1932: Playing with the Japanese Communist Party with a doll

"Why didn't you come earlier..."

The old man, John Joseph Pershing, the former U.S. Army Chief of Staff and the only special general besides Washington, just asked this question subconsciously and then closed his mouth subconsciously.

I'm too old, I have a bad heart, and I worked too late last night. Everyone is obviously worried about me, so...

This kindness cannot be let down.

After quickly wiping his face clean and dressing himself neatly, the old man decided to make some arrangements:

"Order McCoy immediately..." "General McCoy..."

"What's wrong with him? He wouldn't be stupid enough to join MacArthur's coup, would he?"

.5

John Quickmeyer fell silent.

The old general was stunned for a moment, and his orange-peel face was almost so angry that he returned to his youth.

ha?

I fucking...

I worked so hard to arrange for you to be the commander of the Washington Garrison, just so you could monitor MacArthur. Not only did you not monitor him well, you even messed around with him?

Son of a bitch!

"Right now! Immediately! Send someone to get the information! I want to know more!"

"Yes!"

Subsequently, more and more news reached Room 1702:

MacArthur quibbled, shifted the blame, argued with his subordinates, and argued with Butler... Pershing sighed deeply.

Sure enough, I didn't misjudge him from beginning to end.

Although Pershing, as a father figure, played a significant role in MacArthur's rise to power, this does not mean that Pershing admired MacArthur;

On the contrary, Pershing was always very disgusted and wary of MacArthur, and repeatedly suppressed him openly and covertly.

This had little to do with MacArthur having an affair with his wife. It was mainly because Pershing felt that MacArthur was a flashy, irresponsible idiot who was only good at talking and would destroy the entire US Army if he came to power.

Still...still "American Caesar"?

He really has the nerve to brag, I don't even have ears to listen!

Therefore, Pershing made a lot of efforts to hinder MacArthur:

Arranged a surveillance operation by his confidant Frank McCoy; promoted disarmament through Secretary of War Dern;

Prevent MacArthur from placing his cronies in key military positions;

Authorizing journalists to disclose details of MacArthur's 1932 crackdown on veterans to undermine his political image;

Teach MacArthur a lesson in person: "Disarmament is a national necessity. Your excessive pursuit of armaments jeopardizes the military's commitment to democracy."

He wrote to Roosevelt and other high-ranking officials: "I have observed a tendency within the Army to go its own way... The federal government must always adhere to the principle of civilian leadership..."

In fact, at this time Pershing was planning to write a letter to Springfield - "MacArthur's ambitions need to be caged in the Constitution. I hope you will not grant him any real power."

The letter hadn't even been sent out when something like this happened!

Okay, okay, Xiaomai, Xiaomai, I never thought I'd misjudged you! I never thought you'd have the guts to rebel!

Do you really think Haruta is easy to bully just because she's a woman? Idiot!

You've already fallen into someone's trap!

As a veteran of the battlefield, Pershing sensed something was wrong with Butler from the few words he heard from Washington, and quickly guessed that the rebellion was probably instigated by this former Marine major general.

But so what?

Do political matters have to be determined by right or wrong? If you lose, you lose!

As Springfield ordered the NGW to seal off the scene and allow no one in or out, Pershing temporarily lost his source of information. When he received the briefing again, the trial had already ended and MacArthur and others had been hanged.

"...So many people actually participated in the rebellion... No, it should just be... Oh, I see... taking this opportunity to settle accounts... Fine, fine, this is the attitude a leader should have..."

Pershing frowned in thought, occasionally letting out an exclamation of admiration. He appeared remarkably calm, seemingly not at all sad for MacArthur, nor worried about the Army's lost reputation and future. However, the people around him were all frantic.

"Admiral! Please come out and speak! Ms. Field's behavior is really..."

"What? Too much?" "Uh..."

Looking at his speechless subordinates, Pershing sneered:

"What do you think a coup is? A child's war game? This is an armed rebellion! Killing only a few people like MacArthur instead of wiping out the entire coup force was already a sign of extreme mercy on her part!"

After learning that Springfield had only executed MacArthur and his most loyal subordinates, and even people like McCoy who were "threatened" to join the rebellion were only sentenced to life imprisonment, Pershing knew that this was Springfield's gesture of goodwill to him, the "Gray Bishop" of the Army.

Otherwise, as MacArthur rushed to the front and helped mobilize the officers and soldiers of the Washington Garrison to revolt, what would it matter if Pershing's confidant was executed?

