The Wolf of Los Angeles-Chapter 389: Pressure from Threats

[Chapter 389: Pressure from Threats]

New York, at BlackRock's headquarters on Manhattan Avenue.

The meeting regarding the espionage case had just concluded when Larry Fink returned to his office. He instructed the legal chief to assemble a legal team and immediately head to Los Angeles. A court summons had already been issued from there.

Robert Kapito rushed in after the legal chief left and said, "The families of Haas and Anderson have been located, and the security team has assigned personnel to protect them."

Larry Fink finally heard some good news. "Good job," he responded. However, Kapito wasn't as optimistic. "Our people have found out that Eugene has a sister, Natalia, who doesn't keep in touch much. She is studying at New York University."

Fink interjected, "Control that immediately... provide protection!"

"Our team went to New York University and found her advisor and classmates," Kapito stated with an unusually serious expression. "The advisor mentioned that Natalia took a leave of absence citing family issues. We located the apartment she rents, but no one was there -- her valuables and daily clothes had all been taken. Her phone is unreachable, and when I contacted the telecom company, they couldn't locate it."

Fink quickly concluded, "The phone and the SIM card must have been destroyed."

...

A knock sounded, and an assistant entered with a copy of The Wall Street Journal. "Sir, there's a new report."

Fink took the paper and noticed a prominent headline on the front page.

"Russia Achieves Significant Breakthrough in Artificial Intelligence!"

For BlackRock, that was terrible news. The consensus on the Russia threat had permeated through Europe and America, continuing from the Cold War into the 21st century, and it would only deepen over the next twenty years.

After decades of consistent propaganda, even if Yeltsin stood by Zhirinovsky looking like a clown, mocked by Zhirinovsky, for these individuals who had lived through the Cold War, Russia was a threat to supposed democratic freedoms, no matter their actions.

The assistant remarked, "Last night, Fox News Channel 11's Ace News segment also led with similar news."

Fink nodded slightly as he read the article: "According to our correspondent in Moscow, The Moscow Times and multiple Russian websites have reported that the Siberian Computing Institute has achieved significant technical breakthroughs in the field of artificial intelligence. The details are still being investigated by our reporters..."

"At this time, for the Russians to achieve such a major breakthrough, it's hard not to connect it to BlackRock's alleged wiretapping case, which the FBI has confirmed involved Russian spies," Fink said to the assistant.

"Immediately gather news related to Russia," he ordered. The assistant hurried to make the call.

...

Once Fink and Kapito finished reading the reports in the newspaper, the assistant received a few emails. He quickly opened them for the two presidents to see.

The emails contained photos taken by a competitor in Moscow associated with BlackRock. Several Russian publications and websites had published related news.

The assistant added, "By the way, Russian officials and the Siberian Computing Institute denied the reports."

Fink waved his hand dismissively. "Russian official news is not credible; their credibility is worse than that of the pigs in the White House."

Kapito agreed, saying, "How could they possibly admit it?"

Seeing this, Fink contemplated a possibility: "Could Eugene truly be a Russian spy? Using BlackRock to gather critical intelligence?" He was unaware of the situation in Russia and could only guess. "Or perhaps it's the anti-government forces trying to create smoke and mirrors."

Kapito reminded him, "The narrative of the Russian threat is a bipartisan mainstream political line; either way, it's extremely disadvantageous for us."

Fink frowned, "If that's the case, BlackRock's situation will be even tougher."

Kapito stated, "Any mention of Russia will undoubtedly sway media opinion toward Twitter."

Fink thought for a moment and said, "You accompany the legal team to Los Angeles, and I'll head to Washington; those two fronts are critical right now; other matters can be set aside temporarily."

Kapito acknowledged, "Understood."

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---

In Washington, Dulles International Airport.

Hawke, Edward, and Raul exited the terminal, where Twitter's Public Relations Director, Hearst, waited at the exit.

Once in the car, Hearst discussed current developments: "I've spoken with Chief of Staff Andrew Card, the head of the Technology Policy Office, Brad, and the director of the Security Committee, Cristo, all of whom expressed support for Twitter. Andrew has arranged a brief meeting for you with George Walker this afternoon at four, and you'll only have fifteen minutes."

"Good work," Hawke praised, then added, "Fifteen minutes is enough."

Hearst had joined Twitter earlier that year; he was previously an editor in political economics media and had served as a political broker in Washington, building extensive connections.

Hawke not only hired Hearst as the head of PR but also brought on two former government officials as special advisors for Twitter.

Hearst continued, "The two senators from California are both Democrats. Although Barbara Boxer's position has wavered, she is also unwilling to publicly address the issue. However, I have secured support from two congressmen representing California's 27th and 13th districts, which encompass Los Angeles."

