Chapter 1189 The Disappointed White Leader

Ian Smith can be regarded as the same age as Alan Wilson. Now Alan Wilson feels that those younger than Garbo are all his peers. In other words, they are also people who are about to enter the supreme authority and should behave more maturely.

In the past ten years, Ian Smith's influence in Rhodesian politics has been likened to a rocket ride. Even Alan Wilson, a rocket expert, has to admit that there are indeed a few people in the world who are geniuses in some fields.

After the war, Smith returned to Rhodesia and participated in the federal parliamentary election in 1953 and was successfully elected as a member of the Central Provincial Constituency. At the same time, he resigned as a member of the Southern Rhodesia Legislative Assembly.

Five years later, Smith became the chief whip of the United Federalist Party in the federal parliament, but his relationship with the party and the new Prime Minister Sir Roy Werensky became increasingly estranged. At the beginning of this year, he quit the United Federalist Party and formed his own Rhodesian Reform Party, which merged with the Dominion Party and reorganized into the Rhodesian Front.

In this year's general election in Southern Rhodesia, Smith represented the constituency for the first time. As a result, he returned to the Southern Rhodesia Parliament. Party leader Winston Field became the Prime Minister of Southern Rhodesia, and Smith was appointed Minister of Finance.

Smith is now the second-in-command in the Southern Rhodesia colony, equivalent to the British Chancellor of the Exchequer.

While waiting for the other party to come to his door, Alan Wilson was actually thinking about the value of this colony and the other party's purpose.

Looking at Africa as a whole, Africa actually does not have particularly superior land conditions.

This is not to belittle. The land conditions in Africa are indeed relatively average. The overall conditions are only higher than those in Australia. Regardless of the tundra and Gobi desert environments, on average, the cultivated land in Africa is not as good as that in Europe, Asia and the Americas.

The best arable land in Africa can be seen from the natural growth of population. It is the Niger River Delta in Nigeria.

This is a high-quality river basin comparable to the Ganges and the Yangtze River. Although the Congo is large in area, it actually has a tropical rainforest climate. Once it is over-cut, the land will degrade at a terrifying rate. Most of the land in Africa is still red soil.

The soil quality of Southern Rhodesia is not red soil, but it is nonsense to say that it is the foundation of an agricultural power. The same is true for Northern Rhodesia. The soil quality of the two colonies is considered good within the scope of Africa. The so-called developed agriculture means only a small population.

Australia also has a high food self-sufficiency rate, which is also reflected by its small population.

Alan Wilson had some guesses about the purpose of Smith's visit this time. The partition of Northern and Southern Rhodesia was actually not without disputes. Malawi was given to Nyerere as a meeting gift by Alan Wilson, while the northern part was divided into Northern Rhodesia. Occupied, the southern part was annexed by Southern Rhodesia.

Nyerere has not yet become independent, and Southern Rhodesia still has some issues regarding the ownership of southern Malawi.

Alan Wilson was ready and waiting for Smith to talk about it.

Talking about this matter in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs seemed a bit formal, and Alan Wilson felt that he wanted to find a more relaxed environment.

An hour later, at the Southern Rhodesia office in London, Alan Wilson met the white leader who would later lead Southern Rhodesia to independence.

After greetings, Smith introduced himself and got straight to the point, "Sir Alan, do you know about Lubumbashi?"

"I've heard a little about it!" Alan Wilson nodded, saying that he had just learned about this untimely act of walking alone in Northern Rhodesia without permission from London. He was still a little surprised. He thought it was from Malawi. question.

Smith didn't care whether this perfunctory answer was true. He asked about matters related to his own vital interests, "I wonder what London thinks about the independence of Southern Rhodesia?"

Alan Wilson glanced at the other party and said in an official tone calmly, "Dear Mr. Smith, you also know London's attitude, so why bother asking? Either remain a colony, or establish majority politics and become independent. Otherwise, There is no other option.”

The so-called majority politics means that after independence, Southern Rhodesia will be handed over to blacks, who make up the vast majority of the population.

Although Smith and other white colonists claimed that the local electoral system was basically non-discriminatory, they believed that as blacks gradually improved in education and wealth, Rhodesia would have the opportunity to implement majority rule. However, opponents pointed out that Rhodesia's economic and political system essentially favored white people and was very unfair to black people.

The rhetoric of these white people in Southern Rhodesia is even more false than Russia's retreat all the way to Moscow. Not to mention trying to deceive the whole world, even London cannot be deceived.

This answer is definitely not what Smith wants, "Secretary Secretary, are you abandoning us?"

