British civil servant

"Just say what you want, we won't let it out, we can keep it a secret." Prime Minister Attlee said in an instigated tone, "You can't remind other countries that they are all going to our own motherland. What can we do? Are they all gone?"

"Dear Prime Minister, you should be cautious just because it is your own country." Alan Wilson shook his head slightly. "The British Empire is currently the largest colonial empire. I don't know where to start."

"Let's start from the local area. How can we keep the interests in our hands, at least part of them. I am different from Churchill. He thought that he could make the problem disappear by showing a tough attitude. I don't think so. "Prime Minister Attlee had a strange expression when he mentioned Churchill, "Our era is over after all, we have to face the reality, but facing the reality does not mean giving up the interests in our hands. How can we keep the interests in our hands? That's what I'm thinking about."

Start locally?After listening to Prime Minister Attlee's words, Alan Wilson blurted out, "First of all, Britain should have a nuclear bomb, the sooner the better, the final result depends on the appetite of the United States. If the appetite of the United States is strong, there will be nothing left. Once the Soviet Union is fully restored When building the Red Navy, the colonies had to bear the crush of the Soviet Union."

Prime Minister Attlee was taken aback, and then nodded solemnly. Although he didn't say anything, it was mainly because Alan Wilson's position was not suitable for knowing the progress of the alloy tube project. Has been very concerned about the development of nuclear bombs.

Attlee didn't know, even if he didn't say it, Alan Wilson knew that the British alloy tube was in progress secretly.It is the same whether you say it or not, the traitorous Labor Party is nothing more than a fallacy echoed by others.

If you really want to talk about traitorousness, then the Labor Party has no Conservative Party expertise, from Churchill's alloy pipe plan to Thatcher's privatization.The Nassau agreement was also interspersed in the middle, giving up independent nuclear weapons.

The only thing Labor has gone too far is that the welfare society has gone too far and created a huge financial burden.

"Allen, from the perspective of a former colonial official, what are the places that deserve to be protected at present. And what are the threats?" Attlee asked the second question.

"The biggest foreign threat at present is the United States. I don't know when the United States can't bear it anymore and started to attack the colonies in the hands of European countries." Alan Wilson said truthfully, "The Royal Navy, which we are most proud of, is also bigger than the United States. The U.S. Navy is weak. On the colonial issue, the threat from the U.S. is real, and the threat from the Soviet Union has not yet disappeared. This is the exact opposite of the current situation in Europe. The threat from the Soviet Union can be seen, and the U.S. can pretend to be a good person.”

"As for the value of the colonies, Malaya and the Persian Gulf are in no particular order, but if you want to maintain influence, there must be no problems with the Suez Canal. No matter at any time, the British Empire, even the United France, should resolutely support Egypt and Sultan. "

"But now the world war has weakened us and the French, the vast colonial resistance is fierce, and Egypt is not safe." Alan Wilson shook his head when he said this, "Please forgive me, respected Prime Minister, my thinking is a little confused. If the Prime Minister If necessary, I can calm down and write a special report for the Prime Minister to read, which is much more rigorous than if I have not prepared it now."

"You also had a day's meeting, and now you are tired. I heard from Norman that you alone took up half of the entire meeting today. Exco of India."

Prime Minister Attlee didn't mind at all about Alan Wilson's current performance. On the one hand, it was certainly because of Governor Mountbatten. On the other hand, being able to hold a conference attended by many countries into one speech was a show of talent in itself.

Let Alan Wilson leave, and Prime Minister Attlee continued to listen to Norman Brook's report, leaving only the Prime Minister and the cabinet secretary in the room.

Listening to Alan Wilson's analysis and response to the colonies of other countries, Prime Minister Attlee raised a tinge of anticipation for the upcoming report. After Norman Brooke finished reporting, Prime Minister Attlee said, "Alan is in When the British ruled India, you and Edward valued it very much, right?"

"Yes, Prime Minister." Norman Brook replied cautiously, "Alan is a man who is full of enthusiasm for his work, and never refuses to deal with difficult problems. He is young and energetic. Of course, Edward and I do not deny it. To a certain extent, there is a relationship with Governor Mountbatten."

Listening to what the cabinet secretary said, Prime Minister Attlee nodded his head from time to time, and suddenly said, "Norman, in fact, what I think now, if Alan's age is not too conspicuous, you know, I need a chief private secretary."

Um?Norman Brook's eyes widened, shocked by Prime Minister Attlee's words.

"Age is a problem." Seeing Norman Brook's shock, Prime Minister Attlee said instead, "If the age is right, there is no problem. It's a pity."

