Chapter 473： whimsical

The British destroyer that Churchill was on arrived at the Norfolk Naval Base on the night of March 25. As soon as it entered here, the destroyer directly entered a dock and was tightly covered.

Americans don't want the arrival of the British warships in the United States to be known by the Germans at this juncture. In that case, no one can guarantee what the Germans will think. The United States has decided not to provoke Germany and not to offend Germany, so naturally it needs to be more cautious.

After Churchill arrived, he was picked up by the US security department directly. He will be placed in an undisclosed location, and he will be interviewed by Secretary of State Bryan and Secretary of the Navy Daniels. Originally, foreign affairs should be handled by the Secretary of State. But considering that Churchill was Secretary of the Navy in the UK, President Woodrow Wilson arranged for Minister Daniels to join in.

Originally, the United States wanted Churchill to take a break and arrange a meeting tomorrow. However, Churchill strongly demanded that the meeting be held immediately. After thinking about it, the United States agreed to his request.

That night, Churchill met with US Secretary of State Bryan and Secretary of the Navy Daniels in a secret room in a hotel in Washington.

After exchanging pleasantries, the conversation of the few people gradually got to the point.

"Your Excellency, you are coming to the United States at this time, which really surprised us. I wonder what the purpose of your visit this time is?" Brian asked directly.

"Your Excellency, Secretary of State, the Royal Navy was defeated by the German Navy a few days ago. We suffered heavy losses. It can be said that we have lost a complete defeat. Under such circumstances, we can no longer compete with Germany." Churchill looked frustrated.

"Minister, we deeply sympathize with what happened to your country. However, the American Republic is a neutral country, and we need to strictly observe neutrality during the war. This position will never change." Bryan directly told Churchill the next The words are blocked to prevent him from inviting the United States to join the war again. The Americans would not be so stupid when the Allied Powers were about to fail.

Before, the British had already invited the United States to join the war. However, at that time, the United States believed that the situation of the war was still unclear, so it declined. Now, the battle situation has become clear, but the Allied Powers are obviously at a disadvantage, and may even lose the war soon. Under such circumstances, of course the Americans will no longer join the Allied Powers to fight, isn't it obvious that they will lose?

After hearing what Brian said, Churchill couldn't help but smiled wryly. The attitude of the Americans is undoubtedly very obvious, that is, they think that Britain will definitely lose the war, so they don't want to be tied to Britain anymore.

In the eyes of Churchill, the United States is nothing but an upstart. If the British Empire was still very strong, Americans would never dare to treat the British Empire with this attitude. But the current British Empire no longer has the strength to make Americans feel scared. All these made Churchill very sad.

"Secretary of State, I came to the United States this time to seek help from the United States. However, we will not force the United States to join the Allies. Of course, if the United States can join the Allies and defeat the evil Germany with us, then naturally Nothing could be better," Churchill said.

"Your Excellency, it is impossible to join the Allied Powers to fight. How does Britain want us to help you?" Secretary of State Bryan said.

"Your Excellency, Secretary of State, the British Empire hopes to purchase a batch of warships from your country." Churchill said.

"Buy a battleship?" Both Brian and Daniels were stunned. When is the time for the British Empire to purchase warships? It's still incredible that they have always looked down on the US Navy warship. Of course, everything is understandable when one thinks that Britain suffered heavy losses in this naval battle just now.

"Your Excellency Churchill, how many warships does your country plan to order? The shipbuilding industry of the Republic of America is definitely at the forefront of the world. Once your country places an order, we can definitely build it for you in the shortest possible time." Minister Daniels was excited.

Brian