2723. Chapter 2721 Create a threat when there is no threat
Enterprises can go bankrupt after the economic crisis breaks out, but the final trouble has to be borne by the U.S. government. Now this mess is a headache for Truman.
To prevent these companies from going bankrupt, the demand side must be strong again. In other words, the war must continue.
But looking at the world, there are only a few countries that can still afford to fight. The United States cannot personally fight a war with southern Africa. That would be an advantage to Russia.
Speaking of Russia——
Truman still had some views on Russia.
There is no doubt about Russia's contribution to World War II, but Russia was not the only country to contribute to World War II. At least Truman believed that the United States' contribution to World War II was not much smaller than Russia's.
However, compared with Russia, the gains made by the United States after the war were minimal.
Although Russia suffered heavy losses, it received the entire Eastern Europe as compensation.
As part of the Allied Forces on the Western Front, the United States' gains were not as good as those in southern Africa, which made Truman very angry.
Forget it about Southern Africa. We are both in the Western camp with the United States, so it is not appropriate to break up with each other directly.
Russia becomes the most suitable enemy.
"Considering long-term interests, we need to establish a new threat to Europe, so as to unite all European countries and reunite under the banner of democracy and freedom." Truman hoped that the United Kingdom would become the spokesperson of the United States in Europe, which is also in line with the British
Interests.
The continental equilibrium policy that the United Kingdom has adhered to for hundreds of years has now come to an end. The United Kingdom can no longer play with its own capabilities and is on the verge of bankruptcy.
If there is help from the United States, then Britain can continue to carry the water and reap the benefits by hiding outside the European continent.
"Europe cannot afford any new war, including Britain." Attlee said bitterly. I came here for a loan, not to continue applying for an arms race.
If Britain could still return to the old path of continental balancing policy, the British would not choose Attlee. It would be better to choose Winston.
On the one hand, he chose Attlee because he was completely frightened by the two world wars. On the other hand, he was attracted by the welfare society Attlee described. If Attlee's performance as prime minister did not meet British expectations,
Then Attlee will be abandoned by the British just like Winston.
"A threat is just a threat." Truman was helpless. The old brains of British gentlemen could not keep up with the new era.
In the eyes of Americans, Britain's continental equilibrium policy was actually very wise, but there were deviations in its actual implementation, which led to two world wars.
The focus of exaggerating threats is to exaggerate, not to end personally, nor to rush to the front. In both world wars, the United States only entered the war at the last moment. This is the ultimate continental balance.
Attlee remained silent, not wanting Britain to fall into a new whirlpool.
The UK has enough troubles now. If it follows the US in hyping up the Russian threat, the consequences will be unpredictable.
"Because orders from Europe have decreased and the U.S. economy is not healthy, I need good reasons to convince Congress." Truman threatened implicitly, saying there would be no loans if he didn't obey.
To persuade Congress is not to exaggerate the Russian threat theory in Congress, but to exchange with American interest groups in exchange for Congress's support.
The arms dealers in the United States are afraid of chaos in the world. They only care about whether there are orders and don't care who the enemy is.
No matter what happens to Russia, Russia's tens of millions of troops can never swim across the Atlantic to launch an attack on the United States.
The super bomb in southern Africa can directly threaten the United States mainland.
If it were just a super bomb, Truman wouldn't be so nervous.
Crucially, southern Africa also has precision-guided bombs that are more advanced than the United States, which is very difficult.
Americans never fight unprepared.
In other words, Americans will not take action if they are not prepared to win. Americans have always been very rational in this regard.
"If it is just a threat, then Parliament will not agree." Attlee also has parliamentary constraints. Ordinary people can easily incite, but the parliamentarians are all smart people.
"Then make the threat more real." Truman had already made the decision, and it was not difficult to influence Congress.
Attlee was only elected after the war. He still fell behind Truman in terms of decisiveness and decisiveness, and had not experienced a real test.
Truman regarded whether he could lead the United States safely through the economic crisis as a big test. If he performed well, he could continue to be president. If he performed poorly, he would leave the White House and give way to Thomas Dewey.
"Do you already have a plan?" Attlee didn't know how far Truman could go.
