After the radio interview, Hoover's reputation increased significantly.
Warren Harding is a very mediocre person. During the six years he was in the Senate, his work was unremarkable and unremarkable. He neither promoted any important bills nor achieved any achievements worthy of people's review.
Despite this, Warren Harding's position in the Republican Party was strengthened by his sociable and optimistic personality, his eloquent oratory, his devotion to the Republican Party, and the fact that he represented an important state.
Therefore, it unexpectedly gained the support of the two factions of the Republican Party that split in 1912.
Hoover was an outstanding official, capable, prestigious, and financially sound. His only stain was locked in a safe by Rock and could not be used as evidence against Hoover.
However, after experiencing a president like Woodrow Wilson who was actually very capable, the United States has become tired of people with outstanding abilities. If the president is too outstanding, then Congress will be nothing more than a rubber stamp.
That's why the members of Congress thought of Warren Harding, who was the most mediocre American and the most reassuring person, so they chose him.
Now the balance in the hearts of top Republicans has finally tilted toward Hoover.
Warren Harding is indeed good, with mediocre abilities and easy control.
But letting such a person with huge moral stains serve as president will also be a devastating blow to the image of the Republican Party.
When Rock saw the media reports, he felt an inexplicable sense of absurdity deep in his heart.
Does this count as interference in the US presidential election?
It was probably calculated, but no one was blaming Rock at this time.
The reason why Rock chose Hoover is simple. If Hoover is elected president, then Hoover will push Congress to relax restrictions on southern African companies and gradually open the U.S. market to southern African companies. The companies here are not limited to physical companies, but also
Including financial companies, this means that financial companies in southern Africa can acquire American companies.
Thinking about those Fortune 100 companies that are still very weak now but will be famous in the future, Southern African capital can easily complete acquisitions at a small cost.
In August, delegations from France, Italy and other European countries arrived in New York one after another. Rock was even busier. France and Italy also had their own demands. They all hoped to gain advantages in the Mediterranean. Both countries had huge colonies in North Africa, and the Mediterranean was the two
The lifeline of a country.
Coincidentally, Southern Africa also has interests in the Mediterranean. Cyprus has become Arthur's fief, the Ottoman Empire's territory in the eastern Mediterranean, and after the World War became the mandate area of Southern Africa. Roque is preparing to build the basis of Edward's fleet and the Walvis Fleet.
The Mediterranean Fleet was established to safeguard southern Africa's interests in the Mediterranean region.
France and Italy have an ambiguous attitude towards this decision.
If Roque establishes the Mediterranean Fleet, it will nominally become part of the British Mediterranean Fleet, and France and Italy have no qualifications to object.
This issue is actually very complicated. George V sealed Cyprus to Arthur. On the one hand, he wanted to use southern Africa to contain France and Italy, and on the other hand, he also wanted to reduce the pressure on the Royal Navy.
Today's Britain is no longer able to maintain its naval dominance before the World War. Since Britain's strategy changed from external expansion to internal contraction, Britain's decline has been obvious.
France and Italy have ambiguous attitudes, and a big factor is their attempt to divide Britain and southern Africa.
Britain's traditional advantage is its navy, while its army is relatively weak.
The tyranny of the southern African army was vividly demonstrated in the world war.
If southern Africa and the UK maintain a close relationship, then with complementary advantages, the UK's hegemony will remain unshakable.
But if Southern Africa also begins to develop its navy, then the relationship between the British government and Southern Africa will no longer be unbreakable, at least France and Italy think so. So don't think that other countries' support for the development of their navy in Southern Africa is a good thing. Most of them are harboring evil intentions.
Of course Roque also understood this, so he explained it thoroughly to Belfort.
"Southern Africa may build two to three aircraft carriers of about 25,000 tons in the future. Our positioning of the navy is defense and escort, without any offensive nature. The Southern African Navy and the Royal Navy can completely complement each other's advantages. Our navy
The core interests are all in the Indian Ocean." Rock focused on the big and let go of the small. The Naval Conference was the second spoils-sharing conference after the Paris Peace Conference. The attitude of the United States was very clear, not only to ensure the interests of the United States in the Americas, but also to expand externally.
The main direction is the Pacific Ocean.
Britain's strategy is still to shrink. The Americas have become the Americas of the United States. The Pacific is the main battlefield for Britain and the United States to compete for hegemony in the future, and the Indian Ocean is Britain's back garden.
If you look at the map, you will know that around the Indian Ocean, India and Ceylon, Sudan, Aden, and Malaya are British colonies. Southern Africa and Australia are British overseas autonomous territories. The entire Indian Ocean, except for Madagascar, Italian Somalia, and Portuguese Goa,
It has almost become Britain's inland sea.
