Before the meeting in the Oval Office in the West Wing of the White House, Franklin Delano Roosevelt in a wheelchair had just finished smoking a camel cigarette when he took off his glasses, wiped the lenses with a white handkerchief in his breast pocket, and put them back on. On his desk is a memorandum of the Sino-Japanese Joint Fleet, which was submitted by the Naval Operations Department at the beginning of the year, and its content mainly describes the aircraft carriers of the Chinese and Japanese Navy.

According to the Washington Naval Disarmament Treaty, China gave up the tonnage of battleships and retained six 160,000-ton aircraft carriers, while Japan had 81,000-ton aircraft carriers, all of which have now been used up, and the last aircraft carrier, the Soryu, was launched last year and will be completed and put into active service soon after about a year. In this way, China and Japan have a total of 10 aircraft carriers, large and small, while the US Navy has only six aircraft carriers according to the treaty restrictions, and these six aircraft carriers are divided into two oceans......

In the description of this memorandum, the only advantage of the Sino-Japanese joint fleet over the US Navy is aircraft carriers, so the Navy strongly demands that six to eight aircraft carriers be added; If China and Japan also build new aircraft carriers, then the United States should build ships at twice the tonnage until China and Japan dissolve their alliance and return to the negotiating table.

Roosevelt had already read this memorandum, and from his personal point of view, especially from the perspective of the Assistant Secretary of the Admiralty, it was indeed necessary to adopt a new, 10:5 ratio of naval tonnage in order to bring China and Japan to their knees. The Pacific Ocean can only be the backyard of the United States, not the Atlantic Ocean, which shares sea power with Britain, which is an important guarantee of Western freedom and democracy. The evil and **** evil alliance of Asia Minor will sweep the entire civilized world like the Mongols.

But it is extremely difficult to do so, and there is a strong dictatorship on the other side of the ocean. He skillfully manages an alliance of evil, from the Pacific Ocean to the Persian Gulf to the Black Sea and the Mediterranean. The whole alliance is like an ugly toad across the ancient Asian continent; He was friendly with the red Bolshevik Russia, friendly with the British, French and Dutch colonists, friendly with the entire civilized world but did not agree with democracy and freedom, and studied Western science but stubbornly believed in **** and paganism.

Their economy is developing rapidly, science and technology are advancing rapidly - the world is covered with novel Chinese goods, from diodes, tungsten wires, fluorescent lamps, radios, tape recorders, televisions, household appliances, zippers, stainless steel, bulldozers, chariots, all-metal airliners, shipping containers, synthetic ammonia, DDT, hybrid rice, and all kinds of magical 'plastics', and even folding wheelchairs under their own ass, which were also invented by the Chinese. Even the most optimistic people have to admit that China at this time is the United States in the 19th century, and the second half of the 20th century will be the century of Chinese......

"Mr. President, everyone is here." Harry Hopkins, who had just succeeded the late Louis Howe as White House secretary, came in to inform. When the president smiles and nods at the head. Hopkins added: "Mr. President, I think you should listen to it, the downing is being broadcast on the radio......

Fireside chats are an important way for presidents to share their policies directly with the people in order to gain direct support. That's why CBS has created a special talk show where influential experts are invited to talk to the radio station. And the popular incident of the Chinese Navy shooting down the United States plane soon appeared on talk shows.

"Of course." Roosevelt nodded, and he pulled out the cigarette case again, using his slender fingers to insert a camel cigarette into a delicate mouthpiece. Then Meimei sucked it up.

“…… Yes, this is an event that is in serious violation of international law," after the squeak of electricity as Hopkins twisted the FM button. The voice on the radio gradually became clearer, and the voice that spoke at this time carried the majesty of a soldier. "In accordance with international law, on the high seas. The ships and planes of the United States have full right of free passage if the Chinese want to exercise. They could well be in their own territorial waters, where no United States aircraft would pass over their fleet. ”

"But now China justifies that the reason for the downing is that the United States plane did not listen to the advice......" another voice sounded. This is the moderator.

"Shit! They have to do that to get the job done, and that's their usual trick. The soldier's voice said: "Our biggest mistake was to sign the Washington Naval Treaty at the Washington Conference 14 years ago, acquiescing in the Triple Alliance of China, Japan and North Korea, which is very wrong, and this mistake led to today's East Asia Alliance."

As can be seen from this downdown, the East Asian alliance is completely similar to the German-Austrian alliance before the war in Europe, the monarchs of the three countries have signed the covenant to start the war, and there is a lot of evidence that they are preparing for a war across the Pacific, and Hawaii, the Panama Canal, and the entire West Coast have become very unsafe......"

