British civil servant

Chapter 472 Overseas Assets Committee

Anyway, there are so many Arab countries, and the population is dozens of times that of Israel. Even with its oil resources, Britain cannot stand on the opposite side of the Arab countries.

"The Sultan of Egypt? The thief?" Sir Baron looked contemptuous, not interested in the ruler of Egypt, Farouk I.

The most professional aspect of this Egyptian ruler lies in his theft methods. Farouk once learned from a thief. For personal collection.

His most well-known deed is that he successfully stole the pocket watch of British Prime Minister Churchill, and finally returned the pocket watch to Churchill because the British government protested against Farouk.Farouk also stole funeral objects, including swords, belts and medals, from the shah's body when his funeral procession passed through Egypt in [-].

"This has nothing to do with becoming a ruler." Alan Wilson originally wanted to use the carpenter emperor of the Ming Dynasty as an example, but suddenly thought of the cabinet secretary next to him, Norman Brook, whose hobby was carpenter, and the words came to his lips He choked back again, and said, "As long as we are willing to brag, Egypt is a natural Arab leader. Currently, Egypt has the largest population in the Arab world, and it has the qualifications from history. Of course, dear Sir Barron, we are not one-sided in supporting Egypt. In the final analysis, it is for the Suez Canal to be in a safe state, and I have prepared some materials for this."

Taking the initiative to stand up and distribute the preparation materials in Egypt, Alan Wilson pointed to the first line in the materials, "The first thing we have to do is to cut Sudan from Egypt. Once Sudan is separated from Egypt in the legal sense Egypt’s control, Egypt is a country with very serious shortcomings.”

"90.00% of Egypt's territory is pure yellow sand. Only 600% of the land can produce crops and settle down. There are [-] million people living on the current [-] square kilometers of land. This number is still It is constantly growing. Egypt has no oil resources, and there is so little livable land. It can be said that the most valuable thing in Egypt is the Suez Canal.”

Alan Wilson said this in front of many colleagues, pointing to himself, "From now on, I am an Egyptian. My country only has endless deserts, and the place where I can produce and live is only on the banks of the Nile, just like the Pakistani people just now." Sir Lun said that the king is the lackey of the British, if I want to change this country, do I have to overthrow the king, the British agent first?"

"Listen to what Allen said, Egypt's congenital conditions are so poor, there is really nothing but sand." Gerald Edward frowned slightly and smiled bitterly, expressing his position at this time, indicating that he has partially agreed with Allen Wilson's statement .

Norman Brook took a sip of black tea, nodded gently and said, "Continue to imagine, colleagues are willing to listen."

"They are all Arab countries. I will take Iraq as an example. Since before the war, the Kingdom of Iraq has had coups one after another. The main source of the coups is the army. If the British army in the Persian Gulf did not take it seriously, Iraq might have revolutionized long ago. This time the world war is over. Compared with before the war, we have to consider the overt and covert infiltration of the Soviet Union and the United States. The army is the most deadly place. If the United States and the Soviet Union start to infiltrate Egypt, the army will definitely bear the brunt .”

"In Iraq, my suggestion for Princess Badiya was to set up a royal guard with Christians. Judging from the Palestine-Israel war, the Kingdom of Iraq seems to have accepted my suggestion. We can also use it as a positive example to promote Iraqi The kingdom is a secular kingdom, all ethnic groups in the country are equal. Isn't that great?"

"There are Copts in Egypt, concentrated in the Nile Delta." Sir Ismay whispered to Norman Brooke, referring to this group of people who believed in God.

"The new Ottoman army? Louis XVI's Swiss Guard?" Norman Brook chuckled, signaling Alan Wilson to continue.

"We just count on this royal guard to protect the safety of the Egyptian king. Once something goes wrong, it can buy time for intervention. It is not to use the Copts to oppress the Arabs. I think religious equality is something that no politician can do. Openly opposed!"

