Parallel nazi 07c1, p.29
Parallel Nazi 07c1, page 29
Dinner was convivial and relaxing. The queen had decided to spend a week at Sandringham in Norfolk. Her father and grandfather had developed the estate and loved it. She preferred Balmoral, but the house at Sandringham was comfortable, and the surrounding lands were lovely.
At Colin’s suggestion, Margaret had invited Clement Attlee to spend a couple of days at the estate along with John Anderson, a cabinet member. Anderson was not a member of the major parties in the government but represented the Scottish universities. He was widely respected and trusted in the government. As a measure of that respect, he was in charge of the Tube Alloys project, which comprised the British atomic research.
Attlee was more relaxed than he usually was in the presence of the queen. And Margaret seemed to unbend a bit, at least in Colin’s opinion.
“The Stalinist influence in Oxbridge seems to have diminished a bit over the past year or so,” Anderson commented. “They have not recently succeeded in any organizational achievements in Scotland, either.”
“Stalin’s missteps certainly have not helped his reputation with the British people,” Attlee remarked. “At least they have stopped attempting to portray themselves as the ideological brothers of the Labour Party.”
“I have never recognized any affinity between the Labour PMs and the Communists,” Margaret said. “Stalin’s actions put paid to any comparison between Soviet Communism and our home-grown socialism. Stalin has tried to hide his fist within socialism’s glove, but that is increasingly threadbare.”
“I like to think of our socialists as being well-meaning,” Attlee commented.
“I would never accuse them of being anything but patriotic,” Margaret responded. “They genuinely care for the people, and they are addressing legitimate issues.”
“While I am sympathetic to Labour’s aims, I prefer we not get carried away,” Anderson murmured as he picked up his wine for a sip.
Margaret chuckled. “Minister Anderson interjects a note of sanity.”
“Then there are the Germans,” Colin said, attempting to change the subject.
“It looks as though Schloss may have turned this one around,” Margaret stated.
“Our best intelligence indicates the Soviets no longer have a coherent force in Silesia and maybe Poland,” Attlee explained. “But Stalin has given no indication he is ready to throw in the towel.”
“And Schloss is faced with supporting at least a half-million prisoners of war,” Anderson said. “That has got to be expensive.”
“Considering the alternative, I don’t think Herr Schloss is disposed to complain,” Colin commented.
“Rommel seems to know what he is doing,” Attlee said. “He has performed brilliantly of late. Cornering Smirnoff in Berlin was a masterstroke. It changed the course of the war. Now, if we could just figure out what’s going on in Tokyo.”
Margaret decided her verbal spanking of the prime minister had achieved something. At least Attlee was somewhat interested in Far Eastern events.
“Konoe has a history of being a moderate,” Attlee continued. “This is at odds with our belief that the radicals are driving events. The public affirmation of confidence by the emperor further heightened the confusion.”
“Halifax thinks the Americans are confused about Japan as well,” Anderson said. “Truman is unyielding about Japan’s adherence to the treaty, but he is not raising the temperature of things.”
“Truman is an interesting character,” Colin said. “Apparently, he really is what he says he is.”
Anderson set his glass on the table. “A lot of people don’t like him, but everyone respects him. He doesn’t equivocate. And he is plain-spoken to a fault.”
“I think I would like Mr. Truman if I met him,” Margaret said.
“And here I always thought opposites attracted,” Colin slipped in.
Attlee was in the process of drinking his after-dinner coffee and sputtered. “That was lèse-majesté if I ever heard it.”
“Of course not, Prime Minister,” Colin rejoined, “I was speaking of one of the finer qualities of our monarch.”
“Of course you were, Colin,” Margaret replied. “You have become skilled at those so-called compliments.”
“Thank you, Ma’am. I do try to contribute to the conversations.”
“Moving on, we have our problems in India,” Attlee stated, steering the conversation back to serious matters. “I suppose we are going to have to make some decisions about that.”
“Our world is changing,” Anderson said. “We must learn how to change with it. What do you think Britain will look like in fifty years?”
“That is something we must think about. If we must change our relationship with our dominions and colonies, we should be thinking about how the end result will look,” Attlee said.
“True,” the queen replied. “We must have some conversations about that.”
“And what will the continent look like in fifty years?” Colin asked.
“Indeed!” Attlee said with raised eyebrows. “We have achieved peace with the Nazis, but Schloss shows no indication of releasing the territories they have conquered.”
“It looks to me like Schloss is trying to hammer together a unified economic entity,” Anderson said. “They wish to trade with us on attractive terms. And the Germans seem to be exercising a light touch on the commerce in their possessions.”
“And I wonder if that will impede our plans to implement the Beveridge Plan,” Attlee said.
William Beveridge, a progressive member of the Liberal Party, had promulgated a plan to implement a welfare state in the kingdom. Most of the people and the government were supportive of it.
“How will that interfere?” Margaret asked.
“Our ideals are to curb the worst characteristics of the market, and if our businesspeople can easily move operations into Germany where they can work under fewer restrictions, we may price ourselves out of the market.”
