Chapter 934 The Sunset of the Empire (Part 2)

"Prime Minister Churchill sent a telegram proving that the Soviet Union and Germany have ceased war and are currently in the peace negotiation stage. He can no longer survive there. A group of MPs, cabinet ministers and even several military leaders are forcing him to accept the German peace talks conditions." Secretary of State Hull told Truman reported, "The situation has come to a critical point, and a response is urgently required."

Truman held his forehead and tried his best to prevent the surging blood vessels from hitting his temples. He took a deep breath and asked, "Is the news reliable?"

“We have no other sources of information and the Germans have not announced it yet, but diplomats in Moscow said they also sensed something unusual about the political winds and Soviet institutions – as if they were preparing for a move.”

“Can’t the British Empire stand it any longer?”

"I can't stand it anymore. Although the UK still has millions of troops, it does not have a navy. It also lacks various raw materials, especially fuel. According to them, the fuel can last for up to 4 months. The most important aviation fuel is very scarce. If The scale of the attack in the Iceland campaign can only be maintained for a maximum of 2 weeks, and there is no way to fight anymore. "

"It's such depressing news that America is going to be alone."

"The Prime Minister has a secret message asking us if we agree with his implementation of the 'D-Day' plan."

"What's this plan?" Truman asked curiously.

Seeing no one around, Hull whispered in Truman's ear: "The president sent Colonel Donovan as a special envoy and promised Prime Minister Churchill that if the situation was unfavorable and the other party made a request, our troops in the UK would assist him in stabilizing the overall situation. Keep resisting..."

Truman was so shocked that he almost jumped out of his chair. Of course he understood the meaning of Hull's words - "stabilizing the overall situation" is synonymous with coup.

"This...this..." he was speechless, "The president agrees to the plan?"

"Verbally agreed." Hull thought for a while, "The three main military representatives of the Joint Chiefs of Staff should also know about this matter. You may wish to ask them again."

"Who else knows?"

"And probably Mr. Hopkins."

Truman nodded. His knowledge was not very wide. They were all President Roosevelt's confidants and capable men. He thought for a few minutes and decided not to be reckless. A coup would not only go against the American system, but would also easily destabilize people's hearts. So he replied: "I know it. The Joint Chiefs of Staff will hold a meeting to discuss this issue later."

Hull knew he was too stressed to add fuel to the fire.

Yesterday's policy and situation analysis debate with Dewey was very difficult for Truman to cope with. Judging from the impression of the media, everyone thought that Truman was wronged and that he should not bear many responsibilities. However, since he must bear responsibilities in this position, Dewey launched an attack. There are two focuses:

The first is Truman's "persecution" of Wallace. He believes that the strategy implemented by Truman is almost the same as what Wallace originally claimed. Why did Truman use the word "treason" to attack the opponent? Now is Truman himself committing treason?

Second, the war has reached this point, the military has suffered repeated setbacks, and fiscal expenditures have been flowing out. How should we solve the problem?

Regarding the first question, Truman believed that situations and times are different and cannot be generalized. He even cleverly cited a counterexample - "Before the Pearl Harbor incident, those who opposed war between Japan and the United States and advocated peace between Japan and the United States were patriots; after the Pearl Harbor incident, Those who advocate war between Japan and the United States are patriots. In just a few days, the standard of judgment has changed. What has changed is not the statement, but the reality!" Although this counterexample is far-fetched, it can be considered as coping with it.

Regarding the second question, Truman did not directly deny it, but insisted that the methods and strategies adopted by the current government were appropriate. The specific results may not be as expected, but the war must still continue. He asked Dewey in turn, "What do you want? How about it?"

Dewey said: "Virtue has no deep hatred. I hope to make peace with Germany as soon as possible and then deal with Japan."

"What if Germany doesn't agree? Or what if Germany demands high conditions?" Truman sneered on the spot. "Even now, the war is going on, and you are still telling the lie that virtue has no deep hatred? Who is fighting desperately in Africa, Iceland, and Cape Verde? Are we worthy of the families of the victims? If Germany can make peace, why can’t Japan make peace? "

This rhetorical question was unacceptable to Dewey. Campaign advisers from both sides said that although the public was dissatisfied with the government's repeated failures, the mainland was generally safe and the idea of ​​demanding peace at all costs was not yet mainstream. Originally, everyone thought that an armistice with Germany could be achieved, but they heard that Germany was supporting various countries in South America. It is anti-American and does not give up its alliance with Japan. Public opinion’s idea of ​​negotiating peace with Germany has basically gradually faded away—at least it is not the mainstream now!

Although Truman was in a panic on the scene, the opinion polls after the debate surprised observers - the support ratio between the two was actually close, and Truman was even 1-2 percentage points higher. There will be a second debate in a month. This time the focus will be on domestic issues. However, this is a time of war, and domestic issues are actually a reflection of international issues. No one dares to take it lightly.

