Chapter 223 |
< World War II - The Awakening of a Giant (9) >
November 5, 1941
Berlin, Capital of Germany – Dietrich Schacht's Mansion
A banquet with FDR, Franklin D. Roosevelt.
His facial expression was bright, and he looked incredibly healthy.
Seeing him now, he didn't look like a man who would die in 1945 without seeing the end of the war.
From the Great Depression to World War II. Perhaps it was because he had set down the burden of having to carry out the duties of President for over a decade in a turbulent America.
"Here, have a taste!"
I accepted the glass Roosevelt offered me.
Well, this is something else.
The honor of tasting a Martini (a type of cocktail) personally made by FDR…
"Well then, to freedom!"
FDR cheerfully clinked his glass against mine with a laugh before taking the first sip.
This man's energy is strangely high.
In any case, I took a sip of the Martini he had personally made and my eyes widened.
Somehow, this wasn't the Martini I had imagined.
Roosevelt drank his with satisfaction, then waited for my review with a face full of immense expectation.
My goodness, for a man approaching sixty to be so pressuring…
Uncertain, I took another small sip.
It wasn't the dry taste one commonly associates with a Martini; rather, a sweetness with the strong aroma of vermouth enveloped my tongue.
This isn't the taste of this era, is it? It's a more modern flavor…
"It seems quite different from a typical Martini, but it's excellent."
"Oh, is that so?"
Roosevelt's face lit up at my words.
"Yes. Personally, I'm not a fan of anything too dry, so this suits my palate well. I like it."
"It's my masterpiece, but it's not often I find someone who appreciates its taste.
I'm glad to have met you! Haha!"
This wasn't just empty words; he looked like he was about to die of joy. Just how serious is this man about his alcohol?
"…Is it good?"
Claudia, sitting beside me, asked with her eyes shining with curiosity, and I immediately nodded in reply.
"Yes. I think you'd like it too."
"Hmm, what a shame."
Claudia looked at the drinking glass in my hand with slightly disappointed eyes.
Her taste in alcohol is surprisingly similar to mine, so I thought she would like it. I felt both sorry and endeared watching her smack her lips, unable to have a drink…
Roosevelt watched us for a moment, then smiled and spoke.
"Haha, if I get the chance someday, I'd love to let Lady Schacht have a taste as well. My wife is also very interested in her.
If it weren't for scheduling issues, she would have visited with me…"
"That would be an honor. I've often thought that I would like to meet her someday."
FDR's wife, Eleanor Roosevelt, was one of America's most respected First Ladies and a famous figure in many ways.
Since she herself was a politician and a social activist, I felt she and Claudia would hit it off.
Roosevelt was such a cheerful and confident person that no one would have thought he suffered from polio, and the meal was amicable from start to finish.
After finishing our meal, Roosevelt and I had the chance to drink coffee personally brewed by Claudia, something I hadn't had in a while.
"Oh, this is nice. Your wife has excellent skill. The chef's skill was also excellent, but I think it would have been just as good if your wife had prepared the meal."
"Haha, my wife's coffee is excellent."
…Unfortunately, only the coffee is excellent.
If he tasted Claudia's cooking, he would never say such a thing.
Roosevelt leisurely savored his coffee.
The time I spent with him was reasonably enjoyable, but…
I couldn't quite grasp his intention.
After all, I was a member of the high command of the Allied Powers and Germany in this war.
And FDR, while a former president and a Democrat, was still a member of the US Special Envoy Delegation.
We were both far too big to meet just for the sake of socializing.
Roosevelt seemed to have roughly caught on to my thoughts, as he spoke with a slight smile.
"You must have a lot on your mind regarding America's proposal."
"Haha…"
America's proposal was, naturally, one that represented the interests of America, and specifically the Republican Party.
To be honest, the conditions were incredibly delicate from our perspective.
If I could abandon Free Russia without needing America's help on the Eastern Front, I would do so without hesitation.
But I couldn't.
The Allied Powers, and Germany in particular, had waged this war under the banner of freedom against a dictator, and were actively utilizing the diplomatic status of being the Guardian of European Freedom.
In any case, Free Russia played a major role in the Battle of Minsk, and their cause of giving freedom to the Russians against the threat of Communism was, at least on the surface, a noble one.
The objective fact exists that they shed blood for the sake of the Allied Forces and the Russian people, at least in name, and at the point where that fact has captivated the so-called liberals in Germany and the Allied nations, not to mention America, it becomes difficult to just use them and wipe our hands clean.
In such a situation, with America promising moderate support and bringing up intervention on the Asian Front, it's impossible for Germany, which also has to consider the opinions of the Allied nations, to reject it out of hand.
