Chapter 359: You Might as Well Grow Corn

In the upcoming 1947, Khrushchev had not really had a good time, after the war he was the hand of Ukraine, as of the time before Kaganovich parachuted into the Ukraine was the case.

Kaganovich was Khrushchev’s contemporary, and the two were as old as each other, which made Khrushchev, who had stepped down from a hand to an auxiliary position, almost see no hope for the future, especially in response to last year’s initiatives on coping with the drought, which had greatly failed to score points in front of Stalin, and which made this year’s Khrushchev quite depressed.

This visit to Berlin with Shepilov in particular made Khrushchev pessimistic about his prospects.

In every way Shepilov was a rising star in politics, and the fact that he himself had shared a mission with Shepilov could not make him optimistic about the future, no matter how he considered it.

Before the two arrived in Berlin, Allen Wilson also received the list of the other side of this negotiation, of course, there is no Khrushchev’s name, the Soviet representative of this negotiation is Shepilov.

This name is also not unfamiliar to Allen Wilson, after Stalin’s death, this person succeeded Molotov as foreign minister. But the tenure as Foreign Minister was very brief, and he disappeared from Soviet politics.

There was no controversy, as there was with quite prominent top Soviet cadres such as Serebin and Kosygin, and those familiar with them, may have just stifled a sigh of relief: “Wouldn’t it have been better if the country had let him carry on the administration?”

But people like them, who were unable to take that top position, lacked a spirit of struggle, and that was not a spirit of struggle with themselves, but a spirit of struggle with others.

In the appointment of cadres in the USSR, excluding those promoted according to normal channels, there are two extremes, one is the evergreen like Mikoyan, Gromyko, Kunayev, Andropov, who stay in one position for as short as more than ten years, or as long as several decades, until they finally retire or rise high in the ranks.

The other is the likes of Serebin and Serpilov, who have knocked on the door of the center in their prime and have entered the decision-making ranks in their untimely years.

If Shepilov manages to survive the Khrushchev period, he will probably become Brezhnev’s political rival. Because of their similar ages and very similar political trajectories, Shepilov’s resume was a bit more impressive during the war.

To be able to do later foreign minister, is already Alan Wilson in the eyes of the big man, he did not know that Berlin came to a bigger figure than Shepilov, is in the stage of being knocked by Stalin Khrushchev.

Although he didn’t know about Khrushchev’s arrival, he knew that the Soviet representative was Shepilov, and Allen Wilson was happy in his heart. Shepilov, although he crossed like a comet, advanced détente during his term of office.

In the nineties the Soviet Union had ceased to exist, and Shepilov, who had come to the end of his life, left his last words summarizing, “I have never relied on anyone, I have my own mind to judge things.”

Such an opponent was at least sensible, and Alan Wilson felt that he would not be confronted with too many unreasonable demands.

There was no doubt that he wanted to knock on the door of the Soviet market now that British India was about to become independent, of course Britain would certainly maintain as much privilege over the subcontinent as possible, but ultimately it wasn’t as easy as direct rule to do as it pleased.

At this point in time, if we can knock on the door of the Soviet market, it will be another big boost to Britain’s already improving economy.

Trade was something that was nothing more than taking the best of the best, and the Soviet Union, as a high latitude country, had no reason to reject Britain.

“There won’t be any difficulties, will there?” Avril already knew the purpose of Allen Wilson’s current visit to Berlin, as a British foreign affairs officer in Berlin, Avril of course knew the stubbornness of the Soviets, and expressed his concern at this time.

“I have seen many battles, from New Delhi to Bombay across the subcontinent unrivaled.” Allen Wilson, although the heart also does not have much certainty, but absolutely can not show fear in front of Ai Fuer, published a pass of my Great Britain invincible feelings.

These two days Allen Wilson also prepare some information, decided to scare so much to the Soviet Union.

He knew that the Soviet Union was actually in the early days after World War II, focusing on post-war vested interests, and did not actually want to fall out with the West.

The most critical is the situation in Ukraine, can not be calmed with the end of the war, at least now there are still a lot of anti-Soviet forces in Ukraine, the importance of Ukraine to the Soviet Union, is any key politicians are clear.

In the evening, the Soviet side of the news, this time the negotiations with the point is still in the Potsdam Palace, equivalent to Allen Wilson to face the conditions of the away game, to send this message back to London at the same time.

Alan Wilson then set off with a few diplomats and MI5 agents, and the next day at the Potsdam Palace, the place where the triumvirate had once met, revisited to continue negotiations with the Soviet Union.

