Chapter 161 Yeltsin's Visit to the United States

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After Yeltsin's speech at the plenum of the CPSU Central Committee happened, Gorbachev could no longer tolerate him. Almost without thinking, he dismissed Yeltsin as secretary of the Moscow City Party Committee, and a few days later, Yeltsin was also dismissed as alternate member of the Politburo. Gorbachev chose to side with Ligachev because he and Ligachev had the same interest in dealing with those ministries and local leaders in the union republics, that is, to strengthen the authority of the center at the local level.

Now Yeltsin has been abandoned by the power, and the traffic in front of the front door has become empty. In order to avoid being implicated, many close friends and subordinates in the past dare not come to the door anymore. It was the first time in Yeltsin's life that he suffered such a big blow, and he could see through the warmth and coldness of human relationships. But what Yeltsin didn't expect was that Seryozha's attitude towards him never changed.

Just yesterday, Sergei personally visited Yeltsin and suggested to Yeltsin whether he should go to the United States to investigate, see how the economy is doing, and then think about what went wrong with our reforms.

"I really want to see it, Seryozha! But my identity is sensitive now, and I am afraid that Gorbachev will be angry with you if I accept your kindness." Yeltsin said tactfully, he is now Gorbachev The thorn in the side of the husband and Ligachev, the other officials do not have time to hide from him? Although Seryozha had good intentions, how could he implicate this sincere friend.

"It's okay, I can contact some foreign academic institutions and ask them to invite you. I still have a little reputation in the American economic circles. It just so happens that Harvard University invites me to attend an academic conference on subprime mortgage derivatives next week. I think we can go together," Seryozha replied. Although Seryozha didn't know whether Yeltsin had such a gloomy period in history, he firmly believed that Yeltsin would make a comeback. Although the two had worked closely together in the past, the icing on the cake couldn't compare to the friendship in the snow. Although Yeltsin's loss of power disrupted Sergey's deployment, it gave Sergey a chance to further unite with Yeltsin.

"If it doesn't bother me, I won't refuse. I'm still waiting for the central government's next arrangement for me. Anyway, I have nothing to do. It's good to go out and have a look!" Speaking of this, Yeltsin no longer declined Yes, because it was Sergey's kindness, and the blind refusal hurt Sergey's sincerity. People are not afraid, so what should I be afraid of?

After the two made an agreement, Serezha reported to the Central Committee. Because Gorbachev will also visit the United States in a few months, Gorbachev supports the normal exchanges between senior officials of the United States and the Soviet Union recently. So Seryozha's visit did not encounter any obstacles. As for Yeltsin's visit to the United States, Gorbachev was eager for this troublesome man to go as far as he could, so Yeltsin's visit was quickly finalized.

After getting approval from his superiors, Yeltsin's depressed mood finally eased. He happily asked his wife to help him choose a suit and pack his luggage.

He even prepared some small gifts with Russian characteristics, and planned to give them to the friendly people who invited him over there after arriving in the United States. When everything was packed, Yeltsin took off from Moscow on a special plane of the Soviet Civil Aviation and flew to the USSR's biggest competitor, the United States.

The plane flew to the United States to pass through Europe. First, it stopped in Paris. During the transit, Yeltsin stopped for a while at the duty-free shop at Charles de Gaulle Airport. They sell luxury goods, such as perfumes, cosmetics, and leather goods. , The price is scary. Yeltsin did not recognize these brands and naturally regarded them as ordinary commodities. His monthly salary is only more than 2,000 rubles, and he found that this amount of money is only enough to buy a few bottles of perfume here.

"It seems that the prices in Europe are also unattainable! I heard that the European economy is also not very good. Am I being too harsh on Comrade Gorbachev!" Yeltsin thought to himself, if the whole of Europe If you fall into the situation of high prices and currency depreciation, then the bad price situation in the Soviet Union will not be so glaring.

Seryozha did not accompany Yeltsin to hang out at the airport, he has been hiding in the hotel and arranged a meeting place with Karim and Tonya in the United States. Participating in the meeting this time was just a pretense, and Seryozha just used the opportunity of the meeting to go to the United States to meet his family.

After staying overnight in Paris, Serezha and Yeltsin continued their journey. Yeltsin has always served as the local leader of the Soviet Union, and he has not been sitting as Secretary of the Moscow Municipal Party Committee for a long time. This is the first time he has the opportunity to visit a country on the other side of the Iron Curtain. At this moment, Yeltsin's heart was full of anticipation. He was curious about what the lives of ordinary people in the United States were like.

When the plane landed in New York, the long flight was finally coming to an end. When Seryozha left the airport, he asked Yeltsin what he needed. Yeltsin said he wanted to take a look around New York and see the life of the locals. Seryozha happily assigned Yeltsin his driver.

After Sergesha negotiated with the American reception staff, Yeltsin obtained permission to move freely. And Seryozha returned to the hotel to rest under the arrangement of the United States. In fact, this invitation is nothing more than a play directed and acted by Sergey Sha. Even the university that sent out the invitation is Eva's alma mater, so Sergey has no restrictions on freedom at all.

Yeltsin sat in the car arranged by Sergei and drove all the way to the city. The driver was borrowed by Sergey from the Consulate General of the Soviet Union in New York, so he was naturally very familiar with the United States.

"Secretary Yeltsin, where do you want to go?" the driver asked enthusiastically.

"I want to go to an American food store!" Yeltsin said without hesitation.

The driver then sent him to the nearest Wal-Mart supermarket according to Yeltsin's intention. When Yeltsin walked into this warehouse-like building, he felt as if he had entered another world completely. He saw piles of potatoes, tomatoes, cabbages, and chunks of meat. Especially vegetable products are piled up here like a hill. In addition, all kinds of daily necessities and household appliances are piled up in this warehouse-like department store, and people even push carts to buy goods. It made Yeltsin incomprehensible to deal with supply shortages every day in Moscow.

"Comrade driver, how much does it cost to buy such a bag of potatoes?" Yeltsin asked curiously.

"Today's promotion, fifty cents!" The driver replied.

"Where's the beef?" Yeltsin asked again.

"Cheap beef, five dollars is enough to feed a family for a week!" the driver said.

...

When Yeltsin got back into the car, he asked the driver, "How many supermarkets like this are there in the United States?"

"I don't know, but almost every county in the United States has them!" the driver replied.

Yeltsin could no longer control his emotions at this moment. He took out a handkerchief and wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes, crying bitterly and said: "Our decades of socialism have been in vain. Look at what we have done." what?"