"For the current UK, the biggest advantage is stability. Maintaining stability is the most important job of the current overseas troops. We must find a way to send Egypt to the position of the leading Arab country, and at the same time protect the safety of the thief. When you can't react, you will be controlled."

"The next step is to focus on the issue of the Suez Canal. Even if the king of Egypt is in power, facing only [-]% of the available land and a rising population, it is inevitable that he will not make his mind on the Suez Canal in the end. In the final analysis, This is a matter of survival in Egypt."

People including Norman Brook nodded. Egypt has nothing but sand. Even if the king has always maintained a pro-British attitude, he will inevitably be coerced by public opinion in the end.

"As far as Egypt's current conditions are concerned, the two most important problems are water sources and financial resources. The problems are on the Nile River and the Suez Canal. That is to say, no matter who is in power, it will be sooner or later to face these two problems." Pakistan Sir Lun is worthy of being the head of the veteran overseas civil servants. "The difference is nothing more than that the king may take action later. Once there is a coup that we cannot react to, the coup d'état may take power."

"So let's think of a way from these two places. First, we need to separate Sudan from Egypt, so that Egypt is a flawed country, and it is easier to deal with it. On the premise of protecting the king, we must strangle Egypt upstream. The Nile River, the lifeblood, can affect the safety of 600 million people in Egypt, but it is Ethiopia and Sudan. Currently we still have influence on these two places.”

"Building dams to control water sources? Supporting the Copts to establish the Sudanese Guard, increasing the prestige of the Egyptian Sultan, and helping Egypt become the leader of the Arab countries, but these actions are all to maintain the special status of the Suez Canal to the United Kingdom."

Without the Sudan, even if Nasser came to power, Egypt would not change. Alan Wilson’s suggestion aroused the approval of the British Sudan Commissioner, “Governor Robert has actually thought about this issue, and it seems that he and Alan have thought about it together. .”

"Optimize integration, just like we let every colony have defects. Only by serving the British Empire together can we exert its strength. This is also found in the work of British India. I believe that the old industrial area of ​​Calcutta has already Live up to the former prosperity, who let India and Pakistan be partitioned."

Alan Wilson's apology with a smile on his face drew laughter from the conference room.

Naturally, even if Egypt is out of control, the upstream Sudan and Ethiopia will try their best to maintain British influence.

From improving the authority of the Sultan, to Coptic protection of the royal family, to the water source of the Nile.It is all for the safety of the Suez Canal as insurance.

As for supporting the arms race between the Arabs and Israel, it is natural not to support a certain country to confront Israel.Rather, it involves the entire Arab monarchy.

It can also be seen from this war that an Arab country alone is at the level of being beaten by Israel.

Then the version of the Cold War in the Middle East is simple, piled up the number, Israel has [-] troops, and each Arab monarchy has formed [-] troops each to block Israel together.

As for weapons, the UK actually still has a lot of World War II antiques. Alan Wilson remembers that until India hit the Himalayas, Britain used the armaments left over from World War II to assist India.

"Then I suggest that we convene a meeting of Arab countries in Cairo. Such a meeting will also facilitate our manipulation of public opinion." Sir Baron said with a thoughtful face, "When the time comes, let Farouk I, according to our discussion today , the first to initiate an arms race.”

"Why didn't you attack Israel if you were questioned?" Norman Brook asked.

"The United States and the Soviet Union support Israel behind their backs, and the United States still has peacekeeping forces." Sir Barron said without even thinking about it. "All the Arab monarchy countries have joined in, and it is easy to take advantage of the advantages of large numbers of people."

Alan Wilson nodded in his heart, different from history, although Israel is considered a victory in this Palestine-Israel war.But in the end, he had to ask the United States for help.

Regardless of whether the United States is struggling during the general election, the United States has really sent peacekeeping troops anyway.This is tantamount to supporting Israel in person, and Arab countries do not have the ability to confront the US military, and it is impossible for the US military to help Israel actively attack Arab countries.

Isn't this very similar to the environment of the Cold War, so using the arms race to initiate confrontation is an option that can be provided.

