ông còn nhớ đây là đâu không?
  
  - Mạc tư khoa.
  
  Phải. Mạc tư khoa không giống như Ba lê hoặc Nữu ước. Khách sạn Métropole mà ông đang ngụ là do Nhà nước quản lý, không phải của tư nhân nên nhân viên không có bổn phận chiều chuộng khách trọ.
  
  - Chao ôi, cô có thân hình nảy nở, cân đối ghê!
  
  Vẻ mặt đang cau có của cô gái nhân viên khách sạn bỗng tươi lại. Kể ra nàng chẳng có gì là đẹp. Mặt nàng, miệng nàng, ngực nàng, mông nàng chỉ được liệt vào hạng trung bình. Khuôn mặt tròn trạnh như mặt nguyệt của nàng không còn thích hợp với tiêu chuẩn thời danh nữa. Miệng nàng hơi lớn, không tương xứng với mặt, song lại có đôi môi dầy, hơi cong, loại môi khoái hôn đàn ông, dường như được làm bằng keo, chạm vào là dính chặt lấy hàng giờ mới nhả. Nàng mặc một cái ba đờ suy dầy, dài thòng đến đầu gối, che kín những bộ phận mà phụ nữ phương tây thường tìm cách bầy biện ra ngoài nên Văn Bình không đoán được kích thước và sự căng cứng của bộ ngực. Tuy nhiên, bằng con mắt có khả năng xuyên qua da thịt như quang tuyến X, chàng ước lượng là cô gái không thuộc đẳng cấp siêu giai nhân núi lửa.
  
  [MORE]

  
  
  
  Z28 - Bóng ma trên công trường đỏ - Chương 01 (49:51)
  (Z28 - The Ghost on the Red Square - Chapter 1)
  [Vietnamese only; no English translation or subtitles; text reading overlaid with Bond theme, images from the films]
  
  Mời quý vị theo chân điệp viên Z28 trong một điệp vụ liên quan đến võ khí nguyên tử trên đất Sô VIết và Anbani.
  [We invite you to follow agent Z28 on a mission involving nuclear weapons on Soviet and Albanian soil.]
  
  
  
• RichardTheBruce I'm motivated by my Duty.

  November 2022 edited November 2022 Posts: 13,807

  
  

  Z.28 Specter over Red Square (Z.28 Bóng Ma trên Công Trường Đỏ), Bùi Anh Tuấn, 1969.
  http://www.laconnietaylorjones.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/chapter-one-1.jpg

  
  Z.28 The Phantom On The Red Square
  
  
  ACTION published 1969

  
  1. The Phantom On The Red Square
  2. Dear Defeat, Danh List
  3. Ghosts
  4. Last Night in Moscow
  5. North China Beauty
  6. First Night in Tirana
  7. Atomic Bomb
  8. Z Bomb. 233
  

  I
  
  Ghost On Red Square

  
  
  Van Binh solemnly raised the bottle of vodka to his eyes. Vodka with tea is a popular drink in Russia. Van Binh is no stranger to vodka, although normally he only loves whiskey.
  
  Characteristics of vodka is transparent white color, smell no aroma. Vodka must be 46 degrees to be delicious. But the bottle of wine in Van Binh's hand gave off a pungent aroma. Frustrated, he slammed the bottle of wine down on the table.
  
  I thought it was a good wine, but like this, it makes my stomach hurt.
  
  The girl looked at him with innocent rabbit eyes. Perhaps for the first time she heard a foreign guest criticizing the vodka soda. She turned the bottle label towards Van Binh and said:
  
  Just drink it and you'll know. This wine is not bad. It is distilled in Leningrad with fermented wheat, mixed with cornstarch and potato starch. The hotel has a total of 50 vodkas, 30 of which are from the Leningrad factory. Each has its own scent, depending on whether it is mixed with sugar or pepper. Earlier, you told me something strong, so I brought this bottle for you. That coco, ten times better than Polish vodka...
  
  Van Binh smiled charmingly:
  
  - Just looking at her butt is enough to get drunk, no need to drink anymore. What is her name?
  
  - Do you remember where this is?
  
  - Mac private science.
  
  Must to. Moscow is not the same as Ballet or New York. The Métropole hotel he is staying at is managed by the State, not privately, so the staff is not obligated to pamper guests.
  
  - Wow, she has a very well-proportioned, well-proportioned body!
  
  The hotel staff girl's scowling face suddenly brightened. There's nothing beautiful about her. Her face, her mouth, her breasts, her butt were listed as average. Her round, moon-like face was no longer up to the standards of fame. Her mouth is a bit large, disproportionate to her face, but has thick, slightly curved lips, the kind of lips that men like to kiss, seem to be made of glue, touching and sticking for hours to release. She wore a thick, long, knee-length bra, covering the parts that Western women often try to show off, so Van Binh could not guess the size and tightness of the breasts. However, with an eye capable of penetrating flesh like an X-ray, he estimated that the girl was not of the super-volcanic class.
  
  Van Binh understood why she changed her face. Women behind the iron curtain are rarely praised by men for their beauty, so much so that they no longer remember they are female, created to be cherished and flattered by men. Van Binh's compliment made her dizzy as if she had just drunk a glass of premium vodka. Van Binh saw that her hand was shaking slightly.
  
  He then approached her, his voice soft:
  
  - What's her name?
  
  She stammered:
  
  - Nina.
  
  - Huh, Nina… her name is as beautiful as a human.
  
  The girl stood still as if hypnotized by Van Binh. He wrapped his arms around her back, pulled her back, then kissed her softly on the lips. She shivered violently. In the blink of an eye, she was as soft as noodles.
  
  ...

  
  
• RichardTheBruce I'm motivated by my Duty.

  November 2022 Posts: 13,807

  Chapter 1 - Continued

  She clung to him and refused to let go. Hearing the sound of shoes in the corridor, and the knock on the door, he hurriedly pushed her aside, then asked:
  
  - Who's that?
  
  Outside there is a reply:
  
  - Guy.
  
  Open door. The guest was a tall American young man with stiff gestures and serious facial expressions. The guest quietly waited for the girl to leave the room and closed the door before saying:
  
  - Hello. I'm Guy.
  
  Van Binh broke up and arrested:
  
  - Hello, Mr. Guy. As you know, I am Kevin.
  
  Despite being invited to sit, Guy stood in the middle of the room, his eyes glazed as if he were afraid of being eavesdropped. Van Binh asked:
  
  - Is it okay?
  
  - Thank you. U.S. embassy employees are not allowed to drink alcohol during business hours.
  
  For the first time, I got to know that monstrous command. In many places, the embassy staff drank with me and dropped the door. Sometimes I even invited the ambassador.
  
  - Do you remember where this is?
  
  Van Binh felt tickled. Five minutes ago, the waitress Nina asked the same question. Yes, this is Moscow, the capital of the Soviet Union, the world communist power. Yes, this is the most secret city on earth, located between the elbows of the Mosqua and Dao rivers leading to the Volga, the 6 million inhabitants of the city also broke a remarkable record: the record of silence.
  
  Silent. It was quiet at night, and Moscow was as silent during the day as it was at night. There are only 300,000 cars in the city, most of which are state cars, and the roads are wide, so the scene of Moscow is always deserted. Last time, Van Binh was moved by the confusing, almost creepy silence of the Russian capital. Over time, things have not changed. The car ran slowly, the driver did not dare to change gears in a hurry for fear of damaging the gearbox and wearing out the tires, women and girls all looked down at the sidewalk, at the intersection, they did not hear the whistle, the sound was familiar. belonging to the nations on this side of the iron curtain…
  
  Van Binh shrugged his shoulders, repeating what he just said to the waitress:
  
  - Mac private science.
  
  Guy walked over to the window and looked down at the street.
  
  Maybe you just came here for the first time.
  
  - First time.
  
  - No wonder: On behalf of the embassy, ​​I need to tell you a few basic things during your stay in Russia. Before setting foot in Moscow department, imagine walking into a hospital.
  
  - You're wrong. I see Russian women and girls are French, much stronger than western women and girls.
  
  - I don't have time to come here to listen to your jokes. I use the word "hospital" not to mean that all Russians are sick and sick. He knew what was the first thing people had to do when they entered the hospital. That is to keep silent, absolutely silent. Sit in the cafeteria, ask him to wait patiently, and never squeeze his fingers or call a waiter.
  
  - So how to call them?
  
  - In western restaurants, you can do whatever you want. He could stomp on the soles of his shoes, or clapping his hands together, or clapping his spoon, or, if necessary, he could rush over to the safe and grab the waiter's lapel to study again. But here, those gestures are considered reactionary capital. Want to call the waiter, he just sat upright, looking towards them. If they don't come, wait. Wait until you meet them.
  
  - Yes, I'll wait. But my stomach can't wait forever. What if they ignore it?
  
  - I have to endure it. The hotel staff here are comrades, not cooks. Means on par with customers.
  
  - It's the same in the West. Waiter is not the servant for the guests?
  
  - But it's different here. In the West, restaurants and hotels have to compete for guests to live, here, the State is the only superior owner, neither needing profit nor afraid of losses, you can't wait to enter the restaurant. please come out...
  
  - Oh my God, if I knew it was this bad, I wouldn't have bothered to go to Russia anymore!
  
  - Whenever I have the opportunity to chat with tourists from home, I often advise them to return home as soon as possible. Too bad… you stay one night and you'll see. Oh, I heard you're here on business?
  
  - Must to.
  
  - I heard that you came here to sign a contract with the Ministry of Foreign Trade of the Soviet Union!
  
  - Right.
  
  - Can you let the embassy know the contents of the contract you are about to sign?
  
  - The United States is a free country, American citizens have the right to freedom of movement, freedom to trade, and freedom to sign contracts with foreigners.
  
  - As long as it does not harm national security...
  
  - Yes. My contract is purely commercial advertising. I represent Maxman company, Ha Uy di. My company specializes in advertising foreign goods in the US.
  
  - You probably know that Russian goods are produced by the government. Despite the profit, they can still sell cheap oil at a high price.
  
  - Whether their goods are expensive or cheap has nothing to do with our company Maxman.
  
  But it concerns the American people.
  
  - How is it related?
  
  - The Soviet government will flood the US market with cheap goods, causing financial damage to American industry. On the other hand, American consumers will have sympathy for them.
  
  Guy of the embassy, ​​I'm a pure advertiser who doesn't like listening to politics.
  
  - I dare not propagate you, just ask you to think again...
  
  - It's no use if you want to propagate. My heart is forged in the furnace, Mr. Guy… Your words are delicious, but a hundred thousand dollars is much better.
  
  - Will they pay you a hundred thousand dollars?
  
  - Not a penny less.
  
  - Obviously they used meat to crush people. If they pay the hundred thousand, then I don't dare to convince you anymore. I just ask you…
  
  - Keeping true to the style of an American citizen...
  
  - Yes. Especially for women. The serious Russian people are used to smiling rarely and hate foreigners who often laugh.
  
  - Waitress Nina smiled at me earlier.
  
  "Standing outside the door, I also heard many continuous clicks, proving that he kissed her and was kissed back by her."
  
  - Have you admired my achievements yet?
  
  Guy shook his head in dismay.
  
  - No. You should also know that most if not most restaurant and hotel staff in Moscow are secret agents for the KGB. At this Metropole inn exclusively for foreigners, all staff from directors, managers, accounting clerks down to elevator keepers, waiters, waiters, kitchen assistants, are all secret information. real member. Maybe… if Nina smiled and hugged him. Tonight, if she opened the door to her room, climbed into bed, and took off her clothes and asked him to make love, he would be even more dangerous.
  
  - Huh ... to be given a treasure of thousands of gold by a beautiful Russian woman in the middle of a cold, cold night, which you think is a great danger?
  
  "Yes, before you many people have had the pleasure of sleeping with beautiful waitresses, many of whom give guests the impression that they are virgins, and they invite men to sleep for the first time. In fact, they are morons, female security guards who specialize in attracting foreigners. They have learned all sorts of tricks to conquer men, and all kinds of lovemaking.
  
  - The better. Trained women, of course, are better than amateur women...
  
  Well, I don't want to advise you anymore. Because after talking with him for a while I got the impression that he was a moth who came here to jump into the fire.
  
  Van Binh smiled softly. The American embassy employee was right in his criticism. However, he did not know that he was right. Van Binh is a moth, but not a stupid moth that keeps seeing light The lamp is swooping in to die unjustly, but it is a wise and wise moth who knows that the light is a death trap but still rushes forward. Rushing forward, with a strong belief that the fire will be extinguished…
  
  For a long time, Van Binh has played the role of a spy. Each time, he was lucky to return healthy. However, this trip was different from the previous ones. In the past, whenever he was active in communist countries, he would sneak in by parachuting, land by submersible, or sneak across borders. Five or ten disasters, he blatantly came through the front door disguised as someone else.
  
  Van Binh came to Russia this time under the guise of an advertising specialist of an American company that has many connections with countries in the socialist bloc. Advertising was not a strange profession to him, for in the past at least once he had played the role of an advertising specialist for espionage.
  
  Three weeks ago, success in Tahiti returned 1. Van Binh was allowed to go abroad to relax by Mr. Hoang. Usually Mr. Hoang does not force him to follow a certain route as long as he reports regularly to the Department. But this time he asked him to go to Ha Uy di.
  
  Worthy of, the scenery of the sky and sea, Ha Uy Di is charming, the women of Ha Uy Di are very docile, but compared to Phu Tang Tam Dao, it is only one heaven. The science of plastic surgery has made Japanese girls more beautiful and delicious than before, Japanese girls know how to pamper difficult boys, so Van Binh likes to go to Dong Kinh. Knowing that he was going to Ha Uy Di to recuperate, but also to wait for a new job, he suddenly asked:
  
  - When do you give the job?
  
  Mr. Hoang replied:
  
  - To be honest with you, I don't know how much. I have just received a call from Mr. Simmit asking him to be present in Ha Uy di within the next 10, 15 days.
  
  - I'm hired again?
  
  - Of course. If you are not employed, where can you get foreign currency to support the operation system of the Department? Mr. Simmit said he would go to the Soviet Union.
  
  - Huh… I haven't been there for a long time. What is the content of the work, sir?
  
  - Great, I will disguise myself as a senior employee of the American advertising agency Maxman, Ha Uy Di. This employee's name is Kevin. He is from Ha Uy Di, with a flat nose like you. His skin is a bit dark, he just needs to sit under the ultraviolet lamp for one day to catch the sun immediately. Your face resembles his, C.I.A. will modify it for you.
  
  - What did Kevin go to the Soviet Union to do?
  
  - The case file will be sent to me within this week. But rest assured, I will continue to contact you. A double job, he works for the C.I.A. working separately for the Department.
  
  Van Binh traveled to the fairy coconut island of Ha Uyen for exactly 10 days, then he was secretly taken to the plane to the US and then from the US to the Soviet Union. The real Kevin was caught by the C.I.A. blocking the road from the city center to the airport. The replacement was done so skillfully that Van Binh was also surprised. The director of Maxman also did not know that Kevin in the flesh had been drugged and was lying in the basement of a house near the beach.
  
  Van Binh changed planes in France. Climbing into the giant jet aircraft TU-104 of the Soviet airline Aeroflot parked at the Tycoon airfield, he had the impression that he had set foot in the Soviet Union. From the interior decoration to the dress, the gesture of the hostess, all are engraved with the familiar lifestyle of the western world.
  
