Chapter 86 Using the Holy See (2)
"Your Majesty, we have one more thing to report to you! My friend Ivankov, he is the cadre of our Solidarity trade union in charge of purchasing non-staple food such as coffee and sugar in Latin America. Why was he illegally detained by the intelligence agency of the US government and tortured to extract a confession? What’s more serious is that when Ivankov’s worker was taken away, he held a diplomatic passport from the Vatican. After the Guantanamo incident, Ivankov I took advantage of the chaos and escaped, and now both of us are wanted by the US government, I think we must have been involved in some kind of conspiracy!" Yuri said again.
"Why is there such a thing, why don't I know?" Paul II immediately looked at his diplomatic chief when he heard this. The head of diplomacy nodded and said that this is indeed the case. He didn't want to say it at first, but under the pressure of the Pope, he said that the Americans had contacted the Holy See and asked about Ivankov's real identity. There is no answer from the US side!
"My lord Pope, Ivankov is the purchasing director of our Solidarity trade union abroad. He is in charge of purchasing coffee, cocoa, sugar and other non-staple foods for the organization in Latin America. Although our Polish workers are poor, drinking coffee should not be a problem. It’s too much! The intelligence agencies of the US government inexplicably captured him into the US military base in Guantanamo. Comrade Ivankov suffered humiliation and torture there, so he didn’t betray our Solidarity! Later, the Guantanamo base was attacked. Another group of armed men took Ivankov from the U.S. Army for some unknown purpose and wanted to kill him. Fortunately, with the blessing of God, Comrade Ivankov escaped from the tiger's mouth with the help of well-meaning local fishermen , Even now, Ivankov often wakes up in the middle of the night because he received too many punishments! Your Majesty, please be the master for our workers!" Yuri said again. Another purpose of his coming to the Holy See for help is to lift the US arrest warrant for Ivankov and himself. As for the kidnapping of Ivankov by Lebed, it can be pushed to a group of militants with malicious intentions. Don't Americans want to know the mysterious organization behind Ivankov? Let Solidarity be the organization.
"It's too outrageous, it doesn't give us the face of the Vatican!" Paul II was deeply angry at Ivankov's tragic experience. I saw Ivankov with an Asian face and a pair of glasses with plastic frames, looking very honest and honest. The most important thing is that in order to cover the tattoos on the body, Ivankov buttoned the shirt to the last button, and in order to show the misery of the Solidarity Union, Ivankov and Yuri also deliberately wore the collar and cuffs. suit and shirt. As far as their current attire is concerned, it is completely different from the image of gangsters.
"Who is the Holy Minister in the United States? Ask him to send a letter of protest to the Secretary of State of the United States and ask him why he dares to treat our diplomats like this..." Pope Paul II was rarely so excited as today, mainly because Because Ivankov and Yuri are from Solidarity. Although already the head of state of a country, Paul II still regards himself as a Pole. His nostalgia for his hometown prevents him from staying out of the way of the current Polish government. He hopes that Poland can get rid of the control of the Soviet Union and become a become a truly sovereign state.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs meticulously recorded the instructions of the Pope,
He himself is also dissatisfied with the arrogance of the United States. Anyway, Ivankov is also a diplomat of the Vatican. It depends on the owner to beat a dog! The United States really does not take the Holy See seriously in doing so.
...
A few days later, the U.S. State Department received a letter of protest from the Vatican ambassador, demanding that the U.S. government explain the illegal detention of Ivankov, a Vatican diplomat, and his punishment. Immediately afterwards, the Pope and the President of the United States had a two-hour phone call.
On the phone, the Pope first blessed the United States and the president himself, and then talked about Ivankov.
"Dear Mr. President, Ivankov is an important cadre of the Polish Solidarity trade union. The Solidarity trade union has been working tirelessly for the freedom of the Polish people over the years. Ivankov was originally on a trip to South America to purchase coffee. He was detained by your intelligence service and tortured to extract a confession in violation of basic human rights. Ivankov is our diplomat, how could you treat him like this!" Paul II questioned President Reagan on the phone.
President Reagan quickly replied: "Your Excellency, I think you may not understand some things. Ivankov is connected with the Colombian drug cartel, and there is a powerful organization behind him..."
"Mr. President, I think you must have been fooled by your intelligence personnel. Ivankov is an old member of the Solidarity Union and one of Walesa's most trusted subordinates. How could he be involved in drug trafficking? And Ivankov Said that the armed drug dealers would kill him after they took him away, and he managed to escape from the hands of these bad guys!" The Pope excused Ivankov.
"This..." Although President Reagan didn't quite believe what the Pope said, but the other party was the ruler of a country and the agent of God, the possibility of lying was extremely slim. This is the credibility brought by the status of the pope. Compared with the cia and the Holy See, who is more likely to lie? President Reagan has the answer after a little thought.
"Mr. President, apart from Ivankov's matter, I have another matter to ask you! That is the food time that has been raging in your country during this period. I want to tell you that this matter is also related to the Solidarity trade union. Relatedly, the reason why the food was shipped to the Soviet Union was because some well-meaning Soviet people who sympathized with the suffering of the Polish people were willing to help them transport the food to Poland. You should understand that all ships from the West that docked in Gdansk were monitored by the Soviet Union, and instead It is safer to transport from the Soviet Union to Gdansk. I hope you can handle this matter in a low-key manner, so that the Soviet government will not be aware of it. It is best to continue to let the Solidarity trade union continue. Mr. President, this is for human freedom. Shouldn't the United States, as a defender of freedom, uphold the just cause of struggle?"
President Reagan could not refute the Pope's words. He did not promise anything immediately, but promised to seriously consider the Pope's suggestion. But in his heart, President Reagan was more inclined to say that the Pope's remarks were true, because the Holy See had a transcendent status and had no stake in this matter, so what he said was more credible. As for the cia and other intelligence agencies, they will never pledge allegiance to the president. Instead, there have been figures like "Deep Throat" among them.