Soviet Union 1991

Third update

While the Soviet Propaganda Department was busy carrying out propaganda and demonstrating the Soviet military strength, another troublesome thing was placed in front of Surkov. The Soviet Union, which had been wandering overseas for a long time, held different political views. Solzhenitsyn's request to return to Moscow, who was also the author of "The Gulag Archipelago", could have been rejected directly, but Surkov received an order from the supreme leader to Take care of Comrade Solzhenitsyn.

To Surkov, this "take good care of" is as elusive as a pun. Logically speaking, Yanayev maintains 100% support for public intellectuals who undermine the stability of the country and fabricate facts. Disgusted, it can be said that if you are met by him, he will definitely throw you into the concentration camp in Vorkuta and make you undergo hard labor. But for other right-wingers who dared to tell the truth, Yanayev adopted a tolerant policy. He even allowed them to criticize the authorities' practices, but the only thing not allowed was to incite people to oppose the existing system. This is Yanayev’s unavoidable bottom line.

So Solzhenitsyn was like a hot potato, thrown in front of Surkov. Whether or not he needs to come back is just a word from the authorities, but the Soviet Propaganda Department has become a little embarrassed in terms of propaganda. You can't call this guy who was expelled from Russian soil a hero of the Soviet Union.

When Surkov wanted to find Yanayev and ask, the other party just said something unclear, just casual.

"Just feel free to say it. It's a very casual thing to say."

Surkov always felt that guessing the general secretary's thoughts was more difficult than seeing the successful launch of the N1 rocket, but in the end Yanayev gave him a hint.

“If this were the Soviet Union in 1991, Solzhenitsyn would have been a figure who had to die, but now, do the populist factions and speculative capitalists who have been severely suppressed by the government still hope to form a force that threatens the Soviet regime? ".

When Yanayev said this, Surkov finally understood. Solzhenitsyn's views have become irrelevant. The Soviet Union has not only consolidated Russia, but even consolidated the political power of all participating countries. Letting Solzhenitsyn return to Moscow for a visit became a symbol of the Soviet government's openness and openness. After all, he was the enemy of the entire Soviet Communist Party in terms of cultural awareness.

In the eyes of Yanayev, Solzhenitsyn, a stubborn die-hard, was much nobler than intellectuals who worked for money. Although he did not agree with the Soviet Union and American capitalism, at least what he said They all come from their own hearts, rather than being like those moths who are paid to talk, who see their motherland collapse with their own eyes, and then take a piece of the rotten corpse like a maggot as proudly as a maggot.

"I understand, General Secretary Yanayev. Solzhenitsyn's return is more of a political signal. The Soviet Union can tolerate the guys who hated it so much at the time, so who else dares to say that our country does not freedom of speech."

Surkov is not very interested in this author who has won the Nobel Prize for Literature. As an award that opposes socialism and democracy, it shows more of an ideology that serves politics. -state. No wonder Yanayev said disdainfully that since ancient times, only poets and literati have made no contribution to social development.

After Solzhenitsyn made a request to return to the Soviet Union, the Soviet Embassy in the United States quickly responded. The Soviet authorities agreed that Solzhenitsyn would return to Moscow and be received personally by the General Secretary of the Soviet Union. The American media, which originally planned to lay a trap on the "return rejection" plot, were stunned. Who would have thought that Yanayev had such a hand behind it.

When Solzhenitsyn arrived in Moscow, even Surkov was there to greet the dissident. After experiencing the persecution of the Stalin era, the brief revival of the Khrushchev era and the endless nightmares of the following Soviet governments, Solzhenitsyn stood on the soil of his hometown for the first time. Surrounded by unfamiliar yet familiar Russian, a teenager presented Solzhenitsyn with a bouquet of flowers.

This was an unusual reception for intellectuals by the Soviet government, but Solzhenitsyn, who had experienced many vicissitudes of life, just nodded calmly and unusually, accepted the bouquet of flowers, and politely said thank you.

His first stop when he returned to Moscow was to go to his old residence. Originally, Solzhenitsyn was a novelist who started his career in Moscow. When Solzhenitsyn saw the dilapidated but well-preserved hut again, his expression changed. Got excited. When he stepped into the room, he found that everything was exactly the same as when he fled the Soviet Union decades ago.

"Everything is laid out as it was before, with no errors," Surkov explained.

"Really? But the people are still the same, and the regime has not changed. Is this the country's misfortune, or is it your luck?" Solzhenitsyn said this out of nowhere, which made Surkov I felt a little embarrassed in public.

But Surkov seriously retorted, "I have never denied the shortcomings of this country, but I will also not deny its glory and greatness. Perhaps due to historical conditions, we have made mistakes of this kind and that. . It does not mean that we will make the same mistakes that harm the interests of the people in the future.”

"A warrior with shortcomings is still a warrior, and no noble flies can still hide their dirty nature."

Solzhenitsyn, who was walking in the front, stopped. This guy who was also good at playing word games showed a friendly smile for the first time since getting off the plane. He put his hands in his pockets with a Hemingway-style beard and said seriously, "Your insights and level are much better than those propaganda department rubbish in the Khrushchev era. Although I was curious at the beginning how such a country completed the transformation from a treacherous government to a strong national cohesion, now I think I have found the answer."

There is no more exciting words of praise than coming from the mouth of your enemy. Surkov just nodded politely. "This is our belief, although not everyone can understand his greatness."

"You remind me of Suslov." Solzhenitsyn replied, "Minister Surkov, no wonder you are in charge of a country's ideological strategic high ground. Since Suslov's death, I seem to see the shadow of the gray cardinal in you."

"So, skipping these boring procedures, when can we see the real ruler of the Soviet Union, the Soviet General Secretary who is called a tyrant by Western countries?" Solzhenitsyn asked. His curiosity about this Ivan the Terrible-style monarch far exceeds his disgust for scolding dictators.

"Next is it." Surkov replied mysteriously. (To be continued.)

Chapter 426 The Return of Dissidents: