The Raging Storm - Gameplay Thread

[Lumine]

The Croatian Switch

By and large, Croatia represented the Gordian Knot of Benito Mussolini. Despite years of comradeship and cooperation, the deposition of the HSS in favor of the Ustashe had not resolved the tension within the newly independent Croatia... it had amplified it into civil war. By all accounts, the Ustashe regime had proved brutal, murderous, and perhaps worst of all for Rome, unstable. The separate insurgencies of Tito and the HSS had done much to weaken the Pavelic regime, and the Soviet invasion of Croatia had dealt the crippling blow on its exhausted and compromise state machinery. More and more, it seemed as if Italy was to be forced to rely on a full-blown occupation - with a death toll among Italian troops which already was in the thousands - to try and retain any semblance of order in the region, from which increasingly distressing news had started to leak out into media sources in neutral Switzerland.

Ante Pavelic delivered his final speech before a small crowd in a bombed-out factory in Zagreb. Just as he was speaking of "cleansing the countryside" of all traitors and Serbs, the Poglavnik was shot six times by an assailant, later identified as a Croat communist partisan belonging to Tito's movement. Amidst the chaos, the Italian garrison occupied Zagreb to prevent a communist seizure of power, and to protect the elderly Prime Minister Nikola Mandić - Pavelic's acting successor - from similar attacks. Declaring the fallen Poglavnik a martyr, Mandić all but ditched the previous rhetoric from the Ustashe, calling for unity and announcing that the HSS would be invited into government again as part of a coalition. Despite the bitter previous infighting, a successful ceasfire had been in place across 1941, allowing for the release of the highly popular HSS leader Vladko Macek and a tense standstill.

At this the Ustashe finally balked, talking of treason and, in the case of a number of Pavelic loyalists, pointing fingers at Rome over the assassination of their beloved leader. Most of them were immediately detained, leaving a handful to unsuccessfully try and prevent Mandić from fulfilling his new goal. Amidst cheering crowds, Macek made a triumphant return to Zagreb to assume the Premiership under Mandić's Presidency, all but ensuring that the HSS and the Italian Army would hold the power. It proved to be necessary, for Macek suffered two assassination attempts within a fortnight, leading the HSS militias to arrest several Ustashe loyalists in connection to such events. To the frustration of the HSS, Macek surprisingly refrained from holding trials, handing the suspects over to the Italian prefect.

It proved to be in vain, as the Ustashe split in two, pitting a minority of Mandić loyalists - increasingly relevant - against a "betrayed" majority, who have denounced Il Duce for supposed duplicity in allowing for the return of the HSS. This, in turn, has led to substantial acts of violence and further disruption across the region. However, and unlike previous years, partisan activity was to drop dramatically, suggesting that, contrary to all expectations, the HSS could well be willing to turn a blind eye to their earlier prosecution if it means replacing the hated Ustashe.

Middle East

Syrian Crisis

Having had to yield Indochina to the Japanese Empire, it appeared as if France had resolved not to lose further colonies or influence. "Not a step backwards", as a pro-Maurras editorial wrote. And with Damascus acting in defiance of the mainland with their intent not to renew the usage of land and air bases according to the Víenot Accords, Maurras acted at once to preserve the decaying French influence in the Eastern Mediterranean. Having tried politeness and having been told by Damascus - with no uncertain terms - that there would be no renewal, a large squadron of the French Mediterranean Fleet sailed into the Syrian and Lebanese coastline, taking positions to "protect Lebanon" and, as most observers concluded, put pressure on Syria. It was not to work.

Having just signed a surprising treaty with the Soviet Union - suggesting that the extent of Soviet penetration in the Middle East is far larger than originally suspected - the Syrian regime not only refused to yield, it mobilized its forces in response to a heightened state of alert in the French naval base at Latakia. As a result, the Syrian Army now surrounds Latakia and the French airfields, and is demanding their evacuation as per the Víenot Accords. Should Paris refuse the ultimatum and/or attack Syrian territory, Damascus has vowed to use "highly destructive weapons" in response, creating a full blown crisis between the Soviets, the French, and the Syrian Arab Republic.

Africa

Giraud and Leopold's Last Stand

Perhaps no one was hit hardest by the immediate announcement of the Treaty of Geneva than the Belgian and French governments in exile. Despite Churchill's best attempt to explain the circumstances of the treaty, both King Leopold and General Giraud felt utterly betrayed by Britain's strategic choice, and made no attempt to hide it. Whereas Giraud departed Britain with a speech chastizing "Perfidious Albion", Leopold criticized Churchill in person, angrily refusing to relocate to the Free City of Brussels and calling the whole arrangement "a monstrous act of betrayal". Rather than sit idly by, both men and their governments relocated to their remaining colonial holdings before the Kriegsmarine could be freed of the British blockade, flying or landing in Chad (Giraud) and the Belgian Congo (Leopold). There, both men announced their intent to fight to the very end, calling on others to support their cause. No one would.

With the restoration of the French Congo, Maurras now had two potential avenues of attack, if highly difficult ones due to the terrain. Having few men to resist with, Giraud had to rely on guerrilla warfare, ably assisted by the popular local government Felix Eboue - the first black governor in the French Colonial Empire -. Even so, most of Chad was overrun during the first half of the year, casting doubt on whether Giraud could undertake any meaningful last stand as French India and French Oceania quickly surrendered upon a visit by French naval squadrons. The situation was almost a reversal in the Belgian Congo. King Leopold had vastly larger forces to field - including dozens of thousands of Congolese militia and police forces -, but the Belgian administration was highly unpopular due to its repeated atrocities and mistreatment of the local population.

When the Kriegsmarine arrived on Matadi, the subsequent battle proved a clear success for the Germans, enabling them to secure the only port available to the Belgians and to facilitate further campaigns deeper into the Congo. The rest of the campaign was to prove disappointing however, as the terrain and diseases rapidly reduced the efficiency of German forces and only enabled them to secure part of the colony. Up north the transfer of formerly British was far more efficient and less violent, but still troublesome as the local bureaucracy refused to cooperate, documents and key items turned up missing, and locals proved to be hostile. There were also signs of something more.

On several instances, French, British, Italian, Portuguese and German garrisons in Africa were attacked by small local terrorist groups, in the first such instance of local Black resistance to colonial rule. These attacks were hailed by the 4th Pan-African Congress held in Port-au-Prince (Haiti), a historic gathering for the raidly growing Pan-African movement, which for the first time recieved several delegates from Africa proper. Although only Abyssinia and Liberia are independent black nations, recent upheaval in the colonial nations - as well as the fall-out from the South African civil war - seems to have awakened something in the previously dormant continent.

Asia

The World Canberra Built

Though not as dramatic as the Treaty of Geneva and its immediate implications, the Treaty of Canberra was no less impactful, redrawing the maps of Asia and resulting in multiple and far reaching consequences. Perhaps the nation less negatively affected was to be Australia, as, in spite of the alarm caused by the mass expansion of the Japanese Empire, the treaty had saw the limits of said Empire scaled back, had kept Australia safe, and ensured some retribution for the Japanese air raids. The ratification of the treaty by the Australian Parliament was the smoothest of the entire Commonwealth, allowing Prime Minister Billy Hughes to retire on a high note of having secured peace on acceptable terms. His designated successor, UAP Deputy Leader Eric Harrison, was elected with an overwhelming mandate from the UAP caucus, suggesting that there is stability to be found at last in Australian politics.

In contrast, the treaty proved extremely messy for India, particularly as it partioned the nation in Bengal and all but left Bose's Azad Hind away from the arrangement, an act that led Bose to bitterly denounce Japan's "betrayal of the Indian cause" even as Japanese troops remained on Calcutta. The departure of the IJA from occupied areas in India was also not to result in a smooth takeover by the Indo-British forces, as Japanese forces often left behind Azad Hind collaborationist and self appointed governors keen to continue the anti-colonial struggle. As a result, Sri Lanka in particular remained a war zone, even as pro-British militias managed to re-occupy most of the island - Colombo included - once again. While Japanese diplomatic overtures to Tibet and Bhutan were swiftly rejected, more success was found in setting up collaborationist regimes, with Ba Maw installed at the head of the new State of Burma, and Borneo and Malaya - minus Singapore - being handed over to Sukarno's Indonesia.