And within Germany, there are more than a few factions who are delighted by America's proposal.
There was the German military's wishful thinking that with a properly armed Russian and Ukrainian Army and 5,000 medium tanks, they could annihilate the faltering Soviet Union in an instant, and the greed of the anti-communists who wanted to completely destroy Communism and end this Great War with an absolute victory.
The people overheating their wishful thinking circuits weren't just in America.
"Well, it can't be helped."
Of course, that didn't mean I had any intention of accepting America's proposal as it was.
"I'd like to ask you a question, purely in a personal capacity. Would that be alright?"
Roosevelt replied to my question, still smiling.
"If you, Minister, will also answer my personal question, then I shall."
Alright, then…
"Mr.
Former President, in your opinion, what do you think are the minimum conditions for the Empire of Japan to surrender to American pressure?"
Roosevelt thought for a moment before answering.
"Maintaining the Korean Peninsula and Manchuria, and on top of that, I would think Beijing, the rest of the Hebei Province, and the Shandong Peninsula would be the minimum line."
I smiled faintly at his answer.
"And do you believe the Empire of Japan will surrender on those conditions?"
"That is the Republican Party's assessment."
The Republican Party's assessment.
I asked for his thoughts, but his answer was interesting.
"As you know, the Republic of China and the Republic of Korea have been formally recognized as members of the Allied Powers."
"I am well aware, Minister."
Whether the liberation of the Korean Peninsula and the entire Republic of China was abandoned or not, if the Republican Party forced an armistice on those terms, I predicted that the Empire of Japan would respond with a surprise attack on America.
With the Royal Navy lacking the capacity for immediate combat, that Japan would likely burn its wishful thinking circuits and take the gamble, just as in the original history.
But the moment I approve such conditions, the only thing that would remain for Germany is the fact that it abandoned the Republic of China and the Republic of Korea.
And at that moment, Germany and America, having both been reduced to sons of bitches who abandoned an Allied member, would end up competing over those two. Naturally, America, which could project much more power onto the Asian Front, would come out on top.
The same goes for the Lend-Lease for the overthrow of the Soviet Union. 5,000 Sherman tanks?
Being America, it was possible, but it's not like 5,000 tanks would be transported immediately.
It was a promise that they would provide that many over the course of the war.
We already have the upper hand, so with America's support, aiming for the complete overthrow of the Soviet Union isn't impossible.
Whether Moscow could be easily captured is uncertain, and whether the Soviet Union would surrender even if Moscow fell is also uncertain. But no matter how many bodies piled up in the process, it would be possible.
But what would be left afterward would be a staunchly pro-American nation, a Free Russia full of dissatisfaction with the Allied Powers, and a mountain of debt that Germany and the Allied Powers would have to repay to America.
FDR's Lend-Lease was at least given on the cheap with the justification of saving Europe while it was being scorched, but the Republican Party's version of Lend-Lease was not that.
It was just business.
So, America's current proposal was a poisoned chalice that was difficult for Germany to blatantly refuse, but to accept it was to drink poison.
I looked at Roosevelt and slowly opened my mouth.
"Looking at America's proposal, I am concerned that America might view Germany as a potential adversary. I'm a little curious if your opinion, Mr. Former President, and that of the current President, are the same as the Republican Party's."
The Republican Party could be like that.
They're the types who want to minimize intervention while maximizing America's profit.
But was that also the opinion of FDR, who could still wield great influence over the Democratic Party, and of President Willkie, whose disposition was closer to FDR's than the Republican Party's?
Roosevelt burst out laughing.
"Hahaha, hmm. I am now a civilian, but you ask me something very heavy."
"I would appreciate it if you'd consider it a little poke, precisely because you are in such a position."
Roosevelt, still grinning, spoke.
"I will speak purely as an individual. The delegation's opinion is not the opinion of the entire United States. That is why President Willkie sent me along."
Oh, he answered more easily than I expected.
"This is only a first draft, Minister. As long as the initiative within the Allied Powers lies with Germany, not everyone here thinks such a proposal will be fully accepted. And those people, myself included, are willing to accept extensive revisions to the deal that will be made between America and the Allied Powers."
"…Is that so."
On the verge of ending World War II, FDR had wanted peace under a bipolar system, even if it meant making quite a few concessions to the Soviet Union.
As a result, the two giants, America and the Soviet Union, were able to avoid entering a hot war even as they entered the era of the Cold War. It seemed his thinking hadn't changed, even with Germany as the opponent.
