I Became Stalin?!

“I believe in only one thing, the power of human will.”

― Joseph Stalin

Chapter 16

“Ah, George. I’ve read your report carefully.”

“Your Excellency, please call me ‘General Marshall’.”

Roosevelt chuckled and ignored Marshall’s earnest request.

He’s too friendly… Marshall thought as he tried to guess why the president had summoned him. 

And he soon realized the reason.

“It’s about what Molotov said…”

Molotov had said many things before he left. 

The possibility of a post-war conflict between the US and Britain, the Soviet’s active approach to the US, and the gold that the Nazis possessed.

But if Roosevelt had to call him so seriously, there was only one thing that Marshall could think of.

“It could be a counterintelligence from the Soviets, Your Excellency.”

“Yes, George, I feel the same way, but a politician has to consider all possibilities. And the information on Japan’s power is too detailed.”

“‘General Marshall’, Your Excellency.”

Roosevelt laughed again and then became serious.

“Let’s say the Soviets leaked us counterintelligence. Then what is their goal?”

Marshall had to think hard for a while before answering.

“If they wanted to benefit Japan, would they give us such detailed information? And if Japan doesn’t act according to this information and the Soviets lose our trust, would they gain anything equivalent by leaking counterintelligence?”

“It could be that Germany moved Japan to break through the Eastern Front. Or the Soviets could have approached us in this way to divert Japan’s attention or attack the US under a secret pact with Japan.”

“Selling their top-secret information on their own fleet? George, you hate the Soviets too much.”

“‘General Marshall’, Your Excellency. And I don’t hate the Soviets, Your Excellency.”

Marshall didn’t think he needed to think too deeply about the authenticity of the information.

It was hard to create information out of nothing, but it was relatively easy to verify the information that came in. 

Such a huge plan couldn’t be hidden even if they tried. 

There must be some clues somewhere that reveal its identity.

If he knew nothing, he might miss or spend all his energy on finding out what it was, but with such detailed information… verifying it was much easier.

But Marshall was constantly suspicious of the Soviets’ purpose of doing this.

Why would they cooperate so actively with the US, when they were dreaming of expanding their power and antagonizing the world?

The US had supported democracy as a weapon and cooperated with Britain’s war against Germany, but that was largely due to Roosevelt’s intervention.

Roosevelt might not be president forever, but most Americans didn’t want to get involved in ‘Europe’s war’. 

No, rather than Europe, it was worse for those terrible Scythians, Bolshevik Reds who were neither European nor Asian.

“America is an island, George. Since Monroe Doctrine, we have been working to make America a backyard of the US, which is no different from an island or a continent. And we succeeded. Britain promised to give up their old junk ships in the Caribbean Sea. But America has a manifest destiny.”

Marshall gave up on pointing out ‘General Marshall’ altogether.

Roosevelt emphasized ‘manifest destiny’. He knew America’s power well. 

Many people thought America was just one of the great powers, but in terms of national power, America had long surpassed the level of superpower.

So he wanted America to get its rightful place in the world order.

“But that doesn’t mean we have to build a colonial empire like Britain or France. Colonies require a lot of costs.”

“Is that so, Your Excellency?”

“Just look at how Churchill is struggling to keep his colonies. Colonies cost too much to maintain and manage compared to what they can bring in. It may seem better to steal than to buy raw materials at a fair price.”

Roosevelt imitated Churchill’s coughing and laughed. 

He wasn’t just talking about Churchill.

The capitalists always wanted more colonies. 

While the state was busy keeping and bleeding for the colonies, they found wealth in them. 

What did they care about the state’s deficit?

I shot at them and maintained the colonial security forces, and kept a huge administrative apparatus and fleet… That was a huge drain on the budget. 

You must have a headache right now, too. 

How would you feel if you had to work like you do all the time to manage the colonies? 

Hahahaha

Marshall couldn’t laugh. 

He respected the president as much as the president trusted him. 

And he believed in his vision.

To the whites of this era, colonies were… complex and subtle things. 

Quite a few educated people hated the colonies.

They hated the people who lived there, and the heat and tropical diseases and primitive customs. 

So they believed that they had a duty as whites to civilize them.

And others-like Roosevelt-hated such hypocrisy even more. 

They scoffed at those who talked about the duty of whites, or Christians, and ignored the most fundamental stories that Jesus said.

Love your neighbor. 

Is it a Christian thing to do to slaughter people from other countries for having a different skin color, and exploit the resources from their land without even paying a fair wage?

America was not free from the same criticism either. 

America also had overseas colonies like the Philippines or Cuba, and did things in Central and South America that were not much different from colonial empires.

“Britain’s population exceeds 500 million if you include India. France also exceeds 100 million if you include its West African colonies. But why did they get beaten so badly by the Nazis, who only had 80 million people? Fundamentally, colonies cannot be a proper source of national power. They are too inefficient compared to the cost of maintaining them.”

Roosevelt continued to unfold his own argument. 