Not a pity!Norman Brook thought so, anyway, if he can be remembered by the current Prime Minister, it is worth attending this meeting.

The next day's meeting was another full day. In the evening, Alan Wilson brought back Olivia, the Portuguese representative, and submitted a report on leasing battleships, but did not comment on it.

Chapter 371 Starting from the Movie Market

"Norman, what do the Portuguese want battleships for?" Prime Minister Attlee looked at the cabinet secretary, showing no particular emotion about the request. "As far as I know, the Portuguese navy is very weak."

"Maybe it's for the safety of Portuguese Goa?" Norman Brook pondered for a while and gave the answer, "Other than that, there should be no explanation. Prime Minister, have you seen the earlier withdrawal route for the British troops stationed in India?" of."

"Oh, yes. Some were withdrawn to the Persian Gulf, and some were withdrawn to Malaya." Attlee nodded knowingly. He had indeed seen such a troop withdrawal report, but was there any content about Portuguese Goa?

Alan Wilson stood aside, withdrew partly to the Persian Gulf and partly to Malaya?Didn't you write this report yourself?

"This government of Portugal, that person of Salazar?" Prime Minister Attlee muttered inexplicably, and then asked, "What is the current state of the Nelson-class battleship? What's wrong with the technology?"

"It has been lying on the berth for more than a year, and there is naturally no technical problem. Because the Portuguese Navy has no experience in operating large warships, if it is leased, the Royal Navy may send a group of naval officers and soldiers to help train." Norman Brook told the truth, purely from a technical point of view.

After the war, the two Nelson-class battleships withdrew from active service one after another. The "Rodney" was transferred to the reserve service in the same year and was deregistered in the second year. The "Nelson" was converted into a training ship in the second year. It was also delisted, and two battleships were already lying in the shipyard waiting to be broken up.

Prime Minister Attlee's dissatisfaction with Portugal was only with Salazar and his government.

"Does Allen know Portugal?" Attlee didn't mention the lease of the battleship, but asked Allen Wilson whether Portugal was credible.

"When I was in British India, I also had a lot of contact with Goa." Allen Wilson said without hesitation, "The local Portuguese officials in Goa have also told me many times that Portugal has been a country for hundreds of years. An ally of the British Empire. During the World War, Portugal was a small country and was next to Spain. Some decisions were beyond our control. We are also willing to sign an agreement with us. The British army can use the port of Goa for repairs at any time. This time the US aid plan, There should be a Portuguese one."

"Let's discuss and discuss this matter. I want to see how Americans judge it." Prime Minister Attlee scratched his smooth forehead. His extremely intelligent head was very bright, showing that this head was thinking.

Germany blitzed Poland, World War II broke out, and Britain declared war on Germany.Salazar was in a rather awkward situation.Portugal and Britain are traditional allies and should stand on the same side as they did during World War I; but Italy and Germany also share certain common interests with the Salazar government.

Salazar, however, was somewhat wary of both.Maintaining neutrality seems to be the only option, and such a choice has brought many benefits to Portugal.In addition to selling war materials to the warring parties, the free ports along the Portuguese coast also prospered.

But in fact, this is not a big deal. There are not many good friends who can make money out of the fire, let alone the country.Anyway, Portugal eventually joined the Allies, but only after the war became apparent.

Alan Wilson remembered that Portugal had a part in the Marshall Plan, but the amount was just like what he said before. Iceland is taller. At present, my country has a population of 12.

But this is much better than Spain. Apart from Franco's factor, Mexico, which has a new president who said it wants to live in harmony with the United States, is fiercely biting Spain and wants to be the leader of the Spanish-speaking world.

Even considering the attitude of the Mexicans who finally gave up their anti-American stance, the United States will not include Spain in the Marshall Plan at this time.

Prime Minister Attlee did not want to lease the battleship to Portugal, but he was not determined, but said that he was considering it.

Alan Wilson actually wanted this to succeed very much, so he would dismantle it if he left it, and maybe he could make a fortune on loan.In the name of helping the Portuguese Navy train, it can share some costs.Can the two battleships, which are no longer young, still pose a threat to Britain?

And there is another reason, in terms of colonial policy, Salazar also invested considerable energy.In the early years, Salazar also served as the Minister of Colonial Department while serving as the Minister of Finance, and issued detailed decrees.The decree requires strengthening the control of colonization, canceling the autonomy of the colonies, encouraging colonization and sending missionary teams, in order to strengthen the connection between the colonies and Portugal.

