Chapter 507 Report on the Shift of Industry

The Soviet Union’s breaking of the U.S. nuclear monopoly was, of course, a great achievement for the Soviet Union as well as the Allies.

For the remaining half of European countries, it was not good news, after all, the US was far away and the USSR was close by, the deterrent effect of the two was completely different.

Even expatriate civil servants like Allen Wilson understood this, not to mention these natives.

“No matter what, we don’t have nukes in our hands, we are the losing side in any negotiations.” Alan Wilson shook his head slightly and said.

“This is something you’re not fit to know!” Norman Brooke said ambiguously, “But this kind of weapon test site is also a problem. It may be necessary to communicate with Australia.”

“On this matter, honorable Sir, I have reservations. Australia is already an independent country. I’m sure the Australian government level is willing to help, but what about the population is unknown.”

The UK mainland is small and densely populated, and does not have a site for testing nuclear bombs. Historically, the UK chose Australia, and in fact, Australia did cooperate with the UK in this matter by providing an atomic bomb test site.

“There’s no need to rush this, we have plenty of colonies, what do you think is a more suitable place.” Norman Brooke spoke, “It’s just a hypothetical question anyway, you can probably say whatever you want.”

“Since it’s a hypothetical question, I’ll get right to it, it’s not like hypotheticals are responsible anyway. If I think about it, I have two places to choose from, in terms of strategic position and importance, the nuke program is naturally for deterrence, in a sense to demonstrate like the Soviet Union, or there’s the United States. So balancing deterrence and strategic position, I have two candidate test sites.” Alan Wilson said as he thought about it, “Egypt, and Kalimantan, both of which have their own benefits.”

“Go on!” Norman Brooke said expressionlessly, lighting a cigarette and waiting for Alan Wilson’s explanation.

“If the test site is placed in Egypt, I suggest inviting the Egyptian military to observe, so that a certain deterrent effect can be given. If it is from the environmental considerations, the rotten land in Egypt is very much, everywhere is a piece of yellow sand, do not have to worry about destroying any environment, as well as accidental injuries, that are not a wide area, there is no one at all, so there is no moral burden.”

“The Suez Canal was the lifeline of the British Empire in every sense of the word, and it was perfectly justifiable to provide a necessary deterrent to the Egyptians.”

“As for the choice of Kalimantan, it was the fact that there were French, Portuguese and Dutch colonies in the vicinity, and we chose to test it on the demarcation line with Dutch Kalimantan, mainly as a deterrent to Indonesia. I know there are still opposition forces in Malaya, and there will definitely be anti-British elements who will want to see the nuclear bomb test bit. It’s good to show them.”

“All in all, I think the possibility of a nuclear war is still too low under current technological conditions, and with the limitations of the carriers for delivering nukes, I’d prefer to let the people in the vast backward areas see it.”

Norman Brooke did not say anything, but this does not mean that he did not take Alan Wilson’s words into account, and asked about mixing with McCarthy every day, and continued, “Let’s not mention this matter beforehand, what do you think about the Far East.”

“If we mean China, things are settled. But that country is too poor to worry about for twenty years. How easy would it be to try to start from scratch?”

Alan Wilson thoughtlessly said, “Dependent on the gentleman supported by the Americans, China’s current foundation is far worse than India’s, and it won’t be easy to change it in a short period of time. And to be honest, the person the US chose to support has far less fighting power than the forces supported by the USSR. This also has to do with the fact that most of the world is in poverty, the poorer the place, the stronger the forces that tend to favor the Soviet Union, and there are no U.S. allies here either, so I’ll just be blunt, if elections were to start within Asia right now, the vast majority of the countries would be allies of the Soviet Union, and it wouldn’t be possible to intervene without military means.”

There are similar examples, the United States specializes in finding piggybacks, what Li Cheng evening la, Wu Ting Yan, Chang Gong is still a bit stronger than these two, but of course not as strong is true.

The U.S. only mentions democracy at home, not in the current world, people advocate the free world. True democracy, the U.S. can’t even keep the Philippines, pretty much all countries have an absolute majority of proletarians, they lose any way they choose.

Prior to the seventies, America’s favorite government to work with was the military government. As for democracy, we in the free world don’t mention that Soviet vocabulary.

“That’s exactly what the British Army in Malaya is for, and if, and I mean if, you go as Commissioner of Malaya, will you be able to stabilize the situation there.” Norman Brooke stared at Alan Wilson with burning eyes.

