Chapter 1080 Defending the Foreign Secretary
Allen Wilson, who had returned to report the latest developments, happened to stumble upon an explosion of public opinion.
It was a historical fact that Aiden had run into a quack doctor who had led to drug dependency, Allen Wilson knew that, but he wondered if his presence would affect Aiden’s condition, and apparently it didn’t, Aiden had run into that quack doctor again.
“It’s something that is impossible for the average person to know. And the timing is too coincidental.” Sending Hepburn away with the antiques Iraq had given him, Alan Wilson, who had gotten off the plane, went straight to Whitehall, which at the moment was scrambling with its hands over the sudden outbreak of scandals in the current administration, pondering how to muddle through.
Before he showed up, Norman Brooke had launched a leak investigation to find out who had leaked the Prime Minister’s personal details, and that was Aidan’s first reaction.
“The concern of the citizens of this country now is whether this is true or false.” Alan Wilson, who had come through the wind, had already made his judgment in the cab arriving in Whitehall, and the Prime Minister still needed to be saved, considering that the number two man in the Conservative Party was Macmillan.
“If it’s justified and there’s nothing to see, there won’t actually be a problem with being honest. If it’s covered up with lies, the opposition parties will catch on, and there’s no point in lying now that the citizens know.”
Seventy Whitehall, in front of a group of colleagues, Alan Wilson went straight to the essence of this crisis.
How to get through the crisis unscathed, the chances of covering it up with lies were slim to none, it was better to be honest. Of course this required Aidan to make his own judgment.
“I’ll talk to the Prime Minister.” Norman Brooke picked up the microphone, “Pick up ten Downing Street, is the Prime Minister there? I need to speak to the Prime Minister face to face about the leak investigation.”
The matter of Aidan having a drug addiction because of the operation, only the closest people know about it, the scope of suspicion is not big, either Aidan’s family or the top of the Conservative Party, it can’t be that doctor who leaked it himself, right?
Alan Wilson just before the Secretary General of the Joint Intelligence Committee, this matter is his business, first of all, his own suspicions through Norman Brooke informed the Prime Minister, he went directly to the words of MI5, and the Cambridge Five center figure Philby, discussing a leak investigation.
He believed that Philby was still quite trustworthy in matters not involving the Soviet Union, and the two men had a fairly good personal relationship.
Nominally Alan Wilson has been regarded as Philby s boss, Philby comes from the aristocracy, but all this era the aristocracy can not decide everything, but if the aristocracy and wealth both two in one? Equivalent to Pamela Mountbatten ……
According to the historical time, Philby has begun to be suspected, which is like now so leisurely, but also did the position of the head of the British counterintelligence?
“This matter is so significant that it made you run back from Basra?” Philby was a little surprised by Alan Wilson’s arrival.
“Coincidentally, I was about to return home to report on the progress of the negotiations. Bumped into this.” Alan Wilson shrugged his shoulders and then talked about the leak investigation and guessed the scope of the leak.
“It should be a leak within the Conservative Party. But now at this sensitive time, we can’t rule out the US knowing about it and giving the Prime Minister a hard time.” Philby agreed with Alan Wilson’s reasonable suspicions and added, “Of course we don’t want to suspect anyone, but it’s certainly a possibility.”
That’s quite a pretense you Soviet spy! Allen Wilson sneered in his heart, but at this moment was in need of someone of Philby’s status to keep things moving forward.
Alan Wilson actually had a suspicion, but it was not good to say it directly, the person he suspected was Foreign Secretary Macmillan, because Macmillan had an American background and was a high-ranking member of the Conservative Party, and was likely to know that Aidan had a drug addiction.
When the two men were discussing the launch of a leak investigation, Norman Brooke, 10 Downing Street, had already arrived at the Prime Minister’s residence to discuss getting through this government crisis with Aiden, who himself suspected that it should be a high-ranking Conservative Party member who had leaked the information, but just didn’t know who it was yet.
“Dear Prime Minister, if it was the surgery that went wrong, my advice would be to recognize that reality, because it wasn’t your fault, and you’re a victim yourself.”
Norman Brooke breathed a sigh of relief as he listened to Aiden put things into perspective, “Using a lie to cover up another lie won’t last long, not to mention the fact that the Labor Party has been following up on this. To bring things to a head, it’s best to make a statement right away.”
“An honest and credible response, questioned in public opinion, that’s the best way to go. We can help with the rest by talking to the media to bring down the heat on public opinion first.”
“The point is that I still don’t know who leaked it!” Aiden was very angry that someone was trying to oust him from the position of Prime Minister, this was not a small problem, he was now suspicious of almost everyone.
It was perfectly normal, to speak of facts on such a major issue of right and wrong? What exactly is the attempt?
“There will be a result.” Norman Brooke gave a solemn assurance that he was the Cabinet Secretary absolutely on the side of the Prime Minister, and he was on the side of whoever was Prime Minister.
