Chapter 1024 The United States is under pressure

Of course how much sincerity there was in this statement by the heads of the two countries God only knows.

If Allen Wilson were French, he would not have divulged a single shred of truth about Algeria anyway, and vice versa.

And even if Britain and France could be united in any field, they would only be able to do enough to defend themselves against one of the United States and the Soviet Union. Fortunately, though, there’s no need to worry about the Soviet Union for the time being; the current Soviet Union’s strategic projection capabilities aren’t enough to launch a global offensive.

Where the USSR can reach is the Arab region, and Allen Wilson has long recognized that there are risks in the Middle East, having contributed to the dogged, three-pronged pattern in Iran in the first place by selling out.

This is not a big deal, he betrayed and not just Iran, can only be said to include but not limited to Iran.

The trip was a bit more symbolic, but there was also a great deal to be gained from the diplomatic solidarity of France. At a juncture where Germany was less tame, France’s stance became extremely important.

“I wonder how the minister is doing?” Wicker, the Principal Private Secretary to the Permanent Secretary, suddenly raised a question at this time.

Normally speaking the Foreign Secretary is responsible for the formulation of Britain’s foreign policy, but the problem is that the Prime Minister happens to be the Foreign Secretary during the Second World War, is not very skillful at other jobs, and happens to have a passion for diplomacy, and Macmillan’s embarrassment is obvious to anyone who looks at him. Though he himself never seemed to express any displeasure.

“I see he wants to go to the House of Lords.” Alan Wilson said with a derisive face, “If the Minister wants to aspire to the Prime Minister’s throne, then he should shut up honestly about the current reality of the Prime Minister’s personal interest in diplomacy.”

Alan Wilson would be very optimistic if Macmillan was somewhat untamed and was doing his bit to get Macmillan promoted to the House of Lords.

Unfortunately Lords places don’t come up all the time, and even if they did, would it be better to solve your own problems first or your father-in-law’s first? Whether to let Macmillan go to the House of Lords or Churchill’s son-in-law Duncan, the Secretary of State for Defense, would have to go through some open and honest family discussions before he could do so.

Normally speaking Alan Wilson is naturally in this position to interfere with the question of who goes to the House of Lords, but in principle the Queen has this power, except that she doesn’t normally do so.

Whether or not the Honorable Queen Elizabeth would do so depends on how much of the inadvertent loss of imperial assets Allen Wilson would have made available to the Crown in the course of the colonies’ independence, and there is a price for everything.

The summit between Britain and France, if it were fifty years ago, or even twenty years ago, would have been an earth-shattering event, big enough to change the pattern of the world, but a generation of versions of a generation of God, the world has come under the domination of the United States and the Soviet Union.

This time the British and French summit, the main discussion center is, how to preserve the international influence of the two countries, issued their own voices, in fact, France is still able to do, but the United Kingdom is a little embarrassing, because the relationship between the same language and the same race, the United States is often able to cover up the voice of the United Kingdom.

But at this time is precisely different, because the United Kingdom and the United States because of the Iranian oil crisis friction, the English-speaking world rare murmur, France knows the purpose of the United Kingdom this time to come, the United Kingdom also knows that France knows its own purpose this time, but the summit will not be smooth sailing as a result.

France’s interests, after the failure of the Vietnam War, are now concentrated in Africa, while Britain’s are much more dispersed. When the time comes to choose between the two, Britain will definitely choose Asia over Africa.

Excluding the Belgian Congo, which was not nominally French, but French-speaking, and Morocco and Tunisia, which had already become independent, the whole of French Africa was still a vast colony with a contiguous area of more than 10 million square kilometers.

After the independence of British India and British Burma after the war, together with the already independent Sudan and the independent Nigerian Autonomous Territories, more than seven million square kilometers of colonies have been taken out of British control.

The colonies of Africa remained, the contiguous British East Africa and Ghana in West Africa, with four million three hundred thousand square kilometers, equal in size to the original British India. The Middle East protectorate plus British Malaya and the Pacific colonies together were only half the size of the French colonies.

It can be said that in 1960, the throne of the world’s largest colonial empire has been replaced. Of course, after deducting the Sahara Desert, how much effective area is left is another question.

Although the time is a little late, and the version has been updated, but France is the current world’s first colonial power is also a fact.

Although the interests of Britain and France were one in Africa and the other in Asia, it was not impossible to cooperate. Cooperation on top of the military was the first item to make progress, and it was quickly determined that Britain and France would hold joint military exercises in the Mediterranean.

“Why do I feel that France is much more uptight about the joint military exercises in the Mediterranean than we are.” From among the subtle expressions of the French, Alan Wilson felt that things did not seem simple.