And President Willkie, who boldly included FDR in the special envoy delegation even when his own foundation was weak from a victory that wasn't quite a victory, must at least not want to be completely at odds with Germany.
In that case, regardless of Taft, the head of the envoy, compromise would be fully possible.
For Germany, too, maintaining an appropriate cooperative relationship with America was better than being at odds with them.
"Thank you. My thoughts are much clearer now, thanks to you."
"Haha, I'm glad I could be of help."
FDR's visit was probably to deliver this message.
There was no better person to make contact with, under the guise of a personal capacity.
Just as I was thinking that, Roosevelt grinned and spoke.
"Then, is it my turn now?"
"Ah, yes. Please, go ahead."
Ah, right, I'd agreed to answer him too.
The thought of what he might ask to get such a straightforward answer out of me made me a little nervous.
But contrary to my expectations, Roosevelt smiled faintly and spoke in a small, muttering voice.
"Haha… to be honest, I had so many things I wanted to ask you, Minister, but your actions before we even met have answered them all, so I don't really have anything suitable to ask."
What does that mean…
A puzzled expression naturally formed on my face, but Roosevelt simply watched me with a smile and opened his mouth.
"Was it not difficult to relinquish power?"
Ah.
So that's what he was curious about.
Being asked such a question by the Guardian of the Free World who had ended the world war started by Germany's dictator, Hitler, in the original history, gave me a truly strange feeling.
I thought for a moment before speaking.
"It wasn't easy. I wondered if it wasn't better for me to keep the responsibility and lead well, or if stepping down now was actually the irresponsible thing to do…"
My constant rambling to everyone I met about reviving democracy might have been something close to self-hypnosis.
The thought that it would be easier for the war effort if I just continued as Vice-Chancellor came to me more times than I could be bothered to count.
Roosevelt watched me with a fascinated expression.
"But I felt that if I went on a little longer, I wouldn't be able to step down, for various reasons."
Either because I would grow to dislike it, or because of my followers.
"The thought became frightening. Could I maintain the image I've shown for so long? Could I avoid disappointing the people who have trusted and followed me…?"
The attitude of the people who now hail me as the Guardian of Freedom, a great politician who has led Germany well, is nothing more than temporary popularity that will turn with one major mistake.
Until now, I have come this far by relying on my knowledge of the future and with the help of those who believed in and followed me.
But how long could that last? Am I somehow superior to all the great people recorded in history?
And there is someone who would suffer watching me change, trapped by the arrogance of thinking 'it has to be me.
'
"I did not have the confidence."
Roosevelt let out a hollow laugh at my answer.
"Is that so? …As you know, I ran for a third term and lost."
"Ah, I think that's a shame…"
"But now that I think about it, it seems it was for the best."
As I fell silent, Roosevelt looked at me and smiled.
"I was the same. I had done well so far, and I ran because I thought there was no one who could do better than me in this crisis. If I had been elected this time, I might have only stepped down upon my death."
In the original history, he served four consecutive terms as president, overcoming the Great Depression and World War II, but he died on the cusp of victory in the war.
He was praised as one of America's greatest presidents, but at the same time, he was criticized for destroying George Washington's legacy.
George Washington, the hero of the American Revolutionary War, stepped down from power without a second thought after serving just two terms, at a time when there was no proper tradition for democracy or the presidency.
The principle of not running for a third term, which no one had dared to challenge since the man regarded as the father of America and democracy, was broken by FDR's unprecedented third-term run, and that would forever remain a blemish on his record, even in this history.
Roosevelt smiled wistfully.
"It was my greed that made me run, even while being criticized for harming American democracy. I wanted people to think of Franklin, not Theodore, when they heard the name 'President Roosevelt'."
Theodore Roosevelt.
Whatever his image in Korea, to Americans, he was a man who remained one of their great presidents. He must have been a wall for FDR to overcome.
In the original history, he had certainly overcome it. But I don't know if he, who grew weary from the heavy duties and died without seeing the end of the war, was happy with that.
Roosevelt looked at me, smiled gently, and extended his hand.
"That is why I hold you in high regard, Minister. It may sound like an old man's talk… but while I failed, I hope you can become a better person than the one you aimed to be."
"…Thank you, Mr.
Former President."
I shook his hand and added with a grin.
"But that might be a little difficult."
"My, my, who is this great person you aimed for that makes it so? Frederick the Great? Otto von Bismarck?"
I burst out laughing and replied.
"George Washington."
At my words, Roosevelt stared at me with a blank face for a moment, then, after a hearty laugh, he spoke.
"Indeed, it seems there was a man more American than any American, right here in Germany."