"Compared with the resources of the entire Africa, I may feel sorry for abandoning you. But to be honest, it will be a matter of time." Alan Wilson shook his head. "It depends on when the British and Portuguese colonies become independent. You You must understand one thing in your heart. The United States and the Soviet Union are both dismantling the colonial system. Although Britain and France have been delaying the arrival of that day, they may not be able to support it at any time."

Gu Shan/span> "Smith, this is not your problem, this is a mistake of this era. I personally sympathize with you deeply. But I cannot show even a little support to you at the policy level."

Alan Wilson apologized apologetically to the white Southern Rhodesian leader, but that was all.

"France won the Algerian War." Smith was a little emotional, seeming to accuse Britain of not being as powerful as France and unable to provide help to the subjects of the British Empire.

"We also won the military operation in Lubumbashi." Alan Wilson was unmoved, showing off the latest results. But he still responded with an attitude that NATO would never interfere in Ukraine, "But we cannot do the same to Southern Rhodesia."

"Why?" Smith looked unwilling, almost wanting to accuse the other party with righteous indignation.

"Isn't the problem very simple? The white population of Southern Rhodesia is only 300,000, which is just over 5% of the total population of 4 million. If you stand on your side, you will offend nearly 4 million black people. And in the colonial period In the context of the disintegration of the system, helping you means offending the entire Africa. What is more important, the well-being of your 300,000 people, or the perception of black people on the entire African continent?"

"Smith, let me tell you the truth. Just look at the situation in South Africa. There are 3.4 million white people in South Africa. Aren't they still in the hostility of the international community? Not to mention that you only have 300,000 people."

"We can merge with Northern Rhodesia." Smith thought for a while and proposed this idea.

"I can guarantee that the people in Northern Rhodesia will not merge with you. You may think that with the 700,000 white people in Northern Rhodesia, you will have a solid foundation for rule. But you should think about it. Northern Rhodesia There are no black tribes in West Asia, there are nearly four million in Southern Rhodesia."

"Don't even think about ethnic cleansing. The Soviet power has penetrated deep into the center of Africa. If you do this, you will definitely be hanged. I guess after the Nuremberg Trials, you will be the one that attracts the attention of the whole world."

"You can think about merging with South Africa, but I guess Cape Town is not very willing."

According to Alan Wilson, the problem facing Southern Rhodesia is that if it is overthrown in the future, it can consider taking refuge in Northern Rhodesia. It is impossible to become a white-ruled country after independence.

Smith was disappointed and muttered in despair, "Sir, you mean that as long as the black population exceeds the white population, we will lose everything in the future?"

"At least you won't die!" Alan Wilson shrugged. "Ethnic cleansing will definitely lead to death without a burial place."

Although this is a bloody fact, Alan Wilson still made it clear to the other party, don't think about going to extremes. If you really want to do this, the United Kingdom and the United States may move faster than the Soviets. Count the heads of white people in Southern Rhodesia. To win the favor of a black man is not to scare the other person, but is something that is bound to happen.

"Is there no other way?" Smith suddenly had an idea, "Secretary General, can't we adopt the method of division and rule?"

"You white residents will be dissatisfied if the allocation is too small, but if the allocation is too much, will the black people be willing? You are not even one-tenth of the population!" Alan Wilson snorted, with a look of sympathy on his face, "If you can convince the white people, They only occupy less land than black people, but we can talk about it on this basis.”

Anyway, Alan Wilson doesn't really believe that these local white people have the courage to cut off their wrists. History has proven that the white political power in Africa just wants to take it all from me and then lose everything.

Just out of some sympathy, Alan Wilson was meeting with the other party to discuss trying to find a good home.

The affairs of Southern Rhodesia are actually no longer worth worrying about for London. The current situation is that France occupies Algeria, Britain has Northern Rhodesia as its base, and both Britain and France have their own African fulcrums.

In this case, what Britain and France need to do is to firmly strengthen their fulcrum, rather than biting off more than they can chew.

Alan Wilson is gone, and Ian Smith has not moved for a long time. He has not received political support and is thinking hard about a way out.

"Minister of Finance, Sir Allen may not be able to change his attitude here. Why can't we take the madam route?"

"Lady's route?" Ian Smith couldn't understand, but a glimmer of hope arose in his heart, "You mean?"

"Ms. Pamela Mountbatten! Ms. Pamela lives in Australia. As far as I know, Australia has a White Australia Policy and the local social environment is very conservative. But Ms. Pamela is the president of a group and deals with business groups. There may be some cost involved in terms of benefits.”

"That's no problem, let's go to Perth." Ian Smith raised the flame of hope. Unable to deal with the permanent undersecretary of the empire, he obtained support from the wife of the permanent undersecretary of the empire.