  However, he was not quite as disappointed as the previous times. In the past, every time he was an Aeroflot passenger, he was frustrated and frustrated. In terms of the aviation industry, the Soviet Union is sure to lose to anyone, but in terms of the art of pampering passengers, they are ranked last in the world. They can spend tens of millions of dollars to buy the great jet iron bird TU-104, but they do not dare to hire a painter to decorate it beautifully and especially to recruit talking flowers that match the machine. modern hook. As a result, the interior of the plane is dark, the lights are empty, the seats are upholstered in jute fabric, which means one of the worst things, should have used luxurious, expensive chemical fibers. .
  
  Oh hello, the hostess made Van Binh even more upset! Hot as well as cold, they also have only one unique uniform, above white and blue below. It was too cold, so they put on three more clothes. With this thick skin on their bodies they became walking jars. Taking off their robes, in their blue Siamese and white shirts, they seem better, but Van Binh's keen eye still can't detect the curves of his breasts...
  
  This time, the flight attendants are still wearing the old uniform, but sewn tighter than before. He began to see nipples bulging behind the fabric. But this swelling could only help him confirm that the jar standing before him was female, not male. But it doesn't cause any intoxication at all...
  
  Having lived for many years in Europe, and having a lot of experience with women, Van Binh does not understand why Russian women are all fat or thin. When you're fat, you're fat, when you're thin, you're really skinny. But usually they are more fat than thin. Because of this obesity, Russian women and girls are classified as weak like slugs in the love field...
  
  Chien c The giant Tupolev landed at the airport of Cheremetievo exactly three and a half hours later. If it was on a French-American plane (or worse, a home-made Air-Vietnam plane), these three and a half hours would have turned into 21 magical centuries for Van Binh. He can wash his eyes, freely sit on the side of the chair to see the hostess's thighs and butt, or pretend to be thirsty for a period of time, to call the hostess to come and see her breasts... Hostesses in Southeast Asia already knows Van Binh's unique thirst disease. After the plane left the airport, he asked for a drink. The pretty girl is the one to be scolded by him the most (and strictly speaking, the hostesses all like that Van Binh suffers from thirst like that forever...)
  
  On the iron bird TU-104, Van Binh wanted to be thirsty but could not. Because for some reason, only two hostesses passed and walked in front of his eyes, and both were fat. Every time the graceful beauty passed by, he had the feeling that the plane's floor was sinking deeper. If the lovely lady kissed him, he would die of suffocation. Although he is good at martial arts, he is just a sharp frog next to the mountain of meat of a beautiful woman. So he closed his eyes, hoping to get to Moscow soon.
  
  Van Binh had just carried his suitcase into the airport when a special smell stopped him. Each capital has a special smell, but Moscow has a special smell of all, he cannot smell this smell at any airport in the world.
  
  It's the smell of gasoline.
  
  Every airport has the smell of gasoline, but the smell of Moscow is heavy, tickling, making visitors have to open their mouths wide to find air and put their hands on their chests to keep their hearts from pounding. The Soviet edth was a bad ester, so the smell of it penetrated the skin and viscera, anyone who had smelled it once would remember it forever.
  
  Van Binh was a bit surprised because Guy's clothes, the American embassy employee, seemed to smell of gasoline. He pulled out his blind-soak and wiped the sweat from his forehead even though it was cold as hell.
  
  Van Binh walked out the door, friendly voice:
  
  - Did you just come back from the airport?
  
  Guy rolled his eyes.
  
  - Yes. Why do you know?
  
  - Very simple. The smell of gasoline.
  
  Guy put his hand to his neck, as if to check if his head was still attached to his body:
  
  - Turns out he is a talented commenter. If I'm not mistaken, you are...
  
  Van Binh interrupted in an annoyed voice:
  
  - What, leave me alone. Ask him to keep his mouth shut.
  
  Guy shrugged and closed the door. Van Binh leaned against the door, looking at the furniture in the room. The sound of the American embassy employee's shoes had died down in the hallway.
  
  At this moment, a group of KGB staff members in black robes, wearing black felt, black glasses, with a ghostly expression, were holding their breath in front of the tape recorder located in the basement of the hotel. Van Binh is no stranger to the eavesdropping network of the Soviet secret service. Every hotel has a stealth recorder. The Metropole Hotel, the boarding house for foreigners visiting Moscow, has more tape recorders than any other. He regretted not being able to stay at the recently completed Rossia inn with three thousand rooms, only a short distance from Red Square and the Cam Linh Palace. Because he heard there the KGB staff who were in charge of recording were all women, young women, with a bust of nearly a hundred centimeters, the smallest waist circumference was 95 centimeters, the kind of rubber women that men like. Split hair into 8 also like.
  
  The furniture in this Metropole hotel room is still old furniture from the old days, the old furniture that even the lowest-class hotels in Saigon carry in the kitchen corner. It seems that Russia is a huge warehouse containing old things, in offices, inns, in homes, old things are everywhere.
  
  What surprised Van Binh the most when he came to Moscow for the first time was that Russian people, especially women, were wearing old clothes. Men, women, children, men, women, and children all wear three-piece robes manufactured by a state-owned sewing company, all in dark colors, short at the knee, and baggy on the top.
  
  Van Binh can't forget Soviet fashion because in the past it nearly killed him. At that time, he crept into Russia to execute an action plan of the Central Intelligence Agency C.I.A. He disguised himself as a Russian in Central Asia, his papers and personal belongings, including his clothes, were made entirely by the C.I.A. provided.
  
  American intelligence experts took care of everything, except for a small but very important detail. That is the width of the trouser leg.
  
  Russians are famous all over the world for their habit of wearing elephant leg pants. Depending on the region, the pants are sewn more or less wide, but the narrowest is also from over 30 centimeters. Prime Minister Cut-Boss pants leg, with a bull belly 122 cm, 5 cm larger than the bust, sewn up to 40 cm wide, breaking the world record.
  
  At that time, Van Binh wore 25-inch wide pants and walked across the street of Moscow. And he was followed by secret service agents. The reason for this observation was simple: he was the only foreign pedestrian to wear tight pants. If he lacked wisdom, transformation and martial arts, he was arrested by KGB agents.
  
  Unconsciously, Van Binh looked down at his trousers.
  
  He wore a suit of dark wool, a color common in Russia. Now he can wear tight pants because he is an American citizen after all, born in Hawaii. However, his trouser leg is still intact The garment is much wider than the trousers of Westerners. According to fashion, most men sew tight pipes of 22 inches or less. But the C.I.A. Drawing on past experience, he loosened his pants by 24 inches.
  
  He smiled to himself. Thanks to the talented and persuasive golden scissors of a famous Italian tailor 1. Cut-Boss changed his pants from a terrible width of 40 inches to 27 inches. Cut-The boss was about to wear 23-inch pants when he was demoted. The Cut-Boss dress revolution has failed...
  
  Van Binh opened the door slightly and looked down at the street.
  
  Below is a large park. The long winter is coming to an end. The durian trees are in full bloom with red flowers, giving the gloomy landscape a playful touch. If Moscow didn't have winter melons, the late-season cold would be much colder.
  
  Suddenly Van Binh felt cold. The sky is getting dark. Cold air like a sharp awl twisted into his heart. Whenever it was cold abroad, he would find a way to warm up in nightclubs. He was used to the cold weather, but he was afraid of the cold. The strange cold that came from nowhere made the lonely man in his thirties have to grit his teeth so that he wouldn't shiver to hold the scraper.
  
  The phone in the room rang. Van Binh picked it up and listened. Those who have been to Russia have noticed that the telephone bells there have a high-pitched ringing that makes listeners shudder, hair-raising, different from the familiar cheerful chirping in other capitals. Phones are a rare luxury item, must be installed by a high-ranking employee. The reason every motel room in the Metropole has a telephone, is not because the authorities want to treat travelers special, but because the KGB wants to eavesdrop. Moscow also does not have a telephone directory with the telephone number, name and address of the subscriber like in Saigon. Because the phone directory is a confidential document.
  
  Van Binh cleared his throat when he realized at the beginning of the second the sacred voice of a young girl.
  
  - Sir, are you Kevin?
  
  Van Binh replied:
  
  - Yes, I am Kevin in the flesh. I just arrived, sad, going to dinner without friends. Lucky to meet her.
  
  - Sorry, I haven't had the pleasure of meeting you. I am the assistant to the director of the Department of Foreign Trade Development.
  
  - Bonkov.
  
  - Yes, Comrade Bolkov. We are very pleased to welcome you in Moscow. Earlier, I sent the car to the airport to pick him up. Soon, Comrade Bolkov will be at the office. Comrade Bolkov invited him to come and play. As far as I know, Comrade Bolkov is ready to accept the contract submitted by you.
  
  - You forgot it was already dark. At this time, the office is closed and closed.
  
  - But some offices are still open. For example, Office of Foreign Trade Development. Comrade Bonkov used to work every night until 2 or 3 am. Did you hear clearly?
  
  - Very clear. Would you like to have dinner with me?
  
  - Thank you for your kindness. I have to be at the office until 2 or 3 am, along with the director.
  
  - After that, you can invite her to go.
  
  - None of the restaurants are open until 12 midnight. Besides, it's cold like this, we women and girls don't dare to go late at night.
  
  - Are you afraid of the cold?
  
  - No.
  
  - I understand why you don't want to eat with me. Because she has a husband. And her husband is the man who won the jealousy championship.
  
  - You guessed wrong. It's been a long time since I've had a husband. When I get married I will choose the one who wins the jealousy championship.
  
  - Maybe her fiancé is terribly jealous, so she refuses.
  
  I don't have a fiancé either.
  
  - I'll come pick you up in a minute, then.
  
  - Can not.
  
  - Ask her to give the reason. I would also like to state in advance that I am not that ugly. My Russian is very good, I can confess to women in a poetic and legal way.
  
  - Thank you. The reason I did not dare to accept it was because I was afraid of wild animals.
  
  - God, the capital of Moscow has wild animals like in the jungles of Africa?
  
  - Yes, there are many. At night, there are often more wild animals than during the day. Well, I salute you.
  
  - Please think again... I promise to be very docile and gentle. If necessary, I will commit myself in front of Comrade Bolkov.
  
  - You are a strange man. Moscow lacks a beautiful daughter, but he cares about me.
  
  Because you're a lovely woman.
  
  - I'm not as cute as you think. People have listed me as one of the most difficult women in the Soviet Union.
  
  - The better. My heart is very fond of difficult women. I just haven't met the trio yet.
  
  - I'm ugly, sir. Meet me, you will be disappointed. So I honestly advise you...
  
  - Cai streak struck dead beauty. Are you satisfied yet?
  
  - Oh, you young people only promise to promise. Soon, he will forget all about it.
  
  - What kind of person do you consider me to be? If you accept, I solemnly promise that I will come to the office to invite you to eat and then take you home properly.
  
  - What if you missed an appointment?
  
  - God will beat me to death.
  
  - Okay, I'll record your promise.
  
  - Sir.. what's your name?
  
  - Velana.
  
  - Yes, hello lovely Velana, representative of Venus.
  
  Van Binh was about to discuss further, but the Soviet "representative of Venus" Velana hung up the phone. He shrugged and whistled. Naturally, his heart was as happy as a festival.
  
  Women everywhere on earth are the same. If you look closely, women are as beautiful as women bad, but the ancients had a saying "turn off the lights, tile houses are like cottages". However, it takes a connoisseur of enjoyment like Van Binh to understand that women in each country are different. In general, women in Soviet Russia are far behind women in free western countries even though they are all about the same height and have the same health. Western women are even more attractive in terms of attractiveness thanks to innovative cosmetics, lingerie and custom imitations. But if given the choice, Van Binh would take care of the women behind the Soviet iron curtain.
  
  The reason for this difference is very simple. Soviet women may be less beautiful, less proportionate, less attractive than Western women, but in the bedroom, in the most intimate and discreet moments between men and women forever, they are not. occupy the leading position. Van Binh found them to have an intense lovemaking power, partly due to the cold climate, but partly - and also mainly - because they were rumored in all aspects, especially in terms of love. Soviet society is like a giant prison, people are imprisoned, even the spontaneous love is chained. When they were given their freedom to express themselves, Soviet women rose up, like a flood that swept away a dike and flooded the city. As a result, they love greedily, intensely and persistently...
  
  Van Binh opened his suitcase and took out a light gray wool suit. Still whistling loudly, he stood in front of the mirror, solemnly buttoning his tie, to highlight the lilac dots on the light yellow background of the fashionable shirt of the year by Jacques Fath in Ba pear production. The thought of a Russian girl who was amorous, falling in love, reclining in his arms made him forget all the work he had to do. He went to the Soviet Union to carry out a dangerous work, not to go out... But love still covers everything...
  
  He opened the door and stepped out into the hallway. Accustomed to life in Russia, he left the key in the lock and did not bother to lock the door. Because locking the door is completely useless. As soon as he came out of the hotel, a man in a black felt hat, a black tuxedo, and black checkered shoes belonging to the KGB stomped through the room door. Secret service agents don't need to sneak up on time, because all hotel staff are paid by the KGB. They also don't need to search in a hurry. They slowly shook off each shirt, molded each hem, watched every button, smelled every cologne. They also have their own tools to find out if guests have hidden weapons in the bathroom or under the mattress. And to startle the travelers, they even opened the lid of their suitcases, and threw their clothes on the table, without bothering to close them.
  
  Having learned from experience, Van Binh only brought very few group items. His suitcase is not of the double bottom type, like the suitcase he often brings on business trips abroad. His shoes were just ordinary leather shoes, with a non-hollow sole, containing a sia-nuya bullet gun and a tool to open a safe.
  
  In the early days of his spy career, Van Binh carefully stuck a strand of hair into the lock of his suitcase. But gradually he didn't need a hair to keep an eye on it, but he still knew that the suitcase had been searched. His eye is as sharp as a camera, he only takes one look to collect all the details of the arrangement into his memory. No matter how skillful the opponent is, he can easily discover it. However, this experience became useless in the Soviet Union because not only did the KGB agents open the luggage of the guests, they also threw it away indiscriminately, forcing the owner to fold it.
  
  Van Binh bumped into a KGB officer at the end of the corridor. Seeing him, he tried to avoid, but he called out:
  
  - Tired, mate?
  
  The man paused:
  
  - No.
  
  Van Binh sneered.
  
  - Well then. I thought you were tired, so I invited you to my room to have a temporary glass of good vodka, properly labeled Cosac, only for mid-level employees. If I'm not mistaken, you're only allowed to drink low-end vodka.
  
  The KGB officer stammered:
  
  - Sir... sir... i...
  
  Van Binh patted him on the shoulder.
  
  - Well, dear, tell me what to do for life loss. The door to my room was still open, the bottle of wine I left on the table. Come in and drink to be healthy, then you want to search freely. How, are you satisfied?
  
  Without waiting for an answer, he approached the elevator. The KGB officer seemed to wake up and stop him:
  
  - Sir, the elevator just broke down.
  
  Van Binh grimaced when he saw the large white board on which was printed a line of red text nearly full width and length:
  
  - "Elevator broken"
  
  Broken elevator is one of the sufferings of people living in apartments and hotels. However, in Western countries, or even in Saigon, this situation happens from time to time. Meanwhile, elevators fail frequently in the Soviet Union. Broken so much that travelers are afraid to use it anymore. But in the end, the elevator is broken like that, which is beneficial. Because of having to walk from the towering floor to the lower floor, the legs become supple and the body is exercised strong.
  
  For Van Binh, running up and down the Metropole hotel dozens of times did not make him tired. But today he felt out of breath. He paused for a minute to catch his breath.
  