Up north, the Kuomintang proved to be disappointed by the results of the treaty, denouncing it far and wide as a corrupt bargain between imperial powers. As a result, NRA divisions would stay put in Burma and Thailand, refusing to comply with the treaty's terms. Generalissimo Chiang redoubled his efforts, putting the nation into firm autarky - no matter the cost -, securing a successful alliance with the Vietminh movement in Vietnam, and, in a particular show of force, having Wang Jingwei and his followers arrested and purged from the KMT in Chongqing, in an act that, while internally disruptive for the party, will come as a crippling blow to any remaining pro-peace elements in China proper.

The Kyoto Incident

Just as Winston Churchill had gambled on the response to his respect peace arrangements, so had Hagime Sugiyama. The IJA was out for blood after the Tokyo attacks, resulting in a keen disposition to fight on to the end if necessary to finish off the British Empire for good, a sentiment that, based on Sugiyama's ruthless measures against Nanjing, felt was reciprocated by their Prime Minister. They proved to be disappointed. Although, by most objective accounts, the Treaty of Canberra all but legitimized Japanese control over most of Asia and a free hand to force China to submit - a dream outcome that had been unthinkable across the past decade -, the Japanese generals had undergone a similar phenomenon than that experienced by the German Junkers: so-called "victory disease". In triumph, they had felt the Prime Minister had let them down by yielding some of Japan's conquest and not seeking any revenge. No longer was the IJA united behind the regime created back in mid-1939 when Hirohito had been arrested.

Sugiyama, to his credit, suspected and feared such backlash. This pushed him to hand over dozens of thousands of British POWs - British, Indian and of other backgrounds - to custody of the most extreme IJA generals as a way to lower tensions, under the justification that the Treaty of Canberra did not cover the fate of those POWs. He attempted further appeasement by trying to get the IJA focused on finishing the job in China, while curtailing the activity of those officers thought to be too influenced by the proto-Fascist Kokumin Domei party, and prepared to call a snap election to benefit from the results of the treaty. This, however, at the same time that much of the newly won empire was handed over to the new vassal states in Indonesia, Burma and Indochina, doing much for the cause of Asian solidarity - and earning Sugiyama much local goodwill - at the same time that the generals wanted the new territories exploited and subjugated as proper vassals.

What followed, perhaps, was unavoidable. First the junior officers conspired among themselves. Then General Korechika Anami, whose previously unyielding support for the chain of command had been broken when Hirohito had endured the 1939 coup, chose not to inform his superiors nor discourage the plot. During the "Kyoto incident", the hardliner junior officers attempted a coup d'etat, which only narrowly failed when two ministers, General Kazushige Ugaki and Nobusuke Kishi, gathered enough support to ensure Sugiyama's escape from the provisional capital alongside Prince Nobuhito. Although the Anami plot ensured the capture of the Prince Regent - who joined his brother in seclusion - and the provisional capital, it was to prove far less successful than envisioned.

For one, the Imperial Japanese Navy stood firmly behind Sugiyama, and for another, much of the army and the entirety of the vassal states did as well. For another, the Imperial Japanese Army remained loyal or otherwise running their own fiefdoms, and/or unwilling to intervene. With the large collection of British POWs having been mistreated, starved and beaten ever since custody was handed to the hardliner generals, their execution was ordered as a sign of the plotter's resolve, an order that was followed even in areas not under control of the plotters as "payback for Tokyo". After several days of tension and infighting across Central Japan, Sugiyama was able to put down the insurrection from Osaka, using Prince Nobuhito as a conduit to order rebel units to depose their arms. Anami committed seppuku, alongside several officers involved in the plot.

