1932: Playing with the Japanese Communist Party with a doll

"Hammer and his team have done a good job. They've basically pushed some people into a desperate situation."

Late at night, in the presidential office, Springfield was reading the briefing sent back from Texas. Even after seeing the news of the failure of "Operation Manor," he nodded with satisfaction and handed it to Roosevelt:

"Franklin, take a look." "Hmm..."

Roosevelt put down his coffee cup, his electric wheelchair gliding silently towards his desk. He took the secret report from Austin. His brown eyes held no worry, only a calm, all-seeing composure.

"Their desperation and counterattack are good for our plan. The escape of the people in the manor is proof of that..."

As the second-in-command of the country and government, Roosevelt was certainly well aware of Springfield's real purpose in sending Hammer and Ness:

In addition to the well-known "calming people's hearts", the most important thing is actually "disturbing people's hearts";

It seems contradictory, but in fact they are two sides of the same coin.

Hammer and Ness's insistence on "civilization and law", and their amazing restraint and adherence to procedures after the attack will make ordinary people in Texas and the South, who already have a good impression of them, choose to move closer to the federal government.

However, this persistence, professionalism and determination are the most deadly noose for the enemies in the dark.

When they discovered that their carefully planned terrorist attack, far from scaring off the investigation team, won them more sympathy and support, and even made the FBI more deeply involved in Texas;

When they discovered that Ness's team's core investigation had not stopped but had accelerated after the attack, they were intensively preparing indictments against higher-level and more core figures.

At that time, despair will spread slowly like poison, causing people pain and fear.

What will people do when they fall into despair? Haha.

Isn't this another "oil tycoon" exposed?

Ms. Field's manipulation of political tactics is quite reminiscent of the ancient Chinese...

Roosevelt still couldn't understand it, because this was in the "United States of America" ​​and was targeting the "special area" of Texas, which is why Springfield's approach was so "gentle" and "concessional";

If this were China, a country with a centralized government, and you dared to kill the "imperial envoy" sent by the central government, then it would definitely be like "anti-corruption requires evidence, anti-terrorism requires a list, and suppressing a rebellion only requires coordinates."

"By the way, Field, according to the public plan, I will set off south in a week. However, there are subtle changes in public opinion now. I was planning to report to you after..."

As if to confirm his words, the presidential hotline on the desk suddenly emitted a low and continuous beep. Springfield raised her eyebrows. Roosevelt raised his hand silently, and she reached out to pick up the receiver. On the other end was the urgent voice of White House spokesman Stephen Early:

"Franklin! I'm Stephen! I'm at FCC right now..." "It's me."

"Ah? Ah!"

Although he was a cadre promoted by Roosevelt and a close confidant and friend of Roosevelt, Early became more respectful when he heard Springfield's voice:

"I'm sorry, Mr. President, I didn't expect you to come back. I'm so sorry, I thought..."

It’s really not his fault.

Springfield was away from Washington for a long time, and most of the domestic affairs and other work were handed over to Roosevelt to handle. In order to facilitate work, she even gave the presidential office directly to Roosevelt.

In addition, Springfield never allowed anyone to track her whereabouts and was known for her "mysterious" nature. People in the White House had long been accustomed to calling the President's office, but the person who answered the phone was Vice President Roosevelt.

Precisely because of this extremely high level of political mutual trust, Roosevelt was secretly called the "shadow president" in American politics.

Of course, this did not affect Chuntian's lofty status and absolute authority. "It's okay, tell me what's going on!"

"Yes, Mr. President, we just received an urgent report from the Federal Communications Commission. Over the past 24 hours, over 40 broadcast media outlets nationwide, particularly those covering the southern states and industrial hubs, have almost simultaneously broadcast... uh, highly pointed comments."

"The core of the content is that Vice President Roosevelt allegedly exploited the power of the New Deal's new institutions to systematically favor his political allies—particularly Northeastern financial groups and labor unions—in the Southern Reconstruction and Industrial Recovery projects, alleging massive transfers of benefits and maliciously hinting..."

Early paused, as if confirming the briefing in his hand:

"It implies that Mr. Roosevelt's radical policies of 'cleansing the South' and 'forced unionization' intensified the conflict with traditional forces in the South, which led to 'moderate reformers' like Senator Long being targeted by extremists, ultimately leading to tragedy;"

"Besides that, there are some local tabloids..."

Although it was a public line phone and could not achieve the "hands-free" function, Roosevelt could still hear it clearly.

However, there was no anger on his face. Instead, like Springfield who almost laughed out loud at the word "moderate reformer," he had a complex and meaningful expression mixed with a hint of pity and mockery.

That's it?

That's it?

The means are extremely rough.

With his political wisdom, he saw what this group of people were trying to do as soon as these signs of public opinion emerged - they were simply trying to alienate him from President Field!

Taking advantage of the Southern conservatives’ fear of the expansion of federal power, using every clue or lie they could find, they focused all the contradictory firepower on Roosevelt, thus creating an illusion:

It's as if there's only one crazy vice president abusing power in Washington, and President Field is a "saint" who's been deceived or kidnapped by Roosevelt. They believe that if they just get rid of Roosevelt, federal policy will instantly be "set right." This is how they fool the people...

