Chapter 1349 – Drawing the Sword and Looking Around in Confusion

The U.S.-Vietnamese peace talks in Paris will certainly be a good opportunity for Britain to exert its influence and should be announced to the outside world in a timely manner, and after arriving at Whitehall on the hoof, Prime Minister Harold Wilson agreed with this view.

After the nationalization of coal and iron was completed, he could devote some attention to the diplomatic level.

Harold Wilson had just come to power and tried to mediate in the Vietnam War, but was also simply rejected by Lyndon Johnson, and now almost two years had passed and the whole environment had changed again. Since the Americans didn’t like the role of the Soviet Union, it was just as well to unite with France, who, after all, as Prime Minister, had flexible moral boundaries.

“But, Alan, you don’t seem particularly keen on peace coming.” Looking at the Cabinet Secretary’s business-as-usual demeanor, Harold Wilson spoke up in disbelief.

“If the Vietnam War stops, perhaps Malaya will enter a period of economic stagnation.” Alan Wilson people although in London, but the heart has already drifted across the ocean to arrive in the faithful Kuala Lumpur.

A stoppage in the war would result in fewer deaths that’s true, and as a gentleman he certainly did want peace to come, but if it came at the expense of an influx of hot money from Malaya? Sorry, there is a price for everything, including conscience.

Malaya is actually struggling to bite Japan, it’s been developing faster than Japan for the past two years, and its per capita income has surpassed Japan’s, and the Vietnam War has a great deal to do with it.

“Alan, don’t think like that.” Harold Wilson did not know how to open the mouth to persuade, the development of Malaya is indeed a problem, thought half a day the prime minister decided not to persuade, conscience and the importance of Malaya to the British Empire, or the latter is more important.

Do not have to persuade the prime minister, Alan Wilson has adjusted his mind, he remembered the Paris peace talks seem to talk about more than four years, even if it is five years, enough time for Malaya to develop a five-year plan.

And he remembered that the Paris Peace Talks were merely for show to other countries, and the real negotiations between the United States and Vietnam were actually conducted in secret, probably equivalent to the time he himself was at the Potsdam Conference, talking to Foltseva about when the Polish government in exile would be repatriated, and don’t think that only the United Kingdom would sell out to other people, and that the City at the Top of the Hill would also do the same.

After letting the Prime Minister, who had done the nationalization reform and was ready to make a big splash in the diplomatic field but had not been able to find an opportunity to do so, Alan Wilson left 10 Downing Street and returned to his office to pick up the phone directly to the Treasury, “Frank, prepare some information for me and let’s talk about the financial aspect.”

About the British financial system, if you think that only London is the representative of the British financial system, then you are wrong.

The City of London did not exist in this day and age, and in the nineteenth century the Exchange was officially authorized by the British government. Initially, it mainly traded government bonds, and then corporate bonds and mining and canal stocks were listed and traded.

Since then, in the rest of Britain also appeared vast stock exchange, the peak of more than thirty, can be said that all over the United Kingdom called the name of the city, there are stock market exchanges.

In the last year, these exchanges, only merged into Glasgow, Liverpool, Manchester, Birmingham and Dublin and so on seven regional exchanges, the visionary goal is of course all under London, London into a financial city, which can improve the financial strength of Britain.

De Gaulle was not high on the pound while squeezing the dollar; normally speaking De Gaulle would have preferred to fight the pound, which looked a little weaker. But one difference is that the UK was being chased up the ass by the US for debt, which led to a policy of austerity for some time after the war, and the heart to overissue the pound was not there at all.

It’s not like the US overissued countless dollars because of the Vietnam War, resulting in offshore dollars all over the international market, which could easily be collected by de Gaulle as a sharp tool for squeezing gold.

The international dollar presence was used decades later by the Federal Reserve to create a tidal wave of dollars, using interest rate hikes and cuts to solidify America’s financial supremacy. That’s because the dollar in later times is the currency of the settlement of large items, the initiative is firmly in the hands of the United States, although the later euro is far more powerful than the currency of any country in this era, but only self-protection of the heart without the power to forge ahead.

And this era of the dollar needs gold backing, after the war, the United States expanding trade deficit led to the old European consortium held more and more dollar assets this problem has not been paid much attention to. Those European capitals that had been temporarily dormant after heavy losses in World War II had gradually recovered.

Whitehall’s No. 1 and No. 2 have centered their discussions around the run on gold over the last few years. One issue is clear: the French are going it alone.

“Theoretical French backers, Belgium, Italy and Spain are all pressing on, the French have run out of steam, they can’t expect the African countries they control to join in such a high end match up, can they? In the absence of other countries joining in, it was already certain that the French were at the end of their attack, they were out of bullets.”

