"It's a good note, but will the opposition party raise any objection? You know that in the eyes of Mr. Churchill, the Labor Party is a potential Soviet spy." Alexander Cadogan smiled and joked about the relationship between the Conservative Party and the Labor Party.
.
"That is a problem for the ruling party. I believe the prime minister and ministers can deal with this problem. We don't need to worry about it. Let's talk about our work first. We will go to Australia and New Zealand to deal with the problem of the two countries becoming sovereign countries." Edward Bridges
He rounded off his words and said, "Besides the established things, the most important thing is to stabilize the influence of the pound."
"In fact, it's not just Australia and New Zealand. In the recent cabinet meeting, the prime minister was most concerned about the issue of the pound. Let's talk about the issue of British India. If the British Empire has to leave the British Empire temporarily, we must ensure that the pound remains in the country.
Currency Status of India’s Foreign Trade Settlement.”
Alexander Cadogan nodded. From the look on Edward Bridges's face, he understood that this matter was no small matter, "But now that the U.S. dollar is linked to gold, it is very difficult to fight against it."
"Yes, that's right. We can only hope that the vast colonies can still retain their inertia and recognize the pound. Now that the enemy is strong and we are weak, all we can do is delay. If all the domestic problems caused by the war are solved. Look.
Let’s see how much share we can leave behind. From a global perspective, even if only 10% is left, it’s still a huge profit, isn’t it?”
Edward Bridges mentioned that regarding the independence of British India, the latest bottom line of the cabinet is that if India becomes independent, foreign trade must be settled in pounds sterling.
The pound area currently strictly pegged to the pound is in the Commonwealth Dominions and Territories except Canada.
Ireland, Iceland, Maldives, Kuwait, Jordan, Oman, Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Yemen, Sierra Leone and other countries, autonomous territories and regions use the British pound as their base currency. The exchange rates of various currencies are based on the British pound and are freely convertible. Trade and credit are all
Settled in British Pounds.
Canada really has no choice. It is too close to the United States, and the United States has surpassed the United Kingdom in terms of absolute strength. Wanting to re-enter Canada into the pound area is equivalent to declaring war with the United States.
Although the war weakened Britain's economic strength, at present, about 40% of international trade is still settled in pounds. London is still an important financial center in the world, but it is no longer the only center.
At the Brayston Conference, in the currency war between Britain and the United States, the United States had the upper hand. The conference was controlled by the United States. Under the leadership of the U.S. government, all countries at the conference except the United Kingdom chose the American plan. The United Kingdom had no choice but to
He gave up his plan, but also won the right to continue using the pound in the pound area.
At present, the United States is in a strong position, and all the British can do is to maintain the current situation as much as possible, and hold on to the crumbling power of the British Empire as long as possible.
Even so, it is difficult to maintain the value of the pound. Britain has already devalued once during the war. The pound has gone from about 1:4 to the dollar to more than 1:2. If the difficulty cannot be solved as soon as possible, the pound may still be exchanged.
depreciation.
"You suggest that the Foreign Secretary visit the Soviet Union, but you cannot go with him. You maintain your itinerary to Australia and New Zealand. As long as you can persuade the Foreign Secretary to visit the Soviet Union, I will persuade the Prime Minister to arrange the itinerary so that you can go to Australia and New Zealand without
Interrupted by the Foreign Secretary."
In front of Alexander Cadogan, Edward Bridges decided on a phalanx for separate operations.
"That's good. It would be nice to avoid the minister from going together," Alexander Cadogan nodded, "but will the minister see that?"
Edward Bridges put on a different face and said solemnly, "Alexander, we must admit that this world has never been fair. It is ruled by strong powers, so of course visiting the Soviet Union takes priority over visiting the two autonomous territories."
, isn’t it? This is a grand stage and a good opportunity to establish the influence of the Foreign Secretary.”
"So there is no need to trouble the Foreign Secretary to take action personally on matters involving the two autonomous territories." Alexander Cadogan looked understanding. "The minister should do more important things, such as the Soviet Union."
Uh-huh! Edward Bridges nodded with a knowing expression, quite satisfied with the understanding of the Permanent Under Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
If Alan Wilson were here, he would definitely propose to launch a quantitative easing policy in British India to plunder all the Indian private gold and use it to stabilize the value of the pound.
Even if he is not in London, he is still helping his motherland. How much wealth the monarchs of many powerful kingdoms have, even if it is impossible to calculate it in hundreds of millions like Ali Khan, it is normal to have a property of hundreds or tens of millions.
And as far as Alan Wilson knows, none of these princely states are in the stage of population explosion. After all, they are not close to the crowded banks of the Ganges. This shows that there is potential.