"Okay, the meeting is over. Let's go back and prepare a colonial mineral report. Sir Barron, I will leave it to you to contact the Arab monarchy." Norman Brook got up and said, "Alan, follow me!"

Alan Wilson went out with Norman Brooke and left the Foreign Ministry building together. Following Norman Brooke, he also experienced the kind of respect from the heart of others, but everyone was facing Norman in front of him. Just Brooke.

Arriving at the cabinet secretary's office, Norman Brooke returned to his seat, sat down and said to himself, "I want to establish one, the Overseas Assets Management Committee, what does Alan think of this idea?"

"I agree very much. This is a very far-sighted idea." Alan Wilson's eyes lit up, and he immediately agreed, "Coordinating the resources of the colony and promoting the development of the local area is amazing."

Chapter 473 Convincing the Prime Minister

Anyway, Alan Wilson is also a civil servant, and he will never object to the emergence of such an institution.

This is like a problem in Britain decades later. Most British people are against the aristocracy, but at the same time, if they look at the royal family alone, most British people support the royal family.

On the one hand, the British know that the aristocratic class is unfair, but if the UK does not have a royal family, it will only be harmful to the UK, because the only bond that the UK can show in front of Canada and Australia is whether the Queen of the UK is the Queen of Canada and the Queen of Australia. If you go to the royal family, the British don't have any capital to show off in other English-speaking countries.

The situation varies from country to country, but for Great Britain the country is made up of efficiency and nobility.

The king represents nobility, and the government represents efficiency.The king is accountable to God and the government is accountable to Parliament.Only when the two cooperate with each other and support each other, can the country enjoy long-term stability, stability and prosperity.

If the Overseas Asset Management Committee is in the hands of civil servants, Alan Wilson thinks it is definitely better than in the hands of the party. He thinks that in a parliamentary country, the party is simply a natural weakness.can be influenced by various factors.

It can even be said to be a model of incompetence. Among them, Britain is just an ordinary product, and Japan is the real master.

Although in the eyes of Allen Wilson, Japan is only a country at the level of Spain, it does not prevent him from despising Japan. For something as important as colonial resources, it must be handed over to reliable people.

Norman Brook was very satisfied with this attitude and said that he would communicate this issue with Prime Minister Attlee soon.

Alan Wilson said that he has some suggestions for the Overseas Assets Management Committee. This agency can allow the heads of civil servants to pass through this department and directly link up with the nationalized enterprises of the major colonies, so as to mobilize colonial resources.

Integrate and optimize, and connect with local companies to learn from each other's strengths.

Of course, these nationalized companies are overseas and will not cause conflicts with local companies, but one thing is for sure. When it comes to bank loans, it is relatively easier for nationalized companies to get loans, and they are almost responsive.This is the biggest advantage of state-owned enterprises over private enterprises.

"Moreover, Sir Norman, you can also issue orders directly to colonial enterprises through the Overseas Assets Management Committee. This is much easier than the conceptual imperial preferential system." Allen Wilson admired, analyzing the appearance of this committee. The benefits, of course, are for civil servants.

"Alan, it's not all benefits. Any power and obligation are related." Norman Brook said with a reserved face, "If opponents focus on monopoly? How to explain it?"

"Sir Norman, first of all, these overseas companies are not necessarily monopolistic. Even if they are monopoly or near-monopoly, they are accompanied by a very heavy burden. The Overseas Assets Management Committee can ask for money directly from the company. Going through the procedure, all you need is a paper administrative order."

Alan Wilson used his brain to explain, "And the salary control of these companies must be very strict, so as not to cause a gap between the rich and the poor. These overseas companies have many non-profit functions, which private companies do not have. We cannot be like Like the United States, one-sided hostility to this corporate model is not good for national interests."

Norman Brook nodded inwardly, keeping these words in his mind and preparing to use them to persuade Prime Minister Attlee.Now the benefits of the Labor Party in power have emerged. If the Conservative Party is in power, it will be even more difficult for Norman Brooke to accomplish this.

