Chapter 934 The French Trap
Alan Wilson’s feeling now is very pristine, to describe it in one sentence, is that I Hu Han San is back again.
The joy of returning home regiment, he now slightly feel so little, of course happy not only himself, at least superficially, he was surrounded by big buyers also expressed happiness, see how hard one applauded.
In public and private, to be able to reach an agreement with the Burmese side is worth a happy thing. Malaya colony is not big enough, human resources have been strained, industrial transfer is imminent.
And Burma is the most suitable target, the land is connected, the Andaman Islands in the outer sea is still controlled in the hands of the United Kingdom, whether it is from the land or the sea, the United Kingdom has the ability to force Burma to give in, with this backing, not afraid of the future Burma has a change of heart, resulting in the damage to the interests of the United Kingdom.
This move is also significant in the sense that after Burma’s independence, after a round of British capital fled, the remaining British-owned enterprises in Burma have long been defended by the Burmese government, and barely operated interests are not as great as before.
And now Aung San, represented by U Nu, is willing to open up to British capital, which also represents a shift in the position of hostility to British capital.
It’s a welcome thing to have succeeded in taking this step, and this Penang negotiation is nothing short of a milestone.
“In fact, independence has certainly caused ups and downs in the relationship between our two countries, but one must always look forward, Speaker U Nu. In fact, Malaya and Burma are neighbors, and I’ve been able to see over the years that General Aung San has been careful to maintain the balance and not get involved in any of the whirlwinds, whether it be for India or China.”
A relaxed Alan Wilson also did not forget to take out the old line, “I’m not stirring up trouble either, although Britain and Burma have animosity, but ultimately the mainland is distant, and the pressure brought by the two big guys next to Burma can be completely different. If it’s really a balanced route and distance begets beauty, it’s still Britain that’s a bit more of a friend.”
“We and our neighbors have followed the original intention of living in peace.” Wunu frowned slightly, sensing that Britain seemed to have bad intentions.
“Malaya is also Burma’s neighbor, of course we are willing to live in peace.” Alan Wilson subconsciously skipped over the matter of the Kra Isthmus, he claimed to have helped Burma expel the Rohingya, but it wasn’t as if he hadn’t taken benefits.
How big was the Kra Isthmus in Thailand? The reason for the current size of West Malaysia today is also due to the dedication of Burma. Plus Thailand’s part of it to make it so big.
So Myanmar’s hostility to the UK is justified, but the good news is that time is the cure for wounds, and independence is considered good, and you think you’re getting a small inheritance? That’s what Indonesia thought, a million square kilometers of land was directly cut off, so if you think about it, Burma should feel much better.
Alan Wilson unilaterally declared that the colonial past was over, and the future would be a golden age for the British Empire and Burma, and soon the cause and effect of this negotiation became a report sent to London, through the hands of Norman Brooke, and sent to the Prime Minister, Mr. Alderley.
“There is no doubt that Alan’s talents in the field of diplomacy have been displayed to the fullest extent by this one incident. Alan is also a suitable candidate for Permanent Undersecretary of the Foreign Office after Sir Ismay leaves the Foreign Office.”
Norman Brooke carefully organized his wording to avoid an impression of admiration, and Prime Minister Airdrie listened and inquired, “What is Alan’s popularity in your Whitehall?”
“One might call it promising.” Norman Brooke said in a serious voice, “We would not have sent him out at all if it had not been for the complexity of the present external circumstances and the need for a man of superior energy and enthusiasm about it to sit in the colonies.”
“The colonies are complex, and in a sense, doing the same job as the Foreign Office. It’s just that it’s not dealing with countries that are officially independent yet, but the nature of the work is similar. But in any sense, it’s a great thing to be able to have a good relationship with post-independence Burma and give Britain a chance to return.”
“What also has to be admired is that he has a very precise strategic vision, and a few years ago he deliberately divested himself of the Andaman Islands and brought them under the administration of the Malayan colony, an archipelago in the middle of the Bay of Bengal that was a deterrent if anything to all the neighboring countries.”
“The value of some of the islands does need to be reweighed, especially in terms of maritime value.” Prime Minister Adderley nodded solemnly, the oil in the Gulf of Guinea being an all too obvious example.
The nearby Spanish colonies were pitifully small, but the Spanish government of Franco, was the one that had joined in dividing the Gulf of Guinea with an island, and news from Portugal that oil resources had first been identified off Angola had been very exciting for the several countries involved, and the development of the Gulf of Guinea had been accelerated.
