Republic of Korea in Yeokcheon - Chapter 94



Only Krnovel

#94. Operation Unthinkable.

April 10, 1947.

Presidential Office, General Government Complex.

A slightly fat-looking old Western man with almost bald head was standing across from Lee Kang-cheol.

“Welcome, Lord Churchill.”

“ha ha ha! I see you now. “This is Winston Churchill.”

Churchill had come to present his credentials as British Ambassador to the Republic of Korea.

I tried to come earlier, but the construction of the new embassy and the remodeling of the ambassador’s residence were delayed, so I came only now.

Before Churchill arrived, the British temporarily used the Jeongdong Legation as a consul, but the problem was that it was too attached to Deoksugung Palace.

No, it was a position that the current government could not tolerate because it could practically be seen as being stuck.

This was especially true because they were planning to completely restore Deoksugung Palace, which had been reduced by one-third during Japanese colonial rule.

Accordingly, as it was planned to dismantle and relocate or demolish all buildings in the area, including the Salvation Army building on the site of Deoksugung Palace, Deoksu Public Elementary School, the Anglican Cathedral, the American Consulate, and the Russian Embassy, ​​the British decided to build the Jeongdong Embassy. I had no choice but to give up.

In the end, Britain decided to move down a bit and move to the area near Seosomun, as suggested by the South Korean government, and the embassy residence where Churchill was to live was purchased from the government and renovated because a nearby Western-style building where pro-Japanese factions lived had been confiscated for the national treasury.

“Try some tea. It’s ginseng tea, and it’s very good for your health, so it’s better than black tea. “If you think it’s too bitter, there’s honey here, so add it and eat it.”

“Where, ho! “This is really good!”

“Aren’t you using it?”

“you’re welcome! “It suits my taste perfectly.”

“…”

When you offer ginseng tea to foreigners, they usually give the impression that it is bitter, but Churchill didn’t seem to think so.

Maybe it was because I used everything on a regular basis.

Cigars, whiskey, and even black tea.

Sure enough, Churchill rustled, took out a cigar, put it in his mouth, and lit it.

“Whoa! This goes amazingly well with cigars. ha ha ha!”

“…”

Given the times, Lee Kang-cheol couldn’t say anything even though he saw people lighting cigars as a matter of course.

Well, I’ve gotten used to it to a certain extent after being bullied so many times by Roosevelt, who was a cigarette fan.

“Isn’t the President burning it?”

“Yes, I don’t smoke.”

“Hoo? “This good thing?”

“You like it? “How harmful is cigarettes to your body?”

“Hey, I’ve been smoking it for almost 50 years and haven’t had any problems.”

“Wow, that’s amazing.”

“ha ha ha!”

To be honest, I have nothing to say, because Churchill lived to be over 90 years old, eating whatever he wanted, drinking and smoking strong whiskey and cigars to his heart’s content.

It occurred to me that longevity is truly something one is born with.

We chatted for a while and eventually drank some whiskey.

This was because it seemed like Churchill secretly wanted it, so he could not just pretend not to know and move on, and when it came to alcohol, Lee Kang-cheol was confident that he would not lose.

“Oh oh! Johnnie Walker!”

“ha ha ha! you’re right. We prepared this because we heard that Lord Churchill was particularly fond of Johnnie Walker. “Would you like to drink it with carbonated water?”

“Hahaha! This really makes me feel treated well. But how did you get this kind of alcohol? Johnnie Walker without Striding Man is a drink that came out almost 30 years ago, right? “Is that also an extra special Old Highland?”

“Well, it’s a trophy. There was no alcohol available at the Governor-General’s office. Thanks to this, I also have a good time when hosting precious guests.”

“okay.”

“How about some loot? “Alcohol is alcohol.”

“ha ha ha! you’re right. “Alcohol is just alcohol.”

When Lee Kang-cheol mixed Johnnie Walker with carbonated water, Churchill really enjoyed it and drank it.

“ah! It’s really good. “Is this why I can’t quit my job?”

“ha ha ha! I see. Enjoy your meal.”

“Thank you.”

“Hey, but why on earth did someone like Lord Churchill volunteer to come all the way to our country in the Far East? “If he had really wanted to work, he would have had many good positions, right?”

“haha! Are you that curious about that? “It seems like you felt quite burdened by what Attlee said.”

“Hum hum, have you heard from Prime Minister Attlee?”

“Yes, I met him in LA last year and he told me right away. “It seems like the President of Korea feels burdened by me, so he tells me not to go and cause trouble.”

“It looks like you two are close?”

“Yes, personally, we are quite close. Of course, in official settings, they are merciless towards each other. ha ha ha!”

Actually, the two of them weren’t bad individually.

The outspoken Churchill respected Attlee, who was always humble and calm.

“Whoa! Try changing your situation. It is none other than Lord Churchill. No matter what anyone says, the only two people who led the Allies to victory in World War II would not have been President Roosevelt and Lord Churchill? “He can’t help but be shocked to hear that such a Lord is coming all this far as an ambassador.”

“Hoo? Do you think that highly of me? Hahaha!”

“Of course, limited to World War II.”

“Ugh! Then yes.”

“It’s true, right?”

“…”

Churchill could not be said to have done well in World War I even with empty words.

Because I put in a lot of digging and digging.

After taking office as Minister of the Navy, he unnecessarily confiscated two warships ordered by the Ottoman Empire and incorporated them into the British Navy, becoming a major contributor to causing the Ottomans, who were neutral at the time, to join the Allies, and not only in the Army but also in the Navy. The Battle of Gallipoli, which was criticized as a reckless operation, was carried out and resulted in an unprecedented disaster in British history, killing 300,000 people, including the wounded.