"I'm thinking, who is more suitable to manage this committee. There are many people in Whitehall, but not many suitable candidates." Norman Brook seemed to have accidentally let go.

Although Alan Wilson didn't realize that this might be the most important question and answer he faced in his life, his instinct drove Alan Wilson to give a firm answer, "No one but Sir Norman has this prestige. suitable."

"Oh, yes, then I will borrow your good words, and I hope this wish will come true." Norman Brook said with a disrespectful smile, "Make a plan with me these few days, when the time comes, we will Go see the Prime Minister."

"Oh, I'm so honored." Alan Wilson had a glorious face, and then left the cabinet secretary's office under Norman Brook's approving gaze.

It is the United States that cannot tolerate nationalized enterprises at all, not European countries. This is different in Europe and the United States during the Cold War, not to mention that now that the Labor Party is in power, Prime Minister Attlee has completed such a large nationalization movement locally. up.

It is even simpler in the colonies. You don’t need to use money to sell private companies for nationalization. You can directly set up a company and say it belongs to the country.

Private companies label themselves as having a sense of crisis and training people.The label of private enterprises to state-owned enterprises is to eat and wait to die, without any sense of crisis.But it doesn't seem to be clear that the sense of crisis and crisis are two completely different concepts.

The so-called sense of crisis lies in being prepared for danger in times of peace.Emphasize, it is Ju'an!Then be prepared for danger.What private companies are doing is a completely different matter. The last place is eliminated, the benefits are poor, and no performance is left. In the final analysis, it is to create crises and maximize benefits.

For example, a state-owned enterprise and a private enterprise are standing on the seashore with high tide, and the state-owned enterprise tells employees that you have to go to a higher place, or you will be drowned.

Private companies directly kick their employees into the sea and let everyone rush to the shore.Then the private company said, look, my employees are exhausted, and your employees' trousers are not wet. They are just eating and waiting to die, without any sense of crisis.

Of course, nationalized enterprises have problems with nationalized enterprises. Of course, Alan Wilson also knows that private enterprises' attacks on nationalized enterprises are not completely unreasonable, but private enterprises never talk about their own problems.

Fortunately, the scope of application of nationalized enterprises in this meeting is the most basic mining industry and other raw material fields.And they are all overseas, and will not expand the already large nationalized enterprises in the UK.

It's just that the intrigue of state-owned enterprises is intrigue, and the intrigue of private enterprises is generally called - ability.Employees of nationalized enterprises nod and bow to their leaders and are treated like bureaucrats.It seems that the workers of the U.S. Steel Company are no tougher than the employees of the nationalized enterprises when they see Derek.

What civil servants like the most is stability. Nationalized enterprises are definitely more stable than private enterprises. The losers will be left behind at worst. There may be a comeback. Although it is impossible in most cases, it is theoretically possible.

As for private companies?The losers are usually fired, talk about a fart comeback?

Therefore, nationalized enterprises are very suitable for civil servants, especially now that Attlee is in power, trying to alleviate the harm caused by the world war to Britain as much as possible, it is the right time to propose this idea.

A week later, Alan Wilson followed Norman Brooke to No. [-] Downing Street to discuss with the Prime Minister about the establishment of the Overseas Assets Management Committee and persuade the Labor Party Prime Minister to approve it.

Seeing the material thick enough for a palm, Prime Minister Attlee coughed softly, "Simply speaking, the establishment of nationalized enterprises in the major colonies will promote the local economy."

"Of course, my dear Prime Minister." Norman Brooke coughed softly, "From the perspective of the overall situation facing the British Empire today, not limited to the local perspective. I, the permanent undersecretaries of various departments and the commissioners of the colonies, After careful discussion and research, and observing the effect of your nationalization in the country, Prime Minister, it can be concluded that the nationalization in the country was very successful and played an irreplaceable role in getting rid of the predicament after the war and the end of the rationing system. "

"Oh? Do you think so?" Prime Minister Attlee said happily upon hearing this, "We have combined the advantages of capitalism and socialism to create today's achievements..."

