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THE DOOR to the Oval Office clicked shut.
總統辦公室的門咔噠一聲關上了。
The South Korean envoy had told Trump that Kim Jong Un wanted to meet him as soon as possible.
韓國特使告訴特朗普，金正恩希望盡快與他會面。
Would Trump accept?
特朗普會接受嗎？
The President turned to the handful of senior advisers
總統將目光投向了他的資深顧問團隊，
and jutted out his chin in what aides have come to recognize as a sign that he’s about to say something provocative.
通過他翹起的下巴，助手們意識到，他又要發表挑釁性的言論了。
“I’m inclined to do it,” Trump said. “What do you think?”
“我傾向于同意，”特朗普說?！澳銈冇X得呢？”
There were a million reasons to say no,
助手們有一百萬個不贊成的理由，
and as the South Korean envoy cooled his heels across the hall in the Roosevelt Room, Trump’s aides took turns listing them,
他們輪番上陣列舉各種不贊成的理由，韓國特使在羅斯福廳對面等了許久，
according to two U.S. officials briefed on the meeting.
據兩名了解會議情況的美國官員透露。
For years, the U.S. had refused to reward North Korea’s treaty-violating pursuit of nuclear weapons and intercontinental ballistic missiles;
多年來，美國一直拒絕認可朝鮮違反條約，發展核武器和洲際彈道導彈的做法；
a face-to-face meeting would seem to do just that.
而同意雙方進行面對面的會談似乎就等于認可了他們的這一做法。
Moreover, with little time to plan tactics and strategy, or to demand concessions,
此外，由于沒有時間安排戰術和戰略，也沒有時間要求朝鮮做出讓步，
there was no way to tell what Kim might give up in return.
金正恩可能會做出怎樣的讓步我們完全無從得知。
Worst of all, if talks proved that there could be no diplomatic solution to the stand-off,
最糟糕的是，如果談判表明無法通過外交途徑解決僵局，
then military conflict—even nuclear war—could become more likely.
那么，發生軍事沖突——甚至是核戰——的概率就會增加。
But in a matter of minutes, Trump had made up his mind.
然而，短短幾分鐘，特朗普就下定了決心。
By quickly saying yes to a meeting, the President thought,
總統以為，同時迅速答應舉行會議，
he would test Kim’s intentions and put him off-balance, explains a close aide.
他就能打亂金正恩的陣腳，試探出他的意圖，一位親密的助手解釋道。
Trump summoned the South Korean diplomats into the Oval Office and beamed.
特朗普把韓國大使叫到了總統辦公室，臉上帶著笑容。
“Let’s do it, fellas,” the President said.
“伙計們，那就這么辦吧，”總統說。
Trump wasn’t done surprising his staff or his South Korean guests.
特朗普打起工作人員或韓國來賓措手不及來總是沒完沒了。
He had, in some ways, internalized the concerns of his aides.
在某種程度上講，他已經將助手們的擔憂內化到了骨子里。
The South Koreans assured Trump that Kim was open to giving up his nukes,
韓國大使向特朗普保證，金正恩不僅愿意放棄核武器，
wouldn’t object to U.S.- Korean military exercises and promised to stop nuclear and missile tests.
不反對美-朝演習，還承諾停止核試驗和導彈試驗。
But none of that was in writing.
問題是，這些承諾都沒有落到紙上。
譯文由可可原創，僅供學習交流使用，未經許可請勿轉載。