“In my opinion,” Anderson opined, “the market is always efficient. If we are going to introduce these measures, we must find a way to maintain our competitiveness.”
“I understand that, of course,” Attlee responded. “This is still early in the game, though.”
Later, after the dinner concluded, Margaret spoke to Colin.
“That was a good idea to invite them tonight, Colin.”
“Thank you, Ma’am. I didn’t want to impose upon you, but I thought it might settle things down with the PM.”
“I certainly hope so. Things have been tense lately. I hope this evening’s mood continues for the meetings tomorrow. I’m counting on Clement to be his usual pragmatic self.”
“We may have reached his limits, Ma’am.”
“I hope not,” she replied. “He is getting insistent on holding elections, and I can’t allow that until Winston is out of the way.”
“I suggest that you may be in error in that regard, Ma’am.”
She glared at him for a few moments and then softened. “I try not to shoot the messenger. Particularly not if it is you.” She touched his face. “Good night, Colin.”
§ § §
July 19,1944; 10 AM
The Queen’s Office
Sandringham House
Sandringham, Norfolk, UK
John Anderson had the first meeting with the Queen that morning. As the Chancellor of the Exchequer, he worked hard to stabilize the government's finances without wrecking the economy. It was no mean feat as the war with Germany had pillaged the treasury. Although the peace treaty encouraged commerce between Britain and the German Reich, a return to the prosperity of the 1920s was at some remove.
“What have you today, Minister Anderson?” Margaret asked pleasantly.
Colin sat in his usual chair to the side and took careful notes.
“We have a proposal from Rolls-Royce. They wish to form a consortium with Westinghouse in the United States and Junkers in Germany to develop a new generation of turbine engines for aircraft. They make the point that each company brings strengths to the concord, that the companies could not achieve individually.”
“That is very interesting,” she commented. “Would this be for military or civilian applications, Mr. Anderson?”
“Rolls is largely focused on the civil aviation market. DeHavilland is in the early stages of designing a jet-powered airliner. The Americans will focus on civil aviation to my thinking. Germany, almost certainly, has military applications in mind.”
“We could adapt this to our military aircraft, could we not?” she asked.
“Oh, yes. The RAF are nosing around the project, although they have no funding at this point. We have drawn down our military expenditures dramatically, as you know.”
“Yes, I know that, Minister Anderson. I am not convinced that is necessarily wise, but I also recognize the perilous state of the treasury. Does the government have an opinion on this consortium?”
“In general, the Exchequer is in favor, as is Whitehall. But, some voices in the Commons feel we should nationalize our aircraft industry and go it alone.”
“Really? I had not heard that.”
“I expect that we will at some point nationalize our healthcare establishment, as well as heavy industry. I don’t believe we would be able to afford to do the same with aeronautics at this time.”
“So you would allow Rolls-Royce to move forward with this?”
“I would. We understand this will bring direct benefits to both the Americans and Germans. But, we will realize a net gain as well.”
“Very well,” Margaret said. “I like the idea of the project, too.”
After Anderson left, Margaret looked at Colin. “That meeting didn’t go as long as I expected. If the Prime Minister is here, send him in. Otherwise, I’ll start looking at the morning dispatch box from London.”
A half-hour later, Colin brought the prime minister into the room. Once again, Colin took the chair to the side of the room while Attlee took the seat across from the queen’s desk. Attlee cleared his throat and spoke first.
“I thank you for your invitation to Sandringham, Your Majesty. It has been a relaxing stay, and it was good to get away from Downing Street for a time. And thank you for inviting Violet, as well. She was very honored to be a guest here.”
“You are certainly welcome, Prime Minister. And tell your wife that I am delighted she was able to travel with you. Too many times, I think the wives get left out of government activities, and that is our loss.”
“You are considerate, Ma’am.”
“Yes, well, down to business. We had a productive meeting with Minister Anderson earlier.”
Attlee quirked an eyebrow. “He did not inform me of the agenda of his meeting.”
“Is that so?” the queen asked. “I apologize if you were left out of the information loop. I assumed he would have consulted with you before the meeting.”
“What did he discuss, Ma’am, if I might ask?”
“The proposed consortium for the turbine engines.”
The prime minister blushed slightly. “Mr. Anderson sometimes feels he need not answer to me, and unfortunately, I am not in a position to sack him just yet.”
“Is this a regular occurrence, then?”
“No, but when it happens, he is unapologetic.”
“Would it help if I spoke to him?” she asked.
“The damage is done, I’m afraid.”
“Excuse me?”
Attlee put his hand to his forehead. “Please forgive me, Your Majesty. I did not intend to cast blame upon you. What I was saying was that if you give him the slightest bit of encouragement in conversation, he will treat the matter as approved.”
“I told him that I liked the idea but tried to infer that this was a decision that should be made within the government. I cannot and should not micromanage to that level.”
“You should have cut him off when he began with the proposal, Ma’am.”
“If I had known he had not talked to you ahead of time, I would have.”
