As Deputy Secretary of the Treasury, assessing British capital in the two colonies was only a small part of the job. In the short time remaining in 1963, the Treasury also had to assess the next year's expenditure.
For the next week, Frank worked fourteen hours a day to deal with budget requests from various departments.
Those so-called "departmental wish lists" must be handed to Whitehall by November. Everyone knows that departments left room for bargaining in their original budget requests.
Everyone began to grab a larger share of the shrinking total budget, and the battle between various departments also began.
As Frank had experienced more than once, the Treasury became the main battleground. At times it had the atmosphere of a besieged castle, with angry phone calls and faxes raining down like enemy artillery fire.
Frank began to wonder whether the security checkpoints outside the Treasury Department were designed to eliminate security risks or to keep out the aggrieved victims of budget cuts.
Weapon systems and troop allocation issues are not his expertise, and he is rarely involved in the specific activities of the Ministry of National Defense. However, the military expenditure requirements of the Ministry of National Defense have always been unavoidable in the financial budget.
Instead, Dixon ran errands in the building, doing sensitive diplomatic work. He also urged intelligence services to be on the lookout for intelligence gathering related to subversion or threats against Britain.
Alan Wilson's daily work in the building includes not only the people of No. 5 and No. 6, but also intelligence officers from the army, navy and air force, as well as liaison officers stationed abroad.
The hard work is worth it. After repeated entanglements and compromises, all the entangled forces have got what they want. Based on this, they are waiting for the day when the budget is officially announced. The rest is just minor repairs.
It's a small supplement, and I won't go into a big fight with you again.
The forces on all sides form a vast network that constantly awes people. This force reaches every corner of Whitehall and penetrates into various colonies and military bases. They are most powerful among overseas garrisons, but they are also
Crossing the boundaries of departments and responsibilities. Those who had a close relationship with Alan Wilson included not only those big bosses with their own spheres of influence, but also a large number of foreign officials. They all worked under the Cabinet Secretary-General and have always remembered this.
period of experience.
More than once, Dixon saw Alan Wilson telegraphing to an official under another person, and the tone was as if he was treating his direct subordinates. To him, this chain of giving orders was invisible, and his actions depended on the tribe.
style of loyalty.
Although he did not understand, Dixon was greatly shocked. Alan Wilson did not shy away from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs when contacting overseas. He even retained the position of Permanent Undersecretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for convenience, but there was no need to bother with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs here at home.
Alan Wilson would accompany his wife to dinner with business magnates, and would also maintain close contact with the justices.
It is undeniable that not everyone may think highly of Alan Wilson, and there are also many people who think that he relies on the Mountbatten family, but at the same time, they also respect Alan Wilson's power.
Fortunately, the young cabinet secretary has no weird ideas and seems relatively easy to get in touch with.
In fact, there are, for example, Alan Wilson is an aerospace expert, but in front of Pamela Mountbatten, he cannot show this, he can only show his humble social utility side.
The independence schedules of the United Kingdom, Uganda, and South Sudan were released. After this period of communication, the two countries have reached a consensus with the British government in terms of protecting British interests. All that is required is for the delegations of the two countries to return home and declare independence.
"We only want two things, finance and communications. In fact, compared to the French, we are quite benevolent and do not even retain a military base." Faced with his wife's inquiry, Alan Wilson replied with compassion.
Even now, France still maintains military bases in 19 countries in Africa. In comparison, does the UK seem very benevolent?
"Has the Ministry of National Defense agreed?" Pamela Mountbatten asked. Is this related to the interests of the military? Is the Ministry of National Defense so easy to talk to?
"South Sudan and Uganda are of little value. This will not be the case if Kenya becomes independent." Alan Wilson explained, "We are not like France, which has to leave military bases to control no matter where it is, even if our colonial conditions are better.
.”
After several discussions at the cabinet meeting, Britain’s bottom line for the independence of the African colonies was concentrated on finance and communications. The rest did not need to be occupied in all aspects, but some soup should be left for the local elites.
The fact that France only made French Africa independent in name, but actually maintained its colonies, is also the reason why French Africa has had many coups in the past. You French people have eaten up all the good things, and there are always dissatisfied people who come forward to resist.
However, it was not without its benefits. Britain would never surrender until all the blood in India was shed. Britain mainly relied on itself to fight the world war, and India only played a minor role.
During World War II, France really relied on its colonies to counterattack. The Free France led by Charles de Gaulle relied on French Africa to form a well-qualified French army, most of which were black brothers from Africa.