To be honest, it cannot be said that there is no reason at all why they chose to do so.

Because everyone knows that Ms. Field is a completely "novice" president, with almost no political team of her own. To be frank, her entire leadership team is almost entirely composed of Roosevelt's people or people recruited by Roosevelt.

From a dark political perspective, Springfield was indeed at risk of being completely sidelined by Roosevelt, and there was even a rumor that it had been sidelined.

But what those idiots don't know is that some people are beyond politics itself. They are a combination of spiritual leaders and actual leaders. Their status will not be shaken just because "their subordinates are so-and-so's people."

Haruta's facial expression was perfectly managed—she first opened her mouth slightly in surprise, then her brows furrowed, revealing a solemn expression. Finally, it transformed into a look of confusion and "incredible" worry. She spoke into the microphone in a tone of mixed shock and dissatisfaction:

"Attack Vice President Roosevelt? How dare they?! Can the FCC immediately lock down the source of the broadcast signal?"

"this..."

Early was stunned for a moment, clearly having never imagined he'd be asked such a technical question as "How to track the source of a broadcast signal?" He pondered for a while, then chatted with someone on the other end of the phone before cautiously answering:

"Currently, this technology exists, but it's limited to maritime navigation and military reconnaissance. The margin of error is enormous. Even in unobstructed plains, the margin of error is often hundreds of kilometers. Furthermore, the enemy is extremely cautious, constantly changing positions, and launching from multiple locations. It's really..."

Springfield and Roosevelt looked at each other and nodded.

It seems that Early should be fine.

Frequency modulation (FM) technology is still in the laboratory stage and has not yet been commercialized. Unless someone is inside the enemy, it would be impossible to know it immediately.

The composition of Roosevelt's people was no less complex than that of Fujiwara no Kanezane, so caution was necessary.

"Well, keep talking."

"Yes, their tactics were very cunning. They only mentioned 'the Vice President's decision' and put all the blame on Mr. Roosevelt, but didn't mention you at all. Many comments ended with the slogan 'firmly support and endorsement of President Field.' It's obvious that they were..."

As Vice President Roosevelt's absolute confidant, yet also obliged to serve President Field, Early didn't make his words too clear. Having given this hint, he directly offered his own advice:

"Your Excellency, I believe that the Sedition Act should be invoked immediately, using military equipment to directly block or interfere with these broadcast signals and censor the reporting of those local tabloids!"

"I understand."

Hearing this, Early's face just showed a hint of relief, but then he heard Springfield's decisive answer, his tone full of the determination to "uphold the constitutional government":

"Tell the FCC to do everything in its power to track down the source of the signal, but never censor or block content! And don't interfere! The Constitution guarantees freedom of speech! We must not block the public's channels for questioning just because of harsh voices! That will only arouse suspicion!"

“But…but…”

Early suddenly became anxious:

"Mr. President, these accusations are completely malicious slander against the Vice President! If we allow them to continue, it will seriously affect federal authority and even affect you and..."

"Okay, don't worry. I believe in Franklin's innocence! I fully trust and support his work! Those who are innocent will be cleared! People who have no problems are not afraid of being investigated!"

Chuntian's voice rose a little:

"However, before the evidence is conclusive, any censorship will be seen by the public as suppression! As guilty conscience! It will give the conspirators more excuses to stir up trouble! The best solution is to give it a cold shoulder! So be it!"

After hanging up the phone somewhat rudely, Springfield's disguised expression instantly faded and he asked Roosevelt:

"Why not tell Early about this? His acting skills...oh no, 'basic confidentiality as an official', I think it's not bad at all."

"Haha, have you figured out what I'm going to do?"

"It's nothing more than going south early to give them a chance! Franklin, if you look down on women..."

"Sorry sorry."

Roosevelt saluted the authentic American founding father as an apology, but his face was filled with the calmness of a deep pool and the sharp edge of a successful plan:

"It's just insurance. I need to make everyone, even those in the White House, temporarily believe that I'm really going to be 'purged'."

“Ohhh!”

Chuntian covered his mouth cutely and said, "Your Chinese is getting better and better." "Thanks to you."

"However, we still need to be careful to prevent some people from misjudging and taking irrational actions."

"It doesn't matter. Misjudgment doesn't matter. If someone really does act irrationally, then he has no right to stay in our team."

Roosevelt smiled:

"Don't worry, I will issue a warning and forbid anyone from slandering or disobeying your orders. I will also strive to create a pitiful image internally of someone who 're still loyal to their duties despite being misunderstood by Ms. Field'..."

"Oh, poor Franklin, I'll pray for you... Alas, it's a pity it can only be used once."

"I don't agree with that. Maybe I'll meet another fool next time."

"You're right...Okay, I'll let Sandolesi follow you to prevent some idiots from showing up."

The two of them smiled at each other, and everything was said without words. One day later.

