Chapter 405: The Appointment

The United States, Washington, the White House. A middle-aged man stood before President Roosevelt, seemingly very confident about the day’s

The United States, Washington, the White House.

A middle-aged man stood before President Roosevelt, seemingly very confident about the day’s discussion. The clothes he wore were clearly expensive, their quality and origin apparent even in their tailored fit. He wore several large gold rings on his hands, each one bigger than the last. Every detail about the man seemed to broadcast a single message to anyone who saw him: I am extremely wealthy.

Across from him, U.S. President Roosevelt did not look pleased. He, too, had received intelligence from Britain confirming the news of Germany’s new weapon entering the battlefield.

That weapon, which the U.S. Navy had dubbed the “Führer’s Dart,” had already sunk five British warships. At this rate, whether Britain’s maritime supply lines could hold out until America could fully intervene was a massive question.

Dönitz’s submarine force, operating quietly in the shadow of the German High Seas Fleet, had long been overshadowed by the brilliance of Lütjens’ surface fleet. But Roosevelt knew that this wolf pack was the German Navy’s true killing stroke.

The warships sunk by the High Seas Fleet could be rebuilt given time; in fact, as long as Britain’s foundation remained unshaken, they would be replaced by more numerous and advanced ships. But the transport ships sunk by Dönitz’s submarines were causing Britain, and even America, to bleed out like a giant covered in wounds, facing death from blood loss.

In the past 10 days alone, 11 of Dönitz’s men had been awarded the Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross, which meant that 11 of his subordinates had each sunk over 50,000 tons of shipping. Including the rest of the U-boat fleet, they had crippled more than half of the British naval transport lines in the first part of February.

The one-third loss figure reported by the Royal Navy was an overall total that included the early days of the war when German submarines were used for reconnaissance and were forced to hide. That precise game of hide-and-seek had tied up Dönitz’s submarine resources, preventing them from unleashing their full power in early and mid-January.

As a result, the total tonnage sunk by German submarines had been rising geometrically, and in the last ten days, the losses for American and British civilian transport ships had multiplied. America had not yet had the chance to settle this score with Germany; for now, Roosevelt needed to deal with the domestic forces that were dragging him down.

And the middle-aged man standing before him now was the representative of nearly all the Jewish financial magnates in the United States. His name was Baumann, a tycoon in the soap and chemical products industry.

“I thought a small figure like me would never be summoned by you, Mr. President,” Baumann said with a gentle smile that concealed his thoughts. He stroked his chin with a hand adorned with gold rings. “But since you have summoned me, it means we have a lot of business to discuss.”

Roosevelt clearly had no fondness for the man. The congressmen this man controlled had been consistently obstructing America’s efforts to aid Britain. Because of their obstruction, the United States was still unable to allocate more resources to support Britain’s home defense, causing the situation on the European front to become increasingly unfavorable.

Although America’s own war preparations had begun, they were still primarily defensive. After the German Navy had proven the value of aircraft carriers, the United States had started building new ones. These 30,000-ton behemoths could carry over 80 aircraft of various types, making them more advanced than the large carriers Japan was currently building.

And with America’s industrial might, they had started building a full four of them at once. At the same time, on the East Coast shipyards, America was also helping Britain produce four 20,000-ton class large carriers. Once the British received these weapons, the outcome of the naval war in the North Atlantic would once again be an unknown.

In carrier aircraft, America was desperately trying to catch up to Germany. Britain had provided many excellent engine designs, which was a great help. A new fighter called the P-40 and a twin-engine fighter called the P-38 were both in their final test flights. In the future, the U.S. Air Force would be fully capable of challenging Germany’s fighter superiority.

Time, what they lacked now was time! Yet the man in front of him, and the Jewish consortium he represented, were wasting America’s precious time. The endless bickering and delays in Congress were pushing the British to the brink of collapse. Churchill had even begun to threaten surrender to pressure the United States, but Roosevelt, despite his best efforts, could not secure the necessary support in Congress and could only watch as the situation stagnated.

Now this man was here. Let’s see what outrageous price he would demand, Roosevelt thought. He spoke up, “Let’s not beat around the bush. Name your price. What will it take for America to provide unimpeded aid to Britain?”

