Chapter 112: A Thirty-Percent Share

“A proposal? What proposal? What proposal could possibly make me give up Italy’s interests in the Austrian region?” Mussolini stared at Akado, picking up the documents from the table with a look of confusion and beginning to read them carefully.

The contents of the documents were rich, to say the least. There were many conditions offered by Germany that greatly interested Mussolini. For instance, Germany would recognize Italy’s special privileges in Ethiopia and, if necessary, help Italy control its African colonies. If either Germany or Italy were to control the Suez Canal, the other nation would recognize this control and allow the other free use of it.

Crucially, in another document, the Soviet Union had already acknowledged Germany’s control over Austria and Czechoslovakia. They had exercised restraint and forbearance on the matter. Although it was unknown what methods Germany had used to force the Soviet sphere of influence out of the region, this document also revealed from another angle just how long Germany had been plotting this.

Since Germany had been preparing for a long time, it meant they were extremely well-prepared for this issue, while France, Britain, Italy, and the United States could only react passively. The superior and inferior positions were already clear. It seemed that Italy, having learned of this late, could do little to change the outcome.

By the time he read the third document, Mussolini was already somewhat numb from shock. To stir up Germany’s ambition for eastward expansion, the British government had unilaterally recognized German control over Austria and the Sudetenland region of Czechoslovakia. The only condition was a negligible “notarization fee.”

Now, with Germany using the Siegfried Line to bargain on the French border, only Italy and the United States, two world powers, were left with any say in Germany’s eastern ambitions. Mussolini was now very curious to know if Germany was also taking steps to handle the distant United States of America across the ocean.

“Don’t waste your time wondering. I have already sent my personal special envoy to the United States to meet with President Roosevelt, who has just taken over a complete mess,” Akado said, seemingly seeing right through Mussolini’s thoughts. “If nothing else has happened, the negotiations should have already begun.”

“America will not sit by and watch a once-powerful adversary rise again,” Mussolini said with a frown. “Don’t forget that America lost quite a few men in Germany.”

Akado smiled, then calmly refuted him. “You forget, America is not a signatory to the Treaty of Versailles. To Germany, it can’t even be considered an enemy. Believe me, for at least the next 30 years, I will not consider the foolish act of going to war with the United States… So, what reason do you think America has to refuse my cake?”

Hearing this, Mussolini immediately asked, “What cake?”

“An alliance to deal with the real enemy!” Akado replied with a smile.

“The real enemy? You mean the communists?”

Akado pointed to the stack of documents. “You should finish reading carefully before you say anything more. If I were you, trading non-existent interests for tangible things is absolutely a worthwhile deal.”

Mussolini frowned and flipped to the end of the stack. A single, original legislative act lay there quietly. On the cover, the words “Anti-Comintern Pact” were written in bold. Mussolini’s eyes lit up, and he eagerly began to read its contents.

The pact included three main articles, a supplementary protocol, and a secret annex. The main content was very simple: First, the contracting parties agreed to mutually share intelligence on the activities of the Comintern and to cooperate closely in agreeing upon and taking necessary preventative measures. Second, to take preventative measures against “third countries threatened by the Comintern,” or to jointly invite them to join this pact. Third, to establish a permanent committee to coordinate anti-communist matters.

The subsequent secret annex stipulated: First, if one of the contracting parties were to be attacked or threatened with attack by the Soviet Union, the other party would not take any action that would benefit the Soviet Union and would immediately discuss measures to “protect common interests.” Second, without mutual consent, neither party could conclude any political treaty with the Soviet Union that violated the spirit of this pact.

And behind this document was a photograph of a signed agreement: an “Anti-Comintern Pact” secretly signed between Germany and Japan, on which both parties had already signed and affixed their seals, making it officially effective.

“You see!” Akado said with a half-smile. “You want guarantees, I give you guarantees. You want security, I provide security. I have made my own efforts for peace with sincerity. Now, everything that remains depends on the decision of you, ‘Il Duce’.”

“You plan to occupy both the positions of Chancellor and President yourself, don’t you?” Mussolini asked after a long silence, a seemingly irrelevant question.

But Akado understood the subtext. He nodded in reply. “I can ensure that this document and these secret agreements are fully executed. I can even dispatch a special envoy to Italy to negotiate a complete treaty of alliance between our two nations.”

“If the United States ultimately gives up, then Italy will also remain neutral,” Mussolini said, shifting the responsibility to others while looking over the documents one more time.

