"You made John your military advisor?" Although he felt a little resentful because of his father's contempt for him, little James was more curious about why his father chose John this time. "Where's Mr. Embick?"

"It's only temporary, Embique is still my military advisor. It's just that he doesn't have a good heart, so he can't go to Newfoundland with me this time. Roosevelt said lightly. At the moment, he did not want too many people to know that he had a lot of arguments and conflicts with his former close friend, "the most loyal soldier of the United States" and former commander of the Army's Third Army, Stanley Embick (Weidemeyer's father-in-law), on some issues.

"But why John?" James Jr. was still a little puzzled: "When I was in Los Angeles, I heard little Tom of the Watson family say that he is no longer in the staff and has gone to serve in the army below. Moreover, he has only been in the army for less than two years in total, and he has not received a formal military education, can he do it? ”

"The military's assessment of his abilities is not bad. Although in terms of professionalism, there are many people who are stronger than him. However, there are some qualities in him that others do not have. These qualities are very important for this negotiation. Before choosing John as his military adviser, Roosevelt certainly had to consult Stimson and Marshall. Since neither of these two objected, it at least showed that John's military literacy was still able to cope with this errand.

"Is it because of those English kids?" Eleanor also interjected curiously. The British Guest Boy Program, which began last year, has given the Vanderbilt Family Foundation a reputation in the British Isles. As an important member of the Vanderbilt family, John was undoubtedly more likely to get the psychological identification of the British side at the Newfoundland meeting. There are some things that he can coordinate, and there may be unexpected results.

"That's just one aspect." Roosevelt wiped his mouth with a napkin: "There are two main reasons why he was chosen. ”

"First of all, his attitude towards working with the UK is in line with our needs. At present, most of the senior officers of the military, whether in the army or navy, are quite wary of the British, and some even have a certain hostile feelings. John is one of the few who is open on this issue. Last year, he went on a mission to Britain as a military observer and did a good job. On the British side, especially Prime Minister Winston Churchill, he has a high opinion of him. ”

Speaking of this, Roosevelt sighed. The reason why he fell out with his old friend Embick was largely because he was adamantly opposed to further deepening cooperation with Britain, believing that it would lead the United States into a dangerous war prematurely.

Roosevelt was not incomprehensible to Embick's position. Not to mention an officer like Embick who fought bloodily in the European theater of World War I, but any American who lived through that era will never forget the betrayal of the British and French at the Paris Peace Conference.

During World War I, the United States invested a lot of manpower, material and financial resources in Europe, and paid the price of more than 300,000 casualties, but in the end it was excluded from European affairs by Britain and France. Not to mention becoming the maker of a new global order, he didn't even get much of the war dividends he deserved.

Roosevelt's political mentor, President Wilson, who advocated the war, was also greatly criticized at home. Congress even refused to approve the United States to join the League of Nations, which was dominated by Britain and France, even though this international organization was first proposed and formed by Wilson.

What is more serious is that since then, the American people have generally lost trust in the governments of Britain, France and other European countries. This also directly contributed to the situation in which isolationism flourished in the United States after the war.

Although at present, some people of insight have realized that they should not choke on food because of this. Roosevelt's idea of actively participating in international affairs and competing for more say in the architecture of the future global order was also supported by some of the military's top brass (Stimson, Knox, Marshall, Stark, etc.). But the mainstream voices from the civilian and military still put a lot of pressure on Roosevelt.

Under these circumstances, John, a rising star of the military who had good relations with the British side and had always advocated more intervention in European affairs, was all the more valuable. Coupled with the support of the Stimson and Vanderbilt families behind him, Roosevelt and Marshall naturally wanted to focus on cultivating him.

"Also, this kid is very far-sighted and has a very big picture view. That's why I say he's better than you. Roosevelt glanced at James Jr. and continued: "Now, even Marshall and Stark, their eyes are mainly limited to the current situation. Hull and Stimson have some ideas about what to expect after the war, but it's not clear. He was the first to really focus on the post-war world pattern and consider the problem holistically, except for Hopkins. Even on some issues, he saw farther than me and Hopkins. ”

If John had been there now, he would have been ashamed to find a crack in the ground to get into. The reason why Roosevelt was so impressed by his "foresight" was entirely because he unconsciously brought in the memories of his previous life in his previous inspection reports.

In those years, Europe is the center of the world, and the United States really does not have a high position on the world political stage. Although it is true that the economic strength and industrial production capacity of the United States are not bad, its military power and political influence are far inferior to those of the European powers, and it can only hide on the American continent and play with itself. In the eyes of many countries, the United States is nothing more than a rich nouveau riche, and the American army is a gang of militias. And these are completely different concepts from John's subconscious that the world's number one power.

So how could Roosevelt not be amazed when John habitually placed the United States at the leadership of the postwar world order in those reports, and understood and explained the current problems from that perspective. Even he himself only occasionally dreams of what the world would be like under the leadership of the United States. There were many specific questions that he didn't even think as thoroughly as John.

"I remember John was just over two years older than Jamie, right?" Not to mention that little James didn't believe it, Eleanor was a little skeptical of her husband's words. Foresight and a big-picture view are not obtained in a vacuum. Even if John had a different talent and had not accumulated a long period of exercise, it would not have been possible to reach this level.

"Go back, I'll show you Miss Lehand's report a few points, and you'll understand." Roosevelt certainly couldn't have taken the official military report of John's play to Eleanor and James Jr. He was referring to those private reports that John had sent to him earlier through Captain Davis of the Secret Service while he was traveling in Europe. It was because of these reports that John was able to enter Roosevelt's eyes and completely change the trajectory of his life in the years that followed.