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Chapter 54: Under the Surface (1)
The great war that resumed in Europe instantly drew the world’s attention. 𝘯𝑜𝑣𝑝𝑢𝘣.𝑐𝑜𝑚
“If the German bastards have invaded the Soviet Union, the outcome is obvious.”
The British and American political circles predicted that the Soviet Union would be defeated in a short period.
“If France, the number one military power in Europe, knelt in just 6 weeks, how long can those Reds who only push around a pseudo-state last? It would be a miracle if they endure 10 weeks with their weight class advantage.”
Amidst this cold atmosphere, one person stepped forward.
It was U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt.
Roosevelt was very frustrated that he couldn’t even lift a finger against Germany’s domination of Europe due to the isolationists.
For him, the news that war had broken out between Germany and the Soviet Union was nothing short of a revelation from God.
This was the last chance for the United States to neutralize its most threatening enemy.
“We have wasted too many opportunities. We have stood by and watched free nations crumble at Hitler’s hands. Now, the last nation that can stand against Hitler has begun to fight. Are we just going to watch this? If we let go of this fight too, it’s as good as allowing Hitler to monopolize the eastern shore of the Atlantic.”
Roosevelt called on influential Republican lawmakers and tried his best to change their minds.
But it didn’t work at all.
“Mr. President. We also don’t want to just leave Hitler alone. But the opponent is a hegemonic power that has unified Europe. In a situation where there are no suitable allies, if we mess with Germany, the damage to our businesses will be enormous.”
“Is there any need to provoke Germany? No matter how greedy Hitler is, he doesn’t have the ability to cross the Atlantic. We can just accept Germany’s domination of Europe and get along well with them.”
Not only the isolationists but also the pro-German opposition was fierce.
“This country hasn’t even been attacked by Germany, so why should we shed blood fighting them? Mr. President, remember. 30 million German-Americans live in this country.”
The president had no choice but to deepen his worries.
Now was the perfect opportunity to keep the Nazis in check, but he was caught by the ankle at home and couldn’t move an inch.
If only Britain had been holding out, he could have made room to maneuver by pretending to help them.
He wondered how things had gotten so twisted.
“This is frustrating.”
At that moment, when Roosevelt was lost in thought, the FBI received mysterious mail.
“What are these guys doing again? Is it that Illuminati nonsense again?”
The mail with a name that sounded like it came from a conspiracy theory was something they wanted to just laugh off, but the contents inside were absolutely not funny.
“What is all this?”
Inside were piled up various points of attack such as the anti-national remarks and acts of treason, corruption, etc. of pro-Nazi groups.
Just looking at the secretive conversation records that were difficult to know without being an insider, this was real.
“Report this to the Director.”
As soon as FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover saw these documents, he knew their value.
“This is good.”
A weapon to sweep away the troublesome domestic Nazi bastards had been prepared.
Hoover immediately had a private meeting with the President.
“You’re saying there’s a way to sweep away the domestic Nazi groups all at once?”
“That’s right, Your Excellency.”
Hoover reported the mysterious documents to the President and suspected the source to be the Soviet Union.
In the first place, there was only one country on Earth that was cornered by Germany’s invasion.
The Soviet Union.
It was irksome that the cheeky Reds were trying to influence America’s national decision-making, but he couldn’t emotionally push these documents away.
“It may not be to your liking, but if we use the Reds’ data, we can definitely deal with the domestic Nazis.”
“So, you’ll sweep away the Nazi groups with this. What’s next?”
Hoover rolled his cunning eyes.
“Wouldn’t it be good to link one by one starting with those isolationists who are associated with Nazi groups?”
Then, everyone will shut their mouths.
It was a method not tolerated in a democratic country, but now was an extraordinary time.
If we let the Nazis win, the future of this country is bleak.
For the future security of the United States, it was necessary to turn a blind eye to some flaws.
“Director.”
“Yes, Mr. President.”
“I’ll give you a week. Sweep away the Nazis within that time.”
“Don’t worry.”
Around the same time, Britain’s former Prime Minister Winston Churchill was also agonizing over ways to influence the German-Soviet War.
If they can just defeat Hitler, I’m willing to support even the demons of hell, let alone the Reds.
The problem was that not many people agreed with Churchill’s logic.
“Let’s just watch the Reds and German pigs kill each other while eating popcorn. No matter which bastard dies, the British Empire has nothing to lose anyway.”
People were not interested in the war of annihilation between Germany and the Soviet Union.
The fact that the last war ended not in defeat but in an “honorable armistice” also played a big part.
Since they were not a defeated nation, they didn’t particularly feel a strong desire for revenge.
Only the British Communist Party supported Churchill’s argument.
Living long enough, I even find myself being supported by the Reds. What a thing to see in life.
Churchill wandered around trying to change the minds of the British people.
