“How can the League of Nations function properly when surrounded by these insects?” Even after returning to his hotel, President Wilson remained troubled by what had happened at the Paris Peace Conference earlier that day.
Due to the joint opposition from Britain and France, he achieved almost none of his objectives on this trip, and the imagined scenario of the United States being on equal footing with Britain and France simply did not materialize.
Britain and France maintain their arrogant attitude, treating the Americans with disdain.
The opinions of Americans were not taken seriously at all, let alone implemented.
“Perhaps we should have chosen Central Powers instead of Allied Powers.” President Wilson regrets supporting Allied Powers.
If he had known they would turn out this way, he shouldn’t have supported them in the first place.
Joining Central Powers might come at a greater cost, since Allied Powers are stronger and more difficult to defeat.
But once they win, the benefits they will gain as the victorious nation will be far greater than what they can see now.
At least there shouldn’t be any problem with dividing up Britain and France’s overseas colonies with the Germans!
But it’s too late to say all this now!
The Germans have already been decimated; where are they going to find such a good cannon fodder?
Without directly engaging in war with Britain and France, the only way to overturn the existing world order is to wait for the right opportunity.
They used to have a potential ally, Germany, but now Germany has been defeated and has no hope of recovery in the short term.
The Americans have looked around the world and found very few potential allies and supporters.
Are you suggesting they cooperate with Soviet Union?
If they really did that, the workers in China would probably have to hang the streetlights from them first.
Cooperating with the Chinese?
China is large enough in area and has a large enough population.
But China’s foundation was too weak, with almost no industry.
What’s more troublesome is that the Beiyang government is completely unable to govern the whole country, and China has fallen into a de facto era of warlordism.
In this situation, even if Americans wanted to provide support, they couldn’t find a partner.
Especially with Japan watching China closely, and Japan regarding China as its own private territory and backyard, the United States’ large-scale support for China will inevitably anger Japan, thereby escalating the conflict between the two countries and even leading to war.
High-quality cannon fodder like Germany is really hard to find!
Secretary of State Robert Lansing, who accompanied President Wilson to the conference, also felt they had missed a golden opportunity.
But after observing the attitudes of Britain and France, especially their handling of Central Powers, he discovered a potential opportunity: “I think the internal contradictions in Europe have not been resolved by this war, but have instead continued to intensify.
The French’s wanton suppression of Germany will inevitably arouse the hatred of the German people.
If they cannot completely eliminate Germany, then when the Germans recover their strength, they will definitely take revenge on the French.” “Moreover, with the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and Tsarist Russia, a large number of small countries emerged in Central and Eastern Europe.
The conflicts between these small countries, and between small countries and large countries, may very well become the fuse for another war in the future.” “Based on this, I think we should plan ahead and support a country that may trigger internal conflicts in Europe in the future.
We just need to prepare in advance and wait for the right opportunity to reap the rewards.” President Wilson nodded slightly; this was indeed a remedy to mitigate the losses.
Although this plan will not yield results in the short term, it is unlikely to pay off during his term.
But if they succeed, the rewards will be enough to offset their investment.
“So, which country do you think is suitable for us to support?” ” Germany!” Lansing said without hesitation: There is only one country: Germany!
…
Just as the Americans were planning for the future by supporting Germany, a young officer named Joachim von Ribbentrop quietly approached the American delegation.
To avoid attracting the attention of the British and French, Joachim von Ribbentrop visited late at night.
President Wilson had already gone to bed, but after hearing the report from his subordinates, he decided to meet the German.
Because the other party claimed to be a Crown Prince Wilhelm.
“Your crown prince sent you here surely not just to see me, right?” President Wilson looked the man up and down, his first impression being that he was young.
Too young!
Joachim von Ribbentrop, born in 1893, is only 25 years old this year.
In the United States, someone that age is considered a recent college graduate who has only been working for a few years and would never become a high-ranking official or representative in the government.
But Crown Prince Wilhelm entrusted such an important task to a young man, which means that the young man must have some extraordinary qualities.