“Yes, Prime Minister.” Norman Brooke haughtily expressed his approval, “The reopening of the door to Burma through the transfer of the textile industry has been very beneficial to Britain. His tenure as High Commissioner has been very successful.”
“In fact, on the question of civil service transfers, you are the Cabinet Secretary and are perfectly capable of making up your own mind. But on Morrison’s side, there may still be some problems.” Prime Minister Airdrie frowned, it was a known fact that he, the Prime Minister, and the Foreign Secretary did not get along.
If it wasn’t for the need to maintain the unity of the Labor Party and avoid internal friction, he would have asked Morrison to step aside.
The Labour Party is relatively young compared to the Conservatives, which leads to the problem of having some new parties, such as the numerous factions within the Labor Party, ranging from trade unionists, to free marketeers, to radical socialists. Each leader has changed the composition of the party, taking in new members and changing old alliances.
There are more factions in the Labor Party than there are in the Conservative Party, and with support now out of the way, Adderley is reluctant to take a hard line with Morrison, which could split the Labor Party and thus lose the election.
If he has to decide who the Labor Party will let lead it in the future, he still hopes that the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Gaitschke, will shoulder the responsibility.
What goes on inside the Labor Party is beyond the love of Norman Brooke, who can’t help the Prime Minister in this matter.
But civil service personnel appointments and dismissals, although in his hands, but if the Foreign Secretary himself does not recognize, but also a real trouble, Norman Brooke does not like Morrison the Foreign Secretary, do not like the reason is very simple, it has to do with Norman Brooke’s own style.
He has always maintained a very close personal relationship with the previous prime minister, but if it so happens that the prime minister and a minister’s relationship is delicate, don’t even have to think about it to know the cabinet secretary will be on the side of who, which leads to Norman Brooke and Morrison’s relationship because of the Edley’s sake is relatively rusty.
Also thanks to Adderley is not a dictatorial person, if he and Churchill have a little style similar, Morrison absolutely can not do so long as foreign minister.
However, there is a prerequisite, that is, the Labor Party continues to be in power, if Adderley feels that the Labor Party’s position in power will become a thing of the past, Morrison’s good days will come to an end.
Of course this is all Norman Brooke’s own judgment, and at the same time he thinks he’s right.
Pamela Mountbatten and Princess Margaret, finally to return to Asia, Fei Wenli full of grudging gaze, let Alan Wilson rose a little guilty, “Vivian ……”
“She is your wife, what do I count?” Vivienne whispered with self-hatred, looking at her with compassion is heartbreaking.
“Don’t say that, you’re my love.” Alan Wilson whispered as he hugged the petite body of the Great British Treasure, “We have a very cute, very smart child, have you forgotten that? And of course there are many wonderful memories that belong to both of us.”
“Well, I’m not asking for anything.” Vivienne looked straight at the man, and Houska’s gaze reappeared.
No one could resist that gaze, and Alan Wilson was no exception; he would give anything for it.
Just back in the love nest with her husband, Pamela Mountbatten leaked something. “The French are borrowing money by issuing Eurobonds in the neighborhood of five hundred million dollars. They’re using investment banks as underwriters. And the task of the investment bank is to sell the bond to investors; meaning that the bond can be sold to investors all over the world, and deciding whether to buy it or not is exactly what I’m thinking about.”
“Nine and a quarter percent is a very good yield,” continued the man. “Ten-year Italian bonds yield nine percent, and there’s no one who thinks Italian bonds are comparable to French bonds. Canadian bonds are even more telling, with a yield of only eight percent, so what’s the point of thinking about it? It’s going to be bullish, know what I mean? Do you want me to buy you some?”
Even in the best market conditions, Pamela Mountbatten enthusiasm is also very high.
Now that she had plenty of money on hand to maneuver, she was even more excited that she didn’t know what was going on. However, she had a point. Tapped a few keys on the calculator. For any investor, buying the bonds quickly at the original offering price would yield a sizable profit.
Of course, if the bond offering failed, the investment bank would have to lower the selling price, all the way down until the bond’s yield was high enough to attract buyers.
A very tempting cake indeed, but how could Alan Wilson not realize that the French franc had gone through several devaluations after the war, and directly inquired, “Can you guarantee, my dear, that France will win the Algerian War? Now it is certain that France collects funds must be in order to raise military expenses for the war, and such a large scale, indicating that the French have a big action, this big action may succeed or fail, if it fails, what are the consequences?”
Pamela Mountbatten flinched, knowing that she had been swept away, once the franc had a sharp depreciation, it would be the end of the blood money, even if it could not do anything to her, but it would certainly be a stain on her business path.