"It's being perfected." Truman smiled, as if everything was under control, but when Attlee asked again, Truman smiled and said nothing.
That's right, Attlee hasn't agreed to board the ship yet, so it's certainly impossible for Truman to tell the whole story.
After leaving the White House and on his way back to the British Embassy in the United States, Foreign Secretary Ernest Bevin handed Attlee a copy of the Chicago Tribune that had just been published. The headline on the front page was bold and bold: Dewey defeated Truman.
Attlee frowned. This was the prediction of the Chicago Tribune's survey on the presidential election.
Although this is not the final result, it can fully prove the difficult situation that Truman is currently facing.
"Almost all newspapers predict that Thomas Dewey will defeat Truman in the next election." Ernest Bevin smiled with contempt. Americans are good at stirring up trouble, and elections are really bad.
Coincidentally, what the British Labor Party is best at is elections.
"Even if Dewey can win, it will be two years later and has nothing to do with the current United Kingdom." Attlee said calmly, there was no need to visit Dewey now.
The postwar economic crisis was also a big test for Attlee. If he could not successfully pass, Attlee might not be able to wait for Dewey.
"I mean, we can put pressure on Truman through Dewey." Ernest Bevin took advantage of every factor.
Relations with Europe, especially with the United Kingdom, have always occupied a very important position in the US presidential election.
Attlee did not need to have in-depth communication with Dewey. He only needed to meet Dewey once to increase Truman's sense of crisis.
Of course, it may also cause Truman's resentment.
Attlee carefully weighed the benefits and then slowly shook his head.
Attlee came to the United States to seek help and should not have any connection with the U.S. presidential election, otherwise it would arouse the resentment of Americans.
The American media even dares to create rumors about the president, so most of them will not speak for Attlee.
Then we still have to find a solution from Truman. After all, it is a multi-billion business, and Truman also needs time.
Attlee was most concerned about Truman's plan.
"Now the only ones that qualify as enemies of the United States are southern Africa and Russia." What Ernest Bevin looked forward to most was not the United States' exaggeration of the Russian threat theory, but a fight with southern Africa.
Exaggerating the Russian threat has limited effect. The whole world knows that Russia suffered heavy losses in the world war and has no ability to continue fighting in three wars.
Of course, this depends on how you say it. Whether Russia has the ability to fight three wars is one thing, but whether it wants to fight another is another.
At least judging from Big Beard's tough external performance, Russia hopes to maintain its strong military power.
now it's right.
If it is not to initiate World War III, then why does Russia not disarma as much as southern Africa, the United Kingdom and the United States, but maintain a strong force of deterrence?
A common man is not guilty of carrying a jade.
"Southern Africa is impossible, it can only be Russia." Attlee did not use the elimination method and directly identified Russia.
If you want to exaggerate Southern Africa as a threat to Europe, you don't need Southern Africa to clarify it, you have to believe it in European countries.
Now, including the United Kingdom, all European countries are waiting for Southern Africa to lend a helping hand. Only those who are crazy would use Southern Africa as a target.
"We can't fight Russia -" Ernest Bevin looked fearful and was careful to play with fire and burn himself.
An army of tens of millions is no joke. The key point is that an army of tens of millions of people has experienced bloody battles and can easily bulldoze Europe.
At the beginning, Germany easily flattened Europe with its little strength. Now that it is Russia, this battle does not even need to be fought. Most of it will be decided through communication.
"Russia thinks so too." Attlee was not too worried about this issue.
If Russia conquers Europe, Russia will not worry about Britain, but worry about southern Africa and the United States behind Britain.
From this perspective, Britain is safe.
The only hidden danger is that Americans are at the forefront and act as the gunmen.
"It would be perfect if France could participate." Bevin thought about it and was used to cheating France.
"Not in Europe." Attlee had decided that Britain would not be involved under any circumstances.
It's okay to wave the flag and shout, but Britain will never do stupid things like leading by example in World War I and World War II.
Two world wars transformed Britain from an empire on which the sun never sets to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. If another world war occurs, only Great Britain will be left.
Bevin frowned, not knowing where to start Truman's plan.
An Qi didn't know either, but she felt keenly that the atmosphere in East Asia had suddenly become strange recently.