America

Operation Swan

The war with Britain was over, but the expansionist dreams of Japan were not. Marshal Sugiyama had long envisioned Japanese penetration of Latin America as a suitable domain to expand upon, particularly in light of American isolation. And, as news of the persecution and internment of Japanese Peruvians under the new Peruvian dictatorship spread across Japan, Sugiyama knew he had his target. Thus Operation Swan was born. Despite the extreme logistics, which precluded all hope of an immediate journey back, a Japanese task force sailed from the Solomon Islands fully refueled before they were handed over to Britain. Stretching their fuel supplies to the absolute limit, the ships reached El Callao in total surprise, the small Peruvian navy being otherwise engaged blockading Quito. In a show of shock and awe, elite pilots from the Kido Butai took flight from the carrier Akagi - the flagship - and bombed Lima, spreading chaos and panic.

Elite divisions landed and defeated the local Peruvian garrison in battle, taking over the capital of Lima the next day. Hampered by a lack of fuel, the Japanese were unable to prevent President - and dictator - Luis Alberto Flores from fleeing into the Andes, denying them the opportunity to arrest the entire government. However, they had come prepared with a replacement leader for Peru. A few days later, thousands of terrified or infuriated Peruvian civilians were taken into the Plaza Mayor, right outside the House of Pizarro (the Government Palace), from which a major speech was to be delivered. To the bewilderment of most of the citizens of Lima - who didn't know who the man was in the first place - a scarred gentleman in military uniform took the stage. His name was Francisco Franco, former dictator of Spain.

In a thick Galician accent and trying hard to mask his precise feelings, Franco did his best to showcase his charisma, seeking to denounce the Flores regime, announce that his troops were there to protect Japanese Peruvians, and proclaim himself as the new Provisional President of Peru. Pointing to his Anthrax scars, Franco proclaiming himself a "battle-hardened warrior", who would lead Peru into a new age of glory under the Japanese Empire's guidance and protection. Civilians stood silent, it has been alleged, for several minutes as a result. Few hailed Franco, and those who did seemed more motivated by the bayonets of Japanese troops than any other factor. Almost no prominent citizen stepped forward in the next few days to join the provisional government, not even after propaganda portraying the "resurrected" Franco as a “reincarnation of Christ” who had been blessed by coming back to life was heavily distributed across the Japanese-controlled areas.

Only a few believed him, mostly among the lower and heavily uneducated classes, and only those who believed in some sort of sorcery in the first place. Rather, something different was awakened in the Peruvian public. Aside from the major disruption of the war effort in Ecuador, which allowed the enemy to gain some respite, a sense of anger and indignation swept the nation. That a foreign nation would invade Peru was unthinkable. That they would do so with a Spaniard in two, claiming to be resurrected like Christ, was a step too far for a local Catholic Church which immediately called for a nationwide uprising. President Flores has called on the nation to resist and appeal from immediate urgent help from Chile, as well as the intervention of Washington and Berlin. Seemingly vindicated in his warnings against Japanese Peruvians, President Flores did not even had to give out an order.

Hundreds and thousands of Japanese Peruvians - and anyone who even looked remotely Asian - were slaughtered in an orgy of blood and revenge for the attack on Lima, drastically "culling" - as Flores put it - the local minority.

Rise and Fall of American Isolationism?

The immediate days and weeks after the Treaty of Canberra and the Treaty of Geneva were felt by many to be the apex of the isolationist movement in America. Seemingly, America First had been thoroughly vindicated, giving Governor Kennedy and Senator Lindbergh rave reviews as the movement swelled again in membership. President Borah benefitted too, with a number of officeholders starting to suspect the President may well have been right in keeping America as far away of the highly destructive conflict as possible. Internationalists howled and complain, nothing that the United States' strategic position was now immensely worse, with Japan firmly entrenched in Asia and the Germans having achieved the goal of apparent domination in Europe. "For all purposes", Wendell Willkie bitterly complained while campaigning in New York, "our participation in the last Great War has been rendered meaningless".

