Exploiting Hollywood 1980.

Chapter 1388: Barbecue Tactics Questioning Panda Lovers

"Mr. Li, this is not the question I want to ask you. My question is, do you have Chinese ancestry? Do you have any relatives settled in China?"

"No..." Ronald made up his mind. No matter whether the other party had found out something or was simply deceiving him, he was confident that no one else had seen the document kept by his great-grandmother, and no one knew of its existence. As long as he acted tough as Roger Ailes said, he would appear to be right.

"Mr. Congressman, like you, I also heard this rumor from the gossip newspapers some time ago. The fact is that none of my parents and grandparents are of Chinese descent. Instead, my grandmother is of English descent, although I have never seen her. I only saw her in the documents left by my grandfather..." Ronald simply turned from defense to offense. You are a congressman, even though you come from Indiana, a state known for its rednecks, and you are just making a fuss because you read some gossip newspapers.

"Mr. Li, since you have no Chinese ancestry, why would you be able to transfer advanced technology that can be used for military purposes to the other side of the Pacific Ocean?"

"Huh?" Ronald was stunned when he heard this. When did I transfer my technology?

Dan Burton immediately revealed a satisfied smile. This move was launched suddenly. When a normal person was fully prepared for the first problem, it would be easy for him to make mistakes in the second problem.

"Deny it! Now!" Lindsay Doll, a lawyer, was very sharp in discovering the ill intentions of Congressman Burton. She did not ask if it was true, but asked why directly. If it was in court, she would have raised an objection. But the parliament is not a court, so she could only remind Ronald to deny it firmly and not fall into the trap of words.

"Mr. Congressman, I have not transferred any advanced technology that can be used for military purposes to China..." Ronald came to his senses after reading the words on the paper and immediately denied it categorically.

"Mr. Li, have you or have you not set up a joint venture in Qingpu to produce lighting equipment?"

"Yes, but..." Ronald heard that the target was the lightning factory he had set up there for filming. He quickly explained that his lightning was for filming and was imported, not exported.

"You just need to answer yes or no..." Dan Burton was very proud and his tone became strict. This tone of inquiry did not sound like a legislative consultation hearing, but a supervision hearing questioning corruption and crimes.

Ronald wanted to fight back, but Roger Ailes pulled him back and pushed a piece of paper over with the words "delay time..." written on it. Then Roger Ailes quickly stood up and walked towards the door.

"Yes, I have... Congressman," Ronald said slowly...

“Does your joint venture factory produce high-power lighting equipment?”

"Yes, but that is..."

"Yes or no?"

"Mr. Congressman, this is not a simple yes/no question. There is a possibility of misunderstanding..."

"No, no, this is very simple. My question is unambiguous. Does your joint venture factory produce high-power lighting equipment..."

"Yes, it's for filming a movie..."

"I'll remind you again, yes or no..."

"George, your friend is under siege in Congress, and the question is about the transfer of military technology to China. Is this directed at you?" Roger Ailes ran out of the door and called George Jr., and then connected to George Sr. as quickly as possible.

"Shxt! Who is it?" Old George was shocked and angry, and stood up from the sofa. When he was a diplomat in China, he had made friends with some people. Later, the Peace Pearl Project was accelerated during his tenure to provide technical upgrades for PLAA fighter jets.

This is also an additional business for Grumman, which did not get the contract to update the fighter jets. They will provide radar and fire control upgrades and some modernization for the other party's most advanced self-developed fighter jets, with a total value of 550 million US dollars.

After George Sr. took office, he went against the trend and accelerated the delivery of the deal, allowing engineers to return to Grumman's factory in Bethpage, Long Island to study, shipping equipment to the other side of the strait, and introducing fighter jets for research on modification and upgrading.

Later, due to pressure from the Democratic Party in Congress, the deal was canceled in mid-1990. However, George Sr. handled it very cleverly. The PLAA's new fighter jets and dozens of outdated fighter jets remained in America as enemy fighter jets for the Top Gun school.

The radar components used on F-16 fighter jets, the fire control-level stunt components responsible for processing radar data and guiding air-to-air missiles, and some technical documents that had been urgently transported to the other side were left with the other side.

Such superb diplomatic skills are the result of George's years of experience and flexible skills. The real business entities on both sides felt that it was not easy to achieve such results under difficult conditions, and those MPs who clamored for human rights in parliament were also respected. After all, few of them could understand these technical details.

