"Good morning, Harry! And you, John! As soon as he saw Hopkins and John, Roosevelt greeted them happily. Although the dark circles under Roosevelt's eyes were still clearly visible through the pinched glasses, it was clear that Mr. President was in high spirits today.

"Haha, John, those little tricks of yours work. Last night, we had a great time with those reporters in Aoyu Bay. Roosevelt, happily sniffing the sea breeze blowing in through the round porthole, instructed little James, "Jamie, go and turn on the radio, I can't wait." ”

In the United States, which flaunts press freedom, especially in the 40s, when the media was not yet completely controlled by the power of capital, the title of "uncrowned king" of journalists is not in vain. Even the president himself can be embarrassed by the fact that these journalists, who have been given some kind of oversight power by the public, if they are not careful.

Roosevelt can be regarded as the best at handling media relations among all US presidents. But over the years, he has still been troubled by those contrarian news media. Now, with the opportunity to play a trick on those annoying journalists, Roosevelt was as excited as a mischievous kid who had succeeded in his prank.

James Jr. moved Roosevelt out of his wheelchair into a lap chair, then unscrewed a pocket radio in the corner of his desk and adjusted the frequency to CBS's morning news program.

On the radio, a male announcer finally revealed to the audience in an excited tone after broadcasting several pieces of news about the congressional debate on the extension of military service law, the Federal Reserve's interest rate hike, and the Soviet-German war: "It is no longer a secret where President Roosevelt is now!" Then he put on a pretentious remark, "Roosevelt was on vacation at Eel Bay on the yacht Potomac, and at eight o'clock last night some reporters saw him catch a northern barracuda about one and a half feet on the back deck of the yacht." ”

Hearing this, Roosevelt laughed like a child. "Tom [Roosevelt's stand-in] didn't do a bad job, but if I had been replaced, I would have caught a bigger one."

"I think after a while, when we release the communiqué of the meeting, the reaction of those media will be more interesting." It was rare for the president to be so interested, and of course John couldn't let him be disappointed, so he hurriedly made amusement. To be honest, he didn't expect his little plan to be crooked, so to Roosevelt's appetite.

"That's right. Steve (Steve Earley, White House press secretary) is going to have a good show on his side soon. Hopkins also had a good laugh. Media reporters attacked him, the "shadow president" of the White House, much more than Roosevelt.

Some time ago, even the newspapers in his hometown of Sioux City (a city in northwestern Iowa) harshly criticized the "results" of his visit to the Soviet Union. This was a very sad time for Hopkins, because his first salary in his life was earned by working as a newsboy for that newspaper.

After the joke, attention was again focused on the "first" meeting with Prime Minister Winston Churchill. The little "grudge" with the media reporters was just a little bit of life seasoning for Roosevelt and them. No one takes this too seriously.

"The agenda and social events are as we finalized with Secretary Hull, and there are no revisions." After whispering a few words to Hopkins about the readiness of the meeting, Roosevelt finally clapped the shot.

After speaking, he turned his head and asked John, who was standing on the side, "John, will you go to see Prime Minister Churchill with Viscount Halifax in a while?" ”

"Yes, Mr. President." John hurriedly stood up and returned to the road.

"Very well, in addition to the formal meeting arrangement, you can help me bring two more words to Mr. Prime Minister." Roosevelt said, "First of all, I would like to invite them to stay for a cup of tea after the welcome banquet tonight, and to ask him to speak informally about their general views on the war." You can tell him bluntly, I don't want to be too formal, and the number of participants on both sides is limited to 20 people. ”

"Okay. Mr. President. John then asked, "If Mr. Prime Minister asks who we will be attending this informal exchange, how would I reply?" ”

"You can tell him that I, Wells [Deputy Secretary of State], Stark, Marshall, King, Arnold, Hopkins and Harriman [Roosevelt's special representative to Britain for the implementation of the Lend-Lease Act] will be in attendance."

"Understood." John silently read a list in his mind, all of which were core figures in the White House, the State Department, the Army, the Navy, and the Air Force. It seems that this "after-dinner tea party" is not low, and its outcome is likely to have a decisive impact on the direction of the next meeting.

"For another thing, you tell Churchill for me. Tomorrow morning I will go to Mass on the Prince of Wales, and I will use Joshua 1 for the prayer. ”

Joshua 1? John recalled. Fortunately, he still retains the memory of the body itself, otherwise I really don't know what Roosevelt was trying to say.

"You are referring to this: No one in your life will be able to stand before you. As I was with Moses, so I am with you. I will not leave you, nor forsake you. Be strong and courageous......

Before John could finish memorizing the beginning of the passage, Roosevelt interrupted him, "Yes, this is it, from this point to this: May we be saved from hatred, pain, and all kinds of vengeance." ”

John understood this time that Roosevelt was going to reassure the British first. Let them believe that the United States will eventually become their staunch ally. In this way, they can be more understanding and tolerant of some "small differences" in the negotiations.

Poor Churchill, John mourned for him for a second in his heart. With the expectations of all the people of the British Empire (Churchill had to obtain not only the approval of Parliament but also the Prime Ministers of all Dominions before he left), he risked his life to attend this meeting. Before the meeting began, his main demands had already been sentenced to death by Roosevelt.

John was very confident in his own judgment. For if Roosevelt was going to accede to the demands of the British, there would be no need for him to play such petty tricks again. When the time comes, as soon as the agreement is signed, Britain and the United States will become grasshoppers on a rope, and there is no need to talk about "I will not leave you or abandon you."

Accepting the assignment from Roosevelt, John got up and prepared to take his leave. In a moment, he is going to visit the British Prime Minister on behalf of the President of the United States, so he must first shave his beard and change into a cleaner uniform.

Unexpectedly, as soon as he went out, Hopkins chased him out. "John, there's something else I forgot to tell you." With that, he whispered to John.

"And this?" John was surprised and amused. It turned out that Churchill also had a time when he patted the horse's feet on the horse's feet.

"You'd better find an opportunity to bring this matter up to Prime Minister Churchill, but pay attention to the ways and means." Hopkins admonished again.

"Got it." John was speechless and took on the rather "awkward" task. If only Randolph could have come to the meeting this time, it would have been fitting that he would have left this matter to him. It's just that Randolph should still be eating sand in North Africa now, and I don't know if Harriman hooked up with his daughter-in-law.