"But I think there may be a possibility of communication between the two sides, after all, China, Japan and North Korea still abide by international treaties......"

"Nope. You can't communicate with a country that doesn't believe in God! The soldier's voice said flatly. According to past experience, the only thing that can really stop them is machine guns and artillery, not treaties or whatever. But it is extremely disappointing that many people are being deceived by them and do not feel the danger that is imminent, and this downing is actually a reminder from God that if Chinese can shoot down our plane in the South Pacific, they can attack Hawaii and the entire West ......Coast."

Roosevelt laughed when he heard this, it was obvious that it was for military spending, and of course, he was happy for the people to hear such information, especially at a time when the effectiveness of the first New Deal was waning and the number of unemployed was rising again.

In the oval room, Secretary of State Cordell Hull, Secretary of War George Deen, Secretary of the Navy Clinder Swanson, Chief of Naval Operations William Harrison Standley, and Asian affairs expert Stanley Hornbeck were already waiting. The main topic of the meeting was actually the shooting down in the South Pacific, and at this time, the Chinese Foreign Ministry had already issued a statement expressing great regret over the incident, but agreed to compensate for the damage because it insisted that the United States naval aircraft should not rush into the skies over the fleet in disregard of warnings and obstructions. However, he was reluctant to publicly apologize to the United States for the incident, and was particularly opposed to the severe punishment of the officers involved. Probably subconsciously. They feared that if they did so, the United States Navy planes would run rampant over the Chinese fleet.

After a simple greeting. Secretary of State Cordell Hull began the meeting by saying, "Mr. President, the Chinese government continues to believe that the responsibility for the incident lies with the naval planes that forced their way into the skies over the fleet despite warnings, and while they regret and reluctantly agree to apologize, they firmly disagree with the severe punishment of the perpetrators......

"Then we should have some responses." Roosevelt put down his cigarette and immediately interrupted Hull's speech. "The plane has the logo of the US Navy, and the sinking of the plane by the Chinese is equivalent to a declaration of war, isn't it, gentlemen?"

"You're absolutely right. Mr. President! Before the aging Admiralty Swanson could speak, Chief of Naval Operations Stanley immediately chimed in. He was totally opposed to isolationism at home, and he looked down on the Secretary of War -- in fact, the Secretary of War should have compromised with China and Japan, believing that the United States should really teach those yellow-skinned monkeys a lesson. "The Atlantic Fleet and the Pacific Fleet should be stationed in Hawaii immediately and conduct exercises off the coast of the Philippines; At the same time, the second Carl Vinson Act should be passed in order to guarantee the absolute superiority of the Navy in the Pacific direction. ”

Standley did have some dominance within the Navy, and Roosevelt preferred Ernest King and William Leahy, so he wanted to remove him from the post of Chief of War early on. But this time Standerley's hard-line approach was what he wanted. He smiled and nodded, then looked at the others to ask for their opinions.

"The Senate and Congress will certainly oppose this." Unsurprisingly, Secretary of War Denn mentioned Congress and the Senate, even though he was Secretary of War. He also opposed the neutrality bill passed last year, but he has always been a marginal member in the Cabinet and the Army, and has worked with Army Chief of Staff Douglas MacArthur on public works, water conservancy, and dams. These projects, which were built with the participation of the Army, were a pleasant one. It can be said that his opinion is equal to nothing.

"The Senate is really an obstacle." Take over George Dern's words. Secretary of State Hull also put down his original statement and began to discuss the handling of the matter. "But I think if things continue to ferment, the public will actively support ****** take a tough stance, and at the very least, Congress will have to agree to the second Navy Act -- from the downing of the plane, public opinion is already blaming Congress for being too stingy and causing the Navy to lag far behind China and Japan."

"What if tomorrow the Navy engages the combined fleet of China and Japan?" Roosevelt's thinking was always an illogical jump, and people with slower brains could not keep up with the pace of his thinking, but fortunately, this was not the first time that the officials here had a meeting. "Mr. President, if the war is provoked by China and Japan, the key to victory or defeat will be whether the fleet in Hawaii can withstand their surprise attack," said Secretary of the Navy Swanson. Although the tonnage of the navy's capital ships is larger than that of the Chinese and Japanese fleets, they belong to two oceans, and once a war breaks out, it will take several months to assemble and prepare for war. ”

"The Philippines is too close to China, and even if General MacArthur is confident, I think it will be difficult for the Philippines to hold on." War Secretary Denn again expressed his pessimistic tone, "Perhaps, the areas west of Hawaii, including but not limited to Guam, Midway, and Wake Island, will be lost a few months before the war begins." Mr. President, I think it is urgent that we should once again build Hawaii's fortifications on a large scale so that we have time to assemble our fleet and land forces for a counterattack. In addition, new aircraft, new combat vehicles, new trucks, semi-automatic rifles, modern artillery, and a unified procurement system are especially important to the Army, and we must convince Congress to allocate a large amount of money before we can prepare for war. ”