While Attlee was polite, it was clear he was seething. Colin studied him for a moment and then looked at Margaret. She looked bewildered. Things were starting to go downhill again.
“If it would help,” the queen said, “I can speak to him.”
Attlee took a deep breath as if visibly trying to control himself. “Thank you, Ma’am, but I can speak to him about this.”
“Very well. Do you have any recent news from Germany?”
“I expect my dispatch box said much the same as yours today, Ma’am. It looks to me, though, that Schloss now has the upper hand over the Soviets. I trust the Germans will not become overconfident, though.”
“That was my thought. It is nice that Herr Schloss has regained his footing, though.”
“Indeed.” the prime minister paused. “I would like to begin introducing legislation to implement the Beveridge Plan, Your Majesty.”
“As I mentioned, I would like something like that after elections. The plan will transform the nation, and I believe you should have a clear mandate for that.”
Attlee sat quietly for a few moments before speaking again. “Very well, Your Majesty. I will announce elections for October.”
The air shivered like brittle glass. Margaret looked at Colin and then back at Attlee.
“Excuse me?”
“I am going to call for elections, Ma’am. It is long past time it was done.”
“Did you not understand when I explained to you before the risk of doing that right now. The Tories are going to be bent on winning this election, and they will put Churchill back into Downing Street.”
“I believe that is a small risk, even if the Tories win, which I believe they won’t. Churchill has support from a rump group of backbenchers, and he is not widely liked in the Commons, let alone among the people.”
“I forbid you to do this, Clement. It may destroy everything we have worked for.”
He shook his head. “It is time to face reality, Your Majesty. The other risk is that if you do not quickly hold elections, we may face an unstoppable slide to a republican government, and I don’t think any of us want that.”
“Are you threatening me, Clement?”
“No, Ma’am. I am simply giving you the best advice I can. We have got to move forward.”
“Very well, Prime Minister. I believe we are done for today.”
After Attlee walked from the room, she turned to face Colin. “I suppose you are going to tell me I didn’t handle that well.”
“I think you handled it about as well as you could.”
“But you agree with Clement?”
Colin frowned as he twisted his head around. “Not entirely. I think he does have a point. Winston is not going away. So postponing elections will not solve that problem. As far as a republican challenge is concerned, I don’t think that has legs.”
“So what should I do. My only recourse at this point is to dismiss Clement. And that would generate a constitutional crisis.”
“It would. I would say that you have to let events take their course. You will need to smile and be supportive. There is a deep reservoir of approval and affection for you among the people. If we go forward with the election and things come apart, you will be in a much stronger position to do something about it.”
“Very well, Colin. I agree. I don’t like it, but I agree.”
CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR
July 21,1944; 2 PM
The Emperor’s Meeting Room
Imperial Palace
Tokyo, Japan
The emperor’s conference room was sweltering in the midsummer heat. The room was located in the center of the imperial palace and had no windows or discernible ventilation. As usual, Hirohito was dressed in his pinstriped business suit and wore a top hat. He seemed perfectly comfortable while those in attendance at the meeting tried to ignore the rivulets of sweat.
The emperor had called this meeting of the civil government leaders and the military. As usual, he gave no advance information about the agenda. Fumimaro Konoe sat at the end of the table opposite the emperor. To Kanoe’s right sat Mamoru Shigemitsu, the Foreign Minister. Along the other side sat Jo limura, Commander of the Tokyo Defense Army, Admiral Koshiro Oikawa, the Navy Minister, and Yoshijiro Umezu, the Army Chief of Staff.
“Today, we shall discuss our relationship with the Americans and the management of our treaty obligations,” Hirohito began. “I wish to know your views and suggestions on how to proceed.”
“I believe we should not give other than lip-service to the treaty,” Umezu began, “and work towards rebuilding our army and navy so we can abrogate the treaty at our earliest opportunity.”
limura nodded emphatically. “The treaty is shameful and must be disposed of as soon as is practical.”
Shigemitsu raised a finger, and the emperor recognized him.
“We might be wise to consider how the world has changed in recent months. The Americans now supply us with all the oil we need. We are not straining the treasury to pay for armaments and huge armies. Because we cooperate with the Australians and the British, the Australians are selling us raw materials. We no longer have armies tied down in China to no effect. We have achieved several of the key aims that drove us to war in the first place. And we have an opportunity for power and influence without having to do it over the barrel of a gun.”
“Bah!” Umezu spat. “We took the coward’s way out, and we threw away everything we had gained during the war because of a couple of reverses.”
“Whether anyone wants to admit it or not, we were on our way to losing.”
“One does not lose when he has the will to win!” Umezu shouted. “Yamamoto brought dishonor upon our nation, and you facilitated it. You should have died with him.”
“By surrendering our fleet,” limura interjected, “it has become much more difficult for us, but we had the gaijin fleeing from us before. We can do it again.”
“And what would we accomplish?” Konoe asked.
“We would recover our honor,” Umezu responded. “Surely that is enough.”
“What honor is there in betraying a nation that has reached out in forgiveness and friendship?” the emperor asked quietly.
