He is Already a Tycoon at a Young Age! - Chapter 21



Only Krnovel

Episode 21

Episode 21 – On Air

January 10, 1920.

The League of Nations was officially founded, heralding a new era.

Some internationalists shed tears of joy, but most were indifferent or pessimistic.

Germany accepted the Treaty of Versailles in confusion,

The Spanish flu that has been prevalent since 1918 shows no signs of abating.

In some states, there has been social controversy as people who are not wearing masks are being held in jails.

“We Americans have the right to breathe! Mandating masks is the idea of ​​the Bolshevik Reds in Russia!”

Meanwhile, the Volstead Act, also known as Prohibition, passed Congress.

Alcohol content above 0.5% is prohibited.

It was virtually the same as banning all alcohol.

Bars tried to survive by closing their doors or converting into restaurants.

There were also places selling bootleg alcohol, but they quickly disappeared due to strict crackdowns.

At the same time,

A rumor spread among bar owners who had changed their business.

“Hey, did you hear the news? Jackson’s store just got a radio. Sales have quadrupled.”

“Radio? If it’s a machine that produces sound, do you mean a phonograph?”

“No, doesn’t the phonograph just play recorded sounds? I heard that the radio uses radio waves that float in the air.”

“On-Air, a radio wave floating in the air. Sounds like a scam.”

“Tesla and Edison even held demonstrations themselves. Could it be fake? In any case, there was a line of customers in front of Jackson’s store.”

The first result of Edison’s Advanced Institute for Invention.

New York FM radio took off and became a huge hit.

“My son also sits around all day with headphones on, listening to something. He said it was the radio.”

“Shh, be quiet. I can’t hear you.”

[Strike! Two strikes!]

“Everyone be quiet!”

People, regardless of gender, crowded around a large radio machine.

[Ruth swings the bat! Full swing! The ball flies! Ah, home run! Home run! Ruth’s tenth home run of the season! Ruth continues his record-breaking streak!]

“Wow!”

Babe Ruth enjoyed great popularity after moving to the New York Yankees, hitting home runs one after another.

At the same time, the public’s interest in radio continued to grow.

But there were some who were dissatisfied with this enthusiasm.

“They started broadcasting so early! What the hell is going on?!”

“It’s clear that they have been stealing our technology! Didn’t that guy, Edison, spend his whole life stealing patents?”

RCA emergency conference room.

Only Sales Manager Sarnoff maintained his composure.

“Upon review, we discovered that Tesla’s radio system uses frequency modulated FM.”

“What does that mean?”

“FM is a separate technology from the patents currently owned by RCA. It would be difficult to negotiate through litigation.”

“So, are you saying we should just sit back and watch? Isn’t there some way, Chief Sarnoff?”

“As the chairman said, we cannot just sit still. We also need to start broadcasting service as soon as possible.”

“But even if we push forward the construction of our broadcasting station, it will not be ready until the end of this year.”

“If we can’t shorten the time, sabotage is another option.”

“If it’s sabotage…”

“Wouldn’t it be possible if we had the cooperation of the federal government? It might be difficult, but we have no choice but to pull out the card.”

A few days after the RCA emergency meeting,

A telegram arrived at Hitler Company.

[I have an urgent message for you. Come to my house. Address attached. – Joseph Patrick Kennedy]

＊＊＊

“Hey, Kennedy called you? Why?”

“You’ll find out soon enough. He’s not the type of person to joke around with me.”

We’ve exchanged letters a few times since we met at Morgan Bank.

I guess I should say we’ve become quite close.

I opened the door of my Rolls-Royce and got out. It was a two-story mansion on the outskirts of New York.

That’s quite a luxurious house.

There’s also a housekeeper and a gardener.

“I’ll go and tell the laborers to prepare a gift.”

“Okay. Then I’ll go first.”

One by one, workers got off the truck behind us.

What were American manners like in this era?

Can I just ring the doorbell?

As I was approaching the mansion.

“It’s Chaplin! Mom! Look over there! It’s Chaplin!”

The cry of a child.

Is it the second floor?

When I raised my head, I saw a little boy looking at me.

A boy who looks about 5 years old.

What a cute guy.

As I took a few steps forward, the door opened wide.

“Adolf! Come in, come in! You came just in time for dinner.”

“Joseph, thank you for inviting me. Do you have any urgent news to convey?”

“Come and have some food first. We can’t leave our guests standing outside like this.”

As we went inside, the boy we had seen earlier approached us.

“Wow, that’s the real Charlie Chaplin!”

“This guy. It’s not Charlie Chaplin, it’s Adolf Hitler.”

“He looks like Charlie Chaplin to me.”

They say that the Levine family’s children all look alike.

“I did a movie with Charlie a while ago. I was his body double.”

“You made a movie with Chaplin? I don’t think you’re joking. Were you an actor?”

“That’s not it. I had some business to invest in UA, so I did it anyway.”

“I was thinking about investing in Hollywood, but let’s talk about it later.”

Meanwhile, Joseph’s wife came to say hello.

A pregnant belly.

“Hello, Mr. Hitler. My name is Rose. You helped my husband a while ago?”

“I didn’t help you. I just did what was expected.”

Well, that’s not wrong, since it allowed me to meet Chairman Morgan.

As I was tilting my head, I found another baby.

“Is that kid by any chance…”

“Oh, it’s John. He’s my second son. The one who greeted you earlier is Joseph Jr.”

Joseph continued speaking in a proud tone.

That baby is the famous President JFK.

“Both of them were promised Harvard admission the day they were born. They’re both going to do great things when they grow up. Yeah, they definitely are.”

“I didn’t know you could get a guarantee of admission to Harvard in advance.”

