It was not that de Gaulle or Georges Pidour were uncomfortable with the presence of US troops in France.
But there are criticisms from all strata in France from top to bottom. This is not just rhetoric. They say that the unity of the free world can suppress them.
If the US troops in France are not driven away, our hands will be tied to deal with the Algeria issue. A group of independent Algerian leaders can enter the United States without restrictions. Not only the UK knows this, France also has its own intelligence department, which is fully aware of this.
France is much more aware of the question of suspicious allies than the UK. From the moment de Gaulle came to power, it has regarded the expulsion of foreign troops from the country as something that must be done.
"Send a memorandum to London and Washington." De Gaulle said to his old friend Georges Pidour, "Let's just say that now NATO is no longer adapted to the basic security needs of the entire free world, and France's responsibilities have also expanded to all parts of the world, so
It is proposed to establish a council in NATO composed of the three major powers, the United States, Britain and France, to have decision-making power on world political and strategic issues."
This memorandum was immediately sent from Paris, but at this time the British Foreign Secretary was in the Middle East. Although it was judged that there was little hope of resolving the Iranian issue, it was still necessary to come and talk after all.
Because the Foreign Secretary was meeting with Iranian Prime Minister Mossadegh, the memorandum conveyed from London was first seen by Alan Wilson, the permanent undersecretary. As soon as he saw it, he understood what was going on, "Oh, we want to withdraw from NATO."
Already."
This has been a certainty since de Gaulle came to power. France at least considers itself no worse than the UK. The UK serves as deputy commander of NATO and is the secretary-general of NATO, but France is treated the same as Belgium and the Netherlands? This is indeed unacceptable to the French.
"Secretary General, what's in this telegram?" Dixon didn't hear his immediate boss's muttering, his voice was too low.
"Oh, it's nothing serious. Just a memorandum. We will inform the minister of the memorandum after the ministers have finished talking." Alan Wilson looked indifferent and described the matter as lightly as possible.
He is actually still calculating how much of the world's oil reserves the Persian Gulf countries that the UK can still control will occupy after losing Iran. Calculated in terms of area, the major powers in the Middle East are of course Saudi Arabia and Iran.
But now Saudi Arabia does not have the status of future generations, and the stable gold standard petrodollar has not appeared. All countries are on the gold standard. To put it simply, Saudi Arabia is currently in a situation where it is a traitor and has no way out.
At present, the United States chooses support targets because of the factors of the gold standard, not only oil, but also its own strength is not too bad.
Saudi Arabia is a weakling in the eyes of the United States. On the contrary, Iran, as the successor of the ancient Persian state, has a population of more than 20 million, which is much more powerful than Saudi Arabia with less than 4 million people. Iran not only has a lot of oil, but also has the ability to be self-sufficient.
It is a good helper to support.
Saudi Arabia has such a small population, low military strength, and a large area of desert, which greatly reduces its value in the eyes of the United States.
And because of the Israeli factor, important Arab countries, whether it is Syria, which is a republic that is pro-Soviet, or Egypt and Iraq, which are monarchies that lean toward the United Kingdom, all have in common that they are hostile to Israel.
Even if the United States supports Saudi Arabia, it still has no say in the Arab world. Instead of doing this, it would be better to support Iran, which has a large land area, good basic conditions, and a population of more than 20 million.
Compared with Iran, Saudi Arabia, which does not even have a high status in the Arab world, really has little value in the eyes of the United States.
But Saudi Arabia is not as important as Iran. This does not mean that Saudi Arabia can be manipulated by the UK at will. Saudi Arabia has already voted for the United States. If the UK wants to preserve its existing interests, the United States may not find a chance. If it wants to take any action against Saudi Arabia, the United States will definitely
Don't do it.
If Iran cannot turn around this time, Britain, the two largest countries in the Middle East, will lose all influence.
But even so, Alan Wilson, who has a strong political reserve for later generations, almost immediately thought of the oil reserves and proportions of the countries in the Middle East. Among the largest oil depots in the world in the Persian Gulf, Saudi Arabia is undoubtedly the first
, Iran is unsteady in second place.
Iran's oil reserves are actually not far behind those of other countries, and are not much larger than those of Iraq, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates.
Why did Saddam want to annex Kuwait later? On the one hand, Iraq was really overwhelmed by its foreign debt.
Another aspect is the bigger goal. Iraq and Kuwait have oil reserves that are comparable to Saudi Arabia. Iraq also occupies two river basins and the natural conditions are much better than Saudi Arabia. After annexing Kuwait, Iraq, which is already a powerful country in the Arab world,
, wielding the oil stick is much more powerful than Saudi Arabia.
In addition, the pocket emirates of the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Bahrain do not yet exist but are all under British protection.
Even if it loses control of Iran, the remaining Persian Gulf oil controlled by Britain can still satisfy its imperial strategy.