  After a while he came down to the reception room below. Not looking sideways, looking back, He quietly walked out into the street.
  
  It was only dark and the roads were already deserted. He had gone a short distance when he heard the clatter of shoes behind him. The man behind must be the secret service agent responsible for keeping an eye on him because he is always 10 yards away from him, based on the sound of the soles of his shoes on the pavement.
  
  The thing that annoys foreigners the most in Moscow is that KGB employees follow closely day and night like a shadow with pictures. The Secret Service followed openly, without concealment. When the guest returned to the inn, he paced back and forth down the street, looking up at the window every now and then, or going straight to the inn, standing lazily in the hallway in front of the room. Even when guests enter the public toilet, the secret service also comes in. However, depending on how much or little the customer is trusted by the KGB, the tracking will be increased or decreased. After all, Van Binh was also a special agent of the company Maxman who sympathized with the Soviet regime. He was still under the watch of the secret service, but this watch was not so strict.
  
  The sound of shoes still tapping behind him.
  
  This heavy, shrill sound proves that the KGB agent is wearing GUM boots. GUM is the name of a state-owned supermarket located near the hotel where Van Binh lives. The private commercial system does not seem to exist, the people want to buy anything they have to go to the supermarket of the State. That means having to wait in long queues and have to ask for trouble. Since the day Sitta Lin, the iron-blooded dictator, lay down and Cush-Boss took his place, the situation of long queues has decreased, goods are sold more. However, the quality is still as bad as before.
  
  And one of the most complained about appliance goods is leather shoes. Closed shoes are bad, leather is worse, it's soft in the sun, and it's hard as steel in cold weather. The Soviet Union is a cold country all year round, so the GUM shoes became torture, causing the feet to rub.
  
  The shoe factories of the State could not produce in time, so the number of shoes sold was limited, and the people were forced to save. The members who had to be careful with the soles of their shoes were the KGB staff who served in the Foreign Affairs Control Department. Their day-to-day task is to monitor suspects on the street, the soles of their shoes are always rubbing against gravel, so they soon have to wear out. Leather shoes were only issued according to the set period, so the Foreigner Control staff had to put a lot of iron fish on the soles.
  
  So every time they took a step, the soles of their shoes rang "pop, clap", as if they wanted to boldly announce the news to the person being followed in front.
  
  Cop, pup... copp....
  
  Van Binh pretended to tie his shoelaces to observe the secret agent's appearance. He was in his thirties, in the streetlight he looked old, with a big mouth, a tall neck, and a limp. Van Binh knew that he struggled not because of his disability, but because his GUM shoes were too hard. Suddenly he felt pity for the guy who followed him, pity for all the Soviet secret agents... With this thin, scurry body, the secret agent could only endure a gentle clump of his legs. he is rolling gongs on the highway.
  
  But he calmly walked forward.
  
  The road he was walking on was the main avenue of the Soviet capital with the History Museum and Lenin Museum, occupying two massive buildings, overlooking the vast Red Square.
  
  During the day, tourists are often present on this road to enter the GUM supermarket to admire, or spend 3 rubles to buy tickets to visit the exterior of the Cam Linh palace, the headquarters of the Soviet government, or visit the grave. part of Lenin, the ancestor of the Communist Party and the Soviet State. Previously, Sitta Lin was next to Lenin, but then he was taken away and disappeared. Such is life behind the iron curtain: no one dares to think about tomorrow, because it is impossible to know what tomorrow will bring.
  
  The sound of the secret agent's shoes still pounding behind Van Binh. Usually, KGB personnel work in pairs. An employee who follows Van Binh may be followed by another employee. And there may also be a third controller. However, Van Binh did not believe that the KGB allowed many employees to follow him. Because he is considered a sympathizer. Besides, he was just an American citizen craving Soviet rubles.
  
  Go to a wooden chair in Van Binh park and sit down. This place during the day pigeons come down in flocks, travelers often buy popcorn hawker to throw to birds to eat. It was late at night and the park was empty and empty. The pigeons and the popcorn sellers were nowhere to be found.
  
  The sound of shoes stopped.
  
  Van Binh turned to the left. The KGB agent had just sat down on a chair ten yards away from him. After putting his ass down, he quickly pulled his feet out of his shoes. Van Binh clearly saw his wrinkled face. Poor... the shoes were too tight, he had to walk again. If he wanders all night he will turn into a waste.
  
  Then he called out loudly:
  
  - Hey comrade?
  
  He jumped in his chair and dropped his shoe on the grass. Realizing him, he pretended to look away. Song Van Binh laughed at the guest:
  
  - Come here, comrade. What else are you pretending to be?
  
  He let out a sigh. His sigh was so loud that even the deaf one hundred yards in diameter could hear it.
  
  - Comrade called me?
  
  - Must to. It's just the two of us here. Should I call your comrade's young wife?
  
  Kosigin.
  
  Kosigin was the prime minister of the Soviet government. Kosigin's wife was of the white-haired, white-haired category. Knowing that, Van Binh still plays. The secret agent almost hurriedly:
  
  - Comrades, don't lie.
  
  Van Binh nodded.
  
  - If you don't want me to continue talking nonsense, come here and play with me. I massage very well. Learned from the nomadic tribe of Nepal but... Come on, let me squeeze your feet...
  
  The KGB officer continued to sigh:
  
  - I only do the tasks assigned by my superiors, please forgive me.
  
  - The mission follows me around the clock, right?
  
  - No, I only work from 6pm to midnight. You are foreigners, so we do not understand this fact well, we follow you not to control but only to help when needed. Life here is different from life in the US, he does not speak Russian fluently. It was very helpful to tell us that we were with you, and you didn't have to spend money: meanwhile, some Soviet officials went back to America to tell the story that in your country, if you wanted someone to follow you, you had to pay. hourly wages at exorbitant rates.
  
  Van Binh just laughed without explaining. Because he found the explanation useless. Besides, he went to the Soviet Union to work as a spy, not as a propaganda officer. In fact, the KGB agent was right: in the West, tourists have to pay for the guide, but the KGB agent didn't know that the tour guide and the Soviet secret service were polar opposites.
  
  The Soviet Union also has its own travel agency, called Intourist, but tourism is just a front, all male and female employees of the Intourist department are secret agents.
  
  Van Binh pulled the KGB officer to sit on a chair and started a conversation:
  
  - Where is the comrade's house?
  
  He shook his head.
  
  - According to the above order, I am not allowed to tell visitors my whereabouts?
  
  - Do you have a wife?
  
  - According to the above order, I am not allowed to...
  
  - Huh... whatever he brings to his superiors to threaten him... Maybe the above order forbids him to tell tourists that he has a wife, and his wife is quite beautiful, if not as beautiful as flowers. It is better to break off the wife of General Serov.
  
  The KGB guy squirmed in his chair. Serov was a Soviet spy security boss. Mentioning Serop's name is a blasphemy to the Russians, and ten times more sinful than the crime of a king and queen in ancient Vietnam.
  
  But Van Binh continued to provoke him with his sarcastic voice rising and falling:
  
  - Sleeping with your wife, you also have to ask for the above order, right?
  
  He had to go into the water, clasping his hands.
  
  - I salute you, comrade. If anyone can catch it, they will die. I was banned by my superiors for exactly one month for cheating on a Japanese tourist. Seeing him cute, I whispered to him some entertainment addresses in Moscow, who expected him...
  
  - Conspicuous blasphemy to be reprimanded by superiors.
  
  - Oh, if that's all, it's okay. After all, he is my colleague.
  
  - KGB staff?
  
  - Yes, although he is one hundred percent Japanese. At my words, he twisted, begging me to lead him to the most elegant spider nest. Because I haven't been corrupted for a long time, I immediately called a taxi. The next morning, when I went to the office to receive instructions, I was called to the office of the Chief of Staff, and was given a full report. I drank some vodka, had sex with which girl, it was all written down. Luckily, I didn't miss my mouth. If so, I wouldn't have had the honor of being your guide tonight. Exactly 30 days in a dark cell, with a piece of bread a day to repent. After the time of repentance, when I returned home, my wife scolded me again. The women in my country are famous for their jealousy, my wife is the jealous champion, so for many months I lost food, lost sleep, every time I met her, she scolded, scolded, pinched, enough love, enough guilt. After this accident, I swear to old age.
  
  Van Binh likes to laugh. Maybe the KGB agent was telling the truth. But maybe he invented it to drag him into the circus. Anyway, his story is filled with some amusing features.
  
  He then patted the KGB officer's stomach:
  
  - Hungry yet?
  
  He grimaced.
  
  - Please feel free, I don't dare.
  
  - Tsk. He is very lazy. I hate eating alone. If you go to Moscow to eat alone, it's better to fast. So I want to invite you. The Danube store is just around the corner.
  
  - Sir...
  
  - Does that mean you refuse?
  
  - Sir, according to the above order...
  
  - You know, you can't do anything without the above order. Sleeping with his wife also has to ask for permission, let alone accept the invitation to eat with foreigners...
  
  - But I tell you: if you refuse, I will send you back, not allowing you to follow. His superiors would reprimand him for his carelessness, and he would be locked up for another month in the penitentiary. Not to mention that I might be in contact with a Western spy...
  
  The KGB agent was panicking:
  
  - Yes, yes, I accept. To be honest with you, going out to eat, especially at Danube restaurant, is someone who doesn't like it, with a monthly salary that starves black people like me and I have not been able to go to this famous restaurant in my whole life. I beg to go, but otherwise, don't make jokes like before.
  
  - Joke? Did the Soviet Constitution forbid joking?
  
  - No. But for studying threatened to contact Western spies, so I was afraid.
  
  - I'm not damned. Real contact.
  
  - Again, I bow to you.
  
  - Well, to be honest, I don't believe it. I am a C.I.A employee. Came here on a mission to disrupt the KGB.
  
  - If you are a C.I.A. Indeed, he did not dare to shout loudly for everyone to hear. Besides, my superiors let me read about him: a special agent for the Maxman company, a company that helped the Soviet Union do many things. As for him, in thought as well as action, he is our close friend.
  
  Van Binh pouted his lips:
  
  - You still don't believe it?
  
  - Of course. Sir, the restaurant Danube is in the alley on the left.
  
  Van Binh shrugged and walked into a familiar restaurant. In fact, he had just come to this place for the first time, but he knew everything from the owner to the waiter, from the interior decoration to the famous dishes. Central C.I.A. There is a special archive containing everything there is to know about the Soviet Union. About hotels, restaurants, C.I.A. has collected thick documents by the autobiography Larousse, tiny letters.
  
  Therefore, even though Van Binh had just come to Danube restaurant for the first time, he also knew that the owner was Anonki, a Red Army officer discharged from the army due to an injury, his mouth was always warm, whenever he saw a customer, he shook hands cordially. like old friends. He also knew that Anonki was a KGB agent. Foreign tourists often come to enjoy stuffed cabbage, the immortal dish of Danube restaurant, so every table has a recorder.
  
  Archives C.I.A. is the result of decades of collection and of hundreds of employees rummaging around Russia. Mr. Hoang's Secret Service also established a fairly complete archive; however, the scope of activity is somewhat heavy on the Far East and Central Asia.
  
  Van Binh had just sat down on the chair when the old owner quickly approached. True to the document C.I.A. described, he was in his fifties, with small eel eyes, narrow nose and mouth, thin lips, rough fingers, all denouncing a sinister mind. He laughs sarcastically:
  
  - Hello, comrade. What do you guys use?
  
  Van Binh raised two fingers into a V shape.
  
  - Cocoa Chicken.
  
  Chicken Caucase is the gut dish of dictator Sittalin. When he was still alive, there was not a week when Sith did not lose weight of Cocoa chicken. The cooking method is very simple: cut the chicken in quarters, fry it with finely chopped onion, celery, carrot, cucumber and squash, mixed with bay leaves and dill. Then put in a handful of rice with a liter of water and put it in the oven for 75 minutes. Before serving, pour into another bowl.
  
  Speaking of Russian culinary art, it is also quite good, if it does not dare to compete with China and France, it is better than the US and UK. The reason for this popularity is simple: in fact, Russians do not have a distinct family background; The reason they cook well is passed on by good French chefs. Under the Tsar, most of the king's and court's cooks were French. Thanks to many mountains and rivers and lakes, Russia has enough household appliances to make mouth watering, mallard, quail, wild boar, deer, delicious; but the most significant is the egg caviar.
  
  However, Russian dishes lack the ethereal taste because there is too much milk, every dish is mixed with milk, and... radish.
  
  Van Binh pulled out a cigarette and invited the secret service agent. The smoked Soviet cigarettes made the throat dry and bitter, so there is nothing like Van Binh's minty Salem. He solemnly tapped the tip of his cigarette against the rim of his glass, then tilted his head back to light it.
  
  Meanwhile the old waiter brought a tray full of food. The secret agent gulped.
  
  - Zakútki, it's delicious. Invite him.
  
  Van Binh is no stranger to zakútki. It's almost like 4 Chinese dishes. Depending on the rich or poor, zakútki consists of more or less plates. It generally includes basic dishes such as chopped sardines, soaked in milk, fried onions; sliced ​​salmon mixed with oil and vinegar salad; egg caviar spread on a cake with raw onions; butter-fried bread stuffed with grilled goose meat and durian; and fried quail in vinegar...
  
  Van Binh has no sympathy for the Russian menu, except for the caviar dish. The zakútki dish was something he hated so much. Even if he didn't call, the restaurant still let them out, because they needed foreign currency and needed foreigners to come and cut to their heart's content. Indigenous people - if not the leading cadres belonging to the "new class" - do not try to move forward because the price is unbelievably expensive. When he first came to Russia, Van Binh was surprised. While outside can't find a piece of meat, every restaurant has to give tourists a lot of meat...
  
  Van Binh poured vodka for the secret agent to drink. Chilled vodka to drink in the evening before drinking with zakútki is great. The agent closed his eyes and took three gulps. Wine in and out, he talked frivolously.
  
  While eating, Van Binh suddenly pushed back his chair and stood up, then blurted out:
  
  - Dead pregnant?
  
  The agent put his vodka down on the table.
  
  - What did you forget?
  
  Van Binh took a towel to wipe his mouth:
  
  - Forgot to call to tell me I'm coming.
  
  - For Comrade Bonkov, director of the Department of Foreign Trade Development?
  
  - Must to.
  
  - Oh, I thought... I'm sure you won't see Bonkov until tomorrow.
  
  - No. Because maybe tomorrow or the day after tomorrow I have to say goodbye to Moscow. Earlier, Velana had called me to say that Bonkov was waiting for me in the office. I can call on your phone a restaurant okay?
  
  - Okay. Anonki is my friend. Besides, you don't even have to be able to use your phone. He is assured. Let me tell Anonki.
  
  Anonki, the owner of the restaurant Danube, brought the body. Hearing that Van Binh needed a phone, he grinned and stood aside:
  
  - Invite him. The phone is near the safe.
  
  Van Binh finished his glass of wine and wandered back to the corner of the room. The most important moment of his career in Moscow was about to begin.
  
  Because, according to a predetermined plan, he would call the voice line to receive instructions at the restaurant Danube, the restaurant of the KGB. And he had to call the Soviet Department of Foreign Trade Development. Who will give him instructions? How to give instructions?
  
  Soon, he will know.
  

  ---

  1 This adventure of agent Van Binh Z-28 was narrated in the series "Faceless Enemy"
  2 This tailor is Angelo Litrico, currently opening a shop in Rome, specializing in tailoring and cutting for world celebrities. Litrico sewed clothes for Cut-Boss from 1957 to 1963.
  