Such a leader and the country controlled by such a leader are exactly the thugs that the British Empire needs at present.The colonialist family should unite such countries if it is to unite.

It seems that this matter still has to wait for Mountbatten to come back to see if there is a turnaround.Alan Wilson does not have the ability to influence the prime minister's judgment.

Alan Wilson made today's report. Although he also spent four hours in today's meeting to supplement yesterday's colonial issue, the main topic has changed.

This can't be blamed on Alan Wilson. The colony expert is his current personality, and he must act as if no one understands it better than me. The more people are discussed, the more stable the setting will be.

The main topic of today's meeting is that the United Kingdom hopes that Belgium, the Netherlands, and even Luxembourg will send domestic troops to the British-occupied areas for defense, because the British army is currently disarming.

Although there is only one Grand Duke Guard in Luxembourg, there are only two battalions.But people like Alan Wilson have never known what it means to be embarrassed. Even if there is only one battalion, they should fulfill their obligation to send an occupation army, not to mention that the establishment of the Grand Duke's Guard is not bad, there are two battalions.

Even when the Americans go to India, he is personally responsible for exchanging dollars and rupees. People who have never thought that flies are small will never ignore the benefits. Now the British Empire also needs to be diligent and thrifty.

Naturally, they refuted the difficulties expressed by Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg. Now that the world war is over, what is the purpose of stationing troops in the country?Domestic affairs can be left to the police department to deal with. The army is stationed in Germany. When it comes to vacation, army soldiers can take the train back home.

"Now the surrounding countries are all allies, such as the troops of Belgium and the Netherlands. There is absolutely no need to station in the country. We must prevent the re-emergence of Germany, but the most important thing is to oppose the Soviet Union."

Repeating the rhetoric at today's meeting, Alan Wilson reported, "After patient communication, the three countries have agreed to send most of the troops remaining in the country, except for the colonial troops, into the British-occupied area to fill the British-occupied area. We can have a little bit of peace of mind by reducing the vacancies that are left."

This is very appreciated by Prime Minister Attlee, not because he is unwilling to show the military might of the British Empire, but it costs money to show the military might.

The United Kingdom really cannot be compared with the United States and the Soviet Union now, and must find a way in terms of military expenditure.Disarmament is necessary, whether it is from saving military expenses or post-war reconstruction, it must be so.

Reconstruction after the war requires labor, and the money left over from military expenditures can also be saved, allowing Prime Minister Attlee to have more money to promote national health care, alloy pipe plans and nationalization.

If the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg are willing to help the United Kingdom, this is of course a good thing for the current United Kingdom.

"Very well, the representatives of the two observer countries should return to Brussels tomorrow. It is best to come up with a result for the meeting proposals related to people's livelihood and economic revitalization." Attlee nodded in satisfaction, "After all The original intention of the establishment of the Brussels Treaty Organization was not only to guard against Germany, but also under the banner of post-war revitalization."

The two observer countries mentioned by Prime Minister Attlee are Sweden and Denmark.Alan Wilson did not know that the Brussels Treaty Organization still had two observer states.

After all, it has been two years since Alan Wilson returned to British India after attending the first meeting and contributed to the peace of the subcontinent. I don’t know that except for the six colonial countries plus one Luxembourg, now they have absorbed Sweden and Denmark were added as observer states.

The current Brussels Treaty Organization has seven member states and two observer states, Sweden and Denmark.Of course, this is also normal, an organization always needs to expand.

"It's not easy to reach an agreement on civil issues, especially negotiations on fishery agreements and the division of fishing grounds." Prime Minister Attlee said in a very awkward way, "Every country has its own ideas, especially the French are unwilling to make concessions."

"It is impossible to hold a meeting with no results at all. In fact, we can think of ways to make concessions on the surface but not to compromise." Norman Brook suggested, "Steel and coal industries are too difficult to talk about."

"That's right, the issue of steel and coal industries is not as easy to reach a consensus as the issue of colonies." Prime Minister Attlee smiled wryly. Now it seems that the issue of colonies is really the one that the Brussels Treaty Organization can reach the most consensus on.

Not to mention steel and coal, even the fishery agreement has not made much progress. He sighed, "How can there be such an industry where it is easy to reach a consensus?"

"Actually, movies can be considered an industry, right?" Alan Wilson said cautiously, "Now countries have not even fully recovered traditional industries, let alone movies that entertain the public. Let's finish talking about the integration of the movie industry first, as a It is the result of this meeting, and it is enough to announce it to the outside world.”

"Won't the French cause obstacles?" Prime Minister Attlee still remembered the stubborn attitude of the French on fisheries.

