Chapter 103: The Iranian Question
Trying to get the Soviet Union to restore Austria to its original state of affairs can certainly be understood as asking the Soviet Union to make concessions in the current environment. In the case of Iran, Britain is in the position of maintaining the status quo, and in the case of Turkey, it is used to sell out. One win, one draw and one defeat is what Britain needs to achieve now.
As before, it was the negotiations and the black-box operation that took place at the same time, this time Alan Wilson and Fortseva changed places, went to the western occupation zone of the city of Greater Berlin, and walked in the city area controlled by the three countries, and in the eyes of the passers-by, the two walked like a couple.
But in fact, Alan Wilson, who represented Britain, and Fortseva, who represented the Soviet Union, had just let go of their hostility, and they didn't have any other ideas, and Alan Wilson felt that there must be Soviet agents in the vicinity of the two, as for why there were no British agents? Good question, because Alan Wilson is British and can't speak ill of his own country.
Finding a restaurant that had just opened but had few local customers, Alan Wilson got carried away with a petty bourgeois smug and invited Fortseva to lunch.
"I said Ms. Fortseva, do you think I will do something to the members of the Soviet delegation?" As if seeing Fortseva's hesitation, Alan Wilson spoke, "Your and my every move is watched, although I don't have the expertise to know where they are. ”
"Then you will also take me to the occupation zone to the west." Fortseva muttered dissatisfiedly, and she must have asked when she went back.
Alan Wilson knew that the censorship in the Soviet Union was very strict, and the reason why the West was suspicious of the countries of the Soviet system was essentially that it was a new society, and people thought about completely different issues.
As for thinking that one's own system is stronger than the other party, and the rhetoric that wants to make the other party better is an obvious lie.
If the Soviet Union was really bad, the West would not have been bent on making trouble with the Soviet Union, and when did the United States ever find trouble with Africa? They are all compliments on each other's originality.
As a British civil servant with a lot of money and more than 100 million, Alan Wilson doesn't mind personal gains and losses, and it doesn't matter if he can sacrifice some out of his own pocket for the sake of the country's goals.
"I believe that in the past few days, the Soviet comrades have been very happy with the arrival of our new Prime Minister and Foreign Minister in Potsdam." Alan Wilson, with a knife and fork, asked with good courtesy.
This set of etiquette is not that Alan Wilson was born noble, but that he arrived in British India to learn. The civil servants of British India seem to have found the sense of the nobility of the British Empire in front of the Indians, and the red tape is even worse than that of the native aristocracy.
As for the Soviet comrades, this is not a slip of the tongue by Alan Wilson, but the use of this word to name the inner thoughts of the Soviets.
"When in opposition, the Labour Party may not care about being portrayed as pro-Soviet. However, as the ruling party, the angle of consideration of the issue has changed, and I hope that the Soviet side will not misjudge this. Whether it was Mr. Churchill or Prime Minister Attlee, they were in the service of the British Empire. Alan Wilson finished his opening remarks in a few words.
Pouring a glass of wine for Fortseva, Alan Wilson took the initiative to touch a glass with the big hairy girl and said, "Congratulations to the Soviet Red Army on the smooth progress in the Far East, let's make a toast to the early end of the war." Maybe the war is over, and we don't have this opportunity to celebrate. ”
In times of war, several countries can tolerate each other's filthiness because there are other threats, and once the war ends, a new round of confrontation will come immediately, and it is nothing more than when it officially begins.
Before the Iron Curtain speech, the United States and the Soviet Union had already looked at each other at odds, but they were not on the table.
From a personal point of view, Alan Wilson hoped that everything would go smoothly for the Soviet Union to occupy Hokkaido, so that the United States and the Soviet Union would have one more point of contention and ease the pressure on the European side.
This may have been a few celebrations for Alan Wilson and Fortseva as allies, and after clinking glasses, Alan Wilson raised three questions for the new prime minister: the Soviet Union must lift its occupation of Austria, the troops of Britain, the United States and France will be stationed in Austria by the end of the year, and Britain and the Soviet Union must immediately disarm and reduce the size of their troops in Iran.
The third point is the issue of the Dardanelles, in which Britain is most concerned about Iran, which during World War II saw the Soviet Union and Britain enter into northern and southern Iran under agreement, respectively, which is the traditional sphere of influence of both sides.
During World War II, the Soviet Union had already carried out oil exploration work in northeastern Iran, which was connected to Soviet Azerbaijan in northwestern Iran and Turkmenistan in Soviet Union in northeastern Iran, but the right to exploit them had to be obtained by an official agreement with Iran.
"According to the previous agreement, our two countries were to withdraw from Iran by the end of the year. The withdrawal of troops should now be considered. Alan Wilson still took the initiative to state the British conditions.
"What if we don't want to?" After taking a sip of the wine, Fortseva's fair face flushed a little, but her mind was not confused by the alcohol.
"This would raise doubts about Prime Minister Attlee's intentions towards the Soviet Union." Alan Wilson said meaningfully, "I don't need to ask for anything, I can guess what will happen next, the British Empire, together with the Pahlavi dynasty, will invite US troops to enter Iran to jointly put pressure on the Soviet Union." The end result could be three, along with the simultaneous withdrawal of the three US countries, and Iran becoming a neutral country. The second three countries broke out in Iran, and the third confrontation consumed everyone's energy for a while, and finally they withdrew at the same time. Regardless of which of the above three outcomes occurs, the ultimate beneficiary is the United States. ”
"It seems that you are quite willing to give away your interests to the Americans." Fortseva giggled, "When did Britain become so generous?" ”
"Blood is thicker than water, intellectually, of course, we don't want to cheapen the United States, but if we have to choose between the United States and the Soviet Union, we must choose the United States with our eyes closed." Alan Wilson said with a cold face and resentment, "If the status quo is maintained, there are also the interests of Britain and the Soviet Union, and if the situation I said arises, the Soviet Union and Britain will not get anything." ”
"Withdrawal for nothing? Mr. Allen may be joking, what is the compensation? Fortseva was silent for a moment and began to fight back, it was the British who took the initiative to ask for the door, and there must be a quid pro quo.
Alan Wilson opened his mouth, very much wanting to say no, but finally said, "On the question of the right of passage in the Dardanelles, if the Soviet Union publicly guarantees to fulfill the previous agreement, withdraw its troops from Iran." The right of passage through the Dardanelles, the British Empire was willing to help the USSR fight for it. ”