“In the past, our Britain signed the Treaty of Amiens with Napoleon and agreed to an honorable armistice. But what was the result? During the time we gave, Napoleon grew in strength and reorganized the Grand Army to conquer the continental nations. Will you repeat the same mistake this time? What will you do when Hitler conquers the Soviet Union and breaks the honorable armistice?”
Everyone could feel the gist of what Churchill was trying to say.
Germany is an untrustworthy opponent like Napoleon.
Leaving such an opponent to rise as the sole ruler of Europe is nothing more than waiting until the knife comes to the throat.
Churchill traveled to more than 20 places a day, calling on the British to stand up to Germany.
If they couldn’t fight directly, he appealed for them to at least support the Soviet Union with weapons.
“Ugh, that man has become a Red too.”
He could endure such curses.
Churchill’s forced march soon took effect.
“The fat man’s words are not entirely wrong. Now is the only chance to knock down Hitler, does it make sense to just sit and watch?”
“As Mr. Gallipoli says, what will we do if Hitler collapses the Soviet Union and comes out to break the ‘honorable armistice’? Wouldn’t it be right to do something rather than entrust our fate to an untrustworthy swindler?”
At first, these voices did not reach the political circles.
It was just a ripple in a teacup circulating among some gentlemen in high society.
However, in June, as the German Army gradually showed signs of struggling, the British government also began to cast a glance at the option of material support.
Germany also sensed this change in attitude of the British and American governments.
It’s not that the Nazis had no sympathizers abroad.
As soon as he grasped this fact, Reinhard Heydrich, the head of the German National Security Office, went to see the Führer.
“Führer! The stance of the West is trying to change to intervention.”
“Now of all times?”
Hitler sneered.
If they wanted to do that, they should have done it when France was still alive.
At the point where the invincible German Wehrmacht had invested its full strength in the Soviet Union, the intervention of the British and Americans had little meaning.
Would Germany not be able to defeat the Soviet Union just because they provided some materials?
“Your Excellency. It’s not something to be taken so lightly.”
Heydrich took the possibility of British and American intervention very seriously.
Heydrich had built an intelligence network in brothels, Nazi groups, and religious organizations in various countries, so he knew the potential of the British and Americans better than anyone.
If their economic power was invested in the Soviet Union, even the invincible German Army would lose the chance for an easy victory.
“The war will be over by September at the latest. Isn’t that right, Hess?”
“Indeed Mein Führer!”
Rudolf Hess, the Party Secretary who always stuck close to the Führer, agreed.
In fact, there was no need to listen to the opinion of a parrot who had no personal judgment and only followed Hitler’s thoughts.
“Führer. The intervention of the British and Americans is a matter that must be dealt with using all our diplomatic and economic lines with full force.”
On top of that, there was information that Korea was collaborating with the Soviet Union.
If the British and Americans joined in, how much industrial power could the Soviet Union use?
Just thinking about it sent shivers down his spine.
“I fully understand your concerns. But bring such issues after discussing them with the SS State Leader.”
Discuss with Himmler?
Heydrich felt a deep sense of disappointment as he withdrew from Hitler’s presence.
Since the Führer couldn’t understand, there was no choice but to respond at the level of the National Security Office.
Heydrich issued orders to the Foreign Intelligence Office (SD), the 6th Office among the 7 Offices under the Reich Security Main Office (RSHA).
The gist of the order was simple.
“Unite with American isolationists to defend American intervention to a minimum level.”
The goal for America was to prevent things like the Lend-Lease Act from being passed.
“Actively publicize the weaknesses of anti-German politicians like Churchill in newspapers.”
For Britain, the goal was to highlight events like Gallipoli and the Ottoman Battleship Incident to destroy the standing of anti-German politicians.
Heydrich’s instructions were entrusted to Heinz Jost, the head of the 6th Office.
Jost expressed reluctance at this task.
“You’re saying we should fight underwater with only our resources. Tsk, it’s not a good picture.”
But he couldn’t disobey the order either.
Heydrich was not the type to forgive subordinates who disobeyed orders.
“It can’t be helped. It’s an order from the Head of the Office. Begin the operation.”
Following the order given by their chief, the SD began operations against the Allied Powers.
Footnotes
1. John Edgar Hoover was an American law enforcement administrator who served as the final Director of the Bureau of Investigation and the first Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. President Calvin Coolidge first appointed Hoover as director of the BOI, the predecessor to the FBI, in 1924.2. Rudolf Walter Richard Hess was a German politician and a leading member of the Nazi Party in Nazi Germany. Appointed Deputy Führer to Adolf Hitler in 1933, Hess held that position until 1941, when he flew solo to Scotland in an attempt to negotiate the United Kingdom's exit from the Second World War.3. Heinrich Luitpold Himmler was a German politician who was the 4th Reichsführer of the Schutzstaffel, a leading member of the German Nazi Party, and one of the most powerful men in Nazi Germany. He is primarily known for being one of the main architects behind the Holocaust.
