Chapter 501: Passing the Level (Part 2)

"Mr. Hoover, do you think that the Wartime Code of Conduct for American Press, promulgated and implemented last year, does not go far enough?"

Hoover pondered for a moment: "I think that is the most basic principle, and it is no longer suitable for the new situation and requirements. It is not that there is a problem with the principle, but that there are many loopholes and problems. For example, some public opinion believes that it should not be In normal thinking and political atmosphere, this is certainly understandable and discussed, but now our British allies are highly sensitive and nervous, and if this is discussed with great fanfare in the press. Topic, what would you think if you were a British MP?"

Someone said sarcastically: "Great Britain cannot pin its hopes of victory on us. The United States has been involved in the war for them, paying a heavy price and providing continuous support. As the media pointed out, we are only allies, not Great Britain. Imperial mercenaries."

"It's true to think so, but for an ally that hands us its navy's capital ships and basically polishes them off, even if we show a slight wavering, they will magnify it tenfold and may make catastrophic choices."

Hearing the words "basically lighting", everyone looked up at Admiral Jin in shock.

The latter nodded sadly: "Director Hoover did not exaggerate. The Royal Navy's battleship tonnage, once the world's largest, is only 150,000 tons. Not to mention compared with us, it is much inferior to Italy. And they are lying on the slipway. None of the capital ships could enter service before 1944. In the Indian Ocean Campaign, the North Sea Campaign, the North Atlantic Campaign and the Panama Campaign, the British and American navies lost more than 1 million tons of battleships and suffered more than 500,000 casualties. Not only do they overwhelm us in terms of quantity, but they are also superior in quality.”

"If we stop aiding Britain for more than two months, Britain will collapse." Roosevelt, who had been silent, added, "This is a dying patient, what else can we say that is too exciting? "

There was a commotion in the venue, and everyone was stunned. For a large number of congressmen with no military experience, the impression in their minds was still in the past: At that time, the United States was first, the United Kingdom was second, the Japanese navy was less than 70% of the United States, and the Italian and German navies were In total, it is only a fraction of the United States. If Britain and the United States do not come forward to attack others, the other side will gain. Now it has become like this?

"Why does the Navy conceal losses and exaggerate war results?"

"Who should bear primary responsibility?"

"What do we do next?"

Hoover ignored these questions and continued: "From our standpoint, it seems that we can debate whether Europe is number one or the Pacific is number one, but do you know what the British media said?"

Most people looked at each other in confusion: Who can bear to pay attention to how to publish it in a British newspaper after eating enough?

"The Times published an article some time ago: ...if the Americans had not supported and repeatedly encouraged us to fight the Germans to the end, the United Kingdom would have reconciled with the Third Reich long ago. At that time we still had the power to The routes to Africa and the Middle East, whether from South Africa or India, are open. Hitler has no intention of annexing Great Britain. He even sent Deputy Head of State Hess to negotiate secretly three years ago. The vague endorsement of the Americans will harm us in the future! If they can't hold on, they won't bet their fortunes and lives here. They have the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans to rely on. At worst, they can just slap their butts and leave. But there is only a shallow English Channel between us and the European continent..."

Hoover finished reading expressionlessly and then added: "Isn't this comment incompatible with press freedom in the United States? But as far as I know, the reporter and editor have been suspended for self-reflection because this report was considered to sow discord between Britain and the United States—— The British are far ahead of us in this regard.”

There was excitement again below.

“Dear Members, in view of the above reasons, I sincerely request that the following matters be discussed and voted on:

First, restore the implementation of the two laws, the "Anti-espionage Act of 1917" and the "Anti-Sedition Act of 1918", and immediately and effectively amend and strengthen them;

Second, comprehensively strengthen the implementation regulations and scope of application of the "Code of Conduct for War Newspapers";

Third, the "Wartime National Security Regulations" are formulated to authorize the FBI to monitor suspicious and disloyal people, but the final conviction and punishment are carried out by judicial agencies at all levels;

Fourth, expand the FBI's staff and increase its budget. In 1943, it will roughly require an increase of 8,000 agents and a budget of US$94 million. "

The "Anti-espionage Act of 1917" and the "Anti-Incitement Act of 1918" were emergency laws enacted by the United States during World War I. The United States had no experience in the war and believed that it would be very cruel and long-lasting, so it enacted very strict laws. However, The laws passed during specific wars have many restrictions on freedoms and rights. Of course, Americans who are romantic by nature can't stand it. In addition, Americans think that they won the last war very easily, without much effort and without causing much trouble at home. After winning the war, many people consciously or unconsciously formed an illusion: it is easy for the United States to win the war, and there is no need to change too much!

