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Chapter 55: Under the Surface (2)
Unfortunately for the Nazis, even before the SD could take action, the pro-Nazi groups in the United States collapsed.
Despite having a vast number of German Americans as their background, there was a reason for their futile collapse.
The power of the transcripts released by the FBI was decisive.
“What? You’re saying you’ll stage a coup in the free democratic United States of America?”
“You’re saying we should unite with Germany and start cleansing the Jews in America too?”
The claims were so absurd that people initially found them hard to believe.
However, as exiles who had fled from Nazi Germany spoke out, the transcripts gained strength.
“I’m telling you, those Nazi bastards are more than capable of doing that!”
To make matters worse, as the recorded voice SP was released, American public opinion swiftly tilted towards disbanding the pro-Nazi groups.
“National traitors! Hang them by their necks!”
Although America is mocked as a hodgepodge nation, it is a country second to none in terms of patriotism.
“Qu-quickly, let’s flee!”
The key members of the pro-Nazi groups quickly boarded ships and fled across the Atlantic to Germany.
As the Nazis, whose voices were as strong as the isolationists despite their small numbers, held their breath, Roosevelt found it much easier to maneuver.
“Director, begin the next plan.”
The FBI’s next target was the isolationists.
As the U.S. government’s net tightened, even the Republican isolationists had no choice but to lower their voices.
“Who knew the Nazis would even consider treason?”
Some congressmen who had been blocking participation in the war by aligning with the Nazis on policy quickly compromised with the FBI by changing their stances.
“Now, the isolationist stance in Congress will no longer be the mainstream.”
Hoover proudly reported his accomplishments to the President.
“Good work.”
Roosevelt intended to pass the “Lend-Lease Act” within two months at the earliest.
‘It’s not like we’re the ones shedding blood anyway.’
If they could defeat the Nazis by lending some supplies, it would be a profitable deal.
Roosevelt subtly conveyed this policy stance to Lord Lothian, the British Ambassador to the United States.
British Prime Minister Halifax fell into a dilemma upon receiving this intention from the U.S. government.
Troublingly for him, there were significant voices in the country wary of being dragged into the war.
“Is it worth listening to the claims of a man who tried to steal a few battleships and drove hundreds of thousands into a living hell?”
Of course, there were also considerable voices saying that Hitler’s victory should not be condoned.
“I do not wish to shout Heil Hitler for the German Führer!”
Halifax had to determine his course of action amidst these complex public sentiments.
After consulting with Foreign Secretary Anthony Eden, he decided to muster some courage.
If the United States steps in to intervene, perhaps we could also lend a slight hand.
After all, the prisoners were all repatriated after paying a certain amount of compensation.
There was no problem at all with standing against the Nazis.
Halifax gave a hint to John Gilbert Winant, the U.S. Ambassador.
“The government of the British Empire has no intention of directly fighting Germany. However, we also have no intention of standing by and allowing the Germans to monopolize the European continent.”
Even Halifax, who chose to compromise with Germany, fundamentally did not trust the Nazis.
Just looking at how Germany failed to fulfill its promise to withdraw from occupied territories after the peace treaty, it was clear that Berlin was an untrustworthy counterpart.
If Germany didn’t keep its promises, what reason would Britain have to faithfully abide by the peace treaty?
The U.S. Ambassador, having confirmed Halifax’s intentions, thought it was a natural conclusion.
In the end, Britain is also considering intervention.
If even the United States felt a security threat from across the Atlantic, how much more so would Britain, which relied on security from a 40km-wide ditch?
Regardless of Halifax’s inclinations, Britain was destined to bet on the opposite side of Germany once again.
As the British and American governments quickened their pace, the German Foreign Intelligence Agency SD also became busy.
“No, how did you manage things that all the groups vanished?”
“Well, it seems to be the work of the U.S. government.”
“How did those idiots manage people that they even leaked things that shouldn’t have been leaked!”
With the pro-Nazi groups in America disappearing all at once, the SD had to enter the battle without being able to attempt even a part of their planned operations.
The SD hastily used the remaining gatherings of the German American Bund to send funds to isolationists like Senator Gerald Prentice Nye.
“Thank you all for providing funds during these difficult times.”
“No, Senator. It’s a matter of helping you protect this country from the warmongering interventionists. Why would the amount be an issue?”
SD Director Heinz Jost scraped the bottom of the funds looted from the Jews.
With that money, he sponsored and encouraged the activities of intellectuals who supported isolationism, whether they were writers, scholars, journalists, or politicians.
Their goal was to somehow block Roosevelt’s imminent intervention.
If only those idiotic freeloaders had supported us.
SD agents cursed, saying that things would have been easier if only the embassy had supported them.
The embassy also had something to say.
Putting other things aside, the current German Ambassador to the United States position was vacant.
So Hans Thomsen, the chargé d’affaires, was performing the duties, but since his rank was not appropriate, there were many obstacles to diplomatic activities.