However, after such a long time, someone actually wanted to find fault with the transfer of advanced military technology through his friend Ronald. Was he trying to find a breakthrough in the periphery to arouse discussion and public opinion in Parliament, and then break the breakthrough and implicate himself?

"It's Dan Burton from Indiana..."

"This bastard Hoosier (nickname for Indiana people)" Old George was furious. These stubborn rednecks wanted to hold the military industry, the foundation of New York State, accountable just for a few votes from evangelicals who grow corn and soybeans?

He thought for a few seconds and then said into the phone, "This bastard is the least experienced member of the Foreign Affairs Committee. Ask Tom Lantos to settle this matter. He owes me one..."

Tom Lantos is the congressman for California's 12th district, second only to Lee Hamilton as the committee's vice chairman. He got re-elected by courting the progressive elements of the 12th district in San Francisco.

As long as he shouted a few words against human rights violations, the voters would vote for him obediently. So before the Gulf War, he found a Kuwaiti nurse to testify in Congress, saying that the Iraqi occupation forces took the premature babies out of the incubators used in the obstetrics department and left them to die.

This scene changed the views of many members of parliament at the scene, and the war dispute bill was successfully passed. But a year later, the girl, who went by the alias "Nurse Naila", was revealed to be the daughter of the then Kuwaiti ambassador to the United States.

The New York Times also reprinted the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation's subsequent on-site investigation, which showed that the number of babies who died was not more than 300 as she claimed, but 30, and 19 of them died before the invasion of Iraq...

Public opinion was in an uproar and Tom Lantos faced questioning from parliament. In the end, it was old George who used his influence to help him settle the matter.

"Senator Tom Lantos, this is your friend calling." Roger Ailes immediately ran over to negotiate with Lantos who was sitting in the back seat.

"Has your joint venture factory introduced the metal halide lamp technology that China did not have before? Can it be used in military high-power searchlights?"

Dan Burton was in high spirits and continued to question Ronald.

"Hey..." Ronald laughed in anger. So the hat that Burton was trying to get for himself was the technology of this high-power lamp?

"Mr. Congressman, this technology is not in..."

"Yes or no? You panda lover..." Dan Burton smiled. This questioning tactic is affectionately called "grilling tactic" by congressional insiders. It uses a series of yes or no questions designed to confuse the audience to drive the interviewee to the predetermined battlefield. Just like when grilling, you have to keep turning the grilled meat over, so that all his decent exits are burnt.

"Yes, Congressman..." Ronald had already seen Roger Ailes nodding to him at the side door. A congressman with Eastern European appearance was walking towards the podium while looking through Ronald's subpoena documents.

"Did you transfer the metal halide lamp technology that China did not have to this joint venture company in Qingpu? This is an advanced technology that can be used to manufacture high-power military searchlights?"

"Congressman, once again, this is a complex issue..."

"No no, you just have to answer yes or no... Mr. Panda Lover..."

"Bang bang bang!"

Dan Burton was about to continue grilling Ronald, but Lee Hamilton, the chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, interrupted the process by picking up a hammer and knocking a few times. Tom Lantos, who had just spoken to Lee Hamilton, was looking at Ronald next to him.

"Remind Congressman Burton that this subpoena is for legislative consultation. Mr. Ronald Lee has the right to explain the background of your questioning..."

"Huh?" Dan Burton turned around in surprise and saw Tom Lantos winking at him. He had just said something bad about him to the chairman. Is Burton, who is from the party, trying so hard to get more exposure in the media so as to replace the two senior members of the Donkey Party in the Foreign Affairs Committee?

"Thank you, Mr. Chairman..." Ronald immediately thanked Lee Hamilton for his fairness.

"Please pay attention to your speaking time. Stay focused on Congressman Burton's questions and give brief answers..." Lee Hamilton still wanted to save Dan Burton's face on the surface.

"Mr. Congressman, this metal halide lamp technology is not included in the list of prohibited exports by Congress, and it is mainly used in stadiums, public transportation, street lamps and other places that require large-scale lighting... So exporting it is not illegal..."

"But after all, you are exporting advanced technology that can be converted to military use. Why would you, a successful Hollywood director and producer, go there to open a factory and teach them advanced technology?" Dan Burton found another logical loophole in Ronald's speech. He was best at attacking step by step like this.

"Mr. Congressman, I did not open this factory. I acquired some of the original factory shares and established a joint venture. And the transfer of this technology is also because I need the production technology of another type of lamp they produce, the long arc xenon lamp.