Although he is not a military personnel, several years of his career as secretary of war, especially his contacts with generals such as MacArthur, have given Secretary of War Dehn an idea of what the Army should be like in future wars, but the two-ocean geography of the United States has made the Army the least valued by Congress, and it was reduced to less than 200,000 as soon as the European war ended, and at the same time, all projects related to the Army were also closed. These actions led to extremely poor morale in the army, and the difference in performance between them and the Chinese army in the last European war made most army officers less confident about fighting the Chinese army.

The Army is really a mess of muddy waters. The thought suddenly crossed Roosevelt's mind, and he felt that most Army officers lacked the courage to fight, especially against the Chinese Army. He pulled out a camel cigarette again. After inserting the cigarette holder and lighting it, he said: "This is equivalent to saying that our defense against China and Japan in the Pacific direction is almost zero?!" ”

"Yes. Mr. President. War Secretary Deen agreed, "Although the Chinese army has also been reduced on a large scale after the war in Europe." But the officer corps is retained intact, and even the junior non-commissioned officers retain their salaries and take turns as the chief officers of the active duty troops; And then there is his most modern part: instead of being reduced, the chariot unit has been expanded from one to three armies. Although it is not yet formed, this is the most powerful legion in the world. General MacArthur said a long time ago that if there was a war with China and Japan and the army mobilized for less than a year, then the West Coast could not be defended by the army. ”

"If the Navy can't concentrate on the Pacific Ocean as soon as possible and keep the Panama Canal open. In the end, then, only torpedo boats and mines would be able to prevent the Chinese and Japanese troops from landing on Hawaii and the West Coast. Unless the second Navy Act is passed, and the ships under construction are removed from the dock as soon as possible. "Since the army has released such words, the navy has nothing to say, anyway, it all needs funds.

But that's not what Roosevelt was thinking, he seemed to have heard MacArthur's scolding -- once, when he was meeting in the White House to discuss disarmament, MacArthur said to his face: 'When America loses the next war, an American boy lies in the mud with his belly pierced by the enemy's bayonet. To choke on the neck of the enemy's boots. The one whom the boy cursed with his last breath, I hope it wasn't MacArthur, but Roosevelt! ’

Along with the dead Senator Huey Lang, the self-righteous, outspoken Army General is two of the most dangerous in America today. Not one of them. The former is a more left-wing politician than himself, and his wealth-sharing plan has given him wide popular support; And the latter are right-wing generals who are dissatisfied with everything the current government has done. Fortunately, he is now arranged to go to the Philippines.

"Mr. President," Harry Hopkins interrupted Roosevelt's thoughts. "I have just received news that China has announced that if Italy does not listen to the advice of the League of Nations. If Abyssinia must be invaded, then the Chinese Navy will send troops to East Africa together with the Japanese and Korean navies to uphold justice. ”

Hopkins said the news from across the ocean, and his face was a little weird. The whole world knows that Italy wants to annex Abyssinia, but all countries, including the United States, are standing idly by, and now China and Japan are saying that they want to uphold the ...... of world justice. The East Asian alliance has always been evil and ****.

"Mr. President, public opinion will be against us." Secretary of State Hull immediately had a judgment.

"Mr. President, the Orientals have always been kingly, and this kind of behavior will make China and Japan feel that they are the embodiment of justice." Stanley Hornbeck, an expert on Asian affairs who has not spoken, said. At the same time, it would also give the colonial peoples who had been enslaved by the European countries the hope of freedom to surrender to East Asia. And the blacks, Mr. President, Abyssinia is the only nominally independent country in Africa, and if China, Japan, and North Korea really do that, then the blacks at home will have a good opinion of them. Many blacks had now volunteered to go to Africa to help Abyssinia resist Italy. ”

"Mr. President, this is just the Chinese and Japanese navies running in for war, just like now holding military exercises, they are preparing for war." Chief of Naval Operations Standry also gave his own explanation.

Glancing approvingly, Roosevelt asked, "Could it be that Britain and France agreed with them to do this?" Abyssinia is in East Africa and is close to the Suez Canal. ”

"Mr. President, I think that as long as the Chinese and Japanese fleets do not pass through the Suez Canal, Britain has no reason to oppose them. After all, the world's public opinion condemns Italy and praises China and Japan. Hull said helplessly. There is no doubt that China and Japan have taken the initiative in public opinion. "As long as they stop Italy and don't get involved in Abyssinia."