  

  
  
  
• RichardTheBruce I'm motivated by my Duty.

  November 2022 edited November 2022 Posts: 13,807

  
  

  Z.28 Specter over Red Square (Z.28 Bóng Ma trên Công Trường Đỏ), Bùi Anh Tuấn, 1969.
  https://vietmessenger.com/books/?title=z28 bong ma tren cong truong do

  
  Z.28 The Phantom On The Red Square
  
  
  ACTION published 1969

  
  1. The Phantom On The Red Square
  2. Dear Defeat, Danh List
  3. Ghosts
  4. Last Night in Moscow
  5. North China Beauty
  6. First Night in Tirana
  7. Atomic Bomb
  8. Z Bomb. 233
  
  

  II
  
  Dear Defeat, Danh List

  
  
  
  Before holding the mouthpiece. Van Binh discreetly looked around the dining room. Most of the diners are foreigners. The characteristics of the restaurants in Moscow are that they seem to cater only to foreigners, and the prices are unbelievably expensive. Danube is a small but exorbitantly expensive restaurant, don't know Aragvi's guillotine, the best restaurant with native music, Prague restaurant, Czech cuisine, and Beijing hotel, Chinese restaurant, sweet iron anywhere else.
  
  Among the diners, he knew for sure there were KGB employees. It's not enough to manage Anonki, and the kitchen staff are KGB employees, the KGB also has eyes and ears. The most famous Soviet secret agent in the world, but also the most clumsy in the world. At a glance, Van Binh knew that the girl with great breasts sitting near the door was a KGB employee. Her face had a secret and serious expression, from time to time she watched the diners, and every time she looked at someone she fixed her knife eyes, as if wanting to sever the belts of people's pants. Van Binh clicked his tongue gently. He was inherently sympathetic to the weaker sex, but this girl did not occupy a square part of his vast heart. Her breasts rose massively, but he felt suffocating, rather than pulsating. Indeed, if the girl embraces and kisses him, his lungs will be crushed by her huge breasts, and he will suffocate and die.
  
  Anyway, he did not forget to give her a friendly smile. The girl didn't smile back, but just gave him a long wink and then turned her back, alas, a back as massive as an iron wardrobe.
  
  He put the phone to his ear and asked the Foreign Trade Development Department. Normally, the telephone exchange in Moscow operates as slow as a slug, sometimes smoking almost half a cigarette to call a government office located inside the impregnable fence, the Cam Linh Palace.
  
  Tonight, I don't understand why the call center is serving as fast as the electronic one. In the blink of an eye, at the end of the line, there was a voice like a piano note of the female comrade, assistant director of the Department of Foreign Trade Development, with the attractive name Velana.
  
  Van Binh says:
  
  - Hello, Miss Velana. Here is your slave.
  
  Velana immediately received Van Binh's voice:
  
  - Oh, Mr. Mr. Kevin. Haven't you been on vacation yet?
  
  - God, Moscow at night is as beautiful as heaven, how can I sleep!
  
  - Then you go see the director comrade!
  
  - I'm on my way to the Department here. I'm calling you from the Danube restaurant.
  
  - You're so bad!
  
  - Ma'am… I only drank aperitif, but didn't dare to use anything. Because she allowed…
  
  - Yes, I will wait for you. But you should eat to your heart's content, it's better to be full, because you won't invite me when you see me later.
  
  - Too bad, I made a commitment once, and you also recorded my promise earlier...
  
  - Yes… see you later.
  
  Velana hung up the phone. Van Binh glanced around the room. The KGB officer was poking his nose into a plate of immortal Coke chicken, greasy milk sticking to the sides. He looked up, saw him, quickly raised a finger. His fingers were also full of milk and chicken sauce. And as if afraid that Van Binh would go back to his seat to eat all the food, he tiptoed the biggest piece of chicken and stuffed it into his mouth and chewed. Chicken Cocoa made the secret agent forget his mission. Anonki was busy welcoming a new couple of tourists into the restaurant. The woman in military uniform wore the rank of major, and the man in camouflage, the stars of major generals flashed on his shoulders. This couple of tourists came from Poland, so Anonki is a must. Because recently Poland has inched closer to the elder brother of the Soviet Union. The big-breasted secretive girl sitting next to the door still had her back to him...
  
  That's lucky… Because if they watched Van Binh every inch, they would see him press a finger to the phone lever, which Velana had cut. But he also had to cut off the phone to ensure the safety of the upcoming conversation.
  
  As soon as the call with the Foreign Trade Development Department was hung up, another voice sounded on the receiver.
  
  This is also a female voice, but not Velana. This female saver speaks solid American, proving that she is a hundred percent American citizen.
  
  - Hello, golden friend, do you enjoy eating beef and grooving sheets?

  Strogonoff is Russian cheese fillet, thinly sliced, fried in butter with salt and pepper and hot peppers, mixed with chives, which are also fried until golden brown. Russian beef is the worst beef in the world, the fat is too fat, the fat is sick, the thin is too thin, the meat is mushy, and most of it is as tough as rubber. Therefore, Western tourists are very afraid of beef. As a gourmet, Van Binh is even more afraid, because like other Russian dishes, this fried beef dish is cooked with sour milk ...
  
  I don't understand which guy in the central C.I.A. sympathizers with dairy cows used strogonoff as the beginning of the password. Van Binh then replied:
  
  - Immortalize. The Cocoa Chicken is the best.
  
  According to the instructions, after exchanging passwords, Van Binh continued to talk as if the interlocutor was an employee of the Department of Foreign Trade Development. So he continued:
  
  -Do you know? I had to eat chicken to celebrate the signing of the treaty with the Soviet government.
  
  A woman's voice at the end of the line:
  
  - Remember what I'm about to say. The role he is playing is the role of an American citizen eager for money and eager to be drawn into the enemy's trap. The KGB had mastered the file on him, that is, on Kevin; so the new Ministry of Foreign Trade warmly invited him to Moscow to sign a generous contract, while some other advertising agencies demanded less money and were left out. According to an authentic source, the KGB will find a way to hunt him down, make him work for them. He only stayed in Moscow for one night before leaving for Albania, so it was certain that their guitar plan would be carried out within the night.
  
  A Chinese Communist delegation is about to stop by Moscow on its way to Albania tomorrow. Our source said that he would be forced by Bobos to "play" this delegation. "Play" how, to be honest we do not know. I've been talking for a while, now it's your turn. Just say it like before.
  
  Van Binh shrugged.
  
  - Is Mr. Director Bonkov present at the office? I'm so sleepy, Miss Velana!
  
  - Huh.. recently, you caught up with Velana girl at the Ministry of Foreign Trade. Soviet girls are like roses with thorns, my golden friend… KGB wants me to "play" the International Intelligence Service, will you "play" again, because if I'm not mistaken, this case involves the interests of the Soviet Union. America again.
  
  Listening to the girl at the end of the line repeat the word "play", Van Binh's face was hot. Then he blurted out:
  
  - "Playing" so much, it's a bit tired!
  
  The female voice suddenly became harsh:
  
  - Watch. Do not babble and lose your life. Anonki is pricking his ears to listen. Personally, I'm not afraid of your talent. If you want to give it a try, we'll play against each other in the United States next month. Well, hello. Bored is not a fish with a heart as he thought. Don't be fooled by your body and list, Mr. Kevin is sentimental and stupid!
  
  Van Binh was about to pour out a series of terrible adjectives, but the beauty on the line turned off the phone.
  
  Van Binh sighed and hung up the phone. The sound of his breathing has two meanings: for the KGB agent, it is a regret that he has not been able to talk to the beauty of the Foreign Trade Development Department, but for himself, it is a regret for not asking. Mr. Hoang and C.I.A. about the girl secretly in charge of the "telephone" at Moscow.
  
  Before hitting the road. Van Binh was only dimly informed that the C.I.A. There is a secure and modern communication system in the capital of the Soviet Union, where secret service agents and counterintelligence outnumber civilians. The feature of this system is that staff C.I.A. Steal their phones into the lines of some restaurants that receive foreign customers. And staff C.I.A. blatantly operated like this for 5 years, 5 long years with hundreds of secret phone calls that the KGB did not know at all.
  
  When Van Binh returned to his seat, the secret agent had finished his meal, was puffing his stomach, leaning back in his chair, in front of a nearly empty bottle of vodka. He grinned at him.
  
  - So delicious!
  
  He pushed the plate of chicken aside. Surprised Secret Service:
  
  - Hey, you haven't eaten anything… You should use it, it's very expensive.
  
  Van Binh shook his head.
  
  - I'm full.
  
  He stuck out his tongue and licked his lips.
  
  - Hoai's!
  
  He probably meant to say "no matter what, if you knew you would criticize me for making all the chickens". Therefore, Van Binh smiled charmingly:
  
  - You eat more.
  
  He refuses to accept:
  
  - Where can. Turns out I'm a glutton.
  
  - I have the disease of greed ten times more than that. I'm just full because...
  
  - Understood. He was full because of Velana ... God, not only him, hundreds of people were in love with Velana's baby.
  
  - Do you know her too?
  
  - Oh, how can a rude employee like me know Velana? I only know her. I had the opportunity to meet her three or four times. She is horribly beautiful. The breath smells like perfume again… But sir, don't be so clever.
  
  - Does she have magic to drain men's bones and marrow?
  
  - Juniors have not been blessed to taste so they can't say. The reason why he should not be with Velana is because she is the fiancee of Comrade Bonkov. There were a few small children with her who were banished by Bonkov to the West Bank to see the snow.
  
  - Is Bolkov so powerful?
  
  - Because his youngest brother is a member of the Party Central Committee, in charge of security.
  
  "Does that mean that Bonkov is no longer young?"
  
  - Yes, he is about 60.65 or something. His beard and hair are white, but his body is still very strong. No wonder he intends to marry Velana.
  
  - How old is Velana?
  
  - Not even half the age of Comrade Director Bonkov.
  
  - 25?
  
  - Stop as even less.
  
  "She's so young, Bonkov must be jealous." When will she get on the flower car, you know?
  
  - The wedding should have been celebrated earlier this year. But it has to be postponed because the Central Government has not yet allowed it.
  
  - The Center thinks very right. Who allows the old man to be close to the mouth of the hole to have a relationship with a young girl who is so young?
  
  You misunderstood. In the West, old people playing drums may be unusual, public opinion is gossip, but in my country, it is normal. The Central Government has not yet granted a permit to Bolkov because it is heard that some comrades-in-arms also have deep feelings for Velana.
  
  - Ha ha ... then I have to beat the hands of some Central Party comrades to be able to...
  
  - Yes
  
  - That's dead… I lied, he also lied. Well, don't give me any more wine. In order not to get drunk on my words, I will speak lies and die early.
  
  Anonki, the restaurant manager, slowly approached. Anonki's face seemed to have the power to make the KGB agent quit drinking. He stood up quickly, muttering in his throat:
  
  - Invite him.
  
  That is, the secret agent was afraid that he would lose in front of Anonki, so he urged him to pay. As a rule, restaurants and inns in the Soviet Union did not have to tip. The Russians believe that bonuses devalue workers. Besides, a cook who receives a state salary like an official, receives a tip-tipping as well as taking a bribe. But when Van Binh put a few odd rubles on the table, the waiter still took it and put it in his pocket as usual. Manager Anonki saw it and quickly looked away. He pretended to be blind because soon this small reward would also be shared with him.
  
  It's cold as hell outside. Van Binh still walks on the sidewalk, instead of calling a taxi. The secret agent no longer stalked after him as before, but walked side by side with him cordially.
  
  The beautiful Velana's Foreign Trade Development Department is located in the Cultural Building, a massive 10-storey building near the Red Square.
  
  The Soviet Union is a land of strange contrasts. Since the death of the dictator Sit, his successors sought to woo the people with plans to build houses in the capital Moscow. Hundreds of pinnacles were sprung up, modern architecture, not inferior to New York. But in terms of amenities, it is hundreds of kilometers inferior to New York. There are apartments that have just cut the ribbon to inaugurate before they can live, the foundation has cracked, the floor is tilted. Most of them have crazy problems with electricity and water.
  
  Although the surface is very modern, the inside is sad as a husk bite. Bathrooms are shared, sometimes even the kitchen is shared; They stayed in many tents, three or four families had to huddle in one room. But objectively, the Moscow Bindings are also superior to the New York Bindings in one important point: that is, the facade is often sealed, the people living in the apartment often go in and out through the back door to avoid noise. harassment action.
  
  Van Binh was used to the way of building a Soviet, so he did not show his displeasure when he saw that the elevator of an official headquarters like the spacious Cultural Building was lying in a corner. He smiled and climbed up to the 9th floor by cement stairs. Climbing like this, when he met the beautiful Velana, he had a beard. Suddenly he thought of beauty. Maybe Velana didn't order the staff to cut off the power to the elevator, make him sweat and burn out in order to make him lose interest.
  
  The KGB agent sat smoking alone downstairs. Van Binh invited him upstairs, but he refused.
  
  The Department of Foreign Trade Development occupies half a floor. Van Binh was led to Velana's office.
  
  He froze when he met her. When he heard her voice on the phone, he knew she was beautiful. His rich imagination made her more beautiful. But he did not expect her to be so beautiful. She was even more beautiful than he imagined.
  
  Her skin is milky white and soft, fragrant like a newborn baby's skin, looking at it makes you want to take a bite. However, if he is allowed to take a bite, he will not care about the lotus-shaped face with dimpled cheeks. And he will bite her chest. She wore a long, loose gown that covered from the neck down to the knees, and her beautiful curves were still seductively flaunted, if she had taken off her gown, she could not understand how attractive her breasts would be.
  
  He suddenly understood why silver-haired comrade Bolkov wanted to marry her and why powerful comrades in the Central Committee prevented the marriage. If she lived in the West, every time she walked around the street she would not lose money for a car, dozens of taxis would follow each other to take her without taking money for the period. When she enters the restaurant, the owner will set the menu first and respectfully invite her to enjoy it because "your presence has made the restaurant famous". On a beautiful Saturday afternoon, the beauty strolled on Tu Do Street, surely the cars would crash into each other, the prince would follow her in long lines to fight the enemy, causing the police to use gas. teardrops and batons for mistaking anti-government demonstrations…
  
  I saw him come in. Velana calmly stood up, bid farewell to invite her to sit. He tried to ask her in a clear voice and in Russian with the right accent:
  
  - Velana?
  
  She lamented:
  
  - Yes I'm. Nice to meet Mr. Kevin. Please sit and wait a moment.
  
  - Are you busy?
  
  Yes, I'm always busy. Not especially for him. The reason I invited him to wait was because the director had just left. Comrade Minister called in to have something to do.
  
  - Obviously unlucky.
  
  Yes, I think the same as you. Before leaving, the director asked me to apologize to him. It's a case of force majeure. The director was only absent for about 15 minutes to half an hour...
  
  - That's why I say unlucky.
  
  - What did he say? You want the director to stay in the office?
  
  "Before I came here, I could not wait to see Mr. Bonkov. But now I think differently. Bonkov's absence from 15 minutes to half an hour was unfortunate for me. Is there any way you can ask Bolkov to leave?
  
  - Go now? Where do you want Bolkov to go? And what did Bolkov have to go like that for?
  
  - For what all she understood.
  
  As he spoke, Van Binh walked closer to Velana.
  
  She begged:
  
  - Don't Mr. There is a guard outside.
  
