Probably seeing John's doubts, Marshall then added, "This should have been discussed by Minister Stimson." But yesterday he had already sent General MacArthur to the Philippines to take up his post. So I was entrusted with communicating this with you. ”

Hearing Marshall say this, John was immediately relieved. In recent times, MacArthur has been able to toss and turn the White House and the Army Staff in Washington. Relying on his seniority and the influence of the Mak family in the United States (MacArthur was a Scottish nobleman, he was also the first immigrant to travel to the New World on the Mayflower. Their family is related to many big families in Britain and the United States, Roosevelt and Churchill are his distant relatives), and he didn't even pay much attention to President Roosevelt, let alone Marshall, a descendant.

John heard that as soon as MacArthur returned home, he threw out the so-called "Orange-3" plan (in the global military strategy of the United States, there is a series of combat plans named after colors, which are aimed at different imaginary enemies, and are collectively called "rainbow plans"). The "black" represents Germany, the "red" represents Britain, the "green" represents Mexico, and the "orange" represents Japan), in an attempt to bring all military forces in the Far East, including the Navy's Asian Fleet, into the strategic defense system under his leadership.

To this end, MacArthur opened his mouth widely, not only asking for a large number of tanks, artillery, bombers and other supplies, but also asking Washington to send 1,312 additional officers and at least 18,000 soldiers to the Philippines.

Of course, it is impossible to meet all of these requirements. John remembers that until the outbreak of the Pacific War, MacArthur had only 134,000 men (12,000 U.S. troops, 12,000 Philippine Army, and 110,000 militia) and 108 light tanks, 35 B-17 bombers, and 107 P-40 fighters.

As for the Asian fleet of the Navy, it is even more impossible to listen to him. Although the small fleet consisted of only 3 cruisers, 13 destroyers, 29 submarines, more than 30 seaplanes, and a 750-strong Marine Corps, the commander, Admiral Thomas Hart, was not only three years older than MacArthur, but also six years older, and did not abandon MacArthur as a "hysterical ultra-egoist" (historically, Hart said of MacArthur).

For this reason, the unruly MacArthur did not make a lot of nonsense. It is said that he even openly scolded Roosevelt in the White House, saying: "If we are defeated in a war, when an American soldier is stabbed in the belly by the enemy's bayonet and trampled on the throat by the enemy's feet and utters a final curse, I hope he will curse not me, MacArthur, but you, Roosevelt!" President Roosevelt turned blue with anger.

In Washington, Stimson was one of the few who could barely hold MacArthur down. Whether it is age, seniority, prestige, or knowledge of the Far East (Stimson served as Governor of the Philippines for many years) was above MacArthur. It seems that he sent MacArthur to his post and personally coordinated the relations between the US army and navy in the Far East.

"Minister Stimson specially explained before leaving, this mission is not mandatory, but I hope you choose carefully. If you accept, be sure to remember who you are and stand up for what a U.S. Army officer should be. Marshall faithfully conveyed Stimson's opinion to John.

John did not have the slightest doubt about whether or not to accept the assignment. To be able to attend the Atlantic Conference and witness the signing of the Atlantic Charter with his own eyes, how could he miss such a great opportunity. It's much more interesting than staying in the Kraib barracks and urging the troops to train in the wind and rain.

But Stimson's solemn advice made him a little confused. What is the position of a U.S. Army officer? Could he still help "John Bull" speak?

"John, what the minister means is that when you encounter a problem, you should think more about what is in the best interest of our Army." As John's old superior, Minister Nevins gave John a timely reminder.

So that's what happened! Nevins' words made John's eyes light up. All along, he has been accustomed to taking it for granted that the United States will not participate in the war for the time being and that it will eventually choose the strategy of "Europe first and then Asia." Forget about this, there is still a lot of controversy about these issues. Following this line of thought, John immediately understood what Stimson and Marshall were trying to say.

Historically, the Atlantic Conference has gone relatively well, but there are still many differences between the parties. In particular, the two issues just now are the focus of the confrontation between the parties.

From the point of view of the British, getting the United States involved in the war was, of course, their primary goal. Second, they also want the United States to increase military aid to others and warn Japan against further "dangerous" moves in the Pacific.

As for Washington, they hope that this meeting will inspire the people to support further intervention by the government and military in the war (which is still firmly opposed by domestic public opinion), but they do not want to be involved in the war immediately.

Second, the United States also hopes that the British government will publicly confirm that it is not involved in any secret treaties, especially those involving territorial issues, so as to avoid a recurrence of the situation in which the United States was squeezed out of the world by Britain and France after World War I (anti-war sentiment is now strong in large part because it is believed that after World War I, they were shamelessly deceived by the British and French partnerships).

In addition, the White House wanted to arrange some terms for Britain's postwar repayment of Lend-Lease aid and to lift its imperial preferential regime. The system was developed by the British government during the Great Depression to encourage trade between the British Empire by reducing tariff rates among member states, while maintaining discriminatory tariff rates against outsiders.

In John's memory, in the end it was the Americans who had the last laugh in these questions. After all, Churchill did not dare to be too tough on the United States, but he also left a button in the end, and made the nature of the Atlantic Charter, the final resolution of the conference, a joint statement that was not coercively binding.

John now feels that the trouble is not the conflict of interests between these countries, but whether he should support the "Europe first, then Asia" strategy.

Logically speaking, the strategy of "Europe first and then Asia" is rational to a certain extent. Because as long as Germany is defeated, the defeat of Japan and Italy will become a matter of time. On the contrary, defeating Japan will not be the case, and Germany's technological and resource capabilities will still make the war uncertain.

Proceeding from the national interests of the United States, it is clear that the post-war benefits of investing resources in Europe are far greater than those of the Far East. As for the interests of the Army, Marshall and Stimson certainly preferred Europe as their main strategic direction. Because defeating Hitler required a ground war, the Army was the absolute protagonist. And in the Far East, it is more the Navy that plays the leading role. In other words, only "Europe first and then Asia" can the army obtain more resources than the navy in a righteous and open manner.

But, from John's personal emotional point of view, he certainly hoped that the United States would tilt more resources towards the war against Japan. Whether in his past life or in this life, he and the Germans did not have any deep hatred. On the contrary, small Japan has a blood debt with the "motherland" of his two lifetimes.

However, how this matter should be operated, and whether he can change the trend of history a little by himself, and win more resources for the Allied forces in the Far East is really a big problem.