“Of course, Mr.
President.
His Highness the Crown Prince sent me here to discuss a major business deal with you and your country!” “Oh?
To discuss business?
Tell me about it!” President Wilson seemed somewhat interested and wanted to hear what kind of business this so-called Crown Prince Wilhelm wanted to discuss with him.
Secretary of State Robert Lansing, Treasury Secretary William McAdu, Commerce Secretary William Redfield, and others present all cast curious glances their way.
“Let’s talk about a huge market involving 65 million people, a deal worth hundreds of billions of dollars!” Joachim von Ribbentrop took out a pre-written letter from his pocket.
It was a personal letter from Crown Prince Wilhelm to President Wilson in his capacity as Crown Prince.
The president’s guards immediately stepped forward, took the letter, checked it, and, after confirming that there were no problems, handed it to President Wilson.
President Wilson read the letter carefully and sneered: “Your crown prince is quite the schemer; he actually wants to exchange a mere verbal promise for our supplies worth billions of dollars!” “As long as your country supports His Highness the Crown Prince’s ascension to the throne, His Highness will visit your country immediately after his coronation to sign a contract with the President and make this matter a reality!” Joachim von Ribbentrop seemed to have anticipated President Wilson’s reaction, and replied calmly and respectfully.
Before President Wilson could respond, Home Secretary Franklin Lane stepped forward to retort: “Feudal monarchy is a product of the past; republic is the future!” “Whether it’s an imperial system or a republic, a good system is one that brings tangible benefits to your country.
What do you say, Mr.
President?” Joachim von Ribbentrop’s reply made President Wilson look up at him again.
This person is indeed quite capable, able to see through the underlying logic of international politics at a glance.
In this world, there are no permanent friends or permanent enemies, only permanent interests!
Joachim von Ribbentrop stayed at the hotel where the Americans were staying until the early hours of the morning before leaving.
No one knew what he talked about with President Wilson, and his presence didn’t even attract much attention.
At this moment, the focus of attention in all of Paris, and even the world, was on the venue in Paris!
At the Paris Peace Conference the following day, the British and French were surprised to find that the Americans’ attitude had suddenly changed 180 degrees.
They no longer insisted on their unrealistic Fourteen Points plan and instead began to talk about some practical issues.
The Americans relinquished their right to divide up Germany’s overseas colonies, instead demanding that Germany’s commodity and financial markets be fully open to the United States after the war.
Britain and France also want a piece of this market, after all, Germany has 60 million people.
However, their domestic industrial system suffered great damage in the war, and it will take a long time for them to recover from military production to civilian use.
They are temporarily unable to compete with the Americans, who were hardly affected by the war.
As for the financial markets, both countries were heavily indebted due to the war and were unable to take advantage of Germany at this time, so neither country objected to the American demands.
In their view, Germans, burdened with war reparations, had no money to buy anything, and Americans investing in Germany was a complete waste of money.
It’s possible that the Americans might have just invested, only to have the Germans use it as war reparations to pay to Britain and France.
Therefore, they not only do not oppose it, but even hope that Americans will invest more.
Like Britain and France, Germany’s industry was greatly affected by the war.
The prolonged war and domestic turmoil made various resources in Germany extremely scarce.
Prices are soaring and inflation is imminent.
However, for Americans who have overproduced and lack markets to dump their products, Germany’s huge market of 60 million people helps alleviate their problem of unsold goods due to overproduction.
As for the Germans not having money to buy their things?
This is no longer a problem; Americans can lend money to Germans, who can then use the money borrowed from Americans to buy American goods.
In this way, the United States not only opened up sales channels for its goods, but also successfully became a creditor of Germany.
In the future, it could also use its status as a creditor to influence Germany’s political landscape and guide it in the direction that the Americans desired.
Even if the situation develops in the worst possible direction and their investments go down the drain, as long as they can revitalize Germany and get them to ignite the powder keg in Europe, dragging countries like Britain and France into the war, then all of America’s investments will be worthwhile!