  Van Binh chuckles.
  
  - Did the guard forbid you to stand near guests?
  
  - That's not it. I'm just afraid …
  
  - Are you afraid of Bolkov?
  
  - I have no reason to fear Comrade Bolkov.
  
  - Oh, you forgot the important reason. Bonkov is her fiancé.
  
  - Well, you just came to Moscow and investigated the top of the field… Yes, you're right, but only partially. Last week, Bonkov was my fiancé, but this week I have categorically refused.
  
  - Reason?
  
  - You're a foreigner, you shouldn't do any research. Besides, tomorrow morning he said goodbye to Moscow. Knowing how much more only suffers him more.
  
  - I am a man who likes suffering a lot. Miss Velana, if I'm not mistaken, you have feelings for me. She also accepted to have dinner with me…
  
  - Yes, I promised, and I promise to keep it. But you can only take me out to eat after signing a contract with Comrade Bolkov.
  
  - No need to sign anything.
  
  - You should think again. The contract will bring him hundreds of thousands of dollars. He traveled a long way from the US to come here not to invite a secretary to eat. Anyway he…
  
  - Even if the contract will make me a billionaire, I don't need Rockkfele. Having a meal with her is worth a million times more than the contract.
  
  - I honestly advise you...
  
  Van Binh approached the Velana people. She stood up, panic-stricken face like an adulteress afraid of being caught by her husband:
  
  - I… I…
  
  She didn't have time to say it all. Because he had hugged the frog around the waist, pulled her into his body, and kissed her wet lips like slime. The Russian girl's voice was drowned in raging breathing. As if hypnotized she stood on tiptoe and clung to him.
  
  Although he was drunk, Van Binh was still awake. He heard a crackling sound. While Velana stood up and stood on tiptoe to receive the kiss comfortably, the two flaps of her tank top were suddenly pulled back to the left, and exposed… her pale skin.
  
  It turned out that the wool coat was the only garment on her body. Velana, frantic with fear, released his hand. But he had enough time to observe closely.
  
  Velana is so beautiful. Her face was already amazingly beautiful, her body was even more beautiful. He had guessed right earlier: the long woolen coat was not enough to conceal the unique treasures of the perfectly proportioned, flourishing, white and smooth body.
  
  Velana was about to close the hem of her shirt to avoid being naked, but Van Binh slipped his hand inside and opened it wide. And his soft hand grasped one of the nipples. She froze in her boundless joy because Van Binh used internal energy to transfer heat to her chest.
  
  Still, she kept her composure to shove him away and said:
  
  - I'm dead!
  
  Van Binh smiled and did not answer. He kissed Velana mechanically, not because he really loved her, but just to try again the answer to the security problem. Yet this mechanical gesture still made the muscles and tendons in his body tremble. If he kissed her honestly, I wonder how much he would tremble.
  
  He already knew why the two flaps of her bado-shui had fallen back. Usually, women who wear poorly buttoned blouses are as naked as she is when suddenly standing up. Earlier he had looked carefully at Velana from top to bottom. It is true that she buttoned the buttons carelessly. But to want the skirts to slip off the sides to reveal half of her naked body, she had to hook a rubber band from the buttonhole to the back of the chair. She was on tiptoe, the rope had to stretch… And then it fell to the floor of the room.
  
  Velana did the magic trick of love skillfully. But she did not expect agent Van Binh to be a wise and experienced young man. While kissing her, he saw two tiny rubber bands at the bottom of the chair. It turned out that she had deliberately taken off the bathrobe to infer for him to "wash his eyes".
  
  This tip-toe-kiss trick to unbutton his shirt is no longer a novelty for Van Binh. It has been taught in every spy school from east to west since the second world war. Although it is an old tactic, people still continue to use it because the exposed skin of a beautiful woman often has the magic to make male agents forget all security experience.
  
  The modern espionage industry has also invented many other strange devices of deception during sex. Van Binh was holding in his hand a stimulant half the size of a lighter, when kissing a man and a female spy concealed in the palm of his hand. The tiny box emitted a slight electric current that made the man's body tremble in pleasure. These boxes have two buttons, light and strong, the light button only produces ordinary happiness, but the light button can raise the pleasure to a height that makes… 2
  
  - Miss Velana?
  
  Velana replied:
  
  - Yes. Comrade director, right?
  
  - Must to. Bonkov here. Has Mr. Kevin of the American advertising agency Maxman come to the office?
  
  - Yes, just arrived.
  
  "Excuse me, sir, but I was busy discussing an important matter with the minister, so I didn't return on time."
  
  - Sir... what time do you want to meet again? May I ask Mr. Kevin to come back to see you tomorrow morning?
  
  - Can not. The plane to Albania will take off very soon.
  
  - Then please postpone until the next trip.
  
  - Can't either. Mr. Kevin has to meet the Albanian government tomorrow. Do you think Mr. Kevin will wait for me at the office?
  
  Velana covered the mouthpiece, turned to Van Binh and asked:
  
  - Did you hear what the director said?
  
  He shook his head.
  
  - No.
  
  - Comrade director could not return within half an hour.
  
  - Oh, what to think… I would like to sit and wait.
  
  - Can you be late?
  
  - If you are by my side, I can wait a century, without eating or breathing oxygen.
  
  - Huh ... he is the most brazen flirting man in the world. Now you kiss me, later you kiss another woman...
  
  Van Binh opened his mouth to protest. Velana snorted, then opened him and said:
  
  - Comrade, I just asked Mr. Kevin. He was willing to stay and wait. As long as it's not too late. Because tonight he needs to sleep to regain strength to go tomorrow morning.
  
  Velana lied like the devil. Van Binh never went to bed early. But she glanced at love, smiling softly.
  
  On the phone, Bonkov said:
  
  - I try to get back as soon as possible. At most 45 minutes to an hour. However, I can also leave earlier. She took out the wine and poured it for Mr. Kevin to drink.
  
  Velana hung up the phone on the shelf and said:
  
  - Did you hear Comrade Bolkov invite you to drink? Must be a guest to be treated like this. Bolkov knows that he is too chaotic… Dare to embrace and kiss the fiancee of the director comrade…
  
  - Oh, she gave up on the kiss, and then...
  
  - Must to. I've given up on the marriage, but that's not an excuse for you to touch me. Bonkov was the most jealous man in the world. If he knew that you kissed me, Bolkov would not have signed a contract with you again.
  
  - That's it.
  
  - Don't be too quick to think. Bonkov was old, but he was very good at martial arts. You will be knocked down by Bolkov in the blink of an eye. Not to mention the gunfight.
  
  - I'm not that good at shooting.
  
  - But you don't have a gun that shoots mediocrity or not. Bolkov always carried a gun in his pocket. He has two hands, unless he is a boxing champion or his body is covered with thick iron to hope to escape death.
  
  - To die by your side is the wish of all of us men.
  
  - You're lying again. Mr. Kevin, you should go back to the hotel. Because if you stay here, you will drink wine, then you will continue to mess with me, halfway back Bonkov will lose his life...
  
  - Thank you.
  
  - If you don't listen, I won't dissuade you. Now I make you a drink. What wine do you drink? How about vodka?
  
  - I told you you can give me anything to drink...
  
  - What if I put the anesthetic in?
  
  - The better.
  
  - You took a real risk. I have never met a man as daring as you. Don't worry, I won't give you an anesthetic. He patiently waited a minute. He will enjoy a special cup-hand called Bahalaika. Have you used Balalaika before?
  
  - Not yet.
  
  Van Binh lied. Lying to a drinker like him, there was no wine on this narrow earth that he did not know. Vodka is a low alcohol used to make cocktails - there are only about 20 ways to mix it around - so Van Binh must know Balalaika. It's a sweet cocktail, vodka mixed with chang, Phat's Cointreau liqueur, and served with a few slices of orange peel in a glass. Vodka is inherently heavy, people mix it with liqueur to make it easy to drink and easy to get drunk. A novice man or a woman with a weak heart that drinks Balalaika will make the body hot… However, there are a few things that are more intoxicating with vodka and cocktails. One thing that is often invited by the international prince to drink beautiful women to easily take advantage of has a meaningful name, "spiral". It only consists of vodka with orange juice and sugar, a lot of sugar ... Drinking is drunk, women with a "virtue of virtue" also become crazy love moths.
  
  Van Binh drank Balalaika many times. He drank dozens of glasses but was not drunk.
  
  Yet he felt dizzy when he finished the first cup of cocktail that Velana had brought to his hand. She looked surprised.
  
  - God, the wine is so drunk, you shouldn't drink it all at once.
  
  Van Binh lamented:
  
  - Better drunk than not drunk. I'll make you another drink.
  
  Velana returned to the pub. This wine cabinet is built in the wall, next to the tiny refrigerator, she presses the button on the desk, it appears from the wall. The office of the Director of Foreign Trade Development has been fully equipped with tourist facilities. . Van Binh suddenly remembered dozens and hundreds of foreigners who had entered this office, and talked ... drank wine with Velana. They foolishly fell for the KGB. Velana is a dangerous woman...
  
  Based on the shock, Van Binh knew that Velana had sneaked drugs into the wine. She must not have poisoned him, for if it were necessary to kill the Soviet agent, there were many other legal methods. She also did not give up the anesthetic. Because the KGB wanted him to stay awake…
  
  That means Velana has put aphrodisiac in the cup. Many aphrodisiacs are sold on the market, some are only mildly provocative, and others turn the victim into a hungry tiger, despite difficulties and morals. Victims may blush, turn purple, scream, tear their clothes, and hastily drop bad tricks.
  
  Van Binh was used to some aphrodisiacs. As for the light stuff, he considered it not because the Department's Specialized Department had already injected him with appropriate antibodies, in case he was tricked into drinking by the other party. But he was not used to the heavy aphrodisiacs made by special spy agencies.
  
  Van Binh just had a headache, dizziness, trembling hands and feet, if the drug was absorbed into the blood, he did not know how he would react. So he had to ask for a second drink to give him enough time to deal with it. As soon as Velana turned back, he straightened his shoulders, inhaled a lot of oxygen into his lungs, then suddenly held his breath, put his finger inside his shirt, poked into the labyrinthine area under the armpit, near the point of Tapao, one of the Shaolin's grave, touching the victim must cause unconsciousness. Solving the fascia is only an inch away from the ta-pao point, a slight deviation of the finger will cause the opposite effect. The effect of the moon ta-pao is to stimulate some ganglia in the body to secrete toxins, and at the same time stimulate the nervous system to keep the five senses awake.
  
  This desensitization is one of the very few Shaolin techniques passed down to posterity. Must be a master who knows the position of acupuncture points on the body, and especially good at atémi, to be able to solve the delusion on his own.
  
  Van Binh felt a stream of cold air emanating from his internal organs, repelling the hot substance that had just risen. His delirium had begun to take effect.
  
  He slowly exhaled the carbon trapped in his lungs. Just then Velana finished making her second cocktail.
  
  She gave him the wine, imploringly:
  
  - You shouldn't drink anymore. Because he needed to stay calm to talk to the director.
  
  Van Binh looked around the room. Velana's office has three doors. The largest door opened into the hallway. That is the entrance. Earlier, Van Binh entered through this door. The second, smaller door opened into the office of Director Bonkov.
  
  The third, smaller door on the left is half open. Van Binh saw a low bed, covered with pure white mattress. Most of the offices of senior officials in the Soviet government were attached to such a small room. Particularly, the dictator Sittalin had two or three rooms with beds and cabinets next to his office to be able to receive two or three beauties at the same time. In principle, this small room is used as a place to lie down at noon or at night. Senior officials often work regardless of hours, often sleep in the office at night, so it is not a strange thing to have a closet with a full mattress. But in fact, they used the closet as a convenient dating place, the female secretary and the director could bring each other into it and have sex easily. Velana deliberately opened this door for Van Binh to see the mattress inside.
  
  Van Binh predicted what would happen in the next few minutes. Aphrodisiacs drive him crazy, he will rush to her, hug her, force her to obey, and then make love in a hurry like a man chased by a ghost. However, this mood development should last from 5 to 7 minutes. During that time, Van Binh could also play tricks on the KGB and especially the jealous Bonkov.
  
  Van Binh knew in advance that Velana could only resist the temptation. She will let him throw him on the bed. She was wearing only a sweatshirt, and he would have no trouble trying to crack the cave. If his limbs are wobbly, she can even help him burn his period...
  
  At the decisive moment, KGB personnel will rush in with cameras in hand. And he became their docile card...
  
  He looked around the room. Sure, the room had a secret tape recorder, but no secret camera. Perhaps they were waiting outside, or in the next room. Velana will press the bell button to signal… To overtake the KGB, Van Binh must act 5 minutes in advance.
  
  First, he must conquer Velana. After finishing his second cup of handshake, he hugged her and kissed her. Although her heart is cold iron, although she graduated valedictorian from the KGB's love defense course, she still could not remain indifferent to Van Binh's stormy attack. Because Van Binh's seductive art has reached the point of being super squishy.
  
  His strange kiss touched her flesh, as strong as thunder. She was stunned. But not dizzy fatigue. It's drunken stupor. The numbness made him lose all sense of time.
  
  He flung off her cloak. She was lying on the bed, her nose up and down. Being in the offensive position, Velana was dropped to the defensive position. He saw her slowly slide her bare arm closer to the night table.
  
  It turned out that the electric button was mounted on the night table near the comfortable green light...
  
  Velana's finger almost touched the bell button when Van Binh bent down to kiss again. His flesh was glued to hers. She froze. He pulled her hand, crossing the back of his neck. He could hear Velana's gasp. She tried to resist the terrible temptation.
  
  But to no avail.
  
  He completely won. The most solid fortress of Velana was captured by Van Binh.
  
  She moaned softly. Time passed slowly. 3 minutes… 5 minutes…10 minutes… He lifted her paralyzed arm and placed it on the underground bell button.
  
  His face was close to hers… He pretended to be infatuated with orgies. But he could still hear the door opening, the creaking footsteps and the creaking of the camera.
  
  Then the shout:
  
  - Damn it!
  
  It was Director Bolkov's shout.
  
  Floating on a soft rubber mattress, her nose fluttering as if she had just inhaled pure heroin, Velana quickly got up. Bolkov's shout hit her ears like thunder. Her eyes fluttered open in terror. She grabbed her nightgown and put it on, as if afraid Bolkov would see her naked body.
  
  On principle. Bonkov used the word "bastard" to call Van Binh. However, judging from Bolkov's blood-red line, he knew he wanted to curse Velana. Velana's unusually appalled attitude and Bolkov's ferocious anger did not surprise Van Binh. He foresaw what was going to happen. He used his mind to fool the KGB secret service.
  
  According to the KGB order, Velana had to seduce Van Binh right in the office when the director was away. But she is only allowed to spoil Van Binh to a certain extent. The KGB didn't expect it… and Velana herself didn't expect it either…
  
  Bolkov believed that Velana had enough courage to seduce Van Binh without being surrounded by love nets. But in reality, she gave herself obediently to the strange man. By the time the KGB delegation rushed in to catch them, it was too late.
  
  Of course, the photographer managed to capture sensational images in the film, with two actors completely naked, doing what the common man called a "pig game". But if the KGB planned to catch Van Binh red-handed at the moment of preparation, Van Binh wisely went 10 minutes ahead.
  
  The sticky rice did not burn, but Bonkov could only see the end of the play.
  
  After putting on her dress, Velana trembled and went down to the ground. The giant Bolkov approached Van Binh:
  
  - You are Kevin, American nationality?
  