Seizing the moment, President Borah immediately lowered sanctions on Germany and Japan, even if Cabinet opposition led him to scuttle plans for fully lifting them for both nations. Further measures to send aid to the Netherlands and Hungary proved popular, particularly as anti-communist sentiment became more entrenched. Attempts by a new Jewish organization to lobby in favor for the USSR as a haven for Jews and against US support for the Axis even led to a violent anti-semitic riot in New York City, causing multiple casualties.

All in all, it should have been the biggest victory of the isolationist movement, only for the mood of the public to switch rather violently. For one, the German invasion of the Netherlands alone shocked observers, and while the occupation of Denmark proper caused only limited outcry, the seizure of Iceland and Greenland caused fear within the general public and outrage in the US Congress. Germany now had naval bases extremely close to the US, leading many to conclude that the treaties had ultimately left the United States vulnerable as well. When this was coupled with the Japanese invasion of Peru, the first attack of a foreign nation into the American continent since the 19th century, concern turned to outrage. Two internationalist Republicans resigned from President Borah's cabinet, denouncing the lifting of sanctions as a clear cut mistake.

In Congress, the Democrats pounced on the President with a frenzy, sensing blood in the upcoming midterms. Making a risky gamble - that is, assuming that the isolationist position is now overwhelmingly more popular - the Majority Leader and the Speaker blamed President Borah for German and Japanese expansion, charging him as being "asleep at the wheel" while the world burns. Isolationists, in turn, have once again - in yet another reversal - being forced to adopt Borah as one of their own, defending the President for his measured approach even as America First is forced to concede German and Japanese advances towards America are unacceptable. Washington D.C. is therefore put into chaos and frenzy only a few months away from the 1942 midterms, with a sense of outrage rapidly growing.

[Dereich]

His Majesty Alphonso XIII and all of the people of Spain denounce the tragedy that is taking place in Peru and in the actions of the so-called "President Francisco Franco." The Spanish Government has had no contact with the former general since he dishonorably fled his post after failing to contain the ongoing insurrection. The former general's mind has clearly been addled by a combination of guilt, anthrax poisoning, and syphilis and his actions cannot be said to have any rational basis. The general's property and other possessions in the Spanish Kingdom will be sold and the proceeds provided to the Republic of Peru as recompense for his actions, which go against the will of God, the King, and the People of Spain.

[LAKISYLVANIA]

Japan withdraws support for Alfonsists

The Empire of Japan has made the decision to rescind its support for Alphonso XIII of Spain. After review of his actions and policies, it has become evident that his leadership poses a potential detriment not only to the Spanish populace but also to the balance of global affairs. Our commitment to regional stability and international harmony compels us to reevaluate our stance.

Alphonso XIII's actions have, regrettably, been perceived as betraying the trust and aspirations of those who once placed their faith in him. Consequently, the Empire of Japan no longer recognizes Alphonso XIII as the rightful and legitimate heir to the Spanish throne.

After careful deliberation, we find a closer alignment with the aspirations and principles of the Carlist movement. Their vision for Spain appears more in harmony with the values and objectives we uphold.

[DKrol]

Statement from No. 10 Downing Street

Today, the Prime Minister released the following personal statement:

The treachery of the Japanese knows no bounds. The slaughter of thousands of British prisoners of war is inexcusable. There is no excuse for allowing alleged rogue military officers to run rampant and torture, brutalize, and kill thousands of British subjects. I have also been informed that the Japanese withdrawal from India has been designed to obstruct the transfer of power to Mr. Jinnah and the Dominion and to support Mr. Bose. It is now clear that the Treaty of Canberra was not negotiated in good faith and is now null.

The civil servants who negotiated and advised the Prime Minister on the Treaty of Canberra have been terminated with immediate effect.