For a moment, Allen Wilson almost had the illusion that he had only been looked at like that by Greta Garbo, just as aggressively.

“I’ll do my best!” Alan Wilson snapped back, giving his answer.

“I want to? Try my best? Might not be enough!” Norman Brooke drew out a long note, “It should have to be done.”

“It may have to be done at some cost, provided there is domestic support!” Allen Wilson’s heart stirred, after his last hopeful and eventual trip to Newfoundland, he hadn’t come back this time with much hope for a trip to Malaya, but now look at it this way? It seemed like it was in the cards!

“What kind of support do you want?” Norman Brooke took a sip of water and asked without a hitch.

“I want domestic industry transfer!” Seeing Norman Brooke’s gaze turn cold, Alan Wilson explained, “Sir, the current situation is already very clear, with the fifty million citizens of the homeland, no matter what, we can’t compete with the United States and the Soviet Union, it’s letting the citizens of the homeland take out the output of the United States and the Soviet Union’s three people by themselves. We have to rely on an outside force to help maintain our present position, just as British India did in the old days.”

“And there is no longer a place with such a large population, so we must be more attentive to the support of this part of the world than before, and must give up something to share with Malaya.”

“It will cause an exodus of native employment!” Norman Brooke shook his head slightly, “Alan, do you realize how excessive you are asking?”

“Not excessive at all, Your Honor, think of the cameras of the nineteenth century? Think of the cameras of twenty years ago. Was there an airplane industry in the nineteenth century? What about now?”

In fact, the durability of industrial products has always been on the decline as technology advances. When Europeans got industrial, only aristocrats and journalists could afford cameras, so a camera could be passed down for generations, provided film was still available.

When the Americans started their industry, people in developed countries could afford cameras, and a camera could last a lifetime. When the Japanese were in industry, cameras broke down after ten years, but it didn’t matter, newer models were better and cheaper. When the Chinese were in industry, what was a camera? Cell phones change generations every year.

Alan Wilson firmly said, “Sir, how can we rely on the textile industry to support all-round welfare? Are those the only processes for a garment, and is the profit from manufacturing enough for the workers to share? If we put the textile industry in Malaya, the locals don’t want welfare, they want jobs, and just even if we don’t push forward, retaining the textile industry will only cause economic woes in the homeland, and the thing about welfare is that the citizens will only want more and more of it. We can’t raise the price of a garment to a couple months’ wages and sell it, but if we can’t raise that price, how do we give the textile workers welfare?”

In some labor-intensive, low-end manufacturing industries, workers don’t need to be too educated, and may even be illiterate, just able to perform simple, repetitive labor.

“If we transfer out some less profitable industries, not only can we quickly stabilize the situation in the colony and reduce the expenses of the garrison, but also be able to reduce the costs with the low-cost advantage, so that the native citizens can enjoy the same services as the original one by spending less, so that there is no need to increase the welfare, and this can also greatly pick up the expenses of the provincial government, er …… is spending on more important things.”

Allen Wilson misused his words in the heat of the moment, it’s definitely not about saving government spending, government spending necessary. It’s just that those expenditures become more visible, like a civil service wage increase or something.

“You make a report first!” Norman Brooke tapped the table with his finger, “First of all the Malayan High Commissioner Gerald Edward has done a good job as well, his term of office won’t end until next February, whether he will be reappointed or not is not certain. Furthermore we have to judge the situation in the Far East and whether that new regime is accessible. For the short term, you’ll follow the negotiations in Paris, and your work will be organized then.”

“I’ll give a report right away!” Alan Wilson stood up and assured, then exited the Cabinet Secretary’s office.

This matter is not difficult, just follow Japan’s drawing on the line, after the start of the Korean War, in the U.S. foster, Japanese companies to the U.S. to borrow to buy machinery and equipment, cotton, and then exported to the U.S. cotton textiles, with foreign exchange to pay off the debt.

Japan’s exports grew rapidly, the United States share of imports of cotton textiles, Japan in 1951 was only 17 percent, five years later grew to more than 60 percent. In 1955, in New York, appeared in the price of only one dollar Japanese-made cheap shirts.

Immediately, of course, came the first trade war between the United States and Japan, which broke out in 1956. But Allen Wilson didn’t care, Britain’s ties with Malaya were, at least nominally, much closer than those between the U.S. and Japan, and at least Japan was still nominally an independent country, while Malaya was a colony.