  At that time, Van Binh was still naked. Not a piece of cloth on his body, he is much more attractive when wearing clothes. His body grew steadily, and his strong and handsome appearance contrasted with the old, thin appearance of Comrade Director Bonkov. He was furious, but his espionage instincts kept him calm. Van Binh deliberately teased him by squandering his shoulders and smiling, as if he considered him a waste.
  
  Van Binh should have put on his pants first, but strutted, he pretended to unbutton his tie slowly, then pulled the shirt hanging at the head of the bed closer to him. Bolkov shouted out loud, almost out of breath:
  
  - Are you Kevin?
  
  Van Binh calmly replied:
  
  - Maybe I'm Bonkov.
  
  Bolkov waved his hand to strike:
  
  - Don't be confused. I will slap you to lose your teeth.
  
  Van Binh looked up at him.
  
  I honestly advise you not to touch me. I'm young. Much healthier than you. He beat me, forced me to hit back, and then, the one who lost his teeth would not be me.
  
  Bolkov slapped Van Binh on the left very hard. Van Binh dodged easily. Bolkov chased. Van Binh threw his shirt on the bed and stood up. Once again Bolkov missed. He pulled out the pistol in his body, loaded it, and shouted:
  
  - Invite comrades to shoot?
  
  Bolkov roared:
  
  - Well, you slept with Velana, but you still raised your voice ambiguously. Let me give you a shot…
  
  But a dry voice command emerged:
  
  - Put down the gun, Bonkov.
  
  Bolkov was still contemplating, when the big voice continued:
  
  - Bolkov, ask comrade to put down the gun. Comrades must not disobey orders.
  
  The man who had just given orders to Bolkov, the director of the development department of Foreign Trade, was a thin, pale man with an Eumig camcorder in his hand. He is a photographer who just shot the movie "pig game".

  ---

  1 Strogonoff is almost the only beef dish in the Russian home, if not including the bitoke, also with beef. Dai so that the Russians only know how to cook beef with milk, so it's boring to eat. Instead of beef, people often eat chicken, pork, and especially wild meat and seafood.
  2 Dear reader, forgive the Eighth man for leaving this sentence out. The author thought for a long time but had to suffer the guilt of being helpless, unable to find a suitable writing style to properly describe the present.
  
  

  
  
• RichardTheBruce I'm motivated by my Duty.

  January 2023 Posts: 13,807

  
  

  Z.28 Specter over Red Square (Z.28 Bóng Ma trên Công Trường Đỏ), Bùi Anh Tuấn, 1969.
  https://vietmessenger.com/books/?title=z28 bong ma tren cong truong do&page=3

  
  Z.28 The Phantom On The Red Square
  
  
  ACTION published 1969

  
  1. The Phantom On The Red Square
  2. Dear Defeat, Danh List
  3. Ghosts
  4. Last Night in Moscow
  5. North China Beauty
  6. First Night in Tirana
  7. Atomic Bomb
  8. Z Bomb. 233
  
  

  III
  
  Bóng Ma

  
  Trong hàng ngũ điệp báo cộng sản, nhiều chuyện tréo cẳng ngỗng thường xảy ra. Giám đốc công sở nhiều khi chỉ là nhân viên của thư ký đánh máy. Tài xế riêng của ông đại sứ ở hải ngoại đều là sĩ quan cấp tá, có quyền lấn át đệ nhất tham vụ, tùy viên quân sự. Lại có trường hợp gã gác cửa sứ quán ra lệnh cho ông đại sứ nữa …
  
  Vì vậy Văn Bình không ngạc nhiên khi thấy Bônkốp nguội ngay cơn nóng giận, tuân lệnh gã thợ chụp hình có bộ mã quê mùa như người miền quê mới đến thủ đô Mạc tư khoa lần thứ nhất. Tuy nhiên Bônkốp còn tiếc rẻ:
  
  
  

  III
  
  Ghosts

  
  
  In the ranks of the communist spy agency, many goosebumps often happen. The office manager is often just an employee of the typist's secretary. The ambassador's personal driver overseas are all officers of the rank of colonel, having the power to overwhelm the first service officer, the military attache. There was another case where the doorman of the embassy gave orders to the ambassador...
  
  Therefore, Van Binh was not surprised to see that Bonkov immediately cooled down his anger, obeying the order of the photographer, who had a rustic look like a countryman who had just arrived in Moscow for the first time. However, Bonkov still regretted:
  
  - You think… I'm the one who suffers the most.
  
  Serious photographer:
  
  - We all have the duty to forget our own interests to serve the common good.
  
  Then turned to Van Binh:
  
  - Put your clothes on.
  
  Van Binh shrugged.
  
  - I have to leave it like this for you to take! How to wear clothes?
  
  The guy took a picture of his toothless teeth:
  
  - Done. I took a full roll. Print it out, I've watched it every week.
  
  Van Binh wears a shirt. Bonkov pointed to the pants:
  
  - No, this one first.
  
  Van Binh tilted his face:
  
  - Everyone has their own habits. My personal habit is to wear a shirt first, pants back.
  
  Bolkov gritted his teeth.
  
  Unfortunately, I haven't been able to beat him yet. But in a moment, you will see.
  
  - Ha, ha… he threatened again. What is Velana to you? Your wife?
  
  - Is not.
  
  - So is the fiancé. But, brother, Velana has just confided to me that she has broken up with you. He is as old as an 80-year-old man, and his body is wrinkled, unless it is crazy that Velana accepts as his wife.
  
  Bolkov shouted:
  
  - Shut.
  
  Van Binh replied obliquely:
  
  "You've got to slap me with two teeth, so I can keep my mouth shut." Think about it… Velana is so delicious, I've been blessed to have sex with her, so I have to talk a lot to make people crave. Poor guy… the road is a fiancé that someone else slaps on.
  
  Van Binh intentionally put the love enemy into a jam. And he foolishly fell for him. Forgetting the cameraman's orders, Bolkov grabbed the china plate containing the cigarette butts on the table and slammed it on the head. He had seen his reckless gesture. If only he could not see him, he could still dodge by listening to the wind. But he stood still. Stand still to receive Bolkov's jealous blow.
  
  Even though Bonkov attacked with a heavy metal object, Van Binh remained unharmed. His head had turned into a block of steel after years of meticulous training. When needed he can knock down a thick wall, let alone a porcelain plate that weighs less than a kilogram.
  
  Dozens of pieces of porcelain were scattered on the floor of the room. Van Binh let out a scream, staggered for a few seconds, and then fell onto the foot of the bed.
  
  Velana shouted:
  
  - God, you killed Kevin!
  
  
  CONTINUED

  The cameraman's panicked cry rang out once more. The three Soviet secret agents did not expect that Van Binh was acting. He fell close to the foot of the bed, and pretended to be unconscious so that he could watch and hear what was to come.
  
  Velana ran back, but Bolkov eloquently raised his hand to block:
  
  - Where are you going? You're going to save this bastard, aren't you?
  
  Velana shoved him away:
  
  - You have no rights. I just obeyed Comrade Khrushchev's orders.
  
  It turned out that the guy who took the picture was Khrushchev.
  
  Khrushchev looked down at Van Binh and then picked up his hand to take his pulse. With worried eyes, Velana asked:
  
  - Is his life in danger, comrade?
  
  Khrushchev shook his head.
  
  - No problem. Only fainted for 5, 10 minutes.
  
  Bolkov pointed to Velana's face:
  
  - Now I understand your heart. He was the enemy she wished for him to live. As for me, she wished for me to die. Right, I was…
  
  Velana interrupted Bolkov's words:
  
  - You talk too much.
  
  - How dare you forbid me from telling the truth. She just slept with him. His flesh had enchanted her, forgetting the duty.
  
  Khrushchev got angry:
  
  - I ask two comrades one last time. This is not the place for us to argue.
  
  Velana said coolly:
  
  - Comrade forgot that this is the office of the director of the Department of Foreign Trade Development. I'm just a lowly secretary, and you're just a technical assistant.
  
  Bolkov came to:
  
  - Ah, Miss Velana dared to mock me. I can't take the humiliation anymore. Gotta beat her up, come wherever.
  
  He slapped Velana in the face. She fell down on the mattress, her nose bleeding profusely. Khrushchev quickly grabbed Bolkov's arm and twisted it behind his back. Khrushchev's heart was to prevent Bolkov from continuing to fight. But in his blind anger, Bolkov mistakenly thought that Khrut had joined Velana to provoke him.
  
  Without time to think, Bolkov pushed his elbow into Khrushchev's throat. Out of contempt, because he did not expect Bolkov to even hit himself, Khrushchev could not avoid the blow. With the bony elbow into Khrushchev's throat, Khrushchev was in pain, and his eyes were filled with fireflies. He grabbed the table so as not to fall, his mouth lamented:
  
  - Bonkov is really good! Bonkov is really good!
  
  While wiping the blood from her nose, Velana threw her blindfold on the ground. She got up and ran to the door. Bolkov stopped her, his voice threatening:
  
  - Escape to where?
  
  Velana scowled.
  
  You just committed an unforgivable crime. Crime of assault. I ran to the next room to make a call.
  
  - Ah, you call the US embassy! All right, you tell the C.I.A. to free your mistress… I've lived with you for a long time, but I don't mind.. slut…the anti-Party…
  
  The look of terror on Velana's meek face vanished. She was no longer scared. She was no longer meek as usual. She has revealed herself as the evil KGB woman. As soon as Bolkov finished her sentence, she rushed forward and pointed her sharp finger at him. Bolkov, who was scratched with blood, jumped back. But she followed. Her fingernails pierced Bolkov's face.
  
  The victim howled. Red blood makes Velana more fierce. She squirmed like a wounded tigress, her ten fingernails racing to dig deep into Bonkov's flesh.
  
  Khrushchev stood up. He smiled faintly when he saw Bolkov being attacked by Velana.
  
  Just then the door to the room opened.
  
  A short, balding man entered. Accompanied by two bodyguards, pistols strapped to the belt.
  
  Van Binh stuck out his tongue and licked the invisible drop of water at the edge. He felt faint. Because that bald, short man is the most fierce god of the Soviet Counterintelligence facility.
  
  His name is Bored.
  
  Boret is about 55 years old, the same height and width as the former prime minister Kut Sep. The Kut family is famous for its belly, and Bored's waist is equally large. Bored's face was not much different from that of Kut Shep, except that he was younger, and seemed gentler. However, he is the most evil counterintelligence player in the world.
  
  Boret was originally a secret service investigator in the southeastern Soviet Union. At the age of 25, he was noticed by his superiors thanks to his special talent in torturing prisoners. All those who passed through Bored's interrogation room confessed. Even more remarkable was that Bored wanted them to confess what they all wrote sporadically.
  
  Bored did not torture with rods, toenails and fingernails, to burn flesh, to prick with needles, to water, to block the heavy stone on his chest, that is to say, ancient methods, which left quite a few injuries. Boret used only one familiar device: the electric camera.
  
  Electric tracing is a terrifying invention of the 20th century. Most of the countries apply the electric tracing method. However, the best in electrical engineering were only two people. The first is Lombila, in charge of the Special Security Service in Asia under President Peron. The second is President Morinigo's police chief in Paraquay 1.
  
  But compared to Boreth, they were the students. Because Lombila started the torture by beating the victim to death, then tied to a table, pricked with electric needles all over the body. The police director of Paraquay also accepted the victim's head into a bucket of cold water, forced him to drink until his stomach swelled, and then used a wooden baton to beat his stomach to vomit all the water out.
  
  To send electricity to the victim, Bored only needed a small windowless room, a thousand-candle lamp hanging from the ceiling, shining down on a long iron table, on which the victim was tied and shackled like a sausage. The reason why Bored achieved such great results was because he had an art of his own. His electric camcorder was also different from the usual ones. Boret kept the art of electrospinning and the construction of electric machines a secret. Just know that he has phoned who has to surrender within a day and a night.
  
  Because of this unique talent, Bored was promoted and transferred to central Moscow. In the past time, he has become an excellent counterintelligence leader and is trusted by the Cam Linh Palace.
  
  Van Binh had never met Boret before; yet he was more familiar to him than any of the spies of the Russo-Chinese world. He knew he weighed 108 kg even though he was just over 1m6 tall. 1m6 tall is too short for western standards, but it seems that God has grudgingly molded really short people to give huge jobs. The dictator Sitta Lin is also just over 1m60 tall. Küsheb, as well as Hitler. Napoleon was not much taller than Boreth.
  
  Bored is a heavy mass of flesh that, when moved, turns as nimble as a young man with a well-proportioned body. The reason is that Bored is good at Sambo, a traditional martial art of the Russian people. Martial arts only specializes in two hands, Boret studied diligently since childhood, so he can kill people with a light slap. Bored's master was an old man who lived to be 130 years old before he died. He lives in the Cocoa mountains where many of the world's oldest people live, thanks to the climate, suitable soil, and year-round climbing. During his years of climbing, Boret's master had learned the secret of running and jumping of the ape, an unusual species of ape that weighs twice as much as a human and moves faster than a human. Bored was passed on this secret by his master.
  
  One day, Mr. Hoang gave Van Binh some detailed information about Boret's martial arts.
  
  - Meet him, you should be careful "the word of Mr. Hoang", you don't think he is as fat as a jar of water, but slowly progressing and regressing. When needed, he can attack at lightning speed. This agility combined with his excess weight made him a formidable fighter. Sooner or later you will have to confront him. If you despise it, you will lose your life like a game.
  
  Several Anglo-American spies lost their lives due to miscalculation. His huge pot of broth contained a formidable force. He often has a habit of tricking the opponent into headbutting his stomach and then pulling back, causing the opponent's head to stick. He just dropped his hand. The bones of the skull, which were as solid as iron, were also broken.
  
  However, his power is not as dangerous as the melancholy strategy. Of the living communist spies, Bored was the one with the most stratagems.
  
  That day, the general manager showed Van Binh a special album with Bored's picture on it. The number one weakness of international intelligence operators is women. Most are obsessed with beauty. But Bored was completely indifferent to beauty. He is still single. There were hundreds of good girls in his school, but he didn't care. It seems that Bored's nervous system lacks all the parts that cause vibrations before beauty.
  
  It is not clear whether by accident or purpose (Van Binh believes that Mr. Hoang was intentional) that today Van Binh encountered Boret in Moscow.
  
  Bored strutted in, a large Havan cigar in his mouth. Bored is like the British Prime Minister Sissin in that he always smokes a cigar and is a cigar that does not burn. Bored was never seen smoking a cigar, though expensive cigar boxes and solid gold lighters were always in his pocket. In his office, he had all kinds of cigars and lighters. If put together, they can fill two large suitcases.
  
  Van Binh clearly saw the long scar near his hand, lying on the back of Boret's neck. This scar is the evidence of a wild boar hunt in western Asia.
  
  Six years ago, Bored accompanied a central delegation on a hunting trip. He is a marksman, so he was chosen as a special guide and bodyguard for General Serop, the boss of the Soviet secret police. It was getting dark, and Serop approached a stream when he met a herd of boars. This wild boar has long, pointed fangs and has an aversion to humans. Serop is also a good shooter, so he casually approached the group of wild pigs. They all ran away, leaving only the leader of the pack. In military terms, this leader stayed behind with the task of blocking the enemy's advance.
  
