Post by Catsmate on Dec 12, 2020 0:28:01 GMT
In June of 1973 Richard Nixon and Leonid Brezhnev1 met at the US presidential retreat at Camp David in Maryland. There an interesting little incident occurred that had the potential to drastically alter Terran history....
Some background. For those of you (well us) old enough to remember Brezhnev the overriding image was his stolid rigidity, dark suits, those thick eyebrows and his frosty visage. He became the human face for the stagnation of the Eastern block during his long and depressing reign (1964 to 19821). For a generation he was the symbol of unwavering allegiance to a corrupt, fossilised system that could not and would not be reformed.
It is hard to disassociate Brezhnev’s image from the slow, inexorable decay of communism.
However there was another side to him, livelier but just as unsavory. Those who knew Brezhnev privately saw a man who was shockingly vain and materialistic, a lover of fur coats and the finer things in life that communist leaders such as himself supposedly abhorred. Especially cars, of which he accumulated some 82 example, all high end luxury models.
He was however a terrible driver.
So, back to Camp David. I'll give you all one guess what Nixon gave Brezhnev during his visit....
A brand new 1973 Lincoln Continental.
So Brezhnev insisted on taking it for a spin, and invited Nixon to join him. Naturally the president agreed.
Now Camp David isn't really set up for driving, the roads are narrow, single-lane, affairs and typically limited to electric golf-carts or the jeeps used by the Secret Service or US Navy.
As Anatoly Dobrynin, the long serving Soviet ambassador to the USA, put it [In Confidence: Moscow's Ambassador to Six Cold War Presidents]:
What if Brezhnev had missed the turn? There are several options.
1. Brezhnev killed, Nixon survives.
Obviously a capitalist plot.
2. Brezhnev survives, Nixon dies.
Obviously a communist plot.
3. Brezhnev and Nixon both die.
Major embarrassment, and lots of political maneuvering. And not just in Moscow....
Nixon's vice-present was the infamous Spiro "Stern voice of the silent majority" Agnew, who was (historically) forced to resign from office in disgrace in August due to certain embarrassing revelations regarding tax evasion.
Game use.
Ah, the peaceful wooded hills of the Catoctin Mountain Park, the perfect place for a TARDIS to materialise, a Vortex Manipulator to drop some travellers, or a flying bus to land. A quiet walk in the forest on a nice summer day is just what everyone needs.
Cue accidentally altering history.
Or, possibly worse, causing a near crash and getting pretty much every acronymic agency on both sides of the Iron Curtain interested.
Comments? Ideas? Suggestions?
1. US president and Soviet premier, for those unfamiliar with the period.
2. Or possibly earlier. There are persistent stories that Brezhnev died rather earlier than the official date of 10NOV1982 and that internal Soviet political maneuvering delayed the announcement, possibly involving s double. The options are multitudinous....
Some background. For those of you (well us) old enough to remember Brezhnev the overriding image was his stolid rigidity, dark suits, those thick eyebrows and his frosty visage. He became the human face for the stagnation of the Eastern block during his long and depressing reign (1964 to 19821). For a generation he was the symbol of unwavering allegiance to a corrupt, fossilised system that could not and would not be reformed.
It is hard to disassociate Brezhnev’s image from the slow, inexorable decay of communism.
However there was another side to him, livelier but just as unsavory. Those who knew Brezhnev privately saw a man who was shockingly vain and materialistic, a lover of fur coats and the finer things in life that communist leaders such as himself supposedly abhorred. Especially cars, of which he accumulated some 82 example, all high end luxury models.
He was however a terrible driver.
So, back to Camp David. I'll give you all one guess what Nixon gave Brezhnev during his visit....
A brand new 1973 Lincoln Continental.
So Brezhnev insisted on taking it for a spin, and invited Nixon to join him. Naturally the president agreed.
Now Camp David isn't really set up for driving, the roads are narrow, single-lane, affairs and typically limited to electric golf-carts or the jeeps used by the Secret Service or US Navy.
As Anatoly Dobrynin, the long serving Soviet ambassador to the USA, put it [In Confidence: Moscow's Ambassador to Six Cold War Presidents]:
At Camp David, Nixon gave him a Lincoln Continental of the latest model, knowing his passion for collecting foreign cars (Brezhnev had broadly hinted at this through the confidential channel in advance).
Brezhnev was very pleased with the new gift and eager to try it immediately to show Nixon his driving prowess (I accompanied them to interpret). The general secretary was a good driver, but he was unfamiliar with the Lincoln and its powerful engine. I warned him about it but he was itching to start. He put his foot hard down on the gas pedal at once. The car jerked violently. Both Brezhnev and Nixon (the president was in the front seat, I was in the rear) nearly hit their heads against the windshield when Brezhnev had to hit the brake because of a sharp curve in the road. The winding roads of Camp David are clearly not suitable for auto racing, and usually only carry small, battery-driven cars.
Nixon was shocked, but still managed to say tactfully, 'Mr. General Secretary, you drive very well.' Brezhnev took this at face value...
Brezhnev was very pleased with the new gift and eager to try it immediately to show Nixon his driving prowess (I accompanied them to interpret). The general secretary was a good driver, but he was unfamiliar with the Lincoln and its powerful engine. I warned him about it but he was itching to start. He put his foot hard down on the gas pedal at once. The car jerked violently. Both Brezhnev and Nixon (the president was in the front seat, I was in the rear) nearly hit their heads against the windshield when Brezhnev had to hit the brake because of a sharp curve in the road. The winding roads of Camp David are clearly not suitable for auto racing, and usually only carry small, battery-driven cars.
Nixon was shocked, but still managed to say tactfully, 'Mr. General Secretary, you drive very well.' Brezhnev took this at face value...
1. Brezhnev killed, Nixon survives.
Obviously a capitalist plot.
2. Brezhnev survives, Nixon dies.
Obviously a communist plot.
3. Brezhnev and Nixon both die.
Major embarrassment, and lots of political maneuvering. And not just in Moscow....
Nixon's vice-present was the infamous Spiro "Stern voice of the silent majority" Agnew, who was (historically) forced to resign from office in disgrace in August due to certain embarrassing revelations regarding tax evasion.
Game use.
Ah, the peaceful wooded hills of the Catoctin Mountain Park, the perfect place for a TARDIS to materialise, a Vortex Manipulator to drop some travellers, or a flying bus to land. A quiet walk in the forest on a nice summer day is just what everyone needs.
Cue accidentally altering history.
Or, possibly worse, causing a near crash and getting pretty much every acronymic agency on both sides of the Iron Curtain interested.
Comments? Ideas? Suggestions?
1. US president and Soviet premier, for those unfamiliar with the period.
2. Or possibly earlier. There are persistent stories that Brezhnev died rather earlier than the official date of 10NOV1982 and that internal Soviet political maneuvering delayed the announcement, possibly involving s double. The options are multitudinous....