California had over fifty congressional representatives, with fifteen districts applicable to Los Angeles. Hawke considered briefly and stated, "Schedule meetings with both congressmen for tomorrow afternoon or the morning after."

Hearst replied, "Tomorrow afternoon should work."

"Sounds good," Hawke mused further before saying, "Arrange for Elizabeth Carter from Peterson Strategic Consulting to meet with me tonight. Let them know Twitter has vital business matters to discuss with Peterson."

Hearst understood the reasoning behind this: "With the buzz around the Manhattan AI Project heating up and the Russians stirring the media pot, we need to push Congress to establish a special task force quickly."

...

The group arrived at Pennsylvania Avenue and entered the Hilton Hotel, where Hawke checked into the presidential suite on the top floor.

During lunch with Hearst, they discussed matters for an extended period before taking a short break. They arrived early at the White House.

...

After passing through security, Hawke entered a meeting room led by his old acquaintance, Andrew Card.

Before long, George Walker entered, accompanied by Brad from the Technology Policy Office and Cristo from the Security Committee.

Hawke had met them more than once and greeted them all with handshakes.

George Walker sat in the main seat and stated directly, "Let's talk about your Manhattan AI Project."

"Artificial intelligence will be widely applied in the future, playing a decisive role across industries -- from military to service sectors..." Hawke pulled out a hefty proposal for the Manhattan AI Project and began to hype it up.

How could he gain the robust endorsement from the Technology Policy Office and the White House without some exaggeration?

He needed to make a grand pitch to secure funding, hoping to potentially make breakthroughs within thirty years.

After promoting artificial intelligence, Hawke shifted to the most critical point: "Currently, there are verified reports from Moscow indicating that the Russians are actively engaged in artificial intelligence development. They clearly recognize the significance of this technology for future competition; hence they are employing spies to leverage BlackRock's information against Twitter and engage in espionage activities."

Cristo from the Security Committee responded, "The evidence provided by the FBI shows that the captured spies have confirmed that their actions were directed by the Russians."

Jennifer had uncovered so-called evidence linking Eugene with Russia, and Eugene himself acknowledged espionage activities, making the case a certainty.

This was more about positioning and interests than truth.

Andrew Card emphasized, "Russia has vehemently denied this, repeatedly issuing statements; however, they are consistently untrustworthy and talk nonsense. They cannot be believed."

Brad from the Technology Policy Office seemed a bit puzzled: "Do the Russians really have such strong capabilities in electronic information technology and program design?"

Hawke was prepared, reminding him, "The globally recognized cybersecurity leader, Kaspersky, is a Russian company based in Moscow, boasting multiple super laboratories."

Brad recalled, "Right, Kaspersky is a titan in the global information security industry."

Hawke continued, "Mr. President, the current situation is abundantly clear: the Russians are ahead in artificial intelligence, at least not behind us. Given their usual practices, this technology will soon be applied to military domains, posing a tangible threat to our interests in Europe!"

George Walker contemplated these issues.

Hawke slightly slowed his pace to allow the not so quick-thinking president to keep up with his thoughts.

After a brief moment, Hawke added, "Europe is core to our interests; now that Russia controls Europe's energy supplies and gains advantages in information technology, we are all at risk."

He stressed, "Europe is America's Europe, not Russia's Europe."

Each political figure present represented a significant group with vested interests, making the situation between Europe and Russia very critical.

Currently, George Walker was preoccupied with the war on terror and lacked the capacity to address Russia, but Russia was America's number one competitor in every regard.

Hawke declared, "The Manhattan AI Project is a colossal strategic endeavor, comparable to the original Manhattan Project. Twitter is the main entity, but we need dozens of supporting companies to cooperate."

Upon hearing the last statement, Brad Smith from the Technology Policy Office understood the implication, saying, "We must ensure that America maintains its strategic edge in global competition; information and intelligence are the future trends; America needs its version of the Manhattan Project in this area."

Cristo from the Security Committee agreed, "What Russia lacks, we must possess; where Russia has it, we must maintain absolute superiority."

The time was nearing, and Hawke wrapped up the conversation before the fifteen minutes were up.

He and Andrew Card walked out together, discussing the matter as they went.

George Walker would surely convene an internal discussion.

...

Hawke returned to his hotel, and before dinner, he received a phone call from Andrew Card.

George Walker had made a decision: through a presidential executive order, he initiated a national artificial intelligence strategy proposal, pushing the Manhattan AI Project into congressional procedures to advance AI development, establish technical standards, and ensure America's global leadership in the field of artificial intelligence.

*****

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