  At that time there were only General Serop and Boreb in the forest. Wait for the beast to be only 10 yards away from Serop before pulling the trigger. Unfortunately, the bullet got stuck in the barrel. Before Boreb had time to shoot himself, the giant pig jumped back. General Serop panicked and tripped over the roots of a tree and fell to the ground. If he was crushed by a wild boar, Serop would surely die. Bored brought his body to make carpentry to save his master. His extraordinary fist hit the beast's body. But the beast knocked him down and blocked him up.
  
  Empty-handed, Bored sparred with the dangerous wild boar. After five minutes of hard struggle, he beat the beast to its head. However, his clothes were torn, and his skin was covered with scratches. The doctor had to sew nearly twenty stitches, and Bored had to stay in the hospital for a month to fully heal. His neck was crushed, plastic surgeons spent a lot of effort to mend, but still could not cover the scar on the back of his neck.
  
  After this unfortunate hunting trip, Bored was considered by General Serop to be a special assistant, in charge of Overseas Action.
  
  Boret personally went to see Van Binh at the Foreign Trade Development office, so all the work he was about to do must be of an unusually important nature.
  
  Bored's presence was like a 220-volt electric current that passed through the three secret agents in the room. Bored took out a cigar and held it in his hand, then slowly looked at everyone. His expression did not change when he saw Velana's ferocious gesture, the bloody scratches on Bolkov's face, and Khrushchev's smug smile.
  
  He asked coldly:
  
  - Where's Kevin?
  
  Khrushchev replied:
  
  - Comrade, he is lying near the foot of the bed because he was knocked unconscious by Bonkov.
  
  Boreth ordered the bodyguard:
  
  - Drive Kevin back to the office, take care of him to wake up and wait for me.
  
  Two muscular bodyguards, hairy limbs, flat heads, square necks, it must mean that the Mongols bent down to pick up Van Binh. Van Binh weighs more than 70 kilograms, yet the two bodyguards lifted it up slightly, proving that they have extraordinary health.
  
  However, Van Binh was not surprised. He had known for a long time that KGB agents recruited young Mongolian men as bodyguards. These young people are usually not genuine Mongols but Mongols of mixed Russian. After World War II, the Soviet Union moved some Russians from Central Asia to Mongolia for the purpose of breeding. Nearly two decades later, the amalgamation of the two colors has produced an above-average kind of wise, alert, courageous, and healthy person. The KGB Secret Service selects the best elements and brings them to Moscow for special training.
  
  Van Binh closed his eyes, pretending to breathe weakly. At the same time, making the bodyguards believe that he was in a coma, he silently operated his attacks on the four solstices, making his limbs stiff.
  
  Two bodyguards carried Van Binh to the stairs.
  
  At that time, in the room Bored was still standing, an unlit cigar still in his hand. He sternly asked Bonkov:
  
  - Are you jealous?
  
  With a pale face, the director of the Bonkov Department of Foreign Trade Development replied in a timid voice:
  
  - Sir ... because Velana did not follow the plan.
  
  - I haven't asked you if Velana is following or disobeying the plan. I just need to know one thing: are you jealous?
  
  - Yes... so angry, I can't stand it.
  
  - Means you were jealous. If Velana is his wife or lover, he has no right to be jealous, let alone Velana has not had a close emotional relationship with him. Jealousy is a professional taboo. Do spy work, never be jealous. Even if his wife slept with someone else, it was normal. More than anyone else, he knew that Velana had slept with many men. Making love to men is Velana's main duty, have you forgotten?
  
  - Dear... sir, comrade...
  
  - You need to be trained again for a while. Tonight, he had to prepare his luggage to leave tomorrow. He will study the course “Emotional Control” in Leningrad.
  
  Bored turned to Velana:
  
  - Why did you disobey orders?
  
  Velana's voice trembled:
  
  - Comrade, I dare not. From start to finish, I thoroughly followed all the instructions listed in the work sheet. I don't understand why until the last minute...
  
  - Keep talking. Every time we finish a job, we need to check it out. Why did she give herself to him at the last minute?
  
  - Yes... I don't understand either. At that time, I lost all my conscience. My body turned into a machine for him to command.
  
  - After she lay in bed, what tricks did he play?
  
  - He kissed me.
  
  - Kiss like?
  
  - Comrades...
  
  - Khrushchev pretended to be Kevin, she imitated Kevin hugging and kissing Khorut for me to see.
  
  Velana clumsily imitated Van Binh's affectionate movements. Bored ready his voice:
  
  - He doesn't caress you?
  
  - Yes, yes.
  
  - How to caress?
  
  Bored attentively watched Velana's hand glide over Khrush's body. Bored stopped:
  
  - Well, I know. It was natural for her to lose to him. Based on the way he caressed, I guess Kevin must be someone who knows the secret of acupressure. Did you know who he is?
  
  - Yes not yet. Comrade Bonkov only said roughly that Kevin was an American, and we have to mate with love.
  
  - Well, now you should know. Kevin is a powerful spy of the C.I.A.
  
  - Sky!
  
  "Tomorrow, I will let you go with him to Albania.
  
  Nhe said that Bonkov froze. He raised his hand to protest. But suddenly remembering the iron discipline he quickly stood still. Velana going to Albania means that he will lose her forever. She will continue to devote herself to him. Hot blood throbbed on both sides of the membrane, and Bonkov tried to hold it down. He had a way to deal with it. His mouth mutters in a low voice that only he can hear:
  
  - Then you know my hand!
  
  Out of the vast corridor, the two bodyguards stopped and put Van Binh motionless on the smooth brick floor. At first, Van Binh thought they were tired. But one guy brought a cloth bandage. Van Binh smiled happily. Lying on the stretcher is more comfortable than being carried around. For a long time he had not enjoyed the pleasure of lying on a stretcher for KGB personnel.
  
  Two bodyguards walked around the corridor to the elevator. This is a private elevator, hidden in the wall, the type of elevator for senior officials. Poor! Earlier, Van Binh thought that this massive building had only one broken elevator, so he had to waste labor and climb cement stairs. He was not tired, but according to Chinese physiologists, if he had saved a few hundred calories, the time with the beautiful Velana would have been even more magical.
  
  The elevators of the big men are different, it runs smoothly as if gliding on cotton, down to the lower floor and stops without him knowing. Van Binh was carried out of the elevator again. A dump truck was parked in the front yard. The trunk is like a box, like a refrigerated truck. The stretcher is placed neatly on the floor of the car.
  
  The warm climate in the car made Van Binh comfortable. It turned out that the trunk was fitted with a heater.
  
  The car slowly rolled. The two bodyguards sat opposite each other but did not look at each other and did not speak to each other. Using Mongolian bodyguards has the advantage of being quiet and not having the disease of curiosity.
  
  Van Binh felt the car stop, then there was the sound of a heavy iron gate opening, the driver drove into a rough road. Although he couldn't see the outside, Van Binh also guessed that he was being taken into the special headquarters of the KGB in the cruel and cruel prison Lubianka. This examination hall has a large and spacious outside yard lined with bumpy stones. Running all the way to the stone yard, the driver must turn to the left, go through another large iron gate, and then descend into the tunnel.
  
  He guessed right. His head started bouncing back. The car is going down the tunnel.
  
  5 minutes later, the car's expansion. Van Binh opened his eyes, and exclaimed:
  
  - How do I do this?
  
  A Mongolian bodyguard pulled him to sit up:
  
  - Are you awake? Step down.
  
  He holds his hand:
  
  - Where is this?
  
  He bared his teeth.
  
  - Death examination.
  
  Pretending to lose color Van Binh asked rumors:
  
  - A death sentence, is this a death sentence? What crime did I commit to being put on death row? Besides, if I'm guilty, I have to go to court too! Who are you? You guys got it wrong. My name is Kevin, employee of Maxman company. Did you guys hear that? I am Kevin.
  
  As he said that, he jumped out of the car. It turned out that he was in a large room. At a glance at the decoration, he knew immediately that it was in the cellar of Lubianka's prison.
  
  Two bodyguards grabbed him by the armpits and dragged him through a small door frame, into another room, full of lights. Van Binh is in the middle of nowhere:
  
  - Who are you?
  
  One of the bodyguards tapped the butt of a pistol on his head:
  
  - You do not need to know.
  
  If he didn't play the role of Kevin, Van Binh gave the insolent bodyguard a month of porridge. He just flicked his elbow and the bone broke him. But the boy obediently took the blow.
  
  Another door opened. In front is a deep corridor, both sides are cells, black painted iron doors are closed, outside there are big locks.
  
  The bodyguards pushed him into cell No. 5. This cell is square, two meters on each side. Van Binh only stands on tiptoe to touch the ceiling. Except for the door, the cell has no doors. There are also no vents. The walls of the room were painted with black tar. A golden lamp mounted in the wall, the outside of which was covered with a large lattice of steel with a wand, cast a dull and numbing light.
  
  There is no bed. No blankets. No cleaning tools. The cold night air filled the cell. Van Binh wore warm clothes and was used to the cold, but still shivered.
  
  He had heard a lot about the suspect's cell in the Lubianka prison cell. Cells two meters each side are already wide, most of the cells are just big enough for prisoners to lie stooped or sit and not be able to stand. Dangerous prisoners who are being interrogated are often locked in a small cell like a coffin, lying down all day and night, or just standing, or just sitting with their knees bent. Bored to treat him like this was generous.
  
  He knew why Bored was nice to him.
  
  The two bodyguards quietly returned. Van Binh grabbed his shirt and followed:
  
  I vehemently oppose. You have no right to keep me here.
  
  The bodyguard shook his hand:
  
  - Huh, being imprisoned is still a blessing. Go shoot again.
  
  - I am a foreign citizen. American citizen. You have no right to arrest Americans.
  
  - Ha ha, what else is there to say resentfully...
  
  - Request you to inform the US embassy.
  
  - Do you still want to protest?
  
  Van Binh tried to come out, but the Mongol bodyguard pushed him down:
  
  - Lie down.
  
  The cell door slammed shut. In his life, he was in a cell many times. The cell in Hanoi is not much worse than the cell in Lubianka in terms of horror. However, having entered Lu-bian-ka, there is a chance like Ton, and there is little hope of escape. To enter Lubianka is to hold death in hand.
  
  But this time imprisoned in the death cell in Lubianka, Van Binh was not afraid of death. Because Bored will use him. Use for what he does not know. But he was certain that he would be dropped off by Boret tonight at the Hotel Metropole.
  
  He should have used the opportunity to get some compensatory sleep. But he dared not. Because of this happy hour, electronic ears and eyes are watching him. Most of the cells in Lubinaka are equipped with television cameras. KGB specialists were watching his reaction.
  
  He had to act to deceive them. Then he slammed his fist on the iron door.
  
  - Bolkov, Velana, open it for me.
  
  After a while of hand fatigue, he sat down on the cold cement floor. Then he stood up and shouted:
  
  - Open for me! I am Kevin, American citizen. I am innocent...
  
  He pretended to be silent. Because the sound of people crying had just come in from the hallway. It's a woman's voice:
  
  - Gentlemen, it hurts so bad, I'm dying.
  
  Men's voices:
  
  - Oh, just plucked the nail that she cried out. So what did it hurt?
  
  - It hurts, it hurts, sir?
  
  - Rest for a while, then toenails. Pulling the new toenail is really painful.
  
  - You forgive me.
  
  - Have you confessed to the crime yet?
  
  - Sir, what crime?
  
  - Slipping again. Crime of spying for the enemy, but what else?
  
  - Sir, I did not spy for the enemy.
  
  - Oh well. Now to the toenails. Let's see in a few minutes, will you have any more denials?
  
  The woman's howl.
  
  - It hurts, it hurts!
  
  - Lots of mouth, deaf ears, no one can stand it... The pliers are not given to me.
  
  - Yes, I will confess. I plead guilty.
  
  - Light does not like, only likes heavy. Before, did you have to admit your fingernails if you confessed?
  
  - I'm so sorry, sir!
  
  - Shut up. You say another word and I'll cut off my tongue.
  
  The victim was silent. Van Binh heard the sound of people being dragged. Then came the voice of another victim, a man:
  
  - You took me to shoot? I haven't been to court yet...
  
  Voice of the sentinel:
  
  - The court has no time to try imperial spies like you. Stand up ... you can rest assured, Soviet soldiers hit very hard, every bullet is stuck in your body, you will die right away, not knowing any pain at all.
  
  Van Binh heard the iron door close.
  
  Then there was complete silence. He sat cross-legged on the cement floor, looking at the yellow lamp with a frightened expression on his face.
  
  He sat like that for 15 minutes when outside there was a clatter of shoes. The cell door opened. The two bodyguards from earlier stood in front of the door, ordering him to step out. He obediently followed them down the deep corridor, down one spiral staircase and then up another spiral staircase. He understood why the KGB forced him to go down the ladder, up the ladder so consecutively. They wanted his heart to beat. They want him to be scared to the extreme.
  
  He was led into another cell above. So he asked?
  
  - Oh hey, am I still in jail?
  
  One bodyguard replied:
  
  - Please wait a moment. You will be questioned by your superiors.
  
  The cell door was locked again. This cell is bigger than the cell in the cellar. However, the furniture seemed more formal with the iron bed fastened to the wall, and high near the ceiling was a door frame with huge bars, and covered with lattice steel. This door frame overlooked the courtyard because he heard people behind him.
  
  He stood on the bed on tiptoe, clinging to the ledge of the window. He guessed right: behind was a small courtyard, nestled between towering stone walls.
  
  He heard again the sound of shoes, the sound of buckles, the clank of iron chains, and then a death penalty appeared in the midst of a group of muscular guards. Inmates are escorted to the wall opposite the cell door frame.
  
  Van Binh clearly saw a lamp in the yard being lit. He even saw his face as white as the death sheet when he was tied to the stake. The execution team split into two, half standing, the other half kneeling. At the command of the captain, they raised their guns and pointed them at the death penalty.
  
  Doan, bang, bang… a series of gunshots rang out. The criminal jumped up and turned his head to stop breathing. A white coffin was delivered. The dead person was untied, pulled from the stake, and placed in a box. In an instant, the execution squad disappeared from Van Binh's sight. He sighed and slid off the bed.
  
  However, he deliberately slipped to fall to the floor of the room.
  
  He was sprawled, face up, looking around the cell. He had just seen the television camera. He pretended to be in pain and continued to whine.
  
  He groaned like that for almost half an hour before someone opened the door. Still two familiar bodyguards. He obediently went out again, down the stairs and up the stairs. Every staircase consists of more than 50 steps, in a spiral shape, the bodyguards urge to climb quickly, the weak of heart can fall and faint. Van Binh railing on the railing, panting:
  
  - So tired, guys!
  
  One of the bodyguards thrust his gun into his ribs and said harshly:
  
  - Well, I'll be tired after a while.
  
  10 minutes later, after going up the stairs, down the stairs, walking around the endless corridor. Van Binh entered a large room, the electric lights were as bright as day. In the room, there was only an iron table and an iron chair. On the walls, and around the room, were torture devices. The most formidable instruments in the history of human torture...
  
  Boret was leaning on his hips, looking at Van Binh, with a cigar on his lips that was still unburnt. Van Binh quickly stopped and stammered:
  
  - Sir …
  
  Bored coldly:
  
  - Yes, hello. You know what I brought you here for?
  
  - Sir, I am innocent...
  
  - Innocent or guilty, let's discuss it later. There's still a lot of time, don't be afraid to go anywhere.
  
  - I have to go to Albania tomorrow morning.
  
  - Can not. You try to stay here with us for a few days and then it's not too late to leave...
  
  - Sir, you allow me to go to Albania.
  
  - Is not.
  
  - So, where can I go?
  
  - Go to the underworld.
  