Alan Wilson is even calculating the mining costs. It is well known that Saudi Arabia’s mining costs are extremely low. If you want to form competition, ordinary countries are not Saudi Arabia’s opponents. Considering the distance issue, Libya can actually compete with Saudi Arabia. The direct mining costs are not Saudi Arabia’s
rival, but Libya is close to Europe and does not have to pay tolls on the Suez Canal.
Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates can compete with Saudi Arabia, but Iraq's costs cannot compete with Saudi Arabia. As for Iran's mining costs, they are still higher than those of these countries.
After all, the legacy of the British Empire is rich, and Alan Wilson supports his wife and discovers oil reserves in Libya. After calculating the cards in his hand, as long as he can keep the remaining existing achievements, he can still implement his plans even if he loses Iran.
Strategy in mind.
"If this is used as an excuse to kidnap the European market and establish links with markets and energy production sites in Iraq, Kuwait, and the emirates? This is not a bad thing."
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! In the eyes of other diplomats, the boss's lips twitched, he paced back and forth in a trance, and his face was solemn. He seemed to be thinking all he could about the future of the British Empire.
In fact, he was extremely happy. What a good excuse.
He used the Iranian oil crisis as an excuse to promote the establishment of mini-OPEC, and he already had a valid reason, and he would provide advice whenever the Foreign Secretary asked.
Time passed little by little, and Harold Wilson finally ended the meeting and walked out of the conference room. Iranian Prime Minister Mossadegh followed closely behind him, with the same solemn look on his face. It was obvious that the meeting did not go well.
"We lost Iran." Harold Wilson said in a low voice, "This is contempt for Britain."
Alan Wilson looked at Mossadegh. The Iranian Prime Minister did not refute, apparently acquiescing that what Harold Wilson said was the truth, and said, "Prime Minister Mossadegh, maybe you think this is a good thing for Iran.
.But it’s not that easy. This time it’s a humiliation for Britain, and you will know the consequences in the future.”
"Sir, is it a mistake for Iran to withdraw its own interests?" Mossadegh asked after hearing this.
"We already know who is backing Iran. Needless to say, it is very clear." Alan Wilson was not trying to trick Mossadegh. MI6 has already made a judgment that there is a grown-up white-eyed wolf behind Iran.
.
At this point, no matter what Pahlavi or Mossadegh thought, now that Iran has made up its mind, Alan Wilson has become less polite in his words.
Although the loss was to the competitor of his wife's industry, BP, it was also the property of the British Empire. From the perspective of safeguarding British interests, he always had to say a few words.
“Do the British still think this is the era of imperialism?”
"Now it seems that King Pahlavi presided over the Prime Minister's decision to re-finalize the oil allocation, which is a wise move."
"If you insist on thinking so, I won't deny it." Alan Wilson looked at the Iranian diplomat who showed his patriotism and said condescendingly, "It will never be settled like this, and Iran should not think that it will get anything. Britain
After all, there are only 50 million people, and the United States and the Soviet Union both have three times the population of the United Kingdom. The Iranians feel that they have suffered a big loss in supporting the United Kingdom, and their lives will be better if they change their guardians?"
"If you give less, countries with larger populations will not feel the benefits. If you give more, can Iran afford it? The population is growing, and a country with a population of several million can live well by selling resources, but absolutely
Excluding Iran."
"When you go back, think carefully, is this true? Can a country with tens of millions of people leave everything to oil? How much benefit are you prepared to give to your so-called allies?"
Alan Wilson always spoke with data. For a moment, it was impossible to refute. Mossadegh stopped him and continued to argue, "I have already explained Iran's attitude. Of course we are not willing to be hostile to the United Kingdom, but when it comes to Iran
For our national interests, there should be more competitors instead of allowing a certain country to have a monopoly. Iran will publicly call for cooperation when it takes back its oil, and any country can sign a contract with Iran."
"Britain has made clear its attitude towards Iran." Harold Wilson nodded deeply and stopped talking.
The talks between Britain and Iran broke up unhappily. After the Iranians left, Harold Wilson sat down and said that tough measures would be taken to safeguard the interests of the British Empire. An election was coming soon and the Labor Party could not give in.
Alan Wilson, who had been counting the cards in his hands these past few days, said at the right time, "Dear Minister, a telegram has just been forwarded from London, which may be able to help us. There are changes in France.
"
"Oh?" Harold Wilson frowned, read the memo about France's sharing of NATO leadership, and finally shook his head, "How is this possible?"
"How is it impossible? Even if we don't stop it, Washington is not willing. Why should Britain be such a villain? MI6 has determined that the person causing trouble this time is our suspicious ally."
Alan Wilson spread his hands and whispered in an indifferent manner, "Wouldn't it be better to let the United States say no?"