The private German-Italian confrontation between Reinhardt and Mussolini had just ended.
Churchill's open confrontation with Reinhardt reached another level.
On June 18, a restless Churchill once again reiterated Britain's "unshakable determination to continue fighting" in the House of Commons.
He gave another speech and said:
"Let us cheer up and shoulder our responsibilities. Let us demand this of ourselves: If the British Empire and the Commonwealth can last for thousands of years, people will say: 'This is their finest hour.'"
Reinhardt also gave a tit-for-tat speech again the next day, mocking Churchill's speech as nothing more than a pep talk from a conceited orator.
Reinhardt detailed Churchill's aggression in the port of Narvik, Norway, and his betrayal in the port of Oran, France, and denounced Churchill as a leader of colonialism and a cancer in the face of world justice.
Not long after the war of words between the German head of state and the British prime minister escalated, Reinhard received a secret message from the Vatican Pope.
Mussolini and Churchill also received similar telegrams.
The telegram stated that the Pope was willing to mediate for a "just and honorable peace" and announced that before taking this step, he wished to know privately how the suggestion would be received.
On the other side, the King of Sweden, who leads the largest country in Northern Europe, also actively proposed to London and Berlin to support peace negotiations.
In the United States, the German embassy, under Charge d'Affaires Hans Thomson, was spending every dollar they got to support the isolationists, allowing the United States to remain out of the war, thus causing Britain to lose confidence in continuing the war.
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Because if the United States joins the war, it will definitely turn the tide of the war. Both Reinhardt and Churchill know this.
Reinhardt, who is well aware of America's potential for war, is doing his best to contain this situation through diplomatic means.
In fact, Thomson and others have been working hard at the German Embassy in the United States, and they are committed to manipulating American public opinion in Reinhard's favor.
This summer, when the American political parties held their congresses, Thomson concentrated all his efforts on influencing the foreign policy platforms of each party, especially the foreign policy platform of the Republican Party.
On June 12, Thomson sent an "urgent, top secret" coded telegram to Berlin, saying that a "well-known Republican congressman" who was "closely" cooperating with the German Embassy was willing to invite 50 isolationists.
Congressmen attending the Republican convention "enabled them to work on the representatives and get them to favor an isolationist foreign policy."
And the price the U.S. congressman wanted was a full three thousand dollars.
Thomson's report said the man also demanded $3,000 to pay for full-page ads in American newspapers with headlines like "Keep America Out of the War!"
Of course, what Reinhard lacks most now is money.
Without saying a word, he wired Thomson $60,000, which was ten times the amount Thomson reported he needed!
Don’t underestimate the seemingly insignificant efforts in these areas.
In fact, these seemingly small efforts will have endless effects when combined, and these small factors will even determine the outcome of the entire war.
Go to war and plan!
With a precedent in hand, Thomson then used an American literary and art manager to find five famous American writers to write several books "praising isolationism."
This time, he needs $20,000 to carry out this plan.
One day later, Ribbentrop agreed to allocate the money on behalf of Reinhardt, and the loan was released extremely quickly.
Unlike Mussolini who blatantly looked down on President Roosevelt and mocked Roosevelt for his polio sequelae, Reinhardt was extremely respectful to the President of the United States.
Reinhardt even called Roosevelt personally in his own name and said: "You, Mr. Roosevelt, have appealed to me repeatedly and often expressed your wish to avoid a bloody war.
For the sake of you and the United States, I did not declare war on Britain.
On the contrary, I often stress that I do not want to destroy the British Empire!
I have repeatedly asked Churchill to be sensible and to reach a decent peace treaty.
But Churchill stubbornly refused this request!
But I also realized that if I issued an order for a full-scale war on the British Isles, Britain would suffer serious losses.
Therefore, I ask you to contact Churchill and persuade him to give up his unnecessary stubbornness."
But would Roosevelt call for peace?
No, he won't!
Not only will he not call for peace, he will also incite Britain and Germany to expand the scale of the war. It is best to fight to the death and lose both sides!
This is in the interest of the United States.
What the United States wants is not a peaceful and stable Europe. On the contrary, the more chaotic Europe is and the more brutal the fighting, the more the United States can take over the rights and interests of European countries and lead the world after the war!
Therefore, Roosevelt naturally made a rude and malicious reply: "Mr. Reinhardt, such an appeal you requested will inevitably have a profound impact on the people of North America, especially the United States. So I will not
Maybe I agree!"
And these influences will subtly influence the mood of the American people. When their government requests war, it will definitely cause a huge reaction from the people, and these reactions, whether good or bad, will determine the decisions made by the U.S. government.
In fact, even Churchill himself said privately that he was quite embarrassed by the peace temptations sent through Sweden and the Vatican. If Roosevelt had not hinted that he was willing to support the British in the fight, Churchill himself might have considered giving up resistance.
At the same time, Churchill was convinced that Reinhardt was trying to use neutral countries to make peace, so he took severe countermeasures.
After receiving the news that the German charge d'affaires Thomson attempted to hold talks with the British ambassador in Washington, he sent a telegram saying that "Lord Lotian should be informed that he must not give any reply to the German charge d'affaires."
The King of Sweden had persuaded Britain to accept a peaceful settlement, so the resolute prime minister wrote a strongly worded reply, essentially telling the other party to go away.
Even before any consideration is given to such demands or suggestions, Germany must give concrete guarantees with facts... and not with empty words. It must guarantee the restoration of Czechoslovakia, Poland, Norway, Denmark, the Netherlands, Belgium, and especially
Freedom and independent life in France.
This was Churchill's main position. Apparently no one in London would dream of entering into a contract contrary to this position.