Father of France

Chapter 160 Peace Destroyer Koman

Lefebvre didn't understand what fifty meters represented either, so he skipped the question. "Ker-McGee has already set up buoys on the sea and is now back in Saigon to talk to Ms. Eva."

"She contacted the Americans, and we should indeed talk to them," Coman said, distancing himself as if it were none of my business.

This sea area, known to the Vietnamese as the Bach Ho oil field in the 21st century, is also the oil field with the largest cumulative output and highest production capacity in Vietnam.

In fact, the total production capacity is not much. The Baihu oil field may be considered large in Vietnam, but it cannot be compared with the giant oil fields in the Middle East. There are not many oil wells in the Baihu oil field.

Over the past ten years, the total production capacity has only reached a little over 100 million tons. Koman felt that it was far more than that, which was probably the result of Vietnam's own lack of capacity and its ability to cooperate with foreign countries.

Otherwise, an annual production of less than ten million tons would not be in line with normal circumstances. Furthermore, the interference from a major Eastern power must be taken into account; foreign oil companies cooperating with Vietnam must consider the existence of geopolitical risks.

Zengmu Reef is also below sea level at low tide, 2,000 kilometers from the mainland and more than 90 kilometers from Malaysia. Koman believes that Asian countries will be able to solve this problem in the future.

This problem didn't bother Coman for long. France was planning to make a quick buck and leave, and it couldn't possibly occupy French Indochina for long. As for the actual oil production of the White Tiger Oilfield, they would know once they opened a few more wells.

According to Koeman's previous beliefs, the military's interests should be prioritized once the oil field is discovered, but he absolutely cannot do that this time.

In the 21st century, the U.S. military has already ruined its reputation by stealing oil. If it were just a matter of reputation, that would be one thing, but the problem is that if the military directly operates companies in the energy sector, it will lead to a decline in combat effectiveness.

How can an army that struggles every day to steal a little oil build a strong ground force?

For the sake of the French army's combat effectiveness, this oil field must absolutely not be associated with the military.

But he also couldn't give it to Total. Coman had worked so hard to build up his wealth through his own efforts, and he couldn't accept giving it away to Total.

He preferred to cooperate with France on oil, at least Ava Gardner was a woman of equal status to him and his wife.

Furthermore, Koeman currently believes that France is not yet in a position to distance itself from the United States. France will still need the US dollar for the next five to ten years, and to get rid of the US dollar, it must first absorb it.

This principle is similar to what the British say: only by joining in can you have the opportunity to disrupt your competitors from within.

Even the British pound, which is much stronger than the franc, is currently trying its best to use raw materials to exchange for US dollars to support its exchange rate.

However, not all countries do this. The Soviet ruble did not rely on the dollar to maintain its exchange rate, and its approach was completely different.

The United States considers Britain to be its main adversary in the field of international settlements, and even believes that Britain is far more dangerous than the Soviet Union.

Even before Japan surrendered, the U.S. military stopped sending military supplies to Britain without waiting for the president's order; on the day Japan announced its surrender, without consulting Britain in advance, it unilaterally terminated the Lend-Lease aid to Britain and began liquidation.

The supplies left in Britain amounted to $500 million in debt, and the supplies still en route added another $100 million to the British debt. Britain's immediate repayment of US Lend-Lease debt was more than its foreign exchange reserves.

The United States was much more lenient toward the Soviet Union, and did not end the Lend-Lease aid until a month after Japan's surrender.

Even from the very beginning, Roosevelt's design did not include Britain's role. The Bretton Woods system was supposed to be jointly maintained by the United States and the Soviet Union, and Britain had nothing to do with it.

This view holds that the two countries control vast resources in regions where they do not compete with each other, and this phenomenon must be seen as a dominant and controlling force in the future historical process.

Both the Soviet government and American financiers had a long-standing interest in maintaining a managed gold standard because both the United States and the Soviet Union possessed the largest gold reserves and were potential major gold producers.

Although the Soviet economy was state-controlled, it was not an expansionist.

Britain managed to sabotage the potential roles of the US and the Soviet Union in the Bretton Woods system, but because the Bretton Woods system had just begun, the pound sterling, due to the legacy of the pound sterling zone, still accounted for 40% of international trade settlements in the early postwar period, not much less than the dollar.

Therefore, the United States will not lower its guard against Britain until the pound's share of settlements falls to a safe level.

France's settlement share is less than 5%, which means it's relatively safe and allows it to absorb US dollars without any psychological burden.