With the surrender of Japan, the world war has completely ended, and the next step should be a complete liquidation, giving to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's.
Unlike the liquidation on the European battlefield, the liquidation here in East Asia is extremely difficult.
Mustache committed suicide before defeat came, giving a good start to Europe's reckoning from which no one could escape punishment.
The controversy over whether Hirohito was included in the list of war criminals in East Asia has not subsided. There are reports of frequent frictions between the U.S. military and the Russian military on the peninsula. Both sides are mobilizing troops, and the conflict is about to break out.
They are both victorious countries in World War II, and they are arrogant with the victory. The Russians hate the Americans for sitting back and watching Russia and Germany fight to death on the Western Front. The Americans despise Russia's behavior in East Asia as being too ugly, and they don't like each other.
If the Allied forces on the Western Front had actively launched an attack on Germany, Russia's losses would not have been so great.
In the entire East Asia, only on the peninsula, the area actually controlled by the Russian army borders the US military's line of control.
Therefore, even if Russia hates southern Africa, France, and the United Kingdom, it is still out of reach. Only the Americans are close at hand, hanging in front of their eyes every day. If not the United States, who will they attack?
The U.S. military in East Asia and the U.S. military in Europe are two completely different parts. Russia did miserably in Europe and made almost no contribution in East Asia. The final stage is coming to an end. The Russians slowly jumped out to grab the credit, and they even took advantage of the most promising ones.
The Kwantung Army grabbed it, which made the US military in East Asia very unwilling.
Among the Allied forces in East Asia, the US military suffered the most heavy losses. Not to mention losing most of the Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor, Bataan was slaughtered as a pig by the Japanese, and their face was lost in the Pacific Ocean.
The Allied counterattack in East Asia was led by the Southern African Expeditionary Force. There was no reason for the Americans to vent their grievances on the Southern African Expeditionary Force.
At this time, the appearance of the Russians attracted all the firepower of the US military in East Asia.
A few months ago, the US military used materials to lure peninsula people in the Russian-occupied areas to go to the US-occupied areas, which aroused strong dissatisfaction in Russia.
Forget about using material temptations, the key is to attribute the behavior of Peninsular people to the US-occupied areas as fear of Russian retaliation, so they were forced to flee. This is the real reason for Russian dissatisfaction.
MacArthur not only failed to restrain the behavior of the US military, but instead promoted the escape of the Peninsular people as a political achievement.
The Russian side maintained rare restraint and took the initiative to build a separation zone between the areas occupied by the Russian army and the areas occupied by the US military, and the matter came to an end.
Although the friction on land came to an end, disputes at sea began again.
After the Russo-Japanese War, the Russian Navy fell into disrepair and its Far East Pacific Fleet was almost completely wiped out. It has not regained its strength until now.
Russia is a country with traditional land power and does not pay much attention to its navy. Although the Far East Pacific Fleet was restored during the Red Russian era, it only had a few warships. It could not even defeat Japan, let alone the United States.
Compared with Russia's previous leaders, the bearded man's ambitions not only exist on land, but also on the sea.
After defeating the Kwantung Army, Russia did not stop. After taking back the islands seized by Japan in the Russo-Japanese War, it sent warships of the Far East Pacific Fleet out to sea and continued to advance towards the Japanese mainland.
In 1855, Japan and Russia signed the "Japan-Russia Treaty of Peace, Affiliate and Friendship" and divided the Kuril Islands. The two countries agreed to use the strait between Iturup Island and Urup Island as the boundary, and the south of the strait was called the Southern Kuril Islands.
The islands are owned by Japan.
After Japan was defeated and surrendered, Russia sent warships to occupy the Southern Kuril Islands, and then sent warships to approach Hokkaido, where they were finally intercepted by the U.S. Navy.
The U.S. Navy can accept Russia's occupation of the Southern Kuril Islands, but it is impossible to give up Hokkaido to Russia.
Compared with the U.S. Pacific Fleet at its peak, the pitiful warships of the Russian Far East Pacific Fleet are little more than scrap metal. A Russian military trawler was even overturned by the waves caused by the speeding of the U.S. warship.
Although the Russian soldiers on the trawler were rescued in time, the rift between the two sides was completely severed.
