Chapter 101: Labor Misguided

“It’s certainly a good thing, and I’m sure Truman should be happy about it.” Prime Minister Adderley replied in a flat tone, with no giddiness in his tone at all, “Maybe our former Prime Minister, was very happy about it too, but that doesn’t concern us much anymore.”

Then he looked at Alan Wilson and said, “Alan, from your answer just now, it can be seen that we have already sold out Eastern Europe to the Soviet Union, isn’t that so?”

Er! Allen Wilson’s brain spun to organize his language, “The so-called betrayal is nothing more than an exchange of benefits, which can be said to be another way of saying diplomacy, in fact, it doesn’t make much sense to dwell on the term of whether or not we have betrayed. Essentially, the British Empire is a global colonial empire, and what happens in Europe is of course very important, but the reality of the situation is reminding us that Eastern Europe is already under the control of the Soviets, and it would not exactly be a sell-out for us to logically recognize that control.”

“There is no doubt that Europe has now attracted the prying eyes of the Soviet Union and the United States, and that is a reality we need to recognize. In terms of global interests, the most important thing for the British Empire at the moment is to stabilize its position and preserve its interests on other fronts, because on this side of Europe at least we still have the United States and France on the same side of the battlefield, in a global perspective the problem is much more complicated and the roles of enemy and friend may switch.”

“For the foreseeable future, the Soviet Union may look for trouble in Eastern Europe, and Mr. Churchill foresaw this. After thorough consideration an exchange was made with Poland. But in global terms, the Soviet Union’s sea power is better than nothing and is unlikely to make an impact on the British Empire’s global interests for another decade, but the same cannot be said for the other country.”

The other nation Alan Wilson spoke of was undoubtedly the Americans. Only the Americans now have a stronger maritime power than the British Empire to infiltrate the British Empire colonies spread all over the world.

The question now was to preserve Eastern Europe or to preserve the colonies? Needless to say many people would like to preserve both, but in reality this is impossible.

“That is to say, in the middle of the previous negotiations, the British Empire really sold out Eastern Europe?” Prime Minister Airdrie was not wrapped up in this elementary discourse of Alan Wilson’s and still asked without changing his mind.

“Honorable Prime Minister, Foreign Minister. Sell out is a bit too negative a term, diplomacy is what it is. Theoretically we all have to have it, but once the negotiations start, it’s inevitable that some people have it and some don’t.” Alexander Cadogan spoke up to round out the conversation, “We don’t essentially have the power to stop the Soviet Union from doing anything, but keeping the Soviet Union’s influence within certain limits is something we can try.”

“Such as what?” Foreign Minister Ernest Bevan spoke up and asked, “Where else might the Soviet Union threaten?”

“Turkey in the Near East, Iran in the Middle East.” While Alexander Cadogan was thinking, Alan Wilson had already given his answer, “It’s no secret that the Soviet Union is a continental nation with an ever-present quest for unfrozen harbors. But both the Soviet Union and its predecessor, Imperial Russia, have failed to achieve their goals, which is why we promised the Americans help with the previous issue of fighting against Japan in the hope that the Soviet Union would find a harbor in the Far East and would be able to tighten up a bit.”

“Turkey is the issue around the right of passage through the Black Sea Straits, a matter in which the Americans will help even if we don’t ask. The most critical issue is that of Iran, in fact maintaining the status quo is the maximum that can be done, if Iran arouses Soviet greed, we cannot stop it, so in the midst of the private dealings between Britain and the Soviet Union, we have to obtain assurances from the Soviet Union about Iran’s security.”

During the war, Turkey pursued a policy of neutrality, maneuvering between the three major powers of the U.S. and Britain, the Soviet Union, and Germany and Italy, trying to preserve its own interests while not offending any of the major powers.

However, Turkey’s relations with the Allies, especially with the Soviet Union, became increasingly strained as a result of the war against Germany and the Black Sea Straits. The deterioration of Soviet-Turkish relations at the end of the war became an important trigger for the outbreak of the Cold War.

Britain had drawn Turkey in during World War II as part of the British Empire’s Balkan program. It was hoped that Turkey would join the war and avoid Soviet retaliation after the war. The initiator of this program was Churchill, who had just stepped down from power.

But Churchill was ultimately shanghaied by the Turks, taking weaponry and aid from the British Empire but refusing to go to war against Germany. It must be said that for Churchill alone, Turkey was definitely his political bitter enemy.

As early as in the First World War, as the Secretary of State for the Navy Churchill because of the two battleships, the Ottoman Empire pushed the Allied camp, resulting in the Allied imperial Russia in the Eastern Front is completely in the middle of the siege. Eventually ran out of gas and was destroyed first!

The Second World War, Churchill may have learned the lessons of the First World War, Turkey’s participation in the war has always been very enthusiastic, and for this reason sent a number of delegations, acting as a number of wrongdoers. Even the Conservative Party’s number two, Foreign Secretary Robert Aidan, was appalled by Churchill’s wishful thinking.

When Alan Wilson traveled to the British-occupied territories in the last few days, the Soviet Union went after Turkey with a vengeance. Churchill, the previous Prime Minister, took a reserved position, while US President Harry Truman was more ambiguous, because previously, on the Turkish issue, it had always been Britain and the Soviet Union renegotiating, with the US in a secondary role.

Truman also did not help Britain by taking this opportunity to vent the collusion between Britain and the United States during World War II.

“The Austrian problem must be solved immediately and can be used to trade off with the Soviet Union over the Dardanelles.” Foreign Secretary Ernest Bevan listened to Alan Wilson’s report, a long time …… finally spoke, “As for the Iranian issue, think of ways must be resolute to retain the interests of the British Empire, Clement you think?”

“Written assurances will not do, must let the Soviet Union publicly announced not to change the status quo in Iran, to the world to declare not to take any means to subvert the Iranian regime.” Prime Minister Adderley stood up and took two steps back and forth emphasizing, “The Soviet presence in northern Iran must be scaled down, and Britain and the Soviet Union will have to resort to bilateral negotiations on the size of the presence.”

The Turkish Straits issue is negotiable? In exchange for withdrawal talks in Iran and the demilitarization of the Soviet Red Army in Austria? Alan Wilson was shocked, as if history had shown that over the Dardanelles, the USSR ended up in defeat, while British interests in Iran were taken over by the US.

Sure enough! Civil servants selling the country is just a figure of fun, the real sellout will have to be the Prime Minister himself! He could already think of the segment about Labor’s misrepresentation of the country.

“It’s definitely not churned out, it’s the Prime Minister’s own decision.” Alan Wilson mused in his mind.