Most of the people who supported Truman were blue-collar workers and big capitalists. The mainstream view was that this Missouri "farmer" was like a man, he just wanted to work hard and fight to the end. Being beaten to a black eye was not strong enough, but giving in was not enough. Yes; of course the tycoons' ideas are not so shallow. They hope to make some more money through the war and at least keep South America.

Dewey was mostly supported by the petty bourgeoisie and intellectuals. The mainstream view was: If you can't do it, don't force it. The worst is to try again next time, but inferior nations like Japan must be destroyed!

The news of the surrender of the Icelandic garrison and the American SS Division shocked and pessimized the young bourgeoisie, but made the lower-level blue-collar workers feel indignant—f****** cowards!

The current political orientation is very interesting. The traditional political divide between the Republican Party and the Democratic Party has quietly changed due to the situation, forming a special pattern in which the two ends support Truman and the middle supports Dewey. Even the most politically experienced observers cannot tell who has the upper hand.

Dewey even pointed the finger and blame at Roosevelt during the debate, and the public initially agreed. But after Truman announced that the president was seriously ill and hospitalized and unable to take office, the public began to sympathize with Roosevelt - why suffer for a patient? Is it the president’s business if the war doesn’t go well? They even think that it was a wise move for the president to decisively hand over power to Truman, and that it would be troublesome for a fragile person like Wallace. Although some people sympathize with the latter's suicide, more people think that he cannot withstand the pressure and test. Such a president What are you coming for?

Truman behaved appropriately at one point, and he shouldered many of Roosevelt's responsibilities: "I suggested it," "I agreed," "The president asked for our opinions," "I participated in the entire discussion," "I Understand the president's approach", "I didn't know in advance, but I think I would do the same if I were in this position" and other remarks. The party bosses spoke highly of him and thought he was responsible. Roosevelt During the New Deal, his performance in turning the tide and his proposal to expand the military in advance received a lot of recognition, which was indirectly passed on to Truman. Therefore, Dewey's criticism did not achieve good results. Many people were dissatisfied that Dewey did not propose solutions but always "looked for trouble" and supported Truman.

"Finding trouble" is the most effective way to attack the current president's re-election during the campaign. However, public opinion believes that Truman has only taken over for a few months and "finding trouble" is not a gentleman enough!

Now Truman has no intention of campaigning. He has to deal with a difficult battle situation. This news cannot be hidden, and they will be used to criticize each other in the campaign debate next month.

"I have two pieces of news to report to you first. The first is that the destroyer in the South Pacific has arrived in Perth, with less than 1,000 officers and men remaining. General Spruance was rescued by plane and is not out of danger; the second is about The Brazilian Expeditionary Division was attacked from both front and rear by the Germans and surrendered after suffering heavy losses. Currently, Santa Catarina State has been electrified to join the rebel states, and the situation is very bad. "

"Gentlemen, alas..." Truman sighed, "Stalin is finished!"

Everyone was stunned and was assassinated?

"The Russians called a truce."

"What?" Everyone exclaimed, they didn't know the news yet.

"The Germans took the initiative to disclose it to London. The Communist Party did not have exact information, but diplomats in Moscow reported that the atmosphere was not right." Truman's voice was low, "I judge that this information is not wrong."

"Damn it, ten days ago we sent 30 ships of supplies to the Russians!" Admiral Li Hai suddenly exclaimed, "Just because they were fighting in the Caucasus, Voroshilov tried his best to prevent us from getting supplies."

"Catch us back if we can." Truman waved his hand in frustration. "It doesn't matter if you can't catch him back. Materials are not the key. The key issue is that Britain is also finished - Prime Minister Churchill can't stand it any longer. The entire cabinet and military are worried. With King Edward VIII still holding back the palace, the terms of the agreement between Britain and Germany are very close."

"Those four ships!" Turner suddenly exclaimed, "Will they fall into the hands of the Germans?"

Truman didn't understand the navy, but he was shocked when he heard that Britain still had a fleet on the mainland that was not weaker than Nimitz's current strength. He hurriedly asked: "How long will it take for these ships to recover?"

"The news initially reported was that the two armored aircraft carriers would be put into service this month, and they would be able to achieve combat effectiveness by the end of July at the earliest; the two battleships would be slower, estimated to be September or October." Turner said, "These are two armored aircraft carriers. Although the aircraft carrying capacity is a little less, the protection is very good, and the British spent a lot of money to get it. For these four battleships, the British killed all other large ships. "

"So, we have to let Churchill take the risk?" Truman thought for a moment and said slowly, "The Prime Minister sent a telegram, hoping that our troops can cooperate with him in taking special measures... It is said that there was a tacit understanding with us in advance. Do you know?"

Several people looked at me and I looked at you, and they all nodded - everyone is an insider.