At the final stage of the communication in Hyderabad, Alan Wilson brought up the last important issue, saying that the Governor-General of British India was considering the issue of disarmament and made clear its operations.
If each feudal state can sacrifice some of its land interests, it can absorb some of its soldiers who have gone through the war and become part of its strength.
Of course, everything is risky. He also explained that these soldiers may be pro-Kuomintang, but which side they will ultimately side with depends on whether the monarchs can help these soldiers who have left the army find a sense of belonging.
Regardless of whether we believe in religion, we are all one family, or whether blood is thicker than water, in the end, it will not come from profit. For profit, whether it is religion or blood, you can rely on it.
Different from transferring property and extending grace orders, this communication to absorb retired soldiers is the suggestion that the representatives of the major feudal states have the most objections to. If the first two suggestions still make them have doubts, the emergence of this suggestion has made many feudal states have doubts.
The representative understood that the Assistant Commissioner of British India in front of him was really one of his own.
This chapter is not finished yet, please click the next page to continue reading the exciting content! There are nearly three million Indian soldiers participating in World War II. This force is extremely easy to be influenced by the Congress Party. Alan Wilson formulated the retirement plan to destabilize these
The factors quickly disappeared.
Today in Hyderabad, Alan Wilson raised it in front of Ali Khan and Salaman Khan, hoping that these soldiers with war experience would be accepted.
As long as these feudal states agree to resettle some soldiers and provide leeway and treatment arrangements, the strength of the feudal states can be greatly enhanced. If the worst future occurs, the feudal states will be able to get these soldiers on their side.
Possibility of making Nehru throw a tantrum.
"Of course, I never hope for the worst outcome to happen, but I personally have some doubts about the National Congress Party. That's why I offer three suggestions for this bad future. The purpose of transferring property is to share the risks equally, and to divide the children and grandchildren, let the National Congress Party
No excuses can be found, and the last step is to accept retired soldiers, so that these soldiers with combat experience can become the confidence for the country to protect itself."
"Actually, what does the matter of British India have to do with me? I can completely not show up and leave British India directly until the resistance cannot be subsided. But as someone who has worked here for many years, I understand that the princely states are friends of the British Empire.
, I tried to help as much as possible, and I will follow up on this matter once I return to New Delhi."
"Alan, we monarchs have a consistent attitude towards the British Empire, and we have always treated the commissioners sent here with great respect." Salaman Khan first hinted, "I know this matter, you also risk it
There is a huge risk, after all, it involves the whereabouts of hundreds of thousands of soldiers, and I will not let the gentlemen who seek our interests work in vain."
"This is natural!" Ali Khan, who was sitting on the floor, said, "This matter is complicated and consumes energy. So Alan will be very tired. We have a kind of fruit in Hyderabad, which is very refreshing when eaten. I will choose it when the time comes.
Send some over."
Seeing Alan Wilson's disapproval, Ali Khan added, "The golden fruit can arouse appetite just by looking at it. I dare say, no one doesn't like it."
Gold! Alan Wilson understood it all at once, and said righteously, "This is also for the well-being of hundreds of thousands of soldiers. We can't let the soldiers who participated in the war bleed and shed tears. I don't have any merit myself. To say it is,
The generosity of the princes of the various kingdoms is truly worthy of the gratitude of these soldiers."
"The gratitude of the soldiers also needs someone to guide us. At this point, Allen can also help us a lot." Salaman Khan paused and said, "But if we can consider religious issues, I personally
I will be even more grateful.”
"This is all based on the principle of voluntariness. It is natural for Hindu soldiers to go to the Indian Maharaja's kingdom." Alan Wilson's answer made Salaman Khan completely relieved.
This trip to Hyderabad finally achieved initial results. Originally, he wanted to continue to consolidate the results with Vivien Leigh here, but he received a telegram from Sir Barron stating that the Minister of Indian Affairs, Lord Perthick-Lawrence
, you can now sign a memorandum with the monarchs of the princely states to clarify the protection of the legal property of these monarchs on behalf of the British government.
"Isn't this too urgent?" Alan Wilson thought hard, not knowing what happened. He didn't know that Sir Barron, an Indian with an original schedule, directly made the Indian Affairs Minister disgusted and wanted to return home.
"What's wrong?" Vivien Leigh stopped the knife and fork in her hand and asked with curiosity, "Is it the Governor's Mansion that's urging me?"
"The telegram said that the cabinet minister is going to return to the country, but I don't remember it being so soon!" Alan Wilson said with a question mark on his face, "I want to finalize the affairs of the British-Indian Actors Association before the minister returns to the country."
Vivien Leigh's ears suddenly stood up, she licked her lips and said seductively, "Thank you for your hard work, I will thank you very much."