Whitehall is a street in London, England. It connects the Houses of Parliament and Downing Street. In and around this street, some British government agencies such as the Ministry of Defence, Foreign Affairs, Home Office, and Admiralty are located here.
Therefore, people use Whitehall as the name for the British administrative department. The southwest corner of Whitehall is No. 10 Downing Street, the symbol of the British government.
The long wartime system is slowly being unraveled, at least for civil servants in Whitehall, who have become accustomed to rushing between departments every day to process information coming back from various battlefields.
Edward Bridges, who was rubbing his eyes with one hand, had just completed a stylized meeting as cabinet secretary. He asked his secretary to invite Norman Brooke, the titular civil servant, to come over and take advantage of this opportunity.
Edward Bridges lights a cigarette.
At present, the Cabinet Secretary and Civil Service Secretary in the civil service system are not held by the same person. Edward Bridges and Norman Brooke jointly lead the civil service group in Whitehall to assist Prime Minister Churchill in dealing with the world war that is nearing its end.
However, as the leader of the Cabinet Office Committee, Cabinet Secretary Edward Bridges is obviously busier than the Civil Service Secretary.
"Edward, have you finished the meeting with various departments?" Norman Brooke's voice had already entered Edward Bridges' Cabinet Office office before he came in. When he walked in, he saw the cabinet secretary thinking about life.
.
"Norman, you also know that unlike the Prime Minister and ministers, those of us who are doing things are always very busy." Edward Bridges forced a smile, then put out the cigarette butt in his hand, motioned to sit down and then
He said, "There seems to be news from the front line. Berlin seems to be captured by the Soviet Red Army."
"Given the losses the Soviet Union faced from invading Germany, this is reasonable." Norman Brooke said unconcernedly, "And the Americans seem unwilling to oppose this. We have no influence on this matter.
limited."
"Americans? The Americans are simply deliberately humiliating us!" Edward Bridges said with a steady face. "It's hard to imagine that the Americans are more willing to listen to the opinions of the Soviets than to us."
Norman Brooke shrugged. He knew that what the cabinet secretary said was true, and said instead, "After the war, things in Whitehall are no less than during the war. Think about the huge number of recovered soldiers returning to the homeland, and some
The status of the colonies and even how to divide the German-occupied areas can be regarded as trivial matters in front of these issues."
Edward Bridges scratched his itchy scalp and had to admit that what the other party said made sense.
Norman Brooke was about to open his mouth to express relief, but his eyes saw the letter on the table, pointed at it and asked, "What is this?"
"It is a letter from Mountbatten to the Prime Minister. It was sent by my secretary. A British Commissioner from India returned home and brought this letter to the Prime Minister. We have gone through the necessary checks. The other letter is for the Colonial Secretary of India.
Leo Emery's, I have sent someone to the Indian Affairs Department." Edward Bridges explained, "The commissioner who came back to report on his work, I have asked him to go to MI6."
"Just in time for him to come back, we can know the first-hand situation of British India and let MI6 ask about this matter." Norman Brooke slapped his thigh and said, "The current situation in the colonies is different from what it was after the war.
It is a big problem that we must solve sooner or later. All parties are quarreling now, and I already have a foreboding that there will be fierce quarrels in Congress soon after the war is over."
"You're right, I was negligent. By the way, since I came back from India, we will find a senior MI6 official who knows the local area to verify it. It just so happens that I still have such a person in mind." Edward said.
Bridges picked up the phone. The headquarters of MI6 was on the same street, so it was very convenient to transfer information.
Alan Wilson was sitting idle in a huge twenty-story building, looking at the scenery outside through the window. It was hard to imagine that this building belonging to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was the current headquarters of MI6.
But having said that, spies and diplomats do have certain similarities. Some people say that diplomats are legal spies, and what they do is basically similar.
Not long after, a man about thirty years old with thick hair came in, wearing a well-dressed suit. He said politely, "This is the Commissioner from Hyderabad who has returned to China, Alan Wilson, right? I'm sorry to come.
It’s late. The higher ups sent me to learn about some situations. Let’s just talk casually. By the way, my name is Harold King Philby. You can just call me Harold.”
"The reason why I am asked to talk about the situation in India is because I was born in British India." Philby said with a smile while sitting in front of Alan Wilson, who relaxed.
Harold King Philby was born in Ambala, India. His father worked as a civil servant in the Indian government and was a well-known Arabic language scholar in the UK. His parents had high expectations for little Philby.
When Erby reached school age, he was sent back to school in England.
"It turns out that Mr. Philby was born in British India!" Alan Wilson nodded clearly and introduced the current situation in British India, focusing on the matters in Hyderabad, and finally added, "I believe Philby
Mr. Erby also has a certain understanding of British India. In fact, it is hard for me to believe that someone as gentle and elegant as you is actually engaged in intelligence work."
"This is not surprising. Intelligence work especially likes to find backup forces from Oxford University and Cambridge University." Philby looked down at Alan Wilson's files and explained nonchalantly, and then the conversation changed and he was a little surprised, "
Are you a student at the Oriental College of Oxford University? The enrollment age is so young. For you, the outbreak of the war may be bad news and delay your studies."
"Actually, working early is not a bad thing." Alan Wilson looked at Philby's face and asked with a thought, "I didn't know that the intelligence agency likes to recruit personnel from well-known universities. It turns out that this is the case. Where did Mr. Philby come from?
Academics.”
Philby raised his head and glanced at Alan Wilson, and smiled in a calm voice, "When I went to school, I went to Trinity College, Cambridge University. If I also completed my studies at Oxford University, I can be regarded as your senior."
Oh? When Alan Wilson heard this, his face remained calm but he suddenly felt like he was born in Trinity College, Cambridge University. He was born in British India? It seems that there is such a person among the Five Talents of Cambridge.
"Well, Whitehall wants to get first-hand information about British India, so I'm talking to you." Philby, who had been smiling since entering the room, said that the questioning was over.
"I have just returned from British India and am a little unfamiliar with London. If I have the chance, I would really like to hang out with Mr. Philby." Alan Wilson opened the invitation. He was very interested in the Cambridge Five.