Taking the subsequent war between France and Germany on the mainland as an example, three-quarters of the 400,000 French troops were Africans. It can be seen that Africa played an indelible and important role in France's fight against Germany and the pursuit of peace.
contribute.
The local British troops will evacuate to Kenya, which was once the core colony of the British East African Federation. South Sudan and Uganda are both landlocked countries. The British troops in Kenya can still maintain influence over the two countries.
After the negotiations, Britain did not forget to appease Nyerere and discuss when Tanganyika could become independent. To Nyerere, London was a courtesy in this regard. However, regarding the famine in Rhodesia, Alan Wilson
The reply was, "The local famine is seriously exaggerated. However, due to the climate this year, a famine that is not serious has indeed occurred. The local government is trying to find a solution."
The situation in the interior of Africa is unknown, and Britain does not know everything. What it does know is that the 220 tons of gold are indeed real, and there is no shortage of gold.
"Even if a famine breaks out in Rhodesia, the impact will be quite limited." Alan Wilson explained to the Prime Minister's personal secretary Brest, "If a famine breaks out in North Africa or the Middle East, the impact on Europe will indeed be huge.
After all, the European continent is Britain's firewall, but the famine in southern Africa can only affect South Africa at most."
"Secretary-General, your considerations are reasonable." Brest nodded, "However, the Arab areas are indeed worth worrying about. They are all deserts."
"It's not bad!" Alan Wilson pondered for a moment and reassured, "Although the climate is a bit harsh, at least the population is not large. The situation is not so serious."
Where are we now? It will only be serious in a few decades. Once there is a slight fluctuation in the food supply, the countries on the southern coast of the Mediterranean do not have the current population, and refugees can flood Europe.
If Russia is determined to break the pot and drag Europe into ruin, a bunch of Arab countries will run out of food in less than half a year. If people don’t have enough to eat, they will do anything, so why are they afraid of smuggling people into the country?
One year, India's onion production decreased by 30%, and the price increased by 1,000%. According to this ratio, the price of food this year has only increased by 30 to 40%. This is already a good conscience. Japan and South Korea are still cheating the island.
What are you dissatisfied with? It’s completely within the scope of normal market mechanisms.
Alan Wilson expressed his hope that Princess Margaret could make a trip for the sake of the country. Because Uganda and South Sudan are independent countries, if it were the original, it would be very simple. The Foreign Secretary and the Commonwealth Secretary would go to a country to preside over independence.
The ceremony was over. Duncan was killed in this process! Of course, Minister Duncan's tragedy was an accident, so let's not worry about it for now.
Now that the Foreign Office and the Commonwealth Office have been merged, although Uganda and South Sudan are neighboring countries, it is too hard for Rab Butler to make two trips in one day.
The political system of Uganda arranged by the British is a co-monarchy and a constitutional country, which is essentially a kingdom. It makes sense for members of the royal family to attend. Princess Margaret has just gotten married. Can she arrange her honeymoon in Uganda to fulfill the responsibilities of the royal family?
?
"Turing has no time to accompany me. He is more interested in research than honeymooning." Princess Margaret rolled her eyes at the Cabinet Secretary-General, "He has taken advantage of a certain bureaucrat."
"You can't say that, Your Highness." Alan Wilson knew that he couldn't let his sister-in-law go in vain, so he put his hand on the princess's shoulder. Some things can be discussed after the bones are set. Maybe there will be unexpected gains.
Because of Uganda's kingdom status, the newly married Princess Margaret has not forgotten to shoulder her heavy responsibilities. This makes the British people quite gratified. George VI's favorite little daughter has also become what the citizens expect.
Little did these people know that there was no peace at all, they were just given to the Secretary-General to carry the burden forward for them.
In mid-October, Uganda and South Sudan declared independence on the same day and established kingdom and republic governments respectively, marking the nominal end of British colonial rule in the two countries.
"Let's arrange the independence of Yemen next year. It will be a steady stream. Don't let other countries think that we are like the French and make big news every now and then." Alan Wilson stood with his hands behind his hands and asked Dixon, "The warm-up for the U.S. election has begun.
Come on, both parties are holding rallies now, right?"
"Yes, Cabinet Secretary, according to our common view, Kennedy has a huge advantage." Dixon replied.
"Oh, right!" Alan Wilson was sincerely pleased when he heard this advantage in my judgment.