"So what can we do?" Roosevelt understood the implications of the matter. Abyssinian became independent because the country had few resources and its valuable areas had been divided between Britain and France. Now that China and Japan are sending troops in the name of the League of Nations, they naturally want to wash away the reputation of ****. This is very unfavorable to the United States, as Professor Saiah Bowman, who is also an adviser to the Foreign Affairs Association's War and Peace Research Group and a ****** adviser, has said that given another 10 years in East Asia, the United States will completely withdraw from the Asian and Pacific region in the foreseeable future.

Now China and Japan are trying to establish a positive image for themselves by aiding Abyssinia. The vast majority of Republicans in Congress, as well as the Democratic Party in the western region, will praise China and Japan for maintaining world peace, and churches, women's organizations, and college students will also believe that the Chinese and Japanese navies are not a threat to the United States.

The problem seems to be more intractable than the downing incident. Roosevelt frowned and lit his cigarette again, thinking as he waited for the others to come up with a practical case. But it's not ****** advisors here. After a while, Secretary of State Hull said, "Mr. President, I think we should have a bigger meeting to determine how to deal with the new situation." After he finished speaking, he glanced at the chief of naval operations and the secretary of war, who were about to stop talking, and said: "Of course, it is certain that Congress will be asked to increase appropriations for the military, and after the minutes of today's meeting are sorted out, they will be sent to the Senate House Armed Services Committee for discussion." ”

When Hull said this, everyone in the audience breathed a sigh of relief, and hurriedly ran over for a meeting, didn't they all ask for funds.

"The devil is getting more and more cunning." After everyone is gone. Roosevelt, who returned to his office, said to his secretary-general, Hopkins. "According to the investigative bureau's report, over the years, there has been a huge amount of money from unknown sources to fund anti-war peace groups. I think that like the gold smuggling case of that year, it is inseparable from the Chinese. ”

Roosevelt's first act as president was to ban gold exports, and then passed legislation prohibiting private ownership of gold, otherwise a felony. Against this backdrop, a gold smuggling frenzy has been set off in the country. Some people have eaten large sums of gold across the country at prices higher than $2.67 an ounce, and the FBI estimates that more than 1,000 tons of gold have been smuggled out of the country, and all of them have mysteriously disappeared into California. The navy used more than a dozen cruisers and dozens of destroyers to stop the smuggling ship carrying the gold, and the only gain was to catch a wounded Chinese stowaway.

"But we don't have proof." Hopkins sat across from Roosevelt, and he understood that the president was not an isolationist. However, because of the recognition made during the election and the anti-war situation in the country, he had to agree to the neutrality bill.

"Harry. I feel that everything is a calculation of the Chinese. Roosevelt shook his head and smiled wryly, "They know us." Knowing what our people and parliamentarians like to hear and what they don't like to listen to always reinforces our isolationist sentiments. If this development is allowed to continue, as Professor Bowman said, in another ten years, the East Asian alliance will be unshakable, and the United States will lose Asia forever, and at the same time lose the entire civilized world. ”

Hearing the president speak of Professor Bowman's views, Hopkins was a little noncommittal. Even though Professor Bowman is president of Hopkins University and president of the American Geographical Society, there is always something absolute about his statements. "Mr. President, I think Professor Bowman's estimate is too optimistic, and it will take at least 30 years for China to catch up with and surpass the United States."

"But just as the Japanese have always wanted a 10:7 ratio of the navy's capital ships, if there is a war with China and Japan in 10 years, then the United States will not be able to afford the losses of the war." Roosevelt spoke his judgment, his eyes resolute. "Although Germany is also rearming itself in Europe, it is Asia that is the most threatening compared to Europe."

As his closest aide, Hopkins has always been able to find the most critical core in the mess, which is why the president trusts him over Secretary of State Hull, who doesn't like nagging career diplomats, preferring diplomacy himself rather than through ******.

Just as Hopkins pondered how to respond, Roosevelt said, "Harry, I want you to go to Russia." Find out how Stalin viewed China and Japan, and analyze what he would do if there was a war between China and Japan and the United States. ”

I didn't expect the president to give him this task, although I was surprised, but the resolute Hopkins still nodded and said, "Then when will I go?" ”

"Next month at the latest. Didn't the Russians want to buy machine tools? We can let go of some restrictions for them to buy. "We could even give them a certain level of loan to buy some military supplies and restricted equipment and supplies." ”

"I totally understand." Hopkins nodded again.

"Remember to be my personal envoy, unofficial, and be sure to keep it secret." Roosevelt finally admonished. (To be continued.) )