Alan Wilson talked about his views on the French run on gold, the Cabinet Secretary certainly does not have any profound financial knowledge, but this kind of thing is like being hungry to eat, in the high-end operation, the last also have to fall on the physical, the French have no dollar bonds in their hands, the run is naturally going to end.

“France’s crazy run is certainly dangerous, but not enough like the French said, to establish the new international financial order.” Frank agreed with this view, and then said, “If this time if the Germans participated, Washington’s head is big, the Germans in the hands of the dollar bonds, not at all less than the French, maybe even more.”

Alan Wilson also agreed, the same defeated country, Germany’s power is much stronger than Japan, Germany that is called the army, Japan that can only be called self-defense forces. Germany dared to call the shots in the financial field and the United States, Japan even industrial competition by the United States heavy attack, the difference between the two countries is still quite obvious, it seems that Japan and Europe statistics are not too big difference, in fact, the difference is far.

“If you are the United States, after this round of run, what will do?” The financial aspect is really Alan Wilson’s short board, on the contrary Frank often contact people in the financial industry, even if the idea is not right, it can be used as a reference answer.

Frank froze, then mysteriously laughed and said with a relaxed look, “I would just do nothing if I were an American, and watch the French get indigestion.”

“Why?” Alan Wilson was surprised, doesn’t it take some kind of earth-shattering maneuver to make the French pay?

“It can’t be said that nothing can be done, the simple fact is to cut off the financing channels of the franc. The dollar is an international currency, but the franc is not. Since the franc does not have the attributes of an international currency. France, which lacks cash and only has gold in its hands, still needs dollars.”

Frank gestured while saying, “If the French can do to squeeze the U.S. gold reserves empty, then naturally it can do what is said to rebuild the financial order, but now there are no more dollar bonds, it means that the French can’t do it, the dollar is still the dollar, the franc is still the franc, and it can’t replace the dollar’s position.”

“The same is the ability to finance, the United States of America’s financial system can be too powerful than France’s, even if it is at the same time from scratch, the United States is also the one who laughs to the end.”

Understood! Alan Wilson nodded his head with an educated expression, but in fact he didn’t understand what it meant at all, but he understood Frank’s analogy and opened his mouth, “That is to say, we have to find a way to block America’s financing channels in order to bring down the US dollar.”

“Secretary General, that’s almost impossible to do.” Frank shook his head, “It would take a lot of U.S. Treasuries and Federal Reserve notes, which is exactly what the French are missing this time around. What if the goal is topped off with a share of financial hegemony?”

“It won’t work, that’s where the pound is right now, the sterling area will only slowly be eroded by the dollar, do you know how much effort we’ve expended to stabilize the sterling area? Even so, last year occupied the global settlement share also fell to thirty-three percent. After dropping a little, even one-third of the global share is less than that.” Alan Wilson put his hands in his pants pockets, “Sharing is useless, and the situation is only a little better than what happened to the franc this time.”

Still, the two men agreed on one thing, that the Bretton Woods system was no longer so impregnable.

With this de Gaulle attack, the number of countries that are stupid enough to do it will only increase.

It’s probably the equivalent of such a stage from the Spring and Autumn period to the Warring States period, the beginning of the collapse of propriety, France’s role is similar to that of Russia in later times when they claimed to rebel against the American international order, the first peasant revolt may not take over the world, but it’s often the beginning of a great chaos.

“We have to make decisions that are in Britain’s interests.” Alan Wilson arrived with two cups of coffee and pushed one of them in front of Frank.

Frank took it and blew on it gently, sparing the words, “In the national interest, of course.”

“So who specifically are we aiming the knife at?” Alan Wilson seemed to be in the middle of thinking.

Frank laughed softly, “In terms of soundness, this is a time to step hard on vulnerable France.”

“Wait a minute!” Alan Wilson’s heart fluttered, “I’m not against what to do to France, France got enough this time. But we need some lead time too. And the Paris peace talks between the U.S. and North Vietnam are about to begin, what about France, anyway, let’s wait and see ……”

To France out of the knife Allen Wilson is not opposed to, but then, he has not figured out how to deal with the May Storm, to de Gaulle how to think?

Help with the May Storm, or what? What would be the consequences of this is still a muddle in his head.

The man who replaced de Gaulle afterward in history was Georges Pompidou, the man some say was Sima Yi next to de Gaulle, some say was Zhuge Liang who was consigned to the throne. But Allen Wilson didn’t know if he was Sima Yi or Zhuge Liang, he only knew one thing, Georges Pompidou had cancer and hid that to become de Gaulle’s replacement.

If you don’t want this man to replace de Gaulle, just reveal the fact that he deliberately concealed the cancer.