Koeman knew that during De Gaulle's era, France's stockpiled dollars had become a powerful tool against the United States, so exchanging newly discovered oil for dollars was definitely not a mistake. He now decided to have a serious talk with the femme fatale and make good use of this card in his hand. The oil production of the new oil field was, of course, estimated based on maximum capacity, meaning that annual production must exceed ten million tons.

"France's current annual oil demand is over ten million tons, and this production capacity is estimated to be 60 percent of France's annual demand for the next few years. This solves a major problem for France. If Prime Minister Georges knew, he would be very pleased."

In front of Eva Gardner, Corman held nothing back, making her understand how significant this oil field was to France, absolutely a national strategic treasure.

This allows us to make demands on France, as long as they don't expect the French army to attack Moscow; we can discuss it thoroughly.

It is important to understand that Syrian independence is already a foregone conclusion; the process is merely a formality. The reason for the slow progress of this process is due to Koman's previous efforts in Syria, which resulted in several divisions of Syrian troops being transferred to Syria. The Governor's Office stated that Prime Minister George even considered directly transferring the weapons and equipment of these troops to settle accounts.

In other words, the reason why the Syrian independence process has not yet been completed is entirely because the issue of veterans' wages has not been agreed upon.

France cannot relocate the Allahmands and other Muslims to North Africa, so it is trying to find other ways to balance the accounts. Transferring weapons and equipment is one method, and other methods include selling Maronite houses and transferring power to a certain faction.

"So this oil field can help France save $70 million in foreign exchange every year?" Although Eva Gardner is not a professional, she is young, eager to learn, and has great potential. She is familiar with the current international oil price of $1.05 per barrel.

At this point in time, $70 million in foreign exchange reserves is a considerable sum, and France can do many other things with that amount.

"Seventy million dollars, you couldn't earn that much even if you acted in a hundred years of movies." Koeman's voice sounded like a devil's whisper, stirring Ava Gardner's heart. "Do you want a share of it?"

The greeting startled Ava Gardner awake. She immediately rolled over and sat on Koman's stomach, her voice becoming slurred, "Can you bypass France's national interests?"

"If the United States is willing to cooperate, that's fine, after all, we need dollars. You must remember, the discovery of this oil field has nothing to do with me."

Koeman had not previously revealed anything similar to anyone other than Eva Gardner; the two discussed the potential existence of the oil field face-to-face.

Ava Gardner, trusting in Koeman, went straight back to the United States to find an ocean exploration company.

Koeman also told Eva Gardner that this was her advantage, as currently only the United States possesses the technology for marine exploration and offshore oil drilling platforms, and France, in any case, does not have this technology.

These are all favorable conditions for Ava Gardner. If she can make good use of these conditions and successfully transfer technology or purchase patented technology, cooperation between the United States and France is by no means impossible.

“That’s the logic,” Ava Gardner said, then paused, rolled her eyes at Coman, and said reproachfully, “Where are you putting your hands?”

"I'm used to it, aren't I?" Koman said, feigning seriousness, while feeling the pressure of his hand being held between the femme fatale's thighs. "Don't I even get this kind of treatment anymore?"

At this point, Coman could stand aside and remotely control Ava Gardner from the shadows, figuring out how to monetize this massive oil field that produces over ten million barrels a year.

At this very moment, an important meeting concerning the future of French Indochina is also taking place at the Palace of Fontainebleau in Paris.

To show his sincerity, Ho Chi Minh of the Viet Minh personally came to Paris, and his delegation included Vo Nguyen Giap. As soon as Ho Chi Minh arrived in Paris, he met with leaders of left-wing parties everywhere, especially Thomas Torres, the leader of the French Communist Party, one of the three major parties.

Marius Motte, the French representative and a member of the Socialist Party, was naturally one of the people Ho Chi Minh visited.

Ho Chi Minh's activities in Paris were quite successful. In another world, before the Fontainebleau Conference, Dachham unilaterally declared the establishment of the Republic of Cochinchina, directly leading to the failure of the negotiations.

Koman has been very busy lately, working on the specific arrangements, and has not had time to establish the Republic of Jiaozhi.

Therefore, this Fontainebleau conference began in a relatively mild environment, and at least in the initial stages, the atmosphere was very friendly.

But at that moment, Prime Minister Georges Pitour received the latest news from Saigon and was shocked to learn that France, a country lacking raw materials, was suffering from severe energy shortages and had even become the first country in the world to build up oil reserves.

If an oil field with an estimated annual production of over ten million tons is discovered in a French colony, and its capacity could meet 60 percent of France's oil needs, then the attitude in negotiations with the Viet Minh will have to change.

Koeman was unaware that his deep patriotism for France had inadvertently made him a peace disruptor, which was never his intention.

(End of this chapter)