Father of France

Chapter 48 The Legal and Italian Community

The COMECON system was essentially a Marshall Plan with no money as a prerequisite, and Koeman never thought that some of the criticisms of the COMECON system were justified.

For example, one criticism of the Council for Mutual Economic Assistance (COMECON) system is that it forces small countries to abandon their independent industrial systems.

Koeman wasn't trying to find fault with these criticisms; it seemed that the only country he had ever seen with an independent industrial system was a major Eastern power.

Before the pandemic, people thought the United States was one of them, but after Trump said he would drink disinfectant, they realized that the United States was no longer one of them. There was only one country left with an independent industrial system.

So how could countries in Eastern Europe like Hungary and Czechoslovakia, with such small markets and populations, possibly retain their so-called independent industrial systems?

It's good to band together for mutual support, but it depends on who you ally with. Britain is a no-go. The country has a special relationship with the United States, and you could easily be taken over by the Atlantic faction if you're not careful. It's not trustworthy at all.

Although Germany is much more clear-headed, it certainly won't have military sovereignty after the war, and its location is extremely important, so the United States won't let go. If something really happens, Germany won't be able to help much.

It would be more appropriate to return to the Latin alliance. The strength of the Italian Communist Party in Italy is a double-edged sword; if used properly, it might even bring benefits.

As for the situation in other Latin countries, Koeman seemed satisfied. Spain, under Franco's leadership, had not been a NATO member for a long time, and Portugal, a colonial empire that persisted to the end, could be used by France.

This ensures that France's rear areas are not currently infiltrated by NATO. In addition to Italy, Romania, another Latin-cultured country in Eastern Europe, is also a potential source of support.

In conclusion, European countries with Latin culture are relatively independent compared to countries like Britain, Denmark, and the Netherlands.

De Gaulle appointed Maurice Coust-Demville as ambassador to Italy, though the formal appointment would not be made until after the new year. Demville was allowed to arrive in Italy first to gather intelligence and, under the protection of the French occupation forces, to investigate the current Italian political scene.

Before leaving Paris, Demville knew about the activities of the Youth Division in Italy. Since the Italian ambassador had not yet been officially appointed, he went directly to the French-occupied Piedmont, because he had heard that Admiral Dragon's son was in charge of the work there.

When Corman met Demville, he knew that Demville was probably the person in charge of France's strategy toward Italy in the early postwar period, or in other words, a commissioner in the German-occupied zone.

"Coman, a genius?" Demville, still looking travel-worn, was very curious about the young soldier in front of him. General Dragon was usually a man of few words, but his constant praise for this boy was an exception.

A genius? Koeman was a little embarrassed; he wasn't even as good as the Koeman I that General Fontaine had mentioned.

He remembered that Demville was a prime minister after the war, but there were too many French prime ministers for him to remember clearly. “Mr. Ambassador, I’ve come to report to you on the progress of our current work.”

He was just a second lieutenant and couldn't make the final decision, but Demville's position was quite high; the ambassador's post could greatly facilitate the implementation of France's strategy toward Italy.

At this time, one cannot be selfish. Koeman does not mind sharing the joy of success with others. Durmville acts as the ambassador, and Koeman executes the plan; it doesn't matter.

“What France and Italy have in common right now is that they both have two strong pro-Soviet political parties. Torres and Togliatti also have something in common: they both lived in Moscow for a long time and only recently returned home,” Koeman said confidently. “Italy is not a typical defeated country, so it certainly cannot be treated like Germany. Hatred between us is not the mainstream.”

Although Koeman has already ceded a small piece of Italian territory, he believes this will not be the main conflict between France and Italy in the future. The reason is simple: Yugoslavia will also occupy Italian territory, an area larger than the land occupied by France.

This is similar to how the Soviet Union occupied eastern Germany and then gave the land to Poland. Even if France occupied the Saar region, as long as the area was not large, the Germans would still focus their hatred on the Soviet Union.

The Saar region was only a little over 5,000 square kilometers. The Soviet Union occupied half of Germany. If the land given to Poland is included, the Soviet-occupied territory was actually about the same size as the territories occupied by Britain, the United States, and France. How could the Germans remain indifferent?

As long as they aren't the worst in the competition, neither Germany nor Italy will ultimately hate France.

Demwell listened to Koman's analysis of the situation and nodded, saying, "It seems you've done a lot of work, and I can sense that you have a plan, but you're unable to implement it because of your position."

"Yes, my father told me to be happy to share my success."

Koeman puffed out his chest to bolster his credibility, saying, "Italy is the country France should be most willing to win over, because France's overseas territories are concentrated in Africa, and Italy's geographical location is also important to France. Although we may compete with the United States, there's no way around it; even the best allies have their own schemes against each other."

Demville certainly knew this, but what surprised him was that Corman, at his age, had such a clear understanding of this kind of issue. So it was perfectly understandable that General Dragon had no other topics to discuss besides this child when he was in military meetings. It was indeed something to be proud of.

"The Italian political scene is in chaos right now, and there are strong voices calling for the end of the monarchy. I personally favor the Catholic Democratic Party. Although the Italian Communist Party is currently the strongest, we must also see that the Italian Communist Party's situation is similar to that of the French Communist Party. Its approval rating is very high, but it cannot have a comprehensive view of the overall situation."

After receiving praise from Demville, Corman revealed his thoughts: "Italy has been a center of Catholicism for hundreds of years, and there are more believers in God than atheists. This aligns with the ideals of the Catholic Democratic Party. Therefore, after integration, the Catholic Democratic Party may govern Italy for a long time. At present, the Catholic Democratic Party is not strong, and France should be the first to place its bets on this party. Of course, we can't help for nothing; the Catholic Democratic Party must give us feedback."

“It seems you know exactly what you should get from Italy.” Demville gave Coman a deep look. It was a waste that the man was a soldier; he could have benefited society more easily in politics.

"Of course, we should take this opportunity to have the Catholic Democratic Party government and France establish a supranational joint community. Once we have this precedent, we can apply it to other countries in the future," Koeman said, bringing up the concept of a European coal and steel community.

The concept of the European Community was proposed in 1950. It is a good concept and can be fully realized.

Although Italy and France are now devastated, and Italy still has many areas under German occupation, these are not the most important things. The most important thing is that this concept must emerge as soon as possible. With the precedent of the Franco-Italian Community, it will be much easier to persuade other countries.

Demwell remained silent for a long time after hearing this, and you can imagine how shocked he was. He had originally thought that Koeman was assisting him.

　It was blocked twice and then released twice. I turned on my computer late at night to delete duplicate chapters.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)