[Chancellor Tanterterg]

Treaty of Lima

1. The Empire of Japan shall withdraw entirely from Peru effective immediately.
2. The Empire of Japan recognizes Luis Flores as the sole and rightful ruler of Peru.
3. Francisco Franco shall be turned over to Peruvian forces immediately to face justice for his crimes against the Peruvian people.
4. There will be no further government-sanctioned massacres of Japanese-Peruvians, although citizens accused of actual treason may be put on trial.
5. In order to avoid further massacres, Peru may deport Japanese-Peruvians to Japan or nearby countries, where they may be safer and Japan will give all Japanese-Peruvians the chance to come to Japan as it withdraws.

x Chancellor Alfred Hugenberg, Chancellor of the German Reich

[LAKISYLVANIA]

Treaty of Lima

1. The Empire of Japan shall withdraw entirely from Peru effective immediately.
2. The Empire of Japan recognizes Luis Flores as the sole and rightful ruler of Peru.
3. Francisco Franco shall be turned over to Peruvian forces immediately to face justice for his crimes against the Peruvian people.
4. There will be no further government-sanctioned massacres of Japanese-Peruvians, although citizens accused of actual treason may be put on trial.
5. In order to avoid further massacres, Peru may deport Japanese-Peruvians to Japan or nearby countries, where they may be safer and Japan will give all Japanese-Peruvians the chance to come to Japan as it withdraws.

x Chancellor Alfred Hugenberg, Chancellor of the German Reich

X Hajime Sugiyama

[LAKISYLVANIA]

Speech from Kyoto

It has come to my notice that the British have decided not to respect the Treaty of Canberra. The Empire takes note of this traitorous act. They never showed any genuine interest in peace, proving once again that their word cannot be trusted. The Imperial Japanese Army was correct in believing that this peace deal with the British was not in the best interest of the Empire and ultimately a disgrace to us. Our very existence is under threat, as evidenced by the horror unleashed upon Tokyo. The lack of international condemnation underscores the British intent for genocide and oppression of anything that isn't white or European.

We shall assist our fellow Indian friends in achieving what they deserve: an independent country free from British oppression. We re-affirm our support to Chandra Bose, the Azad Hind, and the movement for Indian independence. We are entering a dark period, and we must endure to achieve victory and a better future for all. We must remain strong and fight to the very end. I call on every Japanese person to support this vital cause. I urge the children and women of our nation to bolster the Japanese industry. I call on all able-bodied men to aid us in this struggle for our right to exist and to fight to the very end. We shall not submit. We will continue to resist until we achieve victory or until every last one of us is gone. A world that doesn't respect us or recognize our value is a world unworthy of our existence. We will fight till the better end. We will fight until we prevail. And we will prevail.

[LAKISYLVANIA]

Speech from Kyoto

As long it is ensured, no military or naval bases and harbors are used in Australia or the new New Guinea state for offensive purposes, to launch attacks from - regardless of them being a British or Australian initiative - Japan shall consider Australia non-belligerent, and will respect the peace agreed on with the Australians in the treaty of Canberra separately, as well as the terms with the exception of a delayment of the war reparations in the aid of the reconstruction of Darwin and Cairns, until after the war with the British is over.

[LAKISYLVANIA]

Japan accuses Oswald Mosley of being a communist spy

To our great revelations, Japanese intel services have found that sir. Oswald Mosley is not the person who he claims he is. Mosley has been propped up by the Sovjet Union in order to destabilize the British Empire and as a consequence also the European mainland with the goal to make Europe vulnerable for a communist take-over and advancmeent of the reds. It is clear that he is succeeding in this task, and at the moment Mosley and his forces are infriltrating the British government. Britain almost completedly succumbed and collapsed due to the Reds. Japan demands Oswald Mosley being turned over to us and him to face justice for his crimes, that being his execution.

[LAKISYLVANIA]

Ten Points Peace Plan from Japan

Upon taking notice of the traitorous British deciding to rescind the Treaty of Canberra, the Empire of Japan has decided to offer a Ten Points Peace Plan to the British. Japan reiterates their intention that no peace will be signed without the following ten goals being accomplished.

These ten goals are outlined as the following

1. The Treaty of Canberra is re-instated to its former glory without any changes, except for Aru Island being transferred to Indonesia.

2. All of India will be independent, including Ceylon, free from British Oppression and influence, with the additional request collaborators of the British are brought to a trial to face justices for their war crimes.

