I was acting crazy in North America, and all the crazy people there took it seriously.

Chapter 117 The Government is Considering the Gang's Outrageous Request

What are you talking about?

Would I be willing to start an American civil war?

Logan managed to swallow back his "I do," his face showing utter shock and bewilderment: "Sir, what are you talking about? The Sun and I have always been staunch defenders of world peace!"

Even if The Sun is tirelessly fueling the war of words between Chicago and New York, it's just following public opinion, so it shouldn't be unfairly blamed for such a huge accusation!
Logan wondered if he had somehow given himself away.

But the Attorney General's assistant, perhaps realizing he had been too blunt, cleared his throat, straightened his tie, and immediately changed his tune:

"Excuse my bluntness, Mr. Logan, but does your Sun newspaper support people defending their values?"

Ah, that's different now!

This doesn't seem like an attempt to interrogate me, Logan thought to himself, his expression immediately brightening as he leaned forward and spread his hands in a sincere gesture:
"You know, we absolutely support people in defending their values! It's a sacred right granted to every American by the Constitution!"

The assistant smiled with satisfaction: "Then our goals are aligned. Mr. Logan, we met at the White House. Let's be frank, I'm here representing Mr. Dougherty (Attorney General)..."

Here's the thing.

When the New York mob demanded "armed support," people across all federal government departments could hardly contain their emotions.

Attorney General Doherty even choked on his laughter during an internal meeting, exclaiming, "My God, how can the American mob be so creative? I might as well let them be my Attorney General!"

But despite the laughter, upon closer examination, everyone's thoughts began to become more subtle.

As a close confidant of President Harding and a member of the president's Ohio gang, Doherty was the first to realize that a gang war in New York, if it could really be a "fight to the death," would be an excellent gamble.

During the previous "battle" between Chicago and the US military, Ohio's cronies set up numerous underground gambling dens and made a fortune.

Moreover, the president himself is a big gambler!
Even now, after finishing his official duties at the White House each day, Harding likes to sneak out of the White House and go to his mansion on H Street.

Here, Harding and his Ohio gang of cronies drank and partied all night. When he was in high spirits, he liked to sit at the card table and gamble, completely forgetting about laws and national affairs.

Well, although the president drank and gambled during Prohibition and had more than one mistress, he was still a good president.

A good president will not refuse to support the "people" in defending their values.

What, you're saying that's a gang?

You tell me, do gangsters exist in America? Aren't they part of the president's "people"?

Another close confidant of the president, Charles Forbes, the director of the Veterans Affairs Bureau, was also immediately impressed.

Charles Forbes served in the military in his early years but later deserted and left the army. He later became friends with Harding, who promoted him in his career, eventually making him the director of the Veterans Affairs Bureau, where he was responsible for settling the lives of veterans (mainly those with physical disabilities) who had died in the European war.

Under Charles Forbes's "wise" leadership, the Veterans Affairs Bureau became a den of thieves rife with corruption and extravagance. In less than a year in office, he squandered nearly $100 million of public funds.

One hundred million US dollars in this day and age!

He thought to himself, if he were to "support" the gang with heavy weapons, someone would have to use them. Active duty soldiers were out of the question, but retired veterans would be just right.

Sending retired veterans to "support" gangs, preferably to their deaths in the shootouts, would make no one care about the wasted public funds, and they might even be able to collect some "service fees"! Even the military's logistics department had its eye on it.

Congress is still cutting military spending; if they could "take stock" of the treasury and give it to wealthy gangs, they might be able to recoup some of their funds.

Well, some poorly managed arms deals can even be settled on the side!

Most importantly, all departments were passing the buck over who should deal with the heavily armed gangs.

So, is this... using the enemy to quell the rebellion? Letting gangs fight gangs isn't such a bad plan after all!

After exchanging glances, everyone agreed that the New York mob's request didn't seem so outrageous after all!
All that's missing is a plausible reason.

The government needs to maintain a respectable image; it can't just openly say it's "supporting gangsters"!

So how do you do this?
It needs a plausible reason; it needs public support, at least some public support; it needs to expand its influence; and it also needs to guide public opinion when necessary…

A name is practically bursting forth!

People naturally thought of The Sun – probably the only one in the world with experience in “marketing warfare”.

To be honest, no one would think of something so outrageous if there were no successful precedents, but isn't there a precedent?
Then Attorney General Doherty's assistant arrived.

Of course, he wouldn't reveal all of the above information to Logan, but he conveyed the clear message from the president's Ohio gang cronies—the government was considering the outrageous request from the New York mob!
He also casually struck up a conversation with Logan: "Mr. Logan, we had a very pleasant collaboration with your O'Connor family last time, and we hope to be able to collaborate again this time."

—This refers to the underground betting pools set up for the arena battles, as Logan knew.

"We've been speaking highly of you to the President, which is why your Presidential Citizen Medal was the first one approved by him; well, it's a pity the President doesn't have a daughter, otherwise you'd have a chance to be his son-in-law."

—This is something Logan didn't know.

He almost broke out in a cold sweat.

Thank you for your kindness, but there's really no need for that!

Having a president as a father-in-law is a blessing that few can enjoy.

The assistant continued enthusiastically, "...You can instigate conflict without real fighting, you can turn war into an industry, you can successfully package the most absurd stories as the most righteous cause... Let's put it this way, you are the most outstanding warmonger we have ever seen! This time, we have to get you involved."

Logan was dumbfounded. "Are you fucking praising me?"

What warmonger? What does that have to do with Logan?

Logan had to clarify these accusations: "I don't understand 'selling' war at all. The Chicago Ring fight was a fight of conviction, a limited fight to avoid harming innocent people..."

The assistant nodded frantically, almost jumping out of his chair: "Yes, yes, yes! That's exactly what we want!"

Logan: ...

……

(End of this chapter)