Chapter 67

Washington, D.C., Senate Office Building, hearing room

A long oak table is covered with dark green cloth; behind the senators’ seats hang the American flag and the national seal; four CBS television cameras are aimed at the witness stand; the gallery is packed with reporters from major newspapers.

Huang Yunji also stands in the gallery, deeply concerned for Lin Ran; as editor-in-chief of the American Chinese Daily, isn’t it natural for him to care about this matter?

This is the first time a Chinese American has stood before the White House.

Not only Huang Yunji was present; Zhou Shukai was there too.

The hearing is presided over by Vice President Lin Deng; senators from the Republican and Democratic parties sit on either side.

The main accusers are Senator Thales Bridges of New Hampshire and Senator Barry Goldwater of Arizona, both Republicans.

Lin Ran wears a gray suit and gold-rimmed glasses; before him lie his own Parker pen and draft paper.

Of course, today’s examinees include not only him but also the newly appointed NASA administrator, James Webb.

The Webb Telescope, later built by NASA at great expense, was named after him.

James Webb speaks first:

“Honorable senators, the accusations against Professor Randolph Lin lack evidence and are entirely based on speculation and association.”

“Professor Lin is one of the most renowned masters in contemporary mathematics, with research spanning multiple fields; his involvement can help us close—or even surpass—our primary competitor in aerospace.”

The technical evaluation report prepared by NASA sits on every senator’s desk.

After his statement, Thales Bridges asks:

“Professor Lin has never demonstrated any ability in aerospace; there is no close connection between mathematics and aerospace.”

“Professor Lin possesses exceptional ability in aerospace equal to his mastery in mathematics; we now call upon NASA junior engineer Haines and John Morgan, CEO of General Aerospace, to testify on this.”

Haines and John Morgan were summoned as witnesses for Lin Ran’s side in this hearing.

Both described Lin Ran’s insights and capabilities in aerospace.

John Morgan also specifically brought in Jim Chamberlin.

“This gentleman beside me is Jim Chamberlin, chief engineer at General Aerospace and chief aerodynamics expert for Canada’s CF-105 fighter jet; he will provide further clarification.”

If anyone in this room wished most fervently for Lin Ran to become Special Assistant for Aerospace Affairs at the White House, it would be John Morgan.

He has thrown every available chip onto the table; to win the position of patriarch of the Morgan family, he sees Randolph as a trusted ally—everything combined, how could John Morgan not give his all?

“General Aerospace’s lunar landing proposal ranked first among fourteen NASA suppliers in internal expert evaluations; the proposal was led entirely by Lin; behind us are Boeing, Glenn Martin, General Dynamics, Lockheed, and others.”

“Lin’s ability in aerospace far exceeds mine; whether in theoretical models or engineering design, every proposal he put forward approached perfection.”

Barry Goldwater seized the opportunity like a man finding a gun:

“Just now, both NASA engineer Haines and General Aerospace engineer Chamberlin confirmed Randolph’s ability in aerospace.”

“It is well known that aerospace is closely tied to missiles; Qian, who once worked at Caltech’s Aerodynamics Laboratory, returned to China and developed ballistic missiles for them.”

“According to American intelligence, China successfully tested a short-range ground-to-ground missile last September; its performance reached world-leading standards, and Soviet assessments even deemed it the best in the world.”

“Recently, the Soviet Union announced a $300 million interest-free loan and a series of industrial aid projects to China, widely seen as payment for China’s advanced ground-to-ground missile technology.”

“Randolph Lin returned to Xiangjiang in July last year to serve as a visiting professor; China’s world-leading short-range ballistic missile was tested in September.”

“Just now, James Webb called Lin one of the most renowned masters of contemporary mathematics; we strongly suspect he provided China with a unique ballistic missile algorithm, enabling their technological leap.”

“Until this suspicion is disproven, I do not believe Professor Lin is qualified for the sensitive position of Special Assistant for Aerospace Affairs.”

Lin Ran laughed: “Excuse me—if I truly had such ability and wanted to help China, why would I return to America?”

“If I could help China develop the world’s first short-range ballistic missile in just one month in Xiangjiang, does that mean all other missile researchers were idle?”

The reporters in the room burst into laughter.

Because the reporters included not only Republicans but also Democrats; naturally, Democratic reporters were delighted to see Republican senators embarrassed.

Lin Ran smiled outwardly, inwardly reflecting: on one hand, he lamented that even advanced technology in China could not be safeguarded in this era; on the other, he was glad they had at least secured the interest-free dollar loan and some industrial projects.

For China at this moment, a $300 million interest-free loan was no small sum.

Lin Ran only hoped China would grasp the ideas he had shared: sea power outweighs land power, and the container revolution.

If they understood these early enough, merely investing the $300 million in port infrastructure through intermediaries in Xiangjiang would yield enormous profits—doubling the investment in three years would be conservative.

Upon learning this good news, Lin Ran became even more composed during the hearing.

After hearing Lin Ran’s defense, none of the white reporters believed Randolph was connected to China’s short-range missile; but Huang Yunji had a gut feeling this might indeed be linked to Lin Ran.

“Lin, it’s not your turn to speak yet—this is cross-examination!”

“I didn’t say it was all your doing; I mean China’s missile achieved global leadership in one specific aspect, possessing unique value—and this is connected to you.”

This was also confirmed in Haines’s testimony: NASA could only calculate up to the third term of the Earth’s gravitational perturbation formula; you derived the fifth.”

“Such a cutting-edge technological breakthrough must rely on the most elite talent; without doubt, Lin, you are that talent.”

“That’s why we seriously suspect you’ve been indirectly transferring valuable technical information to China through your teaching in Xiangjiang.”

After Barry Goldwater finished, James Webb rebutted: “As I stated at the outset, honorable senators, the accusations against Professor Randolph Lin rest entirely on speculation and association.”

“Regarding your claim that Randolph is connected to China’s missile development, aside from the alleged coincidence of timelines, do you have any other evidence?”