Not only could Pershing not object, he had to cheer loudly!

If Pershing's position was not so high that the slightest misstep could cause such a huge political upheaval and military turmoil, why would they arrest him and retry him on suspicion of "directing the rebellion"?

Look at that big idiot in the navy, isn't he completely screwed?

What's the difference between "I'm waiting for his explanation at the White House" and directly ordering Sims to commit suicide?

If Sims still had any dignity and if the Navy didn't want to be implicated, he wouldn't have made it to the White House alive!

As expected, soldiers cannot have too much contact with people in the political and business circles, otherwise they will be corrupted and go crazy.

Thinking of the admiral he was relatively familiar with, whose "business traffic and bustling business" and impending death, Pershing shook his head. After carefully considering the situation, he ordered his adjutant:

"Get ready. I will issue a statement in my name, severely condemning the actions of MacArthur and other insurgents, and firmly supporting the decisions of President Field and the federal government! At the same time, send a letter to His Excellency the President, announcing my immediate resignation from the Generals' Committee!"

This was not only for self-protection and apology, not only to express gratitude to Springfield for not intending to implicate him, but also to fulfill the conditions previously agreed upon with Roosevelt and Field.

Seeing Pershing's resolute attitude, the adjutant had to shut up and asked about his next itinerary:

"So, are you still going to attend the meeting this afternoon?"

The "meeting" Quickmeyer was referring to was the "First Meeting of the American Expeditionary Forces Comrades Association in 1933."

The American Expeditionary Forces Association was a new association formed in 1919 by veterans of the U.S. Expeditionary Force in Europe during World War I in order to protect the rights of veterans and resist the official organization "American Legion" that had been completely infiltrated by capital.

As the highest-ranking veteran of World War I, Pershing did not join the Comrades' Association for various political reasons, declined the title of "Honorary Chairman" offered to him by the Comrades' Association, and always refused to participate in their activities.

But this time, Pershing rarely accepted the invitation, which puzzled his adjutant. It was obvious that after the "White House coup", attending the meeting was even more "unwise".

Because the vice president of the Comrades' Association is named Gerald McGuire!

That's right, it was the "rebellion middleman" who was caught red-handed by General Butler, but no one paid any attention to him because of the powerful figures behind him!

You know, this guy not only accepted bribes from Morgan and other financial groups to collude with others, but also supported and encouraged Butler to organize at least 5 veterans to establish the "Free American Legion"!

It's easy to imagine that once the White House issues a formal report, the Comrades' Association, with such a Vice President, will become a target of public criticism and suffer a severe blow to its reputation. Anyone associated with the Comrades' Association will be suspected of colluding with the rebels!

The Great Purge is yet to come!

The adjutant didn't want the old marshal to end up like the admiral in the navy. But Pershing himself scoffed at such concerns:

"Join! Why not? Tell William (the chairman of the Comrades Association) that the meeting is moved up. I'll be there soon!"

When Pershing appeared in military uniform at the meeting, senior members of the Comrades Association and hundreds of representatives from all over the country stood up and saluted him solemnly to show their respect.

But there was no smile on Pershing's face. He simply returned the salute earnestly, glanced around, and asked in a cold voice:

"William, what's going on? Why do 'isolated seats' still exist at Comrades' Association meetings today?"

"Uh...."

When questioned face to face by Pershing, William Donovan, a retired World War I colonel, current Wall Street lawyer, and chairman of the Comrades' Association, felt a pang in his heart and stammered, unable to speak.

The so-called "segregated seats" are a racial segregation system in the United States, which is manifested in the mandatory setting up of seats for white people only in public places, while restricting blacks or non-white ethnic groups to designated areas with worse conditions.

For example, at this comrades-in-arms association annual meeting, the front row of the main banquet hall with napkins and silverware was the "white area", while the back hall with ordinary porcelain or even low-quality paper tableware was the "black area".

Pershing was very dissatisfied with this policy, believing that "bullets don't distinguish between white and black when they hit" and "what we need is victory, not bullshit racial purity."

For example, he resisted pressure and promoted the black officer Benjamin Davis, promoting him to the first black colonel in the US military in 1918 (and later to the first black general in 1955).

However, in the current environment in the United States, Pershing was helpless against the rampant racial discrimination and racial segregation. In addition, his opposition to discrimination was more out of "military efficiency considerations", and ultimately he condoned the "racial segregation system" in the military.

