He is Already a Tycoon at a Young Age! - Chapter 63



Only Krnovel

“I think we need to separate the comics corner.”

“Are you saying that we should collect only comics and make a magazine?”

I asked Gunsback, who was sitting next to me in the car, a few hours before the ship to England was due to depart.

After traveling to Sweden via England, I witnessed the Nobel Prize award ceremony.

A pretty busy schedule awaits.

“As Rocketman gained popularity, the number of comics serialized in other magazines also increased significantly.”

Gunsback said.

“The competition isn’t that fierce yet, but if we just sit tight, other places will get started first. There are dozens of submissions coming in. In fact, half of them are Rocketman-like works.”

“It wouldn’t be a bad idea to hit the player. By the way, I didn’t know there would be so many comics submitted.”

I thought I was going to die from drawing Rocketman every night. Maybe things will get better when other comics become popular too.

“Not just SF, but also some fantasy would be good. There are also superheroes with superpowers.”

There’s a reason Marvel and DC have been printing money for decades.

In this era, there are still no competitors.

The same goes for fantasy.

These types of cultural contents do not require enormous technology to create.

“I’ll leave the details to Mr. Gunsback. You can send me a telegram and I’ll tell you where I’ll be staying.”

“I’m glad Mr. Hitler gave his permission. But when will you reveal Schicklgruber’s identity?”

Gunsback let out a sigh of relief.

“After the last rocket launch, interest has grown so much that I now receive dozens of letters at my office.”

“Let’s put that off a bit longer.”

The more public attention you have, the better. A little mystery is necessary.

An open box that anyone can see is of no interest.

But what if it’s locked with a key?

It’s human nature to want to know what’s inside.

“How about we go to Sweden and discuss this again? There are a lot of things to take care of there too.”

The car arrived at the port, I opened the door and got out. The steamer filled my view.

It’s been a long time since I’ve been outside the US.

＊＊＊

January 1921.

Alexander, King of Greece, was attacked by monkeys while walking through the palace of Tatoi.

The king was injured while trying to save his pet dog from a monkey, and eventually died from sepsis.

In Spain, chaos ensued as King Alfonso dissolved the parliament.

Meanwhile, in the United States, reports have surfaced that the body of the infamous conman, Charles Ponzi, has been discovered.

A corpse so beaten that it was difficult to recognize the body except for the face.

Rumors spread that it was the work of vigilantes or the Italian mafia.

And then a ship sailed across the Atlantic Ocean.

“Cheers to our eccentric friend, Hitler!”

“Cheers!”

Three people, excluding me, laughed and raised their glasses.

Joseph Kennedy and Richter.

And even the girlfriend Richter brought along.

“It’s a shame that Edison and Tesla are on different boats.”

“Go, it looks like we’ll fight on the way. Is something going to happen?”

“Aren’t you curious which one of you will be the first to lose patience and explode?”

“I should have brought a telescope.”

The three of us drank and played Capitalism, Ho!, a game of Mahjong and Bridge in between.

“I thought Hitler was a very difficult person. He always had a serious expression on his face in the newspapers.”

Bella said with a smile.

She introduced herself as a Jewish woman of Polish descent and had a strong impression.

You could say it’s the exact opposite of Richter.

You managed to seduce this woman with great difficulty.

“But when you actually meet him, he’s a really fun and cheerful person. This guy also talks about work every day…”

She looked at Richter and smiled.

“I say every day that Mr. Hitler is a unique person.”

“Hey, you’re not an ordinary person. It’s not common for someone to risk their life to make money like this.”

“Thanks to you, you became a millionaire too. Aren’t you?”

“Ah, you need to listen carefully to what Alf is saying. Sometimes, there are treasures hidden away. If you just dig up a little bit of them, you can live off of them for the rest of your life.”

Glasses of alcohol were passed around in a pleasant atmosphere.

Late that day.

I continued drinking with Joseph in the cabin.

“Prohibition is a funny thing. The people who drink the most are politicians.”

“It’ll disappear soon anyway. But it’ll probably last a few more years.”

I answered, shaking my glass of whiskey. The cabin was incomparably more spacious than the regular cabin.

Just a few years ago, I was stranded on an immigration ship and crossed over to the United States.

It’s changed 180 degrees.

“By the way, Richter, that guy is hanging out with that kind of woman. What a shame. Even though he’s Jewish, with that much money, he could have found a better woman.”

“A better woman?”

“What’s the point of marrying a woman who works at a restaurant? Those women don’t even know how to spend money properly. Marriage needs to be approached with some degree of strategy.”

Joseph said.

“This is a great opportunity to connect with another prestigious family. Don’t blow it, Adolf. Amelia Morgan came to see me a while ago, didn’t you?”

“I had some issues to discuss with the Foundation. There have been many projects that we are cooperating with Morgan.”

I shrugged.

Joseph Kennedy was certainly a capable man.

Since I took over the financial management of my company, it has only continued to generate high profits.

‘But the desire for power is too great.’

Political advancement.

Son, was it this desire that made JFK President?

Not only JFK, but his other sons also rose to positions as congressmen and ministers, but they were also met with tragedy.

The eldest daughter, Rosemary Kennedy, became paralyzed after being forcibly lobotomized, and her other children died in assassinations or accidents.

“Wouldn’t a woman like that be worth a shot? There are many businesses connected to the Morgan House, so approach her step by step. If you get married well, you can easily climb a few stairs.”

“Let’s put off talking about my marriage. It’s not important right now.”

I put the glass on the table.

“There’s been talk lately that you’ve been involved in the smuggling business. And you’re deeply involved in it.”