A luxurious Mercedes car stopped in front of a magnificent iron gate. Two servants in livery elegantly pushed the gate open. The car started up again and drove slowly toward the grand castle in the courtyard.

At the main entrance of the castle, the car slowed down once more. A man who looked to be about 50, appearing to be the butler, stepped forward and, at the moment the car stopped, helped to open the door. The woman who stepped out of the car made everyone present gasp.

It was as if all the beauty in the world was concentrated on that one face. This woman’s very existence explained the true meaning of the phrase “beauty that could overthrow nations.” Merely through her beauty, her presence overwhelmed the dozen or so wealthy merchants and officials before her.

“Miss Mercedes, it has been a long journey. Please, come in,” the butler said quietly, bowing even lower.

“I apologize for keeping you all waiting,” Mercedes said with a smile as she walked into the house, nodding to the waiting crowd. “I made a last-minute decision to inspect the condition of the Ford Company’s equipment. After all, acquiring the Ford Motor Company is one of my purposes for coming here.”

“Miss Mercedes, can the White Orchid Group, or rather, that gentleman in Germany, really help America out of its predicament?” an old man leaning on a cane asked quietly as he accompanied Mercedes inside.

“Of course. If America helps Germany achieve victory in its territorial disputes and supports Germany’s hardline stance on the international anti-communist issue, then the White Orchid Group will help create at least 300,000 jobs in the United States,” Mercedes said with a smile. When she smiled, the temperature in the room seemed to rise. A few of the younger officials and businessmen began to unconsciously tug at their neckties and swallow hard.

The old man nodded. “On the issue of the anti-Comintern, America has always supported all nations; there is no doubt about that. Moreover, America did not join the Treaty of Versailles after the war, which is enough to prove our sincerity toward Germany.”

As they spoke, the group had already arrived in the castle’s grand hall. Mercedes casually found a sofa and sat down. The old man just as casually ordered drinks to be served. Those with status, or enough of it, found seats, while the rest stood in small groups nearby.

Without waiting for Mercedes to speak, the old man continued on his own. “However, President Roosevelt and some of the fellows in Congress are very uneasy about Germany’s territorial demands. They hope I can help persuade that gentleman to abandon his excessive demands, for which America would offer appropriate compensation. Wouldn’t it be better if everyone were happy?”

“In my fiancé’s eyes, there is no such thing as a compromise, Patriarch Morgan,” Mercedes said, her eyes slightly lowered. “What we need most, I believe you know very well. I also believe that you, Patriarch, have the ability to persuade the honorable President Roosevelt and to make Congress change its mind.”

“And the benefit?” Old Man Morgan asked casually.

“A thirty-percent share of the Coca-Cola Company,” Mercedes said with a smile. But no one noticed that her hands were lightly clasped together. Only she knew that her palms were slick with sweat. Negotiating with the helmsman of the Morgan financial group was truly not an easy task.

After about a minute, just as Mercedes was preparing to call out an offer of fifty percent, the other party spoke first.

“Deal!” Old Man Morgan said with a cunning, triumphant smirk. “Young lady, you have excellent composure. If you hadn’t been just a little bit flustered, you might have even saved those three-tenths.”

“My fiancé says it is worth it just to make a friend of Patriarch Morgan,” Mercedes said, standing up, but she did not extend her sweaty hand. “I await your good news, Patriarch Morgan.”

Leaving the castle and getting into the car, Mercedes looked out at the scenery and gave a quiet order to the driver. “Send a telegram to Akado. Just say that I failed, that I did not complete the plan as intended and lost an extra thirty percent of the Coca-Cola Company’s shares.”

“Miss, was he that difficult to deal with?” the driver asked as he drove.

“Even tougher than I imagined. Perhaps his view of the world situation isn’t as unique, but when it comes to doing business, he is far better than I am,” Mercedes said with a sigh. “My father trained me in business, and I thought I knew commercial theory well, but in the end, I still underestimated these gods of commercial warfare.”

However, back in Berlin, Akado laughed out loud after reading Mercedes’s telegram. “As expected of my fiancée. Compared to Austria and the Sudetenland region of Czechoslovakia, isn’t a thirty-percent share of the Coca-Cola Company a bargain?”

He kept another sentence buried in his heart, where no one could hear it: Once the war starts, none of those shares can be taken away anyway!