As a result, the two bills were repealed in 1921 and were never implemented again. Even after the Pearl Harbor incident, the United States had no intention of reactivating them. Hoover now picked them up from the old pile.

Hoover's report was of course communicated with Roosevelt in advance. As a mature politician, no one would speak about backroom politics in public: That is not courage, that is suicide! But what Hoover wanted to do was too big, and it was impossible to bypass the public and Congress. It needed moderate packaging and stimulation. Roosevelt also had his own political considerations when he promised to help Hoover pass.

Germans, French, and Hispanics are all groups with a high proportion of white people in the United States. Many members of Congress also come from these ethnic groups. In addition, racial equality has always been a part of Washington's political correctness, so Hoover used a clever term - suspicious and disloyal people.

Can't suspicious and disloyal groups be managed in advance? This sentence cannot be opposed anywhere.

As for the 150,000 to 200,000 employees and $2 billion budget that Hoover envisioned, it certainly cannot be achieved overnight - the FBI now has only a little over 1,000 people in total, and it is impossible to expand to 100,000 at once, so Hoover wisely chose a small goal: 8,000 people and a budget of $94 million. Even if Congress is willing to pass it, it will definitely bargain. He thinks that even if it is reduced to one-third, it is acceptable - take it slowly.

After Congress passes the regulations and budget, the choice of hiring these employees is in Hoover's hands. He can hire any ethnicity he wants, and no one can find fault with it - just like the United States has no law that explicitly prohibits hiring black people when hiring government employees, but black people are really dispensable in the political landscape of Washington - many things can only be understood but not expressed in words!

Roosevelt has been paying attention to the reactions of the audience. Generally speaking, the reaction of the congressmen from the Old East and New England is normal. This is obvious. Most of them are descendants of Anglo-Saxons, and no one will doubt their loyalty. The congressmen from the Mississippi River Basin - most of them are from Louisiana, a French colony, and are descendants of France. They are also relatively calm and do not think they will have any problems - France is not a warring country now. Most of the Irish and Spanish congressmen hold the same view as the French. The most staunch supporters are the Jews. They understand that once the Third Reich sweeps the world, the Jews will definitely have a hard time, so they have the highest level of support. Some dissatisfaction and inconvenience will pass after a while.

Those who clearly disagree can be divided into three categories: one is German and Italian politicians, who are now very indignant, not only because of their large number, but also because they may be labeled "suspicious and disloyal" for no reason, which makes people particularly unhappy; the other is politicians related to the bill, such as media giants, whose interests are directly challenged, and independent intellectuals, who defend civil rights, call themselves defenders of freedom, and essentially oppose all bills that harm freedom - no matter what the reason; the last category is Roosevelt's political competitors. They are not ignorant of the importance and necessity of these bills, but for the needs of political struggle, they strongly oppose anything that may strengthen Roosevelt's authority.

This reaction did not surprise Roosevelt. He smiled at Hoover, expressed his approval for his successful discussion just now, and told him with his eyes that he would look at me next, and I would give these congressmen some explosive news.

An unexpected episode occurred. Arnold, the commander-in-chief of the Army Air Force, handed a telegram to Roosevelt with trembling hands. The latter glanced at it hurriedly and his face changed drastically. Roosevelt was preparing to give the congressmen some explosive news, but he didn't expect that the news of this unexpected episode was so explosive that it was beyond imagination.

"Now I will convey to you the war report I just received..." Roosevelt's tone was very low and his mood was very sad. "I am very sad to tell you: a few hours ago, the Eighth Air Force dispatched 1,417 aircraft to attack Berlin to avenge the New York air raid..."

The audience cheered at first, but when Roosevelt finished reading the second half of the sentence, everyone was dumbfounded.

"The fleet encountered a precise ambush over Berlin and encountered more than 800 well-prepared fighters, including more than 300 of the latest jet fighters that Germany had never shown. The Army Air Force suffered heavy losses. In the end, less than 300 aircraft returned safely, with a loss rate of more than 80%. The commander, Brigadier General Curtis LeMay, was missing and may have died a heroic death." Roosevelt raised his head, "The Joint Chiefs of Staff believed that a spy had stolen combat intelligence. Before finding out the truth, I ordered to stop all air raids on Germany."