While Prime Minister Attlee was boasting, Norman Brooke played the role of a good listener. When he heard the key point, there was a flash of understanding on his face. Sometimes he was surprised, as if he realized it at this time The deep meaning of a great prime minister.

It's a pity that Alan Wilson is standing behind Norman Brook, and it's a pity that he can't learn the essence of how to be a cabinet secretary at this time.

"In solving the current overt and covert methods of the United States and the Soviet Union against the British Empire, we have come up with such a plan, which is essentially an expanded version of your idea, Prime Minister. We expect that after the establishment of nationalized enterprises in the colonies, the imperial preferential system There will be an improvement in performance.”

Norman Brook said that any civil servants have ideas is Tu Yile, which is actually Prime Minister Attlee's idea.

"After years of hard work, I have finally achieved some results. I am very happy to see Britain recovering from the war." Attlee accepted all Norman Brook's flattery, and believed in these words .

If he hadn't seen the effect, Norman Brook would not have proposed to expand the local nationalization movement to all the current territories of the British Empire.This shows that Norman Brook also agrees with his policy as the prime minister.

"I have no problem in principle. Of course, I still need to discuss it with the ministers." Attlee nodded, obviously already persuaded, "As for the Conservative Party, I don't know how to deal with it."

"Dear Prime Minister, it's time to show your courage as a Prime Minister. The opposition party has no right to object." Norman Brook said casually, "It's really not possible. It can be said that it involves state secrets and refuses to answer."

"That's right, I remembered Churchill. He used a similar excuse when Congress was facing the Lend-Lease Act." Upon hearing this, Prime Minister Attlee remembered Churchill's response when he questioned it.

Chapter 374 Allen's Professionalism

The Overseas Assets Management Committee is what Norman Brook is most concerned about. Alan Wilson actually only provides some management suggestions, and these suggestions do not include regulatory facilities.

Because Alan Wilson can't think of any regulatory method at all, and at the same time, he will not use it if he thinks of it. This kind of thing involves human nature, and there is no solution except that technological progress makes privacy invisible.

Furthermore, Alan Wilson wants to show that he is one of our people among the colony commissioners. How could he do such a thankless thing? Since everyone is ours, some things can be discussed.

It was a rare opportunity. While the main colonial commissioners were all in London, Alan Wilson wanted to establish some connections. His idea was not too much, not to mention his old boss Sir Barron was also among them.

By the way, Alan Wilson asked if there are any details about the Israeli-Palestinian war that has not ended for a long time.

"As long as it's a war, what weapon is used is secondary!" Sir Barron said blankly, "I actually went to Jordan once after the ceasefire. After the war, the sight of the field hospital was more cruel than the war itself. Terrible. There was a long row of stretchers on the ground, on which were lying those unfortunate people. Doctors gathered around the stretchers, holding tweezers, saws, needles, thread and scalpels. One dead man after another was examined. , They tried their best to revive each corpse. Weaving here, stitching there, stuffing the wound with cotton wool, turning the blood vessel over like a glove, and putting it back in place, there are more sutures than blood vessels, but after all, it is repaired and The sutures are closed. If a patient dies, all his good parts are used to repair another person's limbs and organs, and so on and on and on. The most troublesome thing is dealing with the intestines: once they fall apart, it's hard to know what to do to get them back in place.”

Sir Barron managed to get Alan Wilson to end the topic and go find someone else to make connections with.When this former subordinate left, the corners of Sir Barron's mouth curled up, with a look of complacency on his face.

For this former subordinate who always wanted to get rid of the wool, Sir Barron couldn't say that he had nothing left, so he could only use this method to make him retreat. It seems that this method is very successful now.

While the colonial commissioners were talking with each other and exchanging experience in managing the colonies, Prime Minister Attlee was also convincing the cabinet members to support his idea of ​​promoting the nationalization movement from the mainland to the colonies.