“It can’t be confined to the country, there are Americans in this.” It wasn’t like it was too long ago, he was able to recall that he had only just rejected the American proposal.
“That can’t be ruled out, and in the case of Kennedy alone as a person, the war of words is something we naturally have a way of doing.” Norman Brooke mused, pointing out the fact that there was already a lot of philandering going on with Kennedy, and it was very easy to find material.
Of course it would require the cooperation of the media, and the backlash against the United States was not in the least bit abashed by Britain when it came to the media.
That said, except on the one option of going to war, and the reluctance to fall out over the economy, the rest of the field the UK seems to be unafraid of.
The reason for the reluctance to fall out in the economic sphere is mainly a reluctance to see the UK economy suffer, which could cause a voter backlash.
Now the most important thing is that Aidan first put the voters questioned to calm down, drug dependence well? It’s not a big deal.
There is no such word as addiction in the English language, but rather the neutral term of drug dependence. While most people know that drug dependence is not a good thing, it can still be flipped.
In fact, in all languages, with the UK taking the lead on drug dependence, similar words are pretty much the same, except in China.
Another name for the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking is the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking.
The term addiction was first coined in China, appearing around the time of the Opium Wars, when Qing officials viewed opium as a poison, appearing in a memorial to the Daoguang Emperor, and subsequently influencing how opium was referred to in China.
With this background, although Aidan did have a drug addiction, but in the environment of most countries, it is not an unpardonable offense, after all, he was because he ran into a quack doctor, in the process of treatment of drug addiction, belong to the extenuating circumstances.
After two days of public opinion, after repeated consideration, Aidan decided to listen to the advice of the Whitehall, to face this matter with an honest attitude, Aidan, after all, in the Conservative Party voters are still very supportive of the straight face of the problem to make explanations, over the problem.
Two days, MI5 has found the doctor who did the surgery for Aidan at the time, while waiting for the results of the House of Commons questioning, Aidan in the House of Commons, admitted the authenticity of the report, “I do have a drug dependency, in an operation eight years ago, because of medical malpractice, the doctor to ease my pain, using an overdose of anesthetics. ”
As soon as the words fell out of his mouth, the entire House of Commons was plunged into a cacophony of noise, but the British House of Commons has its own rules, the questioners are still in accordance with the tradition of the House of Commons to ask questions one after another, chaotic but orderly.
Unlike the general so-called democratic system of the country, from time to time, staged a full martial arts, which is absolutely prohibited in the British House of Commons.
Labour Party leader Gaitschke and shadow chancellor Wilson’s questioning, Aidan gave answers to all of them, the whole questioning was carried out for two hours, all around Aidan’s personal questions, made up his mind to be honest Aidan, and did not shy away from it, “I could even provide the name of that doctor, but I do not recommend that because of the possible impact on the rest of that doctor’s career. ”
Despite gnashing his teeth at that quack, Aiden had to put on a show of generosity when questioned in the House of Commons as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, to garner praise in public opinion and to treat this one incident as something that would solidify his approval ratings.
Finally the questioning was over and Aiden left the House of Commons as if he had been pardoned, ready to go back to the Prime Minister’s residence and turn on the television; he would know if public opinion was in his favor as soon as the clips were shown on television.
“The coverage of Kennedy has concentrated on male-female relationships, such as his chaotic one with a woman, and I’m told that Kennedy was a fast shooter, and it’s incumbent on him to dig up the truth.”
Alan Wilson, who chaired the Foreign Office meeting, was laying out the counter-mission in no way mixed with personal bias.
“Wouldn’t that be a bit underhand?” Dixon said with a bitter smile, “The diplomatic counterattack is focused on the president, on the relationship between men and women.”
“That’s the mildest counterattack there is. Are we going to push back against the national policy of the United States?” Alan Wilson spread his hands, “It will destroy the special relationship between Britain and the U.S. Even if we are dissatisfied with the U.S., we have to differentiate between the targets when we lay a heavy hand on the U.S. For example, against Japan, it is very suitable for venting our anger.”
Alan Wilson, with a saddened look on his face, said with overwhelming restraint, “This is an internal conflict, not an enemy conflict.”
Over the next two days, the skepticism about Aiden faded away as Alan Wilson, one by one, said you are not bowing down to the government. The philistines against U.S. President John F. Kennedy, on the other hand, became more numerous.
As for the quack’s identity, it was not released because of the Prime Minister’s lead role in protecting the privacy of citizens. But MI5 had established the existence of the doctor, proving that Aidan’s statement was the truth.
This only scratches the surface, the most crucial and most important question for the Prime Minister is who exactly is the leaker? MI5 began to line up suspicious candidates one by one.
“There is absolutely no way it could be Macmillan, he is the Foreign Secretary, the number two of the Conservative Party. And he’s my minister, if anything happens, it will affect the work of the Foreign Office.”
Alan Wilson righteously embraced his minister and sternly warned MI5’s leak investigation that it could not look into the Foreign Secretary, and that it could look into other ministers.