“Mr. President, the German Führer has made a very tempting offer to that old fellow Enrique, who is very influential in Europe. Now, even some South American Jews are very optimistic about that young German Führer,” Baumann said. “The price they offered me is not low either, which is why I am helping them.”

“Your roots are all in America! You’re helping Enrique? You’re helping him and ignoring America’s interests?” Roosevelt asked with a frown.

“First of all, whether you believe it or not, that Führer of Germany has no interest in America. He promised Enrique that he would not challenge the United States, nor would he harm Jewish assets in America,” Baumann replied to Roosevelt’s question with a chuckle.

He makes a promise and you believe him? When I make you promises, you won’t budge an inch until you see the money? Roosevelt thought resentfully. But then a thought flashed through his mind. If a mere promise could move these profit-driven Jews, then that promise must be a significant one.

“The content of the German Führer’s promise to Enrique must be the key, right? Would you mind telling me what it is?” Roosevelt asked.

“Ordinarily, it would be inconvenient, but to be honest, that old fellow Enrique and I are not of one mind,” Baumann said with a sly smile. “Besides, my ambitions are similar to his, and I also need the support of a superpower. So, telling you is not out of the question. It all depends on the choice you make next.”

He walked over to the globe in the White House meeting room, smiled, and pointed to a region in the Middle East. “Germany has promised to support us in establishing a Jewish state here. And they have agreed to let us have a share of the Middle East’s oil resources.”

Roosevelt was stunned, then felt a surge of teeth-grinding anger. He didn’t know the full extent of the Middle East’s oil resources, but the currently proven reserves already exceeded the entire oil reserves of the United States.

Germany had no colonies overseas; its foreign influence was virtually zero. This promise to support another nation’s founding was nothing more than drawing a cake to satisfy hunger. Had the Jews all gone mad?

Wait a minute! Roosevelt thought again and understood the trick. The key was that the Jews didn’t seem to have to pay anything upfront—that was the fundamental reason they agreed to the deal. The Jews only had to wait for an outcome. If they got the result they wanted, it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. If they didn’t, they had lost nothing. It was truly a deal with no downside.

Furthermore, the Germans must have set a condition. Only after that condition was met would the Jews intervene in Germany’s war of expansion and ultimately help Germany win this world war that would determine the ranking of future world powers.

That condition had to be the outcome of Germany’s war against Britain. If the Germans won the war against Britain, then Germany would certainly have the ability to exert its influence in the Middle East. With the combined naval fleets of Italy and Vichy France, and perhaps even Turkey, Germany would be fully capable of supporting the establishment of a Jewish state in the Middle East. Moreover, once such a state was established, it would be a friendly ally to Germany…

But it seemed now that Enrique, who wielded so much power in Europe’s economic sphere, was getting impatient. Germany’s unstoppable advance had prompted him to place his bet early. Supporting Germany at this stage would reap even greater benefits in the future. This was the shrewd calculation of these damn Jews! This was the real reason the Jews had already picked a side!

“A grand gesture, isn’t it?” Roosevelt nodded and praised sincerely. “This German Führer has a truly unique strategic vision, and he’s willing to put out such a huge bait. No wonder Mr. Enrique was tempted! So, what about you, Mr. Baumann?”

“The establishment of a Jewish state… this bait is simply too big, so I am no exception. Naturally, I hope that America can offer me the same conditions that Germany offered Enrique,” Baumann replied with a smile. “A state in the Middle East, with me as its leader. That is my condition. Mr. President, if you can satisfy me, the ‘Aid to Britain Act’ can pass Congress tomorrow.”

It had to be admitted that Akado’s desperate move had, unintentionally, dealt a severe blow to America and Britain. The Germans had offered the immense bait of a Jewish state by promising a piece of land that did not belong to them. For either America or Britain to make the same promise, they would have to undermine their own fundamental interests in the Middle East’s oil regions.

Roosevelt hesitated. This was not a promise he could make alone. Akado could make such a promise casually because Germany was his one-man show, and he wasn’t giving away his own property. But if Roosevelt made the same promise, it would cause his own supporters to scream in agony.

“This condition is of grave importance. I need to think about it carefully,” Roosevelt said, resorting to a delaying tactic. He had originally wanted to buy time, but now he was forced to use the most time-wasting method. “In three days, I will give you an answer.”