Actually, I don’t have to care what Joseph Kennedy does.

Prohibition is already being ridiculed.

But being openly involved in the smuggling business is a different story.

“I heard that the Wade Hotel even has an office set up to communicate with the mafia?”

“How did you do that…”

Joseph’s face turned pale.

I shrugged my shoulders with a calm expression.

‘I got this information from Hoover.’

There were rumors throughout history that Hoover exploited the Kennedy family’s weaknesses.

“You said you wouldn’t care much about what you do personally, but be careful not to let it spread to the company level. It could cause problems not only for you, but also for your sons’ future political careers.”

“…It’s not that big yet. At most, we’re investing in a few stores.”

“Then keep it that way. No, it would be better to stop everything. Wouldn’t it be a shame to focus on small amounts of money and miss out on a real opportunity?”

A brief silence.

The only sound that could be heard was the ice hitting the glass.

“…Yes, Adolf, you are right. There won’t be any problems for the company from now on.”

Joseph nodded with a serious expression. Well, I guess you get what I’m saying.

“Well, that’s good. Let’s stop drinking here. There’s still a lot to discuss tomorrow.”

“You want to discuss it? I thought you came to rest too.”

“Of course you should rest. But shouldn’t you do the basic things?”

I answered with a smile.

And besides, I have to go to the cabin and draw a Rocketman comic.

“There are many things to review before the ship arrives. Let’s talk again tomorrow morning.”

＊＊＊

The next morning.

We sat around the table after a light breakfast of eggs and sandwiches.

“A recession? Isn’t the economy already in a recession?”

Joseph asked with a look of confusion on his face.

“With the war over, companies are all starting to reduce production. But there aren’t any major problems yet.”

“You could say that we are in a recession right now. But what I’m talking about is an economic downturn of a scale we’ve never seen before.”

I said.

The Great Depression of 1929, which began in the United States.

[An event that shook Western capitalism]

A blow of unprecedented scale. Why this Great Depression occurred remains unclear even in the 21st century.

Excessive increase in productivity.

Protectionism in each country.

Limitations of the gold standard system.

Excessive investment psychology of the public.

etc.

There is a high possibility that a great depression will occur in this world.

We need to prepare in advance.

Richter asked.

“Well, I don’t think it will explode to that extent. Before that, wouldn’t the government intervene?”

“The government has no choice but to respond passively. It will try to overcome the crisis by lowering taxes and minimizing outgoings as much as possible.”

The Hoover administration failed to respond.

This crisis was resolved after Roosevelt’s New Deal and the outbreak of World War II.

‘Hitler took advantage of the Great Depression to come to power.’

Until the Great Depression, Hitler’s Nazi Party was little more than a party supported only by far-right nationalists.

As the economy collapsed and society fell into chaos, the German people placed their hopes in Hitler.

‘Would Hitler have become Führer if there had been no Great Depression?’

Economics influences politics in one way or another.

I said.

“If something like that happened in the United States, it would spread around the world in an instant. Germany would be the first to be affected, and then France and Britain.”

“It’s going to be a global recession. It’s never happened before.”

Joseph shrugged.

“Isn’t the economy something that originally goes through cycles of getting worse and then getting better?”

“The important thing is that the economic situation directly affects politics, not to mention elections.”

“Then what do you want us to do? I think you’re saying we should prepare countermeasures in advance.”

“This won’t happen right away. There’s plenty of time to prepare.”

I nodded.

Hitler Company.

The companies below were already making a ton of money. Tesla Radio alone was a huge deal.

“Adding the food sector here will secure stable funding…”

Disney also dominates the entertainment market through its cartoon business.

Risk can be avoided as long as you don’t take on excessive debt or invest in real estate.

Hitler’s company had to be built like Noah’s ark.

A solid foundation with ample cash flow.

“Then, even if an economic crisis of the level I mentioned comes, we will be able to withstand it. No, we may even face it head-on.”

To do that, simply saving a lot of money wasn’t enough.

Specific and detailed countermeasures.

A plan was needed to transform the economies of the countries.

“We need an economic expert who can prepare for every scenario.”

Richter waved his arms with a puzzled expression after hearing what I said.

“Oh, even for me, this kind of macroeconomics is difficult. Besides, oh, Alf, what you’re talking about is something that has never happened before.”

“Don’t worry, I’m not going to leave everything up to you. And why do you think I left early?”

There was still quite some time left before the Nobel ceremony began.

Besides, I’m just an invited guest, not an award recipient.

There was no need to come.

The awards ceremony was only a secondary element.

‘It just so happens that there’s a suitable candidate in England.’

One of the most famous economists produced by the British Empire.

The person who laid the foundation for modern macroeconomics.

‘He even had a school named after him.’

Perhaps he was the most appropriate person to prepare for the Great Depression.

I opened my mouth slowly.

“Have you ever heard of Keynes?”

“If it were Keynes…”

Richter muttered and opened his eyes wide. Joseph looked at him with a look of ignorance.

“Keynes?”

“John Maynard Keynes?”

===＊＊＊===

Author’s Note

Q: Did Joseph Kennedy actually run a bootlegging business?

A: At the time, the rumor that Joseph Kennedy was involved in a bootlegging business was controversial since his sons, including JFK, entered politics. Various criminals, including Frank Costello, claimed that they had done business with him, but he strongly denied the allegations.

Joseph Kennedy made his fortune primarily through insider trading, which he used to invest in movie studios, real estate, and ships.

It is said that his buying and selling timing was considered first-class even on Wall Street at the time.

During the Great Depression in 1929, he made millions of dollars in profits through short positions.

(Source – Joseph Kennedy, English Wikipedia)