That’s right, it’s his idea as the Prime Minister. Didn’t you see what Norman Brooke himself said? It was inspired by his nationalization movement in the country, so of course this is the idea of ​​​​Prime Minister Attlee himself, and the Prime Minister also Think so.

Prime Minister Attlee in [-] has been Prime Minister for more than three years since he defeated Churchill in the election. Judging from the current feedback, the Conservative Party cannot be said to be without threat, but it still needs to talk about a comeback. morning.

Although Churchill, a well-known troll in the House of Commons, maintains a high sense of presence as always, he has no ability to shake the Labor Party in a short period of time. The opposition party is weak, and Prime Minister Attlee's position in the Labor Party is naturally unchallenged.

Naturally, with the support of Prime Minister Attlee, Norman Brook directly established this department called the Overseas Assets Management Committee, and he personally led it.

Alan Wilson didn't know what to do other than establish a network in front of the Colonial Commissioner.

The whole house is filled with the aroma of freshly ground strong espresso.Allen Wilson stretched happily under the quilt and habitually extended one hand to the other half of the couple's big bed.He stretched out his hand and drew it back immediately.

The fiancée had been with the Crown Prince and his wife for a while, and he knew she wasn't home, so he didn't forget that even when he was half asleep.But after a long time, Alan Wilson always involuntarily wanted to find the feeling of sleeping with a woman in his arms.

Alan Wilson jumped out of the quilt briskly, waved his hands a few times to speed up blood circulation, put on a dignified attire, and entered the bathroom. Ten minutes later, he was in the kitchen, clean-shaven and smelling of perfume.

After filling his stomach, Alan Wilson went out. His current position is the old position, Newfoundland Administrator and Boston Consul, but the land he is currently stepping on is London, the capital of the United Kingdom. That is to say, Alan Wilson is actually There is little work to be done.

Things like work belong to others. He himself is currently a paid idler and has nothing to do in London. The problem is that if he returns to the United States, he will have nothing to do.

The major event in the world is the current sandwich battle. When the colonial commissioner was discussing the nationalization of the colonial minerals, there was an unexpected change. Mr. Chang finally sent 80 troops to death through micro-manipulation. In one fell swoop, it decided the direction of the most evenly matched battle among the three major battles.

"Why don't I go back and see the children!" Allen Wilson has the idea of ​​wanting to return to the United States. Although it is not the best time yet, let's see if the Republican Party has broken the pot after learning from the pain. The party's rout lashed out at Truman.

I was thinking of reporting to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. If I have nothing to do, I can go to see Hepburn, or I can go to Ms. Margaret, the chairman of the school’s Conservative Party. Anyway, I haven’t seen him for a long time.

"Alan, Philby is looking for you." Milton, the personnel director of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, saw Alan Wilson coming, and said that MI[-] had something to do with him.

I have made meritorious service for Great Britain, and I have shed blood for Great Britain!Alan Wilson instinctively wanted to say this, but when he heard Milton mention the name of the Soviet spy, he immediately calmed down, "Then I'll go and see, Sir George."

Although Alan Wilson of MI[-] was not very familiar with him, it was not the first time he came here. He entered the door and asked Philby why he was looking for him, and he did not forget to say hello, "What departments are Burgess and McLean working in now. "

"Since retiring from Burma and Ceylon, Burgess has gone to the Australian embassy, ​​and McLean has gone to South Africa." Philby did not hide it, after all, his personal relationship is not a secret.

Alan Wilson nodded, as if it was not an important place, and then sat in front of Philby, jokingly said, "Do you want to wear handcuffs or something, it will be easier to enter the atmosphere."

"Alan, don't be joking. This time I have something to do with you, which is related to your major. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is assessing the trend of China's civil war and whether it will affect our interests in the Far East." Philby flipped through the documents, and at the same time He asked, "You used to live in the Far East, maybe you can help us analyze it, huh? What's wrong with you?"

When Philby looked up, he looked at Alan Wilson with a complicated expression on his face in astonishment, not knowing what was going on.