"Probably not. Films were invented by the French." Norman Brook nodded and said with a smile, "France also considers itself a powerful film country in Europe, and will not oppose this issue."

Chapter 372 Common Market Consensus

"But there is no doubt that the British Empire has a leading role in Europe at present. If we shirk this responsibility for leading Europe, then the leading country in Europe will become France."

Alan Wilson paused for a while and said, "In the next few decades, there may be Germany. Only by actively participating in this organization can we make this organization develop in the direction we want. If we are excluded, then as a The disadvantages of an island nation will be magnified."

"If we take the initiative to join, we still have great advantages, especially in the two fields of steel and coal, whether it is advantageous to France or Germany."

Alan Wilson is not lying. What is the basis for the union of the European Community in history, the union of European steel and coal, and Germany and France because of the ownership of coal and iron resources on the border, coal and iron.At the junction of France and Germany, two world wars were fought here, and the competition for economic interests was huge.

One of the four largest coal mines in Europe is located in the Ruhr area of ​​Germany, and one of the four largest iron mines in Europe is located in Lorraine, France.Coal and iron are symbols of the industrial age. If either France or Germany conquers the other, they can monopolize the European economy.

The UK has four major coal mines and four major iron mines in Europe at the same time. Unlike Germany and France, which lack one coal and one iron mine, the UK has both resources.

The European Union originated from the Schuman Plan - the joint management of French and German coal and steel production, which should be the forerunner of European integration, which has allowed some of the most powerful countries in Europe to unite the most important resources.

The benefits this brought to several countries are undoubtedly huge. Having tasted the sweetness, they finally began to gradually come together in other fields until the political, military, and economic integration later

After the emergence of the European Community, the United Kingdom came up with a plan for the European Free Trade Area belatedly.It was Churchill who came to power again to advocate, but the member states of the European Community, already led by France, don't take Britain seriously at all.

Then there is the most embarrassing scene in the history of the British Empire. The United States forced Britain to join the European Community. France said nothing to let Britain join. De Gaulle said that Britain was only interested in splitting Europe. into the European Community.

In fact, the reasons for British voters' opposition are similar to those of decades later. Small commodity operators are afraid of the impact of cheaper products, fishermen do not want the rich British fishing areas to be opened to Europe, and so on.

However, ten years earlier has the advantage of ten years earlier. The participating countries of the Brussels Treaty Organization are still interested in colonial affairs. There is such a problem of willingness to unite, which has led to the union at this time.

We can talk about all kinds of steel and coal later, and we can talk about it later, but we can't wait to talk about colonies.Even British India, the jewel of the British Empire, is beginning to collapse, and it will be too late.

Under the general framework of the colony, other issues can be discussed later. As long as this framework exists, Britain is unlikely to continue to be marginalized by France.

Prime Minister Attlee also nodded, approving Alan Wilson's remarks.Why is this so? The main reason is that Alan Wilson didn't talk about the alliance at all. He talked about the colonies, and he looked at this alliance with a colonial mindset.

The topic of who has more steel and coal and who has less has not been mentioned. What is said is that except for France, the countries in the current Brussels Treaty Organization are smaller than the United Kingdom. It seems that this kind of organization has always been that the strong eat meat and the weak drink soup.

Compared with France, the United Kingdom is at least one level higher than France in terms of national strength, so the member states of the Brussels Treaty Organization, of course, the United Kingdom eats more, France eats less, and others drink soup.

Now that Germany is treated as a defeated country, it is more favorable for Britain to face France alone. Various conditions should promote this organization to develop in the direction that Britain hopes.

"After all, it's not about making concessions on the fishery issue!" Prime Minister Attlee breathed a sigh of relief, but that would affect votes.

After all, the film industry does not have many practitioners, so there will be no problems affecting votes.

The Prime Minister recognized the film industry as the consensus of this meeting. Alan Wilson played the role of an excellent tool man and began to talk about film issues. On the following day, he listened to the French representative talking nonsense, just like himself talking about the colonial issue.

"What is this person's occupation?" Listening to Nino Bertrand talking about industry integration and common market standards in front of the participating countries of the Brussels Treaty Organization and the two observer countries, Sweden and Denmark, on the film issue, Alan Wilson had a grimace on his face.

He can only nod his head now. If Vivien Leigh is here, he can at least have someone who understands movies as a staff member. Sha contacted Vivien Leigh in the United States to give herself extra lessons.

The telegram mentioned the miss of Vivien Leigh, and asked with concern whether Vivien Leigh's tuberculosis had recovered.