“Honorable allies, we meet again.” These were Allen Wilson’s first words when he met Shepilov, the Cold War had not yet officially broken out and there was no problem calling the Soviets allies, at this point in time the Labor government still considered the Soviet Union to be at the stage of being a dubious ally.

“Hello Mr. Allen.” Shepilov offered to reach out and shake the other’s hand as a gesture of friendship.

So much for the few goodwill on both sides, the ensuing negotiations were far less friendly than the greetings had been.

Alan Wilson mentioned the Rollo engine contract, stating that given the Soviet side’s history of intellectual property rights, it was entirely reasonable for the UK to scrutinize this deal, something the Soviet Union had no complaints about.

Because of this, the issue of trade between the two countries exists unfairly, Alan Wilson said that the Soviet Union should open up imports of rubber and tin ore to balance the trade between the two sides, trade is to take advantage of the strengths and weaknesses of the two countries rather than a single country to take advantage of the situation.

“The Soviet Union has been exporting timber and food to help Britain and even Western European countries complete their reconstruction.” Shepilov frowned, “And Mr. Allen, I personally don’t appreciate your wording very much, you seem to have a condescending tone. Making demands on the Soviet Union unilaterally is not the way to solve the problem.”

“You could try buying engines from the United States?” Alan Wilson spoke in disbelief, “Do you see the Americans paying any attention to you?”

Countries like the United States, there are some mistakes that will never be made, how many fools in the world like the Soviet Union still support an agricultural country into an industrial country from scratch? Even civilian industry, not to mention, even helped build the military industry?

For Shepilov’s rebuttal, Allen Wilson as if he did not hear, just one attitude you love to buy or not buy. After this village will not have this store, regret is the Soviet Union.

“I heard that Mr. Allen has been working in the colonies for a long time, and this time he may have mistaken the target. The Soviet Union is a powerful country, not a colony.” Shepilov opened his mouth to sneer, “Britain is not so strong in the eyes of our Soviets, I know some White Russians who escaped, walking the false image of cowardice and cowardice in the European countries, this behavior, is nothing more than a bereaved dog praying for its master to throw two bones, after this great war, I believe that no one looks at underestimating the Soviet Union’s power.”

Wasn’t this Stalin’s response to the European countries looking down on the Soviet Union before the war broke out?

“Mr. Shepilov misunderstands, I certainly don’t listen to the proclamations of some Imperial Russian aristocrats in a one-sided manner like some people before the war.” Alan Wilson waved his hand to indicate that he wasn’t that kind of person, and then turned his words around and said slowly, “But I believe that a country that has lost twenty million of its middle-class population in battle doesn’t have the ability to reopen the war at this point in time. Why don’t you Soviets publicize your population losses? Now we all know what Germany’s lost population was, what was the Soviet Union’s? To not publish it is to have something in mind, and if the Soviet Union had published the figures after this talk, they could just as easily have been considered false, official articles to stabilize people’s minds.”

“Am I right guys?” At this Allen Wilson turned his head to ask the diplomats and agents beside him.

“Of course.” For different reasons, both the diplomats and the military intelligence agents agreed that Alan Wilson’s words were correct.

On the contrary the Soviet representative’s side was silent; it was true that the Soviet Union had not published any population losses after the war. The British in front of us were so certain that it was hard not to be disheartened.

“This is nothing more than a confused guess.” Shepilov said grimly, “British diplomats, who have always had a great reputation, are now very disappointing, using unfounded information as blackmail.”

“It isn’t exactly blackmail, is it, and can’t a reasonable guess do the trick? Perhaps Mr. Shepilov is trying to tell me? That the German army attacked the USSR in autumn, and that not a single person in the USSR died except for the soldiers who were killed in battle? That the invader’s army saw the Soviet population and loved it as if it were their own?”

Alan Wilson said with a sneer on his face, “Then why did so many countries fight to the end? Just let Germany rule the world, maybe everyone will be better off.”

In the middle of the first negotiation, Allen Wilson used the old blackmail routine again. Using the Soviet Union’s population loss as a starting point, he showed that, for the time being, the Soviet Union was not in a position to make a lion’s share of the money.

Toward the end of the meeting, Allen Wilson only slightly mentioned the requirements of the contract for the export of engines, the first three hundred engines, paid in full, and then wait for the shipment of the Rollo company.

At this Shepilov was very indignant, saying that this is a blackmail in the obvious, the two sides parted unhappily, and each contacted the country, before leaving, Shepilov sternly declared, “Underestimation of Soviet technology may cost Britain a good contract.”

“I have never underestimated Soviet technology, but some things are not technology.” Alan Wilson said in disbelief, “It’s like growing corn in that high latitude tundra of Siberia, it’s a hell of a thing to be successful. Or else you’ll try it?”