The matter of the military exercises was finalized, and progress ensued, France expressed its willingness to attack Iran’s treacherous moves, while joining Britain in pressuring Germany, but in the consideration of European unity, what France could do was limited to sanctioning Germany’s biopharmaceutical companies, and was unwilling to expand the strike.

Economic and trade and military cooperation in the field is much more vague, both Britain and France have reservations, France wants to form a European army with the United Kingdom this thing, the United Kingdom is unlikely to agree.

Nine hundred years old rivals, it is impossible to do completely heartless, can come up with some cooperation attitude has been considered good, the results of the national leadership visit has never been notable, because the bottom of the people have been communicated to the end of the matter, the prime minister only need to come over to sign a word on the line.

In the British and French media are intentionally publicized under the significance of this Prime Minister Aidan’s visit to France was shaped extraordinarily significant.

Just after the first day, France immediately put into action, announced to join the ranks of the German biopharmaceutical sanctions. This time because of the Iranian oil crisis involved another country.

At least in terms of momentum, the United Kingdom this time to pull up the team is absolutely not small, seems to be quite like so.

“It seems like it!” Alan Wilson can not help but think of the Suez Canal War, is the British and French together to start the war, I did not expect nine hundred years has been fighting in the dark two countries, the critical moment or to stand together. Can not help but sigh, this can be really sad.

Suez Canal is related to Europe’s energy security, for Britain once the local problems, Britain on the extremely important Asian direction interests, the whip can not quickly lose influence.

Even if the throne of Farouk I is still quite secure, Egypt has always had the voice of the recovery of the Suez Canal, only temporarily by the demand for British support for the establishment of the Aswan Dam, the so-called concern for the greater good of the voice of the suppressed, but does not mean that it does not exist.

Alan Wilson of course formulated the filing of maintaining British influence over the Suez Canal lies in a few islands, the two islands of Tiran and Senafir, which Britain once gave to Saudi Arabia, which is across the sea from Egypt.

But at a later date, when Saudi Arabia became independent and Israel was established, and Saudi Arabia itself was not an Arab military power, the Saudis ceded the two small islands to Egypt. In this way, as long as Egypt blocked the Suez Canal and the Straits of Tiran, Israel’s sea route to Asia was cut off.

On top of that, the Hanish Islands at the mouth of the Red Sea Straits, which are part of Britain’s Yemeni colony, could also be used for garrisoning, and Britain could explore the nearby waters to sustain the cost of garrisoning the islands.

Once public opinion in Egypt is raging, or the Aswan Dam is established, Britain will activate a series of islands in the Red Sea Straits that are under British control for indirect garrisoning.

In the evening, Prime Minister Aidan, who had finished a day of talks and travel, was discussing the results of the diplomacy with his team of advisors. The main guess is whether the US will feel the pressure in the midst of this visit.

“That may depend on the statements made in the following days. If it doesn’t yield the results we want.” Alan Wilson said with a heavy face, “Then the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will formally issue an invitation to the Soviet Union to visit and see if we can get a response. After all, the Soviet influence in northern Iran is not insignificant.”

“Inviting the Soviets… I personally wouldn’t want to go that far. It could bring about a big reaction.” Aiden mused, “Alan, this can be very, very important.”

“I understand that very well, but there’s no other way. If we issue an invitation to the Soviet Union to visit, rather than being too politically charged, we’ll issue the invitation on the grounds of cultural exchange. But in order to show our position, it’s best not to send invitations to the top leaders yet more important people.” Alan Wilson beat around the bush and made a suggestion.

Is there such a person? Downplaying politics and being a big shot in the Soviet Union, of course there was, His Excellency the Culture Tsar.

Prime Minister Aiden’s tour of the country is still underway, and the US Congress is already in an uproar over it, with Democratic candidate Kennedy launching into a tirade against the current administration’s foreign policy for affecting the unity of the free world.

Even within the Republican Party, there is also a certain degree of disagreement, to the conservatives, no one has ever loved the image of the face of the United States, McCarthy, in defense of the Republican single policy, said, “the current administration in the handling of the Iranian oil crisis, the original intention is good, colonialism should be ended, but also in the operation of the feelings of the United Kingdom has been ignored. It is entirely possible to find a mutually acceptable solution to the current affair.”

“Senator McCarthy, it’s not often that I can get you to admit your mistakes, but I still think that you’ve narrowed down the administration’s mistakes on this issue. Britain as well as France are important allies of the United States, and we should respect both countries.”

At the U.S. White House, Secretary of State Dulles firmly refused, “Mr. President, there can be no backing down on this issue. If some pressure makes the United States back down, it will only be more difficult to weaken Britain and France in the future.”