His opinion on colonial liberation had a fundamentally different aspect from idealists like Wilson.

Wilson’s self-determination of nations talked about the liberation of colonized nations, but that only applied to defeated countries. 

It was a means to tear apart multiethnic empires like Austria-Hungary or Ottoman Turkey.

Self-determination did not touch the colonies of victorious countries at all, and rather, the victorious countries divided up new territories among themselves. 

The will of the people who lived there was silenced.

But Roosevelt was telling a slightly different story. 

Closer to realpolitik.

He did not talk about ‘morality’ or ‘the duty of whites’. 

On the contrary, he tolerated them even if they were bastards, as long as they were our bastards.

“But our testicle buddy Hitler is contradicting himself. He overcame the depression by filling well-organized and industrialized lands with patriotic workers, built a powerful army, and smashed the bloated colonial empires!”

Bang! 

He slammed his desk as he said the word smashed. 

Was it a coincidence that what he hit was a diplomatic document related to Britain?

“Are they not trying to stick those fat colonies to their own country? What do they call it… George? Do you remember?”

“Lebensraum, Your Excellency?”

“Yes, that’s it. Le-bens-raum. It’s hard to pronounce. Anyway, what good is that? Do they want the young men who should work diligently in the factories to become lazy plantation owners who enslave the Slavs? Or mine supervisors who ruin their own countries?”

Marshal seemed to know something. 

This was essentially a problem of the industrial structure of the nation.

The clash of inefficient and efficient industries. 

The confrontation of the huge fat lump of colonies and the intensive industry that was well trimmed.

“It sounds like you are talking about the Civil War, Your Excellency.”

“That’s right! The blacks never worked hard as slaves. They only worked to avoid death. They had no motivation, no vigor at all. But when we gave them wages and freedom, they started working for this great nation! Can you see the patriotism and enthusiasm of the many black youths who volunteer for our army now? Would they have shown that when they were slaves?”

That was the question.

Why waste valuable manpower like that? 

Roosevelt smiled as he said that.

It was not only immoral but also inefficient to keep potential and capable humans in a state of slavery. 

It was the same for black slaves or colonists.

It was good for everyone that they were freed from subjugation and worked harder. 

Except for the lazy colonial imperialists or greedy capitalists who sucked their marrow with a straw attached to their spine.

Oh, and maybe the people who were soaked in great-empire chauvinism?

“What we have to do is clear. Mr. Hitler will break up the colonial empires of Britain and France, and try to build a new colonial empire. But we can stop him with the help of Comrade Stalin.”

That’s why Roosevelt did not hate the Soviet Union. 

The Tsar had made them peasants, but the Bolsheviks had made them masters of the nation.

The colonial empires were wary of the rapidly growing Soviet Union, but Roosevelt was not. 

No, how could he be? 

How could he be wary of such a ‘customer’ who bought so many of our goods?

The businessmen must have thought so too. 

When they saw the order form and gold that Molotov brought.

“And when the war in Europe is over… we have to make the colonies free nations, where the people love and work willingly for their own country. While they rebuild their country from the ruins, we can teach them the brains they need, sell them the factories and facilities they need, and sell them all kinds of things.”

That was the point. 

If the colonists lived better, they became a better market. 

A country that was dirt poor and had no people willing to work was useless. But what if everyone worked hard to make their country prosperous? 

It was a good market.

The colonial empires like Britain and France had monopolized and wasted this market. 

And they had used their national power to justify their actions.

But Roosevelt was not going to let this go on any longer. 

He might have despised the greedy capitalists, but he could not deny their entrepreneurial spirit. 

It was the basic idea that built America, and selling goods was good for all Americans.

The only difference was how to sell them. America did not want to sell with guns or cannons like old Churchill. 

America wanted to sell by making them love America.

The fatheads in Congress did not understand this at all. 

They loved the ‘simple’ way of making and selling guns, and plundering the colonies by squeezing them. 

Some capitalists or bankers also liked to erase huge debts and rip off various interests, but anyway.

They had not fully grasped the American continent – some parts of Central and South America – in their hands, so they had put forward the Monroe Doctrine to exclude interference from across the Atlantic, but they all wanted to reach out to the world if they had a chance.

“I think we’ve held on too long. Let’s send everything they need in the Soviet Union as soon as possible. I’ll take care of convincing those stupid fatheads in Congress, especially that Taft bastard. George, you… By the way, what’s with that mustache?”

Marshal smiled awkwardly. 

He had always shaved cleanly, but he had started growing a mustache a few days ago. 

He didn’t expect the president to point it out like this.

“Oh… this mustache is… ahem… my ‘friend’ wanted me to grow a mustache.”

“Is that so? Haha, you have a friend too, huh? It looks good on you. Anyway, I’ve told you my intentions, so… work hard.”

“Yes, Your Excellency!”

He rubbed his nose under which his mustache was starting to grow prickly. 

When would he see her again?