  - God, does that mean I'm going to get shot?
  
  - Of course.
  
  - You save me. If you save me, I will do anything to repay the favor.
  
  - Relax. I used to hate being hasty. Have you heard who I am?
  
  - Yes, not yet.
  
  - You're not lying, are you?
  
  - No.
  
  - Then I would like to introduce myself. I'm Bored, Soviet Counterintelligence Specialist, Special Assistant to General Serov, KGB Overseas Administration. I'm famous in the world because of a little talent. I brought you here to see me perform this meager feat.
  
  - I'm so sorry, sir!
  
  - Oh, this Kevin is so evasive! Yes, you are very unfair, hundreds of people with serious crimes have been arrested here like you have also complained. Go ahead and complain, I don't forbid it. But when I show my talent, he certainly won't like to complain anymore.
  
  Bored pulled out of his pocket a box of Havan cigars, a cigar as small as a filtered cigarette. This box of 10 cigars was exported by Cuba to Russia, in exchange for weapons. He held the box close to Van Binh's face and said:
  
  - Don't be fooled. It's not a cigar. It's a fake cigar. It contained a unique torture device that Western security circles dubbed the “electric camera,” or “coffee mill” in slang. It has two tiny batteries, enough to make the machine run for 12 hours. It's really small, but its use is very effective. I just hooked one end of the string to his lips and pressed the button and within a minute he would bleed from his mouth and nose. Within two minutes, blood will pour out of the eyes, ears, and anus. His tongue will be paralyzed, he will not eat well for the rest of his life. That is not to mention the consequences for his five mandarins. After being electrocuted, he will suffer from poor eyesight and hearing loss. Half a year later, he will be blind and deaf. Now, may I invite you to try it out for a few minutes?
  
  Van Binh trembled:
  
  - Please forgive me.
  
  Boret smiled faintly.
  
  - Are you afraid? Fear is right. Elephants are also afraid of sweating, let alone humans. He was afraid of the coffee mill, so I introduced him to some other goodies.
  
  Boret led Van Binh by the hand to the end of the room. Seeing that he was walking unsteadily, he put his hand on his shoulder.
  
  - What a coward man! Hey, do you see that spanish bracelet hanging right in front of you?
  
  Van Binh is no stranger to what is called the spanish ring. It's almost like a shackle, except that it's wooden, it's iron, with heavy lead blocks, spiked spikes. It is worn around the neck of the criminal and then screwed up to narrow it down. Sharp nails pierced the throat and back of the neck, the sinner would lose all his blood or suffocate and die. In the Bell Tower of London, the British royal government displayed some of the torture devices used in Europe during the Middle Ages. Van Binh had come to see it to learn from experience. The old building, built 900 years ago, could be considered the world's most terrifying torture museum. Van Binh saw the spanish ring, as well as the nail extractor, the 20-kilogram shackle and especially the two-piece armor like a peanut, the sinner was locked inside and then tightened outside. , sinners will suffocate, flesh and bones will be crushed…
  
  Boret pointed to a bunch of round, square, and varied weights, and explained:
  
  - These lead weights are used to press the chest of criminals. Even the bravest person must confess. The chest presser image is considered simple and powerful, there is only one sinner in the world who can withstand 200 kg 2. He looks red in the flesh, his shoulders and chest are enlarged, but he can't stand 100 or 150 kg. . Oh, by the way, I'll tell you. In the 17th century, in England, there was a strange law, in which criminals were required to confess or deny guilt, but not keep their mouths shut. Prisoners often keep their mouths shut because then the court will not be able to hear them, and even if they are tortured to death. The state still cannot confiscate his property. The court punished the person who kept his mouth shut by squeezing his chest with a weight. By the way, I want to advise you of one thing: you should confess.
  
  Van Binh sighed heavily.
  
  "Sir, before I confess, I should at least know what crime I have committed...
  
  Bored shrugged.
  
  - He's stubborn again. But well, that's for later. I haven't introduced him yet. Please follow my finger. In the picture hanging on the wall, do you see it?
  
  Without waiting for Van Binh's reply, he calmly continued:
  
  - These are the common tools in China. Today, China has adopted socialism but the method of torture remains unchanged. To be honest with you, as an expert on torture, I have never seen a country with a more sophisticated and effective torture technique than China. If you continue to be stubborn I will lock you in a small cage like a birdhouse, or make you wear a special type of cuff, which is not heavy but when you put it on it is pulled up by two ropes, making you must stand on tiptoe. The Chinese are very clever, the shackles were only pulled up high enough, he only stood for half an hour and his body ached...
  
  Mr. Kevin, the Chinese have been famous for thousands of years for their tying skills. A prisoner who is tied up by the train cannot escape. The Chinese used the art of tying to torture as well. Have you heard of the sport of "ape picking peach fairy"? Probably not. This figure consists of 2 crossbars like the crossbar used for jumping exercise. Inmates who are tied up on the beams will become disabled because of blood clots in their limbs, broken spines. However, the sport of "ape picking peach fairy" is not as terrible as "sacred dragon roll", meaning that the prisoner is tied up like a shrimp, his neck is tied to his feet, only a few hours is required. unconditional surrender. Hey Mr. Kevin, I ask this question, are you ready to answer?
  
  Van Binh swallowed his saliva.
  
  - Sir, I dare not disobey orders.
  
  - Very good. My aim is for you to surrender unconditionally.
  
  - Maybe I'm crazy. Whatever he wanted, he said it out loud, opening it up like this, my nerves were getting more and more tense every minute. I don't deny that I made love to Velana but...
  
  - You can't deny it because every single move of tons of sex games has been recorded in the movie.
  
  - The KGB set up a trap for me.
  
  - Almost the same.
  
  - I got it. He took pictures of me sleeping with Velana to force me to spy for him. I can do anything, except go against my country.
  
  - He is a very commendable patriot.
  
  - I was not brought here to hear your praise. What do you want me to help the KGB with, please let me know immediately.
  
  Bored slowly sat down in his chair. The room only had one chair, so Van Binh had to stand indifferently in front of the desk. This layout is intended by the KGB to create an inferiority complex for the victim. Bored fiddled with the end of his cigar and nodded.
  
  - Are you Kevin?
  
  Van Binh clicked his tongue:
  
  "If it weren't for Kevin, I wouldn't have had the pleasure of going to the KGB's interrogation headquarters."
  
  - Ask him to answer seriously. I used to hate stubborn members.
  
  - Yes, I'm Kevin. John Kevin, 36 years old.
  
  Bored opened the file on the table:
  
  - He was born in Canada, Toronto, on August 22, at 4 am. His great-grandfather was an American who immigrated from Finland. His mother is a Hawaiian. He lost his father when he was 8 years old. Two years later, his mother remarried and followed her new husband to her hometown of Ha Uy di. From the age of 10 onwards, he lived on Ha Uy Di island. When he was 16, he graduated from high school when his mother died in a car accident. His stepfather married another wife. Since then, he has established himself, both working and continuing to study. He graduated with a Bachelor's degree and joined the commercial advertising industry. He joined Maxman company for exactly 8 years and 10 months. Are the details I just said about your background true or false?
  
  Van Binh was startled. He was genuinely surprised, not faking it. It turned out that the KGB had mastered Kevin's file from beginning to end. Fortunately, his role was carefully prepared, otherwise he would have been crushed in the hands of counterintelligence boss Boret.
  
  The film of memory in Langle, where the headquarters of the Central Intelligence C.I.A. slowly returned to his mind. That day, it was raining heavily. He had just arrived in Hoa Thinh when he was transported directly to the headquarters by Mr. Simit's private helicopter.
  
  Picking him up at the prosperous Hoa airport and also going with him back to Langley was a young woman in her fifties, with white hair, wearing short-sighted glasses that fell down her nose, a stern and taciturn face. This young woman is a special assistant to the general manager, Simit. Ding Ning C.I.A. Knowing his character, he let the young beauty come out to pick him up, Van Binh suddenly lost interest. Along the way he did not say a word. The silver-haired young woman was as silent as the statue.
  
  But when he arrived at the headquarters, he made a mistake. Stupidly stupid and childish. Because this old lady is a girl in the spring of love. Mr. Simmit sent her to go with Van Binh to try again the answer of a technical problem: the problem of plastic surgery. In recent years, the cosmetic surgery of espionage has made great progress. Things that never seemed possible have become reality. The 25-year-old girl of the C.I.A. was transformed into a woman in her fifties by a specialist doctor after 3 short hours in the operating room. In the past, it took weeks, sometimes months, for the incisions to have enough time to pull the young skin and the chemicals to cover the scars.
  
  The girl – the old woman took him to the FR area of the C.I.A. an area for surgical disguise services. Two doctors and three nurses were waiting with an album full of pictures of half-body, full-body, lying down, sitting, standing, all kinds of advertising specialist Kevin. In height, he was close to Kevin, but in width he was larger than him. He is also 5 kg heavier than him. In terms of face, he resembles him. Otherwise, it was only in that he was more handsome, his eyes were sharper, more determined, and his features were darker, more oily. Doctor C.I.A. Using a separate camera, take a picture of Van Binh and then project it on the big screen to study. It takes only 30 minutes to study facial features. Then came the surgery to change the nose, eyes, eyebrows and teeth ... Total from the time he entered the room, climbed onto the surgical table until the work was completed, it took 3 hours.
  
  Leave the FR area. Van Binh has become the real Kevin...
  
  Bored stroked his beard, his voice triumphant:
  
  - How, Mr. Kevin, am I right or wrong?
  
  Van Binh's face turned pale:
  
  - That's right. That's right, don't get drunk.
  
  - Do you know why I'm right or wrong? Because we have been following you for a long time. Your files fill a drawer of my office. The reason I repeat the details of his life is to remind him to be honest. You should be more honest…
  
  - What did I hide from you?
  
  - So you get a C.I.A. salary. from when?
  
  - I… I don't understand what you mean? I work in the advertising industry, so I'm very familiar. Maybe among the people who deal with me there is a C.I.A. employee, but…
  
  - It's nothing... If you try to deny it, I'll be forced to torture you.
  
  - Yes, I would say.
  
  - You earn C.I.A salary. from when?
  
  - Actually, I don't get a monthly salary. But only occasionally receive subsidies. Hundreds of companies, tens of thousands of employees are C.I.A. subsidies, not just me.
  
  - Maybe they threw money out the window for you to spend. It's all reciprocal, they subsidize it for later use. Up to now, he received from C.I.A. how much?
  
  It's dead! He thought he was well prepared, but he did not expect that there were so many details about Kevin that he did not know. Kevin received the C.I.A. from when? How much money did Kevin receive in all? He then replied tersely:
  
  - I don't remember anymore.
  
  Bored grimaced with displeasure. But he continued to ask:
  
  - What do they usually make you do?
  
  - Get news.
  
  - At home or abroad?
  
  - Usually abroad, especially in Europe. Because I am a close associate of the company's director Maxman and have the ability to always go abroad, C.I.A. take advantage of these overseas trips to ask me to gather information.
  
  - In the past time, which countries have you visited?
  
  - I am like a bird flying in the sky, a year 12 months is almost 8 months abroad.
  
  - No, I mean which countries you visited with the mission by the C.IA. entrust the other.
  
  - Three months ago, I went to Berlin to negotiate with a pharmaceutical manufacturer, C.I.A. ask me to wait near the east-west line to receive an umbrella.
  
  - An umbrella?
  
  Yes, because it rained heavily that day. I hid under the eaves when a stranger came and set up his umbrella next to mine. Two minutes later, he left, and deliberately took the parachute.
  
  - Is there a secret document in this umbrella?
  
  - Hey, I know. Even though I know, I don't have time to open an umbrella to see. Because staff C.I.A. follow me every hour, every minute.
  
  - After this Berlin trip, what other jobs do you do?
  
  - Is not. The Berlin case is the only one since the 20th of this month.
  
  Bored stood there, pacing around the room. Suddenly he stopped and pointed his finger at Van Binh:
  
  - What did you do in the Soviet Union this time?
  
  Van Binh felt that his whole body was pale. His voice suddenly hoarse:
  
  - Perhaps to receive documents.
  
  - Why do you use the word "probably"? Commanding Officer C.I.A. told you how?
  
  - Sir, I was only ordered to go to the Metropole hotel to get a room and then contact the Ministry of Foreign Trade as usual.
  
  Boret smiled faintly.
  
  - From whom did you receive this instruction?
  
  - I do not know.
  
  - Why don't you know?
  
  Because I can't face him. From the date of operation for the C.I.A. I have never met a superior. The benefits are sent to me through a bank intermediary. When I have money in my account, the bank will notify me to receive it. All instructions are stored in “dead mailboxes”. Before leaving for Moscow, I went to get instructions in a payphone cabin in New York. They glued it with duct tape to the bottom of the tile- the inside of the cabin.
  
  - Is that all?
  
  - Yes, that's all.
  
  - Then I will supplement! He had a mission to go to the Soviet Union to contact the remnants of Penkovsky's party. Do you know who Penkovsky is? Or do you deny that you don't know?
  
  - Yes, I know.
  
  Penkovsky is a man that the whole world must know. In 1963, he was tried and executed for spying for Anglo-American. He was a colonel of the Red Army, a senior officer of the GRU Military Intelligence Service, one of the famous names of Penkovsky espionage who had transferred thousands of top secret documents to the West. His activities caused great harm to the Soviet defense and security system. He was executed, but the chain of the spy organization he led continued to operate.
  
  - Know how?
  
  Penkovsky was tried on May 7, 1963 in the court of the Supreme Court of the Soviet Union along with a British merchant citizen named Greville Wynne. And on May 16, Penkovsky was executed.
  
  - I didn't ask you that. What you just said was published in the newspaper. I just wanted to ask you about Penkovsky's remnants.
  
  Van Binh shook his head.
  
  "Sir, I have nothing to hide from you, for I must save my life." I'm just a courier, nothing more, nothing less.
  
  "You stay in Moscow every night, which means that the documents of the remnants of Penkovsky must be given to your grandfather tonight. Who gave it to you, you know?
  
  - If I knew, I would have told you earlier.
  
  - Huh… I hope you don't pass me by. Tonight's document handover at the Metropole hotel was approved by the C.I.A. known as Ghost agent. Penkovsky is dead, his spy organization is just a ghost!
  
  - Sir, for the first time I heard two voices "Ghost" ...
  
  - Who will come to your room tonight?
  
  Van Binh shook his head again.
  
  - I told you I don't know. Totally don't know.
  
  - Really? Let me ask him to come in here and argue with you, okay?
  
  Van Binh's body was cold. He told the truth to Bored: C.I.A. did not tell him anything about the Penkovsky faction who was about to meet him that night at the hotel.
  
  Suddenly a light flashed in his mind like lightning in the night of the thirtieth of December. Oh my god, he remembered...
  
  Bored waved his hand to a bodyguard standing at the door. The door opened.
  
  One person was pushed into the room.
  
  That's a pretty girl.
  
  She is Nina, the waitress full of life and love of the state inn Metropole. She promised to come to his room tonight.

  
  

  ---

  1 Lombilla and this Paraguayan police chief are two real people. Dr. Alberto Caride witnessed Lombilla's phone calls. Lombilla threatened to kill, so Caride did not dare to reveal. It wasn't until the day Caride came to the US as a refugee and President Juan Peron was deposed. Caride recently denounced the public in five continents.
  2 It's Blueskin, a thief.
  3 These details are real. Penkovskiy was executed, but some of his friends continued to work with Western intelligence in Soviet territory.