As a major leak that almost changed the entire course of World War II, the truth of the "Rainbow 5" project leak has been confusing. Until John's previous life, there was no clear statement as to who was the mastermind of the leak case. So, even if John racked his brains, he couldn't figure out what the leak was all about. The only thing he knows for sure is that it was originally an American journalist named Chasley Manley who revealed the contents of the "Rainbow 5" project to the public.

Historically, just during the Atlantic Conference, this journalist published an article in the Chicago Tribune in which the existence of this program was first revealed. But because the report failed to produce enough evidence to prove its authenticity, it was denounced as a "deliberate lie" by Senate Majority Leader Albon Buckley (a Democrat who was elected vice president of the United States in 1948 as Truman's partner).

But on December 4, 1941, a few days before Pearl Harbor, Chasley Manley again published an article in the Chicago Tribune entitled "Roosevelt's War Plan!" ". Unlike the last time, the report mentions a top-secret document drawn up by a joint commission of the Army and Navy and personally signed by President Roosevelt, along with a copy of the letter from which Roosevelt ordered the preparation of the plan.

Subsequently, Time Herald, an ally of the Chicago Tribune in Washington, D.C., also devoted a full-page page to Roosevelt's dangerous plan. In order to prove that Roosevelt's campaign promise that "American boys would never be sent to fight a foreign war" was an outright lie, the report also quoted extensively from so-called "top-secret documents" claiming that Roosevelt was planning to build a huge army of more than 10 million men, of whom 5 million would be sent to Europe to participate in the war against Hitler. And the author of this report is still Chasley Manley.

Unlike the one in August, these two stories immediately caused a stir in the United States. For a time, Roosevelt and Barkley became almost "liars," "executioners," and "warmongers" (according to polls at the time, most Americans believed that China and Britain should be aided, but 80% were still opposed to declaring war on Germany and Japan). But for the White House and the military, these are not the ones that worry them the most. What really shocked them was that the "top-secret documents" cited by Manley in the report were actually exactly the same as the "Rainbow 5" plan.

The impact of a leak of military plans at this level can be imagined. Later historians and intelligence scholars even believed that the leakage of the "Rainbow 5" program almost caused the United States to lose World War II. This may be an exaggeration, but it can be seen from some Nazi documents that were made public after the war that the German army and navy top brass did try to use this information to change the course of the war.

John's fear now was not that Hitler would change his previous practice and withdraw 100 divisions from the Soviet Union on the advice of the High Command, and clear all British and Allied forces from the Mediterranean and Axis-occupied Africa and the entire northern coast of the Suez Canal (a plan that was once supported by Goering, Raeder, Brauchitsch and other high-ranking officers of the army, navy and air force, but was ultimately rejected by the die-hard Hitler).

What he worries about is whether he will be involved in the subsequent leak review turmoil, or whether he will become the scapegoat for the bad luck. It's not that John is worrying about nothing. Anyone with a little brain understands that if it was a pawn like him who leaked secrets, this case would never become an unsolved case that had not been solved for many years. It is only when it comes to the top of Washington, even the most central ones, that the truth is covered up layer by layer.

There was a very popular rumor about this leak in later generations: the "Rainbow 5" plan leak was actually a bitter ploy directed by Roosevelt himself. When negotiations between the White House and the Japanese government broke down, Roosevelt realized that war was inevitable. In order to provoke Hitler and drag the United States into war with Germany (Hitler had been trying to use isolationist sentiments to keep the United States out of the war), he personally benefited General Arnold from revealing the "Rainbow 5" plan to the famous isolationist, Senator Wheeler. Sure enough, Wheeler immediately made the plan public through Manley, which eventually led to Germany's declaration of war on the United States.

While there are still many things about this rumor, it does a good job of explaining the strange attitude of the US top brass towards the leak. If it weren't for Roosevelt's instructions, how could the military have hastily let go of such a serious leak and simply put out a scapegoat of Weidemeyer.

John's instincts told him that there must be a political conspiracy behind the leak. In this case, the criterion for selecting a scapegoat is not whether it is innocent at all, but the political interests behind it. Of course, for the top brass in Washington, they may not be too harsh on the scapegoat. But when it comes to the parties involved, such as the hapless Weidemeyer, it will still be a major blow.

John remembers that in his later years, Weidemeyer said, "Even if I lived to be a hundred years old, it would still seem as if it had happened yesterday." When I walked into the quartermaster building at 7:30 a.m., the officers were all gathered around and whispering. The moment they saw me, there was silence and everyone quickly dispersed. My secretary, whose eyes were red from crying, handed me a copy of the Times Herald with Manley's front-page coverage. If a bomb falls on Washington, I will not be more shocked and surprised. ”

In his previous life, when John read Weidemeyer's memoirs, he also felt injustice for him. Now, in addition to sympathy, he is more of a dead friend who does not die and a poor man. In any case, Weidemeyer was only isolated from the European battlefield in the end, which did not affect his promotion. While reassuring himself in this way, John began to consider who was more likely to be scapegoated between him and Weidemeyer.

Historically, Weidemeyer has been scapegoated for three main reasons. First of all, he is of German descent, and although he has immigrated to the United States since his grandfather's generation, his German blood cannot be erased. At this point, John has nothing to worry about, and the loyalty of the old Fan family to the United States is beyond doubt.

Secondly, in his early years, Weidemeyer was sent to study at the German Military Academy for two years, and he knew many high-ranking German military officials. Johann himself has no record of staying in Germany for long periods of time, but he had contact with Goering and other high-ranking Nazi officials when dealing with German industry. If someone is interested in turning these things out, the size is also a problem.

Finally, and most importantly, the factor. Weidemeyer's father-in-law, Embick, had dealings with isolationist groups such as America First and was one of Roosevelt's staunch opponents of foreign policy. Thinking of this, John finally felt a lot more relieved. He and Stimson and John behind him have always been on the side of the main battle faction, and their position is quite firm.

Still, he felt a little unsafe. He is barely the number one person in the Army, but he is still not enough to see the bigwigs at the top of Washington. Maybe he should do something to increase his own value, so as not to be sacrificed as a pawn in the game of those big guys. Thinking of this, John packed up his things and left the battle planning office. He had a plan, and he had to ask Donovan to help him go through it.