Then it was undisguised to find foreign aid, saying that he is now discussing a top-secret negotiation involving the integration of the European film market. The National People's Congress speaks nonsense, and I can only echo it from one side.

It's winter, and Ingrid Bergman is also in the real estate that Vivien Leigh bought in the United States. Vivien Leigh has not been in the United States for a long time. In fact, she is also at a loss for a series of standards in the film industry and Hollywood's practice norms.

It happened that Ingrid Bergman was also there. Vivien Leigh first asked Ingrid Bergman to keep it a secret before mentioning this matter to see if she could help.

"Integrate the European film market?" Ingrid Bergman's eyes lit up. She remembered that in New Delhi, when the two were happy, Alan Wilson did mention that the European film market needs to be integrated in order to improve the treatment of film actors.

This man really did it, Ingrid Bergman couldn't help but feel joy in her heart, but considering Vivien Leigh's mood, she said while she was happy, "Great, if this can be done, the European movie The treatment of the actors can be improved a lot.”

"That's right, if every country closes its own film market, it really can't compare with the American film market." Vivien Leigh nodded, and now Vivien Leigh is only integrating the European film market and comparing it with the American film market.

She still can't think of it now, the American film market will usher in a wave of heavy losses in a few years, and it will be related to his good brother Allen.

The two foreign aids immediately began to write some standards into the telegram and send them out under the condition of confidentiality. Some friends in the industry were asked if they did not understand, especially Katharine Hepburn. He understands the situation very well, so he is naturally the key person to ask for advice.

In fact, it can’t be called foreign aid. Vivien Leigh is British, Ingrid Bergman is Swedish, and both of them are European. It involves the integration of the European film market. How can it be called foreign aid? Domestic aid is right. .

Before Vivien Leigh and Ingrid Bergman did not reply, Alan Wilson was also scratching his head, trying to prove that he also knew movies, at least part of them.

"Every movie cannot be released. We all know that in any industry, the most high-quality part is a minority. Any movie from all member states cannot be released and put in theaters for citizens of each country to watch." Allen, who found another way Wilson, said that not all films can be put on the market.

"So it seems that Britain means to implement a film censorship system?" Nino Bertrand asked back, frowning.

"Censorship is something that authoritarian countries do. Our attitude in the UK is to avoid flooding the market with bad movies. And it is simply unrealistic for every movie to be put into theaters." Alan Wilson vehemently denies the establishment of a censorship system, although in fact it is, " We are considering whether to promulgate a licensing system, and only well-produced films by regular film companies are eligible to enter theaters."

Now Allen Wilson has discovered that the licensing system that emerged in India is really a good thing, and it can also be used in the film industry.The company that owns the film that invests in theaters must first prove the strength of the company through the market.

On this day, Alan Wilson finally came back and forth through the license topic and Nino Bertrand.

Afterwards, the foreign aid telegrams from the Great Britain Treasure and the Nordic Queen arrived. Alan Wilson spent several hours looking critically at it, and found a piece of content that could connotate the United States and pretend to be an expert.

At the final meeting on the integration of the film market, Allen Wilson fired his guns and said sternly, "The European film market must be inclusive, and it must not be vertically integrated like the American film market. Then It is a monopoly, which is not conducive to cultural exchanges among European countries. We understand that France is a film powerhouse, but we must also give filmmakers from countries like Denmark and Sweden a fair chance."

Now the major film companies in the United States are in charge of theaters around the world. This kind of operation is called vertical integration. For example, MGM and United Artists have their own theaters, or Warner and Columbia jointly open theaters, but only the films of these two companies are shown. .

As soon as the words came out, the Swedish and Danish representatives who were named nodded, as if they were grateful to the British for helping their countries speak.

After Nino Bertrand contacted Paris, he also accepted the opinion of the British. Anyway, France is the origin of the film industry, and it is still a European film powerhouse. Even if it agrees to the opinion of the British, it will not be strong against France. impact on the film industry.

Britain and France have reached a consensus on the integration of the film market, and other countries naturally have no reason to object.

The Brussels meeting finally achieved results. Although the results on the colonial issue were greater, they could not be announced. The integration of the film industry was used to cover up the colonial issue, and there was an explanation for citizens of all countries.

Chapter 373 The Excuse of Military Integration

At the ensuing closing ceremony, Prime Minister Attlee delivered an impassioned speech. At the same time, he also said that integrating the market is the prerequisite for avoiding another war in Europe. By achieving their respective advantages, Europe can quickly recover from the pain of war. Coming out and finally mentioning US allies is also the same view.