Therefore, after the war, Pershing rarely criticized the racial segregation system harshly, and even acquiesced in the Veterans Administration's reduction of disability pensions for blacks to benefit white veterans.

This rare agreement to attend the meeting and then suddenly causing trouble at the meeting was really like the abdication of Louis XVI - it was a bit confusing.

"This...this was arranged by Vice Chairman McGuire...I..."

Although he was the chairman, William had actually been sidelined by the vice chairman McGuire for a long time. He had almost no power and could not even arrange small matters such as meetings.

By the way, that guy McGuire said he had something to do and went to Washington, so why hasn't he returned to attend the meeting yet?

Could he have been involved in the rebellion in the White House? "Hmph..."

Pershing snorted and was about to take his seat and find a good opportunity to announce the purpose of his visit when a black man from the "quarantine area" suddenly raised his hand high:

"General Pershing! Please allow me to speak to you for a few words!"

"I recognize you. You were a lieutenant in the 369th Infantry Regiment, right?"

"Yes, my name is Isaiah Robertson, and I'm the director of black affairs for the Comrades."

The black man smiled gratefully, then turned serious again:

"You're here today, so I want to make an announcement to you and all the representatives of the Comrades' Association. From today on, all 114514 Black members of the Comrades' Association are withdrawing from the Association! Never joining again!"

"What!"

Robertson's surprise attack caused chaos at the scene. Chairman William looked at Pershing's calm expression, swallowed his saliva, and said carefully:

"Robertson, why do you want to quit the club? If there's anything, we can sit down and talk it over..."

"Don't you know why we're leaving the association?"

Robertson patted the hard armrest of the chair under his butt and sneered:

"President William, we have protested against racial discrimination many times. We once thought we were comrades and could be treated fairly, but it turns out we were wrong. So we won't play with you anymore."

"If it's a quarantine issue, we can withdraw now. There's no need to quit the club over such a small matter!"

"Yes, yes! It's a question of a stool..."

"Someone, come, change the chair for Director Robertson!" "No, no, no! Change the chairs for all the black representatives!"

Other white leaders of the Comrades Association began to persuade them enthusiastically, pretending to care about black people and not showing any "racial discrimination" at all.

There must be a reason why these inveterate racists are so polite.

Just two years after its founding, the Comrades Association had a membership of 60, making it the largest civilian association of the U.S. military.

However, 12 years later, its membership is less than 20.

There are two main reasons:

1. During last year's "veteran suppression incident," senior members of the veterans' association urged veterans to abandon their petition and stop fighting the country and the government. Veterans who had thought they would receive support were greatly disappointed and withdrew from the association in droves.

2. Springfield led the veterans in resisting the government, defeating the oppressors, negotiating for pensions, and protecting their retirement rights. The veterans, grateful for his kindness, also joined the NGW in large numbers for the sake of work.

The withdrawal of members will not only lead to a reduction in membership fees, but will also reduce the value of the comrades-in-arms association itself, causing sponsors to stop donating.

One can imagine how many people's jobs were destroyed as a result of this.

Based on this survival crisis, the Comrades Association decided to hold this National Comrades Association Congress to discuss what to do about the current situation.

As a result, before the meeting even started, the black people who made up half of the members of the comrades-in-arms association started clamoring to quit the organization!

There are 110,000 black members. Even if only 50,000 or 60,000 are refunded, it will be an unacceptable blow to the current Comrades Association!

Moreover, Robertson has always held a very high prestige among the black members of the Comrades. If he said he would lead all the black people to quit the organization, perhaps all of them would actually quit!

If that happens, the Comrades Association will be completely finished!

Robertson's attitude was very firm, and everyone had no choice but to look to Pershing, hoping that this army general, who had been kind to black people, could help persuade him.

I thought Pershing would be very unhappy to encounter such a thing after finally attending the meeting, but surprisingly, he just looked at Robertson with an expression of interest:

"Lieutenant, when you said you wanted to withdraw the black members, did you really want to withdraw because you couldn't stand the racial discrimination, or did you have other motives...for example, to use this offer to gain greater benefits?"

"You underestimate me, General," Robertson replied calmly.

"For the past six months, I have been collecting opinions from black members of the Comrades Association, and they all agree to withdraw. So, I am not doing this for my own personal benefit or the interests of the black community within the Comrades Association. I intend to withdraw completely from the Comrades Association."

"Oh... so where are you going next?"