Because of this, Churchill could not possibly have 100 words to say whenever the topic of World War I came up.

“Why did you come anyway?”

“I was so curious that I couldn’t help it.”

“yes? “What do you mean?”

“I was the Prime Minister of the British Empire. Although we in the UK are not as good as we used to be, we still have a vast intelligence network spanning the world, and I am confident that our ability to analyze it is the best in the world. “Including the United States.”

“I admit it.”

“But, I couldn’t understand anything about returning to the country. You lost your country in 1910, and the Japanese have clearly ruled it stably since then. Without a doubt. However, since 1944, intelligence has been reported that Japanese children’s movements have become abnormal. “I think it was probably around July, and they said that Japan had lost control of the Korean Peninsula.”

“Hmm, maybe that’s the right time.”

“you’re right. But does this make sense? What would it be like to suddenly lose a colony that you had ruled for over 30 years? I wondered if the United States had done something without Britain’s knowledge, but no matter how much I thought about it, that wasn’t the case. Geographically, it was right next to Japan’s main country, the Kwantung Army was in the north, and the dispatched troops were still there. “It means that the United States is not in a position to carry out an operation.”

“…”

Certainly, at least until this time, British intelligence seemed superior to that of the United States.

In the United States, he had previously worked with Nimitz, and more than anything, he was immediately dumped by Roosevelt, so there was no time to question it, but it would have been normal for an OSS (Office of Strategic Services) to have some kind of appeal, but there was none of that.

However, as if to prove that their ability to dominate the world had not gone anywhere, the British had already had doubts since the expeditionary force recovered the Korean Peninsula.

“This wasn’t everything. “In 1944, U.S. military movements on the Pacific theater changed.”

“Isn’t that when the U.S. military’s preparations for war are fully prepared, and the Japanese military is slowly starting to run out?”

“Why are you doing this? I’m not saying that much. It moved as if it had figured out the Japanese army’s movements in advance. “That doesn’t mean you are used to war and are well prepared.”

“Well, let’s do it.”

“But then they finally ate up Manchukuo. Meanwhile, the question is how to overcome the pressure of the Japanese navy and fighter jets.”

“The Kwantung Army was weaker than expected. “Because a lot of power was lost to the south.”

“haha! Still, the Kwantung Army is the Kwantung Army. Anyway, even after that, unreliable intelligence continued to be reported. Especially before the recapture of the Philippines. Korea One!”

“hmm?”

“There was a rumor going around that the U.S. Navy and Army were fighting based on information from Korea One.”

“Huh, it looks like some American soldier blew it.”

“ha ha ha! “Our British intelligence agency does some work.”

“I guess I should tell President Roosevelt. “British intelligence is stealing American information.”

“Oh, no, don’t do that.”

“It’s a joke.”

“…”

Although it was a joke, it was actually a serious joke, and Churchill seemed really embarrassed.

This is because Klaus Fuchs, the atomic bomb spy who was one of the excuses used by the United States to oust the Soviet Union, had actually leaked atomic bomb secrets to Britain, and because of that, he could not look at Roosevelt’s face properly for a while.

“In any case, it was impossible to see the capabilities of a newly independent country that had just liberated itself from colonial rule. To be honest, it was ridiculous. “How on earth did you get that information?”

“It’s a secret.”

“Ouch! “Well, I have a lot of time.”

“Why are you saying such creepy things? “It sounds to me like you will continue to ask questions while you are ambassador.”

“ha ha ha! “I ask you sometimes…”

“It would be better to be sure in advance. “If you persistently try to pry into me because I don’t like you, or if you are planning to dig up something from our government, give up, because at the slightest sign, I will immediately declare you persona non grata.”

“No, but I am Churchill. Winston Churchill!”

“Oh, it’s no use to us.”

“Ha, it’s me. “Why are there so many secrets, including President Roosevelt?”

“You’re talking about my in-laws. “Are you pretending it’s not England?”

“ha ha ha! “We used to be like that, but now.”

“Operation Unsinkable!”

“omg! “How do you do that?”

Churchill was startled by Lee Kang-cheol’s words.

Operation Unthinkable.

Originally, unlike Roosevelt, who was sympathetic to the Soviet Union in history, Churchill, a staunch anti-communist, intended to strike the Soviet Union immediately if Germany was defeated.

Of course, it made no sense, and it was an operation that ended in the planning stage after losing to Attlee’s Labor Party in the election, but it could be said to be an operation that showed how much Churchill hated the Soviet Union.

But looking at Churchill’s reaction, it seems he had that same thought this time too.

Even though Roosevelt had already changed and was wary of the Soviet Union.

In any case, fortunately or unfortunately, Operation Unsinkable was practically implemented in this history.

Also by Roosevelt.

“That too is a secret. The reason I have to tell you this is because I want you to avoid doing anything unnecessary while you are here. “You understand, right?”

“Whoa! I really can’t believe it. President Roosevelt suddenly became extremely wary of the Soviet Union, so few people really knew about it. “Then can you answer just one thing?”

“What is it?”

“Is it true that Roosevelt’s change in attitude toward the Soviet Union was due to his return?”

“Hmm, that’s right. The Soviet Union was convinced, and there was some evidence, that the war would be a disaster for the world. So I persuaded him.”

“Oh oh! “He truly did something great for humanity.”

“No, not even humanity.”

“no. no. “So the president still has the same thoughts about the Soviet Union?”

“of course. The Soviet Union and communism will not be able to be with our Republic of Korea forever.”

“Hahaha! Then we, the UK and the Republic of Korea, will be able to get along really well!”

“…”

Churchill’s feelings toward the Soviet Union were ‘strong’.

It seemed that if they opposed the Soviet Union, they would forget all questions.