3. All Indian Ocean holdings by Britain will be directly annexed by Japan, these include: the Seychelles, the Comoros, Mauritius, the Maldives, Mayotte, the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and the British Indian Ocean Territory including Diego Garcia, Three Brothers Islands, Egmont Islands, Nelson Island, Peros Banhos, Eagle Islands, Salomon Islands, Danger Island

4. The following Pacific Ocean holdings by Britain will be directly annexed by Japan: Fiji, Tonga and the Gilbert and Ellice Islands

5. The following Pacific Ocean holdings by Britain will be transferred to Australia and/or New Zealand: the Solomon Islands & the Pitcairn Islands

6. France receives full ownership of Vanuatu, instead of co-ownership.

7. Australia incl. New Guinea and New Zealand are granted independence, and shall become republics, free from any British influence, on the condition that autonomy to the Maori and Australian Aboriginals is granted. In the same spirit, South Africa and Canada shall also be disintegrated from the British crown and granted independence.

8. Madagascar, British Kenya, Tanganyika, Zanzibar and Uganda will be transferred to Japan's influence sphere. The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland and the British Protectorate of Bechuanaland will be transferred to Portugal, British Somaliland and Sudan shall be transferred to Italy and the Suez Canal and British Palestine shall be transferred to the Kingdom of Egypt.

9a. The following territorial changes in the Americas will take place: The Falkland Islands are given back to the Argentina and renamed as Islas Malvinas. Japan recognises Argentinian claims over these islands. Additionally South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands shall also be transferred to Argentina. Belize shall be annexed by Guatemala. And both the former colonies of British and Dutch Guyana shall be merged and become an independent nation of Guyana, under the protection of Brazil.

9b. A new nation with the following territories: Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Barbados, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Dominica, Grenada, Jamaica, Montserrat, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos Islands shall be created. Additionally the Dutch holdings of Aruba, Curaçao, Sint Maarten, Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, and Saba shall also be added to this new nation. This nation shall be under the influence sphere of the United States as a protectorate.

10. The British perpetrators of the Tokyo anthrax attack shall be delivered to Japan and shall face justice for their crimes, before Japanese courts.

These are the 10 goals that we demand if the British are willing to sign peace. We refuse to sign peace for anything less than this.

To us it is clear. Britain stands for a choice. It has two options: It is to sign this peace deal, or it is to wipe out the entire Japanese race and all of Asia from existence.

The prime minister of Japan has spoken.

[Kuumo]

Speech at the League of Nations


https://collectionimages.npg.org.uk/large/mw51442/Vi-Kyuin-Wellington-Koo.jpg

The arrogance of the Imperial Japanese Army knows no bounds. Sugiyama Hajime will stop at nothing less than making the world his personal playground. From the bizarre invasion of Peru to the enablement of mass executions of prisoners of war, his nefarious machinations have spread a trail of blood from China to the wider world. To the other nations of the world, I ask, "How much longer can you stand by?" Though peace has been attained in western Europe, the carnage continues unabated in the East. Year after year, the death toll of millions continues to rise. The youngest of our nation cannot remember a time without war. We will continue to fight until every acre of our homeland is liberated; we have no choice. But to the other nations of the world, you have the power to make a decisive difference in this struggle between freedom and fear.

And to any resident of the Asian continent wishing for freedom from British exploitation, look no further than the abuses of the Kwantung Army and the drowning of Nanjing as to how the Japanese would administer any tributary state.

--Wellington Koo

[YPestis25]

Pas Un Pas En Arrière
La Premier Speaks on the Syrian Crisis

Source: Reddit

Not a step backwards - those were the words which echoed through the nation early this year and I take them up today. Not a step backwards in the face of the Soviet tide. The Soviet treaty with Syria and all of its implications can only be understood as an effort to anchor their influence on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea. I repeat today - not a step backward from the Mediterranean Sea - our sea. Our Latin Sea. We will not let it be turned Red.

I take today to lay out our policy on Syria. This is not a colonial policy. France does not intend to reestablish a mandate or protectorate in Syria, to engage in annexations or conquests - we only intend to preserve Syrian independence and Syrian sovereignty in the face of Soviet threats. The souls of all men and women in Syria, all godly men and women, Christian and Muslim alike, are now under threat by the creeping threat of Soviet control and its pernicious atheism and godlessness. This threat cannot be allowed to persevere.

France first requested, and now France demands, that Syria abrogate her treaty with the Soviets and renew the Venoit Accords or France will be forced to undertake all efforts to protect both the Syrian people and her own interests in the region. I call on the Damascus government to see reason and depart from their disastrous course.

[Lumine]

LONDON, Mid 1942

Only 25 years old, Miss Vera Lynn's courage and grace appeared to defy her youth, unusual in someone who had risen so fast in popularity and esteem across the British Empire. In truth, Miss Lynn had been a virtual unknown in the prelude to the Czechoslovak Crisis, just another singer in a city filled with those who dreamed of performing before audiences. But she had proved her worth. Whether it be touring London and singing out in the open in the middle of the surprise Luftwaffe raid of 38', touring the trenches of the Somme and Normandy, or singing for the men shipped off to defend India, she had always been willing and able to lift the spirits of servicemen, even when things were at their bleakest.

The BBC recognized such qualities early on. Just as Winston Churchill took office in the middle of 1940, so Vera Lynn was given her own radio show. "Sincerely Yours", aired every Sunday at 9:30 PM, half an hour in which Miss Lynn could read letters, sing to servicemen, and see her voice aired to almost every corner of the world. And just as Churchill inspired bravery with his rousing speeches, so did Vera Lynn lift the morale of many who had been witnesses to the worst atrocities the world would have to offer. In many ways, that day's broadcast felt different. The BBC had come close to preventing the show from being aired, feeling its impact would be disastrous amidst so difficult a date.

Having recently learned of the mass slaughter of British and Commonwealth POWs in Japan, many wondered if the tender tunes of Sincerely Yours would not make the situation worse, all while Churchill battled for his political survival in Parliament. Vera Lynn would have none of it. That night, Sincerely Yours was broadcasted as usual, the only hint of something being amiss to be found in Lynn's voice as it almost broke two or three times while reading letters from servicemen. Somehow, to finish the day's broadcast with "We'll meet again", felt off. For surely, all too many would now never return. At the last moment, Lynn had a talk with the orchestra conductor.

Then the red light turned to green, and Vera Lynn started to sing.

"When the lights go on again, all over the world...
And the boys are home again, all over the world...
And rain or snow is all, that may fall from the skies above...
A kiss won't mean "goodbye", but "hello to love"

When the lights go on again, all over the world...
And the ships will sail again, all over the world...
Then we'll have time for things, like wedding rings, and free hearts will sing...
When the lights go on again all over the world

Stefan Zweig heard her from his self-imposed exile in Brazil, planning his suicide out of despair at the state of the world.

Nikita Khrushchev picked up the broadcast from his safe house, and picked up a bottle of vodka. His life was ruined anyway.

Kurt Schuschnigg listened to it at a cafe in Rome and let his mind wander for a moment. He wondered if he should have done things differently.

Eleanor Roosevelt found Franklin having fallen asleep besides the radio. He seemed to be sleeping peacefully for the first time in years.

Anne and the Frank family heard her from their Frankfurt home - in itself an act of defiance to Hugenberg - and wondered if or when their beautiful city would be gone too.

Alfred Rosenberg wanted to murder her landlady for daring to listen to the BBC, but there was little to do about it in Stockholm. For the 100th time, he fantasized about following his Führer in death.

General Franco heard her too on the radio, looking out of the House of Pizarro. He wondered how much longer it would take before the populace would get to lynch him.

As he buried the last of his family members, Marinus van der Lubbe picked up the signal alongside his Dutch resistance unit. He swore to put a bullet through the Kaiser's skull.

Svetlana Alliluyeva pretended to listen to the broadcast to keep up appearances before the NKVD guards. Privately, she wondered how long it would take Kapler to help her escape Yagoda's gaze and into a better life.

Almost all of them, ultimately, and most of those listening to the BBC, asked themselves a burning question: would the lights ever go on again?

TO BE CONTINUED.