However, it wasn’t as if the embassy did nothing.
They also tried in their own way to reach out to the American political circles to prevent America’s interventionism.
They also participated in campaigns promoting isolationism and attended the Republican National Convention.
The problem was that the two did not cooperate at all.
Of course, the embassy had a good reason for that.
“Does it make sense for a traditional bureaucratic organization like our Foreign Ministry to do the dirty work of some unknown ruffians?”
The two organizations ran for the same purpose but could not join forces.
It was the bureaucracy and organizational selfishness commonly seen in Nazi Germany.
As a result, Germany had to wage a more disadvantageous public opinion war than initially thought.
“Your Excellency. The Foreign Ministry does not cooperate with our work at all. They are conducting operations separately, so the costs are doubling.”
Heydrich was furious upon receiving the report.
Truly, this country, Germany, was an inefficient and idiotic nation.
If he had his way, he wanted to overturn everything.
Was this how Lee Sung Joon felt?
For the first time, Heydrich felt a sense of kinship with Lee Sung Joon, who had staged a coup during the war.
However, that didn’t mean Heydrich was thinking of a revolution like Lee Sung Joon.
In the first place, Heydrich did not have an army capable of launching a ‘revolution’.
In Korean terms, it was like holding only the Defense Security Command. What could he do with that?
“There’s no exact solution.”
“Pardon?”
“For now, block it as much as you can.”
Heydrich had no choice but to fight on the premise of defeat in the underwater war.
If it was a fight he was going to lose anyway, he had to drag it out.
Around the time the Germans were considering moving to a long-term war with defeat in mind in the underwater battle, Soviet intelligence agencies were celebrating victory.
“Hahaha. When things go well, they turn out like this.”
Philip Golikov, the Chief of the Soviet General Intelligence Directorate, could not hide his joy at the unexpected change in the situation within the United States.
The Soviets did not lift a finger, yet the Nazis within the United States were annihilated.
So he had no choice but to laugh.
Now that the conditions were set, it would be much easier for Roosevelt to maneuver.
Then they should give him some strength.
Golikov had a telegram sent to the Soviet Embassy in the United States.
“Give orders to the Communist Party USA. Tell them to fully cooperate with Roosevelt’s policies.”
Based on the information gathered so far, Roosevelt’s inclination is anti-Germany and pro-Soviet.
Then it was right for this side to move cooperatively as well.
Of course, it wasn’t about blindly trusting Roosevelt. 𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙥𝒖𝒃.𝙘𝙤𝒎
Close to Roosevelt was Alger Hiss, an assistant to the Assistant Secretary of State, who received orders from the Soviet Union.
Alger Hiss periodically sent information to the Soviet Union, and through that information, Golikov was able to grasp the thoughts deep within the U.S. government.
“Your Excellency. A telegram has arrived from London.”
“Let me see.”
Golikov had his hands extended to Britain as well.
Just like in America, Soviet spies were hidden in key positions within the British government.
The Reds were like Schrödinger’s cat, a being that could be anywhere and nowhere at the same time.
“Hmm. So Britain is also considering limited intervention. Comrade General Secretary will be pleased.”
Golikov quickly began writing a report.
Soon, the completed report was neatly filed and placed on Stalin’s desk.
The General Secretary was mechanically processing documents when he saw the document submitted by Golikov.
“Britain and America are considering intervention.”
That thought suddenly reminded him of the conversation he had with Lee Sung Joon.
He said the post-war order would be a competition of ideologies.
Could it be that Lee Sung Joon had already envisioned Britain, America, and the Soviet Union joining forces to bring down Germany?
Stalin once again raised his evaluation of Lee Sung Joon.
The opponent was not some common military dictator.
He was a strategist who envisioned the post-war era and drew up plans in preparation for it.
Compared to Lee Sung Joon, Hitler is nothing more than a third-rate gambler.
In terms of provoking an unnecessary war and bringing about a crisis on his own, Hitler was not even worth evaluating highly.
Although his appearance in the process of seizing power was excellent, Hitler was disqualified for plunging the nation into an unstoppable gamble.
It was truly regrettable.
If only Hitler had a little more understanding of the bigger picture, the Union and Germany could have joined hands to build an invincible alliance.
What if Lee Sung Joon had been the leader of Germany instead?
Stalin suddenly had such a thought.
Footnotes
1. Lend-Lease, formally the Lend-Lease Act and introduced as An Act to Promote the Defense of the United States was a policy under which the United States supplied the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union, France, the Republic of China, and other Allied nations of the Second World War with food, oil, and materiel between 1941 and 1945. The aid was given free of charge on the basis that such help was essential for the defense of the United States.2. Heinz Jost was a German SS functionary during the Nazi era. He was involved in espionage matters as the Sicherheitsdienst or section chief of office VI of the Reich Security Main Office. Jost was responsible for genocide in eastern Europe as commander of Einsatzgruppe A from March–September 1942
