[Vocabulary] intervene with the Americans?

[hhtt21]

Would you please explain the meaning and use of "intervene" in this context?


What I understand: There is someone with a disease with no treatment but Americans had already identified that disease. I think they are discussing if they should want help from Americans.


In a long telephone call punctuated by sobbing, Mrs. Turkin told her husband their son was going to die. From melioidosis. Major Turkin wrote it down. Then he went to see his superior, the KGB Head of Station, Colonel Kuliev. He was sympathetic but adamant.

“Intervene with the Americans? Are you crazy?”
“Comrade Colonel, if the Yanks have identified it, and seven years ago at that, they
may have something for it.”
“But we can’t ask them that,” protested the colonel. “There is a question of national
prestige here.”
“There is a question of my son’s life here,” shouted the major.
“That is enough. Consider yourself dismissed.

Source: https://books.google.ru/books?id=SZ...ans? Are you crazy?" "Comrade Colonel&f=false ​ by Frederick Forsyth

 

[probus]

I suppose the author (Forsyth) meant making use of the Americans to intervene in the course of the disease.

 

[Charlie Bernstein]

There's not enough context there. But intervene means step in, insert yourself, raise an objection, create a barrier, or stop someone else's course of action.

So the colonel is probably saying he doesn't want to create a dispute with the Americans.

 

[GoesStation]

Hhtt21, please remember that your signature line says "Thank you" and refrain from adding it to the ends of your posts. We appreciate the gratitude, but we don't like to have to delete it from each post that we quote.

 

[Tdol]

Frederick Forsyth is a writer who would want to portray Soviet people as being unable politically to gets cures from the West.