Seeing no response from Washington, the covert attacks became more and more vicious. They began to shout "Long live Ms. Field" while cursing Roosevelt by name, and increasingly focused on the "wrong decision of the vice president."

The classic saying is "Chairman X is always right, but XX is a villain who deserves to be put to death, so we must kill XX for the glory of Chairman X."

Now, not only those "local tabloids", but even some major newspapers such as the New York Times are beginning to feel uneasy.

What on earth was Ms. Field thinking?

She must have known about this news, so why didn't she refute it? Could it be that the rumor was true?

Ms. Field was kidnapped by the "Roosevelt political forces," so she wanted to replace Roosevelt with people like "Huey Long," which triggered a strong reaction from the latter?

Could it be that Roosevelt was really responsible for the assassination of Huey Long? Yes!

If this is not the case, why has Ms. Field not made any public statements yet? Come to think of it, she hasn't participated in any major political activities in a long time since returning from the disaster relief mission!

Could it be that the disaster relief was also Ms. Field's desperate attempt to escape her "kidnap status"?!

It really is that damned Luo Cripple!

Many people believed it, so at a small White House press conference that day, a reporter, who was either really stupid or instructed by someone, asked this question:

"There have been recent rumors... What is the White House's comment on this? Will there be any regulation on such speech?"

White House spokesman Early responded with some vague words like "the federal government guarantees freedom of speech," but everyone could see the confusion and uneasiness beneath his sullen face.

So, the next morning in Washington, when Vice President Roosevelt's motorcade appeared at the train station instead of the Air Force base, it was immediately surrounded by reporters who had been waiting there for a long time. Spotlights flashed wildly, and all kinds of sharp questions were fired like javelins:

"Mr. Vice President! Why did you suddenly change your itinerary and hastily decide to travel south ahead of schedule? Is it related to the investigation into the bribery scandal you're embroiled in? Has NGW already intervened?"

"Some commentators have pointed out that you are leaving the heart of Washington at this moment to avoid the upcoming congressional inquiry and President Field's criticism. What is your response to this?"

"What is the President's attitude towards your sudden change of schedule? Does she still maintain her 'absolute trust' in you as you said? Or is this a form of 'cold treatment'?"

"Protests have broken out across the South, with slogans directly accusing you of being a 'peace destroyer' and a 'scourge of the South'! How will you face the anger of the people of Texas? Is your so-called 'clarification of rumors' just another form of political stunt?"

"Mr. Vice President! There are rumors that you and President Field have fundamental differences over the New Deal's Southern policy, and that your trip south this time is an 'exile'. Do you admit that a rift has appeared at the top of the government?"

Facing a torrent of questioning, Roosevelt, post-surgery, sat in a wheelchair, a rare sight. His face was paler than usual (because of his wife's makeup), his lips pressed into a firm line, his eyes filled with fatigue, heaviness, and the pain of being deeply misunderstood.

He waved his hand to refuse the loudspeaker handed to him by the staff, and instead shouted with all his strength in a hoarse but clear and firm voice:

"Citizens! Friends from the media! I am traveling to Texas ahead of schedule for one purpose: to confront the doubts and speak with my actions! I, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, have lived an upright life and have never sought personal gain!"

"Any malicious attacks on the President and me personally, any rumors intended to sow discord in the federal government and undermine national stability, will ultimately be shattered by the facts!"

"For the unity and prosperity of the Federation, I will never retreat! I will never compromise! No matter where the enemy hides or what poisonous web they weave, they will eventually be torn apart by the iron fist of justice!"

After saying this, he no longer paid attention to the noisier questions and flashing spotlights behind him. Under the heavy protection of staff and Secret Service agents, he silently and firmly entered the Soyuz train and disappeared from everyone's sight.

This speech was filled with a sense of tragedy and a declarative determination, but not many people believed it. Instead, two interpretations dominated:

1. As the Vice President, caught in the center of the vortex, suffering from stigma and attacks, and in a difficult situation, in order to prove his innocence and avoid becoming the "criminal" who destroyed the unity of the government, Roosevelt had no choice but to leave the center of power and go to the center of the vortex of contradictions;

2. Roosevelt finally realized the severity of the situation and wanted to mend relations with the South, or negotiate with Huey Long to gain the other party's understanding or support, so as to avoid continued suspicion and attack from President Field.

Whatever it is, "Roosevelt's escape" is a real thing.

Therefore, after seeing Roosevelt leave and the train start, the reporters and some of the people who were attracted were in an uproar, with all kinds of discussions, ridicules, and gloating voices rising one after another:

"Did you hear that? He said 'never back down'! And what happened? He ran faster than anyone else!"

"He's clearly overwhelmed! Look at his face, as pale as a corpse. He must have been up for days and nights, and he's terrified!"

"Tsk tsk, politicians' words are such a lie! They shout slogans loudly, saying 'let actions speak for themselves,' but in the end all they do is run away!"

"I think even President Field doesn't want to protect him anymore! Sending him to Texas means he's left to fend for himself! 'Exile' is a done deal!"

"It's time to clean up President Field's surroundings!"