Chapter 120: The White House
Washington, D.C., located in the northeastern part of the United States, near Virginia and Maryland, or Washington, D.C., is the capital of the United States of America and the political and military center of the United States. The vast majority of U.S. federal government offices and embassies in the U.S. are located here, so in addition to being politically charged, the economic flow here is somewhat inferior to that of New York.
From the distant continent of Europe to this strange North American continent, Herman? Miller was deeply touched, and there was an indescribable choking in his heart, when the Europeans were bleeding and clashing and gunpowder everywhere, the Americans were desperately trying to make money, and they were making money from these bloodsheds. As soon as he set foot on Washington soil, Miller subconsciously squatted down and wiped the bricks on the ground, he wanted to see if there were really German blood stains on it, because before leaving for the United States, Prime Minister Stresemann had joked that Americans' dollar bills and every floor tile in Washington were stained with war blood.
The cool Atlantic breeze mixed with the fishy smell of cod filled the streets of the District of Columbia, and the car of the German embassy in the United States was waiting for the foreign minister of his country who had drifted across the ocean. Because of the need for frugality, the welcome ceremony was unusually simple, consisting of just a few ordinary officials in Washington and the staff of the country's embassy and consulates.
Miller has always been very cautious in his speech, and under normal circumstances, he will carefully trim his language before saying it, so as not to cause unnecessary trouble due to slips of the tongue. He waved to everyone, casually exchanged a few polite words, and then hurriedly got into a black car with the military attache stationed in the United States and the embassy staff who came to greet him. The military attache thought that Miller had a hard journey and wanted to get to his hotel as soon as possible, so he asked the driver to speed up.
Miller waved his hand and said, "No, you don't have to drive so fast, and don't rush to the hotel, I want to go around the District of Columbia, okay?" ”
The military attache was a little puzzled: "Of course, you can respect Mr. Minister, then...... Will the U.S. officials and embassy colleagues in the back follow suit? ”
Miller lifted the curtain of the sedan and said nonchalantly, "Whatever they want." ”
The military attache turned around and returned to his original sitting position.
Miller's bizarre behavior quickly made the front page of the Washington Post the next day, and the American public thought that the German Federal Foreign Minister was an unusual, but the women did not, believing that Miller had a special personality and was very manly, and they were very obsessed with a close-up photo of him holding a glass at a dinner party.
U.S. President Wilson was busy with his global hegemony all day long, and before and after Miller's arrival in Washington, his foreign visits and meetings were already fully arranged. As the foreign minister of the friendly country that visited Washington, it was also regarded as fulfilling the friendship of the landlords, and the small meetings of the conference, the big banquets, and even many elementary schools in Washington were visited, but they could not wait for President Wilson's reception. The group of more than 200 people visiting the United States, the team said that it was not big or small, but now it is like a group of sardines being swept on the beach by a huge wave, and the more they jump, the faster they die. Miller was very upset in his heart, he had never been rude, and at this moment, he couldn't hold back anymore: "Damn, this is to dry me out!" ”
The ambassador to the United States, a native of Nuremberg and not far from Miller's hometown, told Miller that this is diplomacy, and when you have nothing to do, maybe the opportunity will come naturally. At the moment, he could only try to persuade his foreign minister: "Your Excellency, the United States is not like the German Confederation, we regard time as more important than life, and when you get here, you will suddenly find that time is always abundant, so you can only wait slowly, and it is good to visit all walks of life in the United States first, and maybe it will be useful to return to Germany." Now that the U.S. federal government is anxious to establish a new international maritime order, Mr. President is very busy, however, the White House has already sorted out and tried to move the time of the meeting with you forward, if nothing else, it is estimated that it will be a few days. ”
Herman? Miller doesn't care when President Wilson will be able to meet him, the important thing is that the current Germany has not yet got rid of the post-war predicament, the economy is backward, the military is empty, and there is no defense, such a situation is okay in the short term, once it is protracted, the entire German Confederation will have to be controlled everywhere and slaughtered by others. Especially in terms of infrastructure projects, the much-needed energy is not in the slightest, Erik? President Adrian had not done a single thing he had given him, and he felt that he could not account to the President or to the people of Germany.
Perhaps Miller still remembers the humiliation of his failed mission to France, so he could not fail to get a chance to turn the tables on his trip to the United States, otherwise he would not have been a good foreign minister in the minds of the Germans, but a pathetic and pitiful foreign minister.
The members of the delegation took the trouble to attend official events in Washington, while Miller patiently waited for President Wilson's call at any time. He found that he had nothing to gain from these days in the United States, so he learned to lie in bed in the morning, and as long as the waiter did not open the curtains, he could sleep comfortably until three strokes in the morning, which was a pleasure that could not be obtained in Germany.
Days passed in the blink of an eye, and early in the morning, Miller was lying on his back on a large and comfortable couch, ready to meet him again, when suddenly, the door was knocked on at regular intervals, and he looked at the alarm clock, which pointed to six o'clock in the morning.
The embassy staff stood at the door with a thick stack of planners in their hands: "Your Excellency Honorable Minister, before seven o'clock in the morning is your washing time, and you have to make ...... Breakfast starts at 7:15 a.m. and your breakfast has ...... At 8:10 a.m., the embassy's special car will meet the presidential palace motorteam at the gate to greet ......"
Miller looked at the staff's itinerary plan for today, estimated that he would read it for an hour, and quickly waved his hand to signal him not to read it, and directly said whether President Wilson was going to meet him.
The staff was very embarrassed and had to say, "I'm very sorry Your Excellency, but I'll be simple." You're right, President Wilson will personally receive you at the White House this morning......"
Miller looked back at the alarm clock and said, "That's it, I'll start washing, shaving, changing, and breakfast, you follow me, and continue to read all the itineraries and time nodes and precautions on the planner for today, okay, that's it, you can get started." ”
The White House, the seat of the U.S. presidential palace, is located on Pennsylvania Avenue in the downtown area of Washington, D.C., bordered by Lafayette Square to the north, Elips Park to the south, and the towering Washington Monument in the distance.
This building, which was built in the 90s of the 18th century, is made of white limestone from Virginia, USA. From the beginning of President Roosevelt's ascension, the White House became his permanent name.