This technology has high power consumption, high manufacturing cost, and lower conversion efficiency than metal halide lamps, so only China and the northern big country still retain this technology. So I am not transferring advanced technology, but exchanging a civilian technology. "

"As far as I know, you are a well-known Hollywood director and producer?" Dan Burton was a little annoyed. "Why do you know so much about the technical details of a small factory?"

"This is still leading the topic to I am a spy selling technology..." Ronald was very disgusted with this redneck congressman. Lindsay Dole next to him also wrote a paper over, "The first cross-border business!" This was the reason for him to argue that he was cautious.

Roger Ailes also came over and whispered to Ronald to say that his acquisition and technology exchange were not illegal and not to answer such trap questions with preset premises.

During a live questioning, if a bad answer is taken out of context and edited into an ambiguous clip and broadcast on television, it will cause big trouble.

As a veteran of television and political propaganda, Ailes understood that every sentence should not be taken out of context.

However, Ronald was confident. He smiled and did not follow the two consultants' instructions. Instead, he moved the microphone closer to himself and answered in a voice that could be heard by the entire audience and the TV broadcast.

"Mr. Congressman, I know it's because I need to introduce their unique long-arc xenon lamp production capabilities to simulate lightning in movies. This is an outdated lighting technology, and it has an unexpected use in filming."

"Lightning? Are you?" Dan Burton did not expect such an answer. The information that someone secretly sent to him did not include such details. It only focused on the technology exported to that place, but did not involve the imported technology.

"Yes, this is an invention of Engineer Yan Zhongfang from Xujiahui Film Studio. I have used the equipment produced by this technology to shoot many lightning shots. For example, the Back to the Future trilogy that you are all familiar with, the recently released Bram Stoker's Dracula, and The Karate Kid 2 that I shot myself all used this technology to simulate lightning. You can compare it with previous movies that have lightning, the effect is very obvious."

Dan Burton didn't expect this answer. His grilling questions were all useless. He opened and closed his mouth, and for a moment he couldn't think of any more questions to ask.

"Bang, bang, thank you for your questioning, Congressman Burton.... Next, please let Ronald Lee take the questioning from Congressman Tom Lantos." Committee Chairman Lee Hamilton took the opportunity to bang the gavel to prevent Burton from stealing the spotlight.

Dan Burton had no more questions to ask, so the chairman ended his questioning process directly. Although it had been extended twice, he had not and had exhausted all the questions worth asking, so he had to clear his throat and leave the stage.

Tom Lantos came up and took over his questioning, patting him on the shoulder in a friendly manner.

"Mr. Ronald Lee, it's hard for me not to notice that Congressman Burton just compared you to a panda lover. I also happened to learn from Senator Barbara Boxer, who was elected from California, the state I represent, that you are introducing pandas. What do you think about this..."

"Well, councillor, I would like to respond to Councillor Burton's statement by saying, who doesn't love pandas?"

"Hahaha..." There was laughter again. The C-SPAN photographer deliberately turned over and took a photo of Dan Burton, who also pretended to lower his head to organize his notes.

"Bang, bang... silence..." Lee Hamilton knocked the hammer to stop everyone from laughing.

"What I want to say is that this is a normal business activity. I know that giant pandas are very popular, and their dolls are at the top of the sales list of children's favorite plush toys. So I want to use the leasing method to circumvent the other side's regulation prohibiting the export of pandas, so that children on the West Coast can have more opportunities to interact with this gentle and lovely animal."

"Based on your experience, what is China's attitude towards this business activity?"

"I don't know, Mr. Congressman. I can only say that they are very good negotiating opponents. We have to guarantee that if the male and female pandas get pregnant and give birth to baby pandas, the ownership of the baby pandas will belong to China. We also have to guarantee that they eat bamboo from their place of origin while in the United States. Only then will they be willing to negotiate. They are just as difficult to deal with as the shrewd businessmen I met in America."

Ronald took the opportunity to promote his product, saying that it was profitable to do business with them.

^
"Yeah, don't worry, it's just a little trouble. Congressman Burton from Indiana has no ill intentions. He is just still living in the Cold War..."

After the questioning was completed, Ronald was still calling Diane. She watched the live broadcast on TV at home and called to ask about it.

"Bang..." Ronald put down the phone fiercely and cursed at the two consultants, "This guy definitely did it on purpose, he's a malicious bastard. Find out who leaked the information to him."

(End of this chapter)