Obviously final details can be worked out later. What do you say, Herr Blackstone? Do we have a deal?”
What could James say? He was astounded at the scope of what he had started. Wait until Nigel Thornberry hears this!
The next thirty minutes was a questions and answer time. Then they were finished. James had to get approval at his bank. Muller had to go through the formality of approval by the board of directors of Deutsche Bank. And Schacht had to submit everything to the Governing Council for their scrutiny and agreement.
The three men shook hands. A tired but exhilarated James finally bid Minister Schacht and Herr Muller farewell. It had been an interesting and productive meeting!
As before, he felt the need to treat himself to a celebratory drink. One block from the ministry was a small café. He had left Magda there this morning while he attended the meeting.
After spending a magical night together, even if it was largely sleepless, James recklessly decided to stay another night, in Berlin, and brought Magda with him. They would have an early dinner, then early to bed. He would make a start on writing his report this evening, and finish it early in the morning before he left.
Last evening they had talked long into the night, but only between bouts of the tenderest and most passionate lovemaking James had ever experienced. He could not get enough of her. She was like no other woman he had ever met. Was it possible to fall in love in two days?
They had come to an understanding. James regarded it as impossible for him to even contemplate leaving Fiona at this time. They would both meet as often as possible and see how things developed. A mature approach.
Even so, James felt immeasurably sad when they said goodbye to her at the airport the next day.
Nigel Thornberry was thunderstruck as James related the events of the last few days, omitting any mention of Magda Reinhardt, of course. The more he disclosed, the more Thornberry regarded him in awe. This was the banking deal of the century!
When James finished, Thornberry called into his office the other executive directors and asked James to repeat everything, leaving no details out. Afterwards he was warmly congratulated by all, except the previous sceptic, who was now worried that the bank could become financially overstretched if it entered into this arrangement. James privately dismissed the old duffer’s criticisms. If his type had their way, mankind would never have even progressed to using wheels!
The following morning he had to tell his story once more. This time Thornberry had called the Chairman and the non-executive directors. All were excited. James had a winner!
The following month a co-operation agreement with Deutsche Bank was signed. James had to undertake many visits to Berlin and Dessau. Not that he (or Magda) complained, of course!
The first batch of fifty JU52s had been delivered by the Luftwaffe to Junkers. They were scheduled to be ready for delivery into the civilian market within ninety days. Some were destined to be cargo carriers and these would not require much work to convert. The Junkers engineering workshops would process all five hundred of the Luftwaffe aircraft over an eighteen month period.
The first ten aircraft had already been sold in advance. To China Airways. One of them was being specially fitted out as Chiang Kai-shek’s personal aircraft. James had travelled to Shanghai to sign the deal. Magda had gone with him. It was a hard life!
Frustrated with his Generals and Admirals, King Victor Emmanuel had fired three quarters of them at the beginning of the year. His action had the desired effect. The remaining senior officers suddenly started enthusiastically co-operating with the Ministry of Defence. There was a meaningful reduction in personnel numbers, and obsolete equipment, (which was most of the armed forces equipment), was scrapped. Orders were placed for the new German tanks. The reduced Italian air force would be re-equipped with the ME262 as soon as they were available. The navy sold their older vessels to Libya. The FAL standard alliance rifle had already replaced the older firearms.
The economy continued to grow, even if the rate of growth was unexciting. Polls conducted in Albania now showed a greater acceptance by the populace of that country being an integral part of Italy.
In Libya, King Idris had returned from his self-imposed exile in Egypt and had formally accepted the leadership of his country. Libya had been occupied by Italy in 1912 after a war with Turkey. After the Great War the country had been given a measure of autonomy, with Idris as its traditional leader. However the country quickly descended into civil war, and anticipating the re-occupation of his country by the dictator Mussolini, Idris had gone into voluntary exile in Egypt.
Now, under the terms of the new agreement, Italian administrators already working in the country, would be reduced gradually over the next three years, to assist the new regime in an orderly handover. The Italians had also offered to train and equip a new Libyan army. They were stunned when this offer was rebuffed. King Idris was no fool and had kept abreast of international developments. He had noted the success of the German advisors in China. He wanted Germany to be Libya’s military mentor.
King Victor Emmanuel was satisfied with the progress that had been made to date. He was determined to take an economically stable and militarily strong Italy into the European Alliance before he died.
The long awaited general election was over at last. The final results were eagerly awaited in Germany and across the European Alliance, as well as in Norway.
The country had been governed by the Norwegian Labour Party since 1936, including the brief time they had been the government-in-exile in London. The Prime Minister during that time had been Johan Nygaardsvold, who had held great popular appeal but had later been tarnished by the lack of Norway’s military preparedness at the time of the German invasion in 1940. Nygaardsvold had accordingly considered himself to be only a caretaker Prime Minister until Norway held new elections.
A review of the Norwegian constitution had been commissioned and, despite apathy amongst the electorate, and some controversy, it had been passed into law at the beginning of the year. The major changes were in the eligibility of voters, and the establishment of a new office of government and political accountability.
During the period the constitution was being re-written, the authors were bombarded by all and sundry, from crackpots to would be politicians, and anyone who thought they had a contribution to make. The most persistent and tenacious of these was a German professor of Sociology and Philosophy, Otto Berger.
Berger had drawn attention to a dire need for protection of a country’s population against unscrupulous, corrupt, incompetent or self-seeking politicians. One only had to look at Hitler, Mussolini, and Stalin to understand this. Other prime examples were the hugely inept French politicians of the 1930s, and the ongoing shortcomings of the Greek political system. This can happen again, he warned.
Professor Berger proposed a radical change in voting systems.
An accepted definition of democracy was that every citizen had the right to vote, and that there should be an absence of hereditary or arbitrary class distinction or privilege among voters. Berger did not dispute these points, but submitted that they were open to interpretation.
His argument was that all citizens are not actually equal. Some are more intelligent than others, some work harder than others, and others generally contribute more to their country over their lifetime. This is an indisputable fact. Why should they not have a greater say in which government runs the country?