"Is it necessary for the Southern African Navy to build three aircraft carriers?" Balfour asked. The Royal Navy has only equipped two aircraft carriers.
"We do not have any plans to build a capital ship." Roark's answer reassured Balfour a little. Although the role of aircraft carriers has been proven during the world wars, it will take time to change the deep-rooted concepts in people's minds.
Today's mainstream naval thinking is still about giant ships and cannons. After the World War, the shipbuilding plans of the United States and Japan were all battleships, and aircraft carriers still played a secondary role.
"Does the Southern African Navy have the strength to maintain three aircraft carriers? The cost of an aircraft carrier is higher than that of a battleship -" Balfour was still a little disappointed in his heart. The cost of an aircraft carrier plus carrier-based aircraft is indeed higher than that of a battleship, and the maintenance costs are also higher.
Rock smiled and said nothing. If southern Africa cannot afford to raise three aircraft carriers, then no country in the world can afford to raise aircraft carriers.
To put it bluntly, even a resource-poor country like Japan has the ambition to build an "Eight-Eight Fleet". According to the strength of southern Africa, it is normal to build ten or eight capital ships.
"The pressure we are facing now is extremely huge -" Belfort was worried and did not care about Roque's attitude.
At the end of the World War, the Royal Navy's advantage not only did not narrow, but further widened the gap with other countries.
From 1909 to 1914, Britain built 23 Dreadnought-class battleships, and Germany built 17 Dreadnought-class battleships.
After the outbreak of the World War, Britain built 11 more battleships, and Germany only built 2. During the same period, France built 7 Dreadnought-class battleships from 1912 to 1914, Italy built 6, and the United States built 12.
These battleships are collectively called "super-dreadnoughts" to distinguish them from "pre-dreadnoughts".
After the end of the World War, Britain did not continue to build "super-dreadnoughts". Instead, the United States and Japan each announced huge shipbuilding plans.
Japan is easy to say. Due to its national strength, the threat it poses to Britain is limited.
The United States is now the main threat to the Royal Navy. Compared with the Royal Navy, the current strength of the U.S. Navy is still far behind in quantity, but it is not inferior in quality. Because of its advanced technology and larger tonnage, it already has the ability to challenge the Royal Navy.
strength.
The United States is now ambitious to build ten "super battleships" of about 40,000 tons. If these ten battleships are put into service, the strength of the U.S. Navy will completely surpass the British Navy.
"There is power only when there is pressure. We can also continue to build battleships with larger tonnage and larger artillery caliber." Rock said lightly. Before the World War, the Royal Navy announced that Germany would build one battleship and the United Kingdom would build two.
Now if the Royal Navy wants to maintain its advantage, it is very simple. The United States will build ten battleships and the United Kingdom will build 20. Then the Royal Navy can still maintain its advantage.
The key is that it can't be built.
The British government has no money, and it also owes a lot of debt, which it cannot afford to repay. How can it have the money to build new warships?
Belfort looked at Roark sideways, his eyes unkind.
"The Royal Navy builds battleships and the Southern African Navy builds aircraft carriers. Our biggest advantage is cost sharing. The rise of the United States can no longer be contained. Maybe we should support Mexico -" Roque also has a counterattack plan. The United States cannot be allowed to act arbitrarily. Britain,
Or in southern Africa, we need to do something in the back garden of the United States.
One hundred years ago, the then US President James Monroe proposed that "America is the America of Americans" and "the countries in the American continent that have obtained and maintained freedom and independence must not be used as future colonial objects by any European powers in the future."
" and opposed any European country's interference in American affairs. This is known as the "Monroe Doctrine."
In fact, this sentence should be understood as "America is the America of the United States", or it is more appropriate to say "Latin America is the sphere of influence of the United States".
If you look at the process of the United States' invasion of Mexico, you will know the United States' attitude towards the Americas.
Roque's intention is obvious. To strengthen ties with Mexico, from time to time the foreign minister visits Mexico, or the Royal Navy goes to the Gulf of Mexico, which can immediately stimulate the pain points of the United States.
"It's not that easy, unless we want to break out a war with the United States." Balfour doesn't want to provoke the United States. Among other things, if Britain and the United States go to war, Canada will definitely not be able to save it, and most of the British military bases in the Pacific will not be saved, and Australia will not be able to save it.
New Zealand will also be greatly affected.
If it fails, Britain's global colonial system will probably collapse.
"We don't want to, and neither does the United States -" Rock is not afraid. If a war breaks out, Britain will bear the brunt. Southern Africa is far away in southern Africa. If the sky falls, there will be tall people to hold it up.