“A moderate donation could solve everything. Where else could there be as greedy for money as universities?”

Joseph said this and lifted his eldest son into his arms.

“The day this child was born, his father-in-law said this. He said that one day this child will become the President of the United States.”

“…”

I stared at the child for a moment.

In the history of the original, Joseph II died in World War II.

The next president was John Kennedy.

What will happen in this era?

At that moment, a loud noise was heard and Richter came in with the workers.

“Oh, Joseph. This is Ernst Richter. He’s our company’s vice president.”

“Ma, nice to meet you.”

“It’s an honor to meet you, Mr. Richter. Are you sure you brought that for me?”

Joseph Kennedy’s gaze turned to the radio.

Tesla Radio.

With its enormous size and price far exceeding that of a car.

“That’s right. If you’ve been invited, shouldn’t you bring a gift?”

“It’s quite an expensive gift. But I don’t intend to refuse it.”

Joseph said with a smile.

“Mr. Richter, please join us for dinner. If you are Adolf’s friend, you are my friend.”

After that, Joseph continued the small talk naturally.

It feels like the main topic is being deliberately avoided and circled around.

‘Are you testing me?’

I don’t think he invited me to chat or anything.

“The more children the better. Rose and I are planning to have about ten. If we have more children, wouldn’t at least one of them be successful?”

“Mr. Hitler, you said you came from Germany. What kind of cross do you believe in?”

Rose asked with a smile.

cross?

“I know there is only one cross.”

“It’s different in America. People don’t say anything, but they look down on us Catholics.”

“It’s not like there wasn’t that kind of atmosphere.”

Was JFK also the first Catholic to become president?

“I was baptized in a Catholic church, but I’m not a devout Catholic.”

Strictly speaking, I am not religious.

They say Hitler was baptized as a child.

Was your mother Catholic?

“I told you, honey? All the smart people are in the Catholic Church.”

The conversation continued and Rose stood up.

“Then I’ll go and take care of the kids.”

A brief silence.

Are you going to get to the main point now?

“Look, Adolf. I know it’s a bit odd to say this, but this is a sensitive subject. Do you completely trust your friend next to you?”

“There’s nothing the vice president can’t hear.”

He’s not the kind of guy who would spill secrets.

Richter nodded as if it was natural.

“I’m sorry, this is such a sensitive topic that I had to check. I have a few friends in politics…”

He lit a cigarette.

“There’s an interesting story coming up these days. It’s from RCA. They say your FM waves will bounce off the ionosphere and interfere with other radio stations in the future.”

“That’s nonsense.”

If there were such problems, FM radio would never have been commercialized.

Even to me, a non-technical person, it was nonsense that made no sense.

“How much do the fat guys in Congress know about radio? I don’t know much about it. But that’s what RCA is pushing.”

Joseph shrugged.

“They were lobbying for a ban on FM radio for at least several months until a countermeasure could be put in place.”

“They’re just trying to buy time until their broadcasting station is ready. I didn’t know they would go that far.”

RCA must have been embarrassed too.

What a foolish thing to do.

‘But they’re the ones with the most connections.’

If I just sit still, I might get swept away. I have to take action somehow.

“Thanks for the heads up, Joseph.”

“I just did what I had to do as a friend.”

Joseph said with a cheerful smile. You really are the type to make friends.

Then me too…

“Joseph. Would you like to work for our company?”

“If it were your company…”

“I just happened to need an investment manager. I can guarantee you better terms than any other bank.”

As the company grew, it became difficult for Richter to handle everything alone.

Just managing finances is overwhelming.

We also needed someone with investment acumen like Joseph.

“Let’s hear the detailed conditions and then decide. If only discretion is guaranteed, then there’s nothing I can’t do.”

“Of course. But there is one condition.”

I coughed.

Joseph Kennedy’s specialty was managing public funds.

In other words, it was stock manipulation using insider information.

It was legal at the time.

There is also a bank president who proudly short-changed his own company.

‘But it’ll be a problem later.’

I said.

“I won’t be using the company’s money to run a joint fund. I’ll decide the general direction, but you can make small investments as you wish. A few million dollars would be enough.”

“Alf, you’re just going to hand me a few million dollars?”

Richter asked in a small voice from beside him.

“Am I really someone you can trust?”

“Of course. It’s a family with a long history to begin with…”

I looked at the babies toddling around the living room.

The guys were showing interest in the radio.

At least one member of the Senate and one member of the House of Representatives.

He might even become president.

“I’m also trying to create a connection with them.”

Richter sighed as always.

After thanking Joseph, we left the house.

“So, uh, what are we going to do, Alf?”

Richter muttered.

“It’s like RCA is waging an all-out war. If we continue like this, we’ll only suffer losses and eventually be annihilated.”

“You’re right. We can’t allow FM to be banned.”

I nodded.

We need to take action before then.

RCA was effectively a quasi-government corporation, created with support from the U.S. Navy.

To keep that in check…

You’ll need some connections in the Navy.

The Navy.

What about someone who recently served as Assistant Secretary of the Navy?

There are powerful figures in the current ruling Democratic Party. If we attack them, there might be a way.

I turned my head and looked at Richter.

“Do you have the collection of rare stamps I told you about before?”

“Stamps? I bought a few expensive ones, but why? Do you need them now?”

“Go and prepare it today. It will be useful soon.”

I added.

Stamps alone won’t be enough.

I needed more gifts.

radio.

Wouldn’t Roosevelt understand the power of radio?

I guess I’ll have to put that out there as a carrot too.

No matter what the future holds, it is necessary to build a network with Roosevelt.

This incident is rather an opportunity.

“Contact Roosevelt and make an appointment.”

Citizens denied access to public transportation for not wearing masks – during the Spanish flu in 1918