Chapter 294 – The Prime Minister’s Concern

“Not even close? Mr. Allen, you have to know that a privately owned company is not something that one person can say.” Derek frowned, “Especially a business like U.S. Steel, even if I’m a vocal executive director, I can’t sway the majority opinion, that’s not a family business.”

“Likewise, British India is not my call alone.” Alan Wilson shrugged his shoulders, his tone was also quite helpless, “Not to mention that it’s not a matter of British India, in the end it’s always going to be known in London, if you can come up with a proposal that benefits the country it’s okay, if you can’t, I believe Mr. Derek also knows the complexity of politics.”

“I understand it very well, you don’t need to explain with official words.” Derek, with the tone of an old man, put a stop to it in advance before Alan Wilson opened a long speech.

Both men could sense in approaching the goal, but like a conversation between two men, it was not something that could be decided by two men with one mouth, Allen Wilson had the head of the civil service in London above him, and Derek had the rest of the directors of U.S. Steel behind him, and to see Aurora’s victory was not a victory in the final analysis.

The decision was not in British India, but in Britain and the United States, Pittsburgh and London, and that’s where the ideas were taken.

The question is not without its problems, for example, British India looks settled now, but once India becomes independent, will it be possible to keep the iron ore mines smooth, something Alan Wilson talks about all the way from its historical origins to the present situation.

“Essentially, something like what Nehru called India exists in the cultural concept, after all Hinduism is here. But a country called India is a long time in the making. The Turkish state of Mysore has been around longer than the United States has been around, and there is no reason why the status quo will change. We will be left with a loose confederation of independent India, and Mr. Derrick’s fears are not altogether out of the question, but the likelihood is infinitesimal.”

Not to mention, the only thing that British India, especially since Alan Wilson’s return, has not given up on and continues to push forward is disarmament.

British India’s army of nearly two million seven hundred thousand during World War II has been reduced to nine hundred and fifty thousand as a result of this effort.

In fact, the disarmament work is not yet complete, after all, this is to reduce the financial burden of things, the mainland still need financial support, of course, it is worth the Viceroyalty to vigorously promote, wait until the independence of British India still have much of the army, then in the time to see.

Of the present army of nine hundred and fifty thousand, the Pacifists occupy a proportionate share of the population, and the Sikhs a disproportionate share. As for the Tuktuks, the several large and important Tuktuks together have a private army of two hundred thousand.

Though it could not be called a perfect balance, Nehru would certainly have to spend a little time first in re-training the army to do its work after independence.

The iron mines were ultimately in the semi-independent Tupang rather than the provinces directly affected by Nehru, so on the whole, Alan Wilson wanted Drake to think that the risks were preventable and manageable.

“Unless Mr. Drake, doesn’t believe in the political competence of the British Empire.” As if offended, Alan Wilson’s face turned solemn.

“Being that I can not believe in it, but when it comes to political competence, I believe more than just the United States believe in it.” Derek had been professionally trained not to laugh no matter how funny he was, unless he couldn’t help it, lol ……

He believed that not only America believed in it, but France, Germany and even the Soviet Union, all very much believed in the political attainments of the British Empire. Countless wars in the past have proven this.

Having a sense of the notorious destiny of the United States of America, Derek did not think that there was another country that could break free from the cage set up by the British Empire in the same way as the United States, it was impossible.

Although the day had made equally little progress, the two men said their friendly goodbyes, Derek still had to experience the exotic, Alan Wilson still had to go back to cooking, he had sacrificed too much for the British Empire.

One hundred million dollars! This figure has exceeded the assessment of the London side, in front of the blue and blue rebellious son, the British Empire are looking petty up, in the final analysis, businessmen are doing this, bureaucrats are not necessarily.

In fact, for Britain, it’s not a loss if you can get rid of it and find a home for it, so the assessment is slightly conservative.

But no matter, the hindsight London bureaucrats knew better and on the one hand told Alan Wilson to try to get it, while on the other, Edward Bridges felt that it was time to let the widely respected Prime Minister Adderley know about this good thing.

It wasn’t as if there hadn’t been a mouthful before, just a hypothetical question posed to test the waters, and now it was time to let the Prime Minister have his say.

Edward Bridges arrived at the Prime Minister’s office and, rather coincidentally, no one else was there.

“Edward, have a seat.” Adderley was slightly surprised, Edward Bridges didn’t come to him most of the time, instead taking Norman Brooke to familiarize himself with the various departments.

“Honorable Prime Minister, I didn’t disturb you!” Edward Bridges gently nodded his head as a greeting, and then sat down across from Prime Minister Airdrie and opened his mouth, “Today there is something that I feel the need to let the Prime Minister know.”

“What is it?” Prime Minister Airedale asked back with a smile, then his face became serious, necessary? “Is something wrong somewhere?”

Once Edward Bridges said it was necessary, it was often the case that something had arisen that he had to be made aware of.

“It’s not that something has happened somewhere, it’s something that could be good or bad.” Edward Bridges mused, “Remember the other day, I had a discussion with the Prime Minister about an American company wanting to buy an iron ore mine in British India?”

“It was mentioned, but at the time you also said that everything was up in the air.” Prime Minister Adderley was present that day, and next to him was the political secretary arranged by the Labor Party, who was likewise present that day.

“Yes, Honorable Prime Minister, it was indeed between undecideds at the time.” Edward Bridges began by acknowledging the Lord Prime Minister’s excellent memory, and then turned the conversation around and said, “Originally, I too had taken the matter, as a routine briefing from British India, and had not taken it to heart, but out of ever-present prudence, I still put the local officials in touch with the other side, purely out of consideration for the relationship of allies, and in no way mixing it with any personal bias. ”

Taking credit to himself first, Edward Bridges then talked about the latest developments regarding the Mysore iron ore mine.

Prime Minister Adderley was calm as usual until the moment he heard the hundred million dollars!

Britain’s entire debt is now astronomical, with three billion pounds in foreign debt, and with this kind of economic pressure, it is understandable that it is not interested in British India, which has become more and more devoid of oil and water since the First World War.

Adderley wanted to pull out the power of British India and put it in colonies that were better controlled and strategically contracted.

Although in the last year, British India seems to have all of a sudden become the cow that feeds the British Empire again, this is something that Edward Bridges also made clear was unsustainable, and that once the Indians decided to rise up, Britain would pour back all of its current revenues.

With a huge foreign debt, and a series of plans that were stretched to the limit, there was no way not to be excited to hear Edward Bridges talk about a hundred million dollars now.

“One iron mine for sale for one hundred million dollars?” Prime Minister Adderley seriously snapped, very surprised by this.

“It’s actually the best quality iron ore mine in British India, in the territory of the Turkish state of Mysore.” Edward Bridges explained, “is the American initiative to contact, we take a conservative attitude, but the Americans are very eager, at first does not rule out the idea that the Americans are taking advantage of the fire, and in fact it is so, the Americans just started to open the price of thirty million U.S. dollars.”

Prime Minister Adderley really want to say thirty million dollars is also OK ah, what time is it, do not look at the foreign debt of the British Empire now, the Americans are not now urging to pay back the money, but it is hard to guarantee that they do not know what to think up.

However, now there is not one hundred million dollar offer? On the offer of one hundred million dollars, Prime Minister Adderley showed enthusiasm, “Now to what point? How much success is assured.”

“If the offer of one hundred million dollars is accepted, the success rate is of course one hundred percent. In fact I had generalized once and assessed it at twenty-five million pounds.” Edward Bridges directly reduced the assessment figure by five million pounds, so naturally, the extra figure was in his Cabinet Secretary in the tent, the victory in a thousand miles away, so that the Americans had to sign an alliance under the city.

And of course he didn’t forget Alan Wilson, “And that is of course to the credit of the British Indian civil servants, who conducted the hard negotiations.”

“There is no mistaking that the property of the British Empire deserves a fair look.” Prime Minister Alderley righteously recognized the merits of Edward Bridges.

The tax revenue of British India, which was one hundred million pounds during the First World War, is now less than two hundred million. Still rummaging around, before the Second World War, British India’s tax revenue was less than 100 million pounds.

Now just one iron ore mine has sold for £30 million, almost a third of what British India earns in a normal year.

“The Americans may be allies, but we can’t sell the legacy of the Empire cheaply.” Prime Minister Adderley affirmed the rightness of the move, and although he came from the Labor Party, it was because he came from the Labor Party that he understood the value of wealth and would never lose money on it.

Already psychological preparation for the eventual independence of British India, Prime Minister Adderley, is not opposed to, the British Empire before the hundred years of operation of the accumulation of cash, he is not Churchill, light from the mouth to maintain the majesty of the British Empire, make money well, not shabby.

“Of course, no matter who, can not take advantage of the fire.” Edward Bridges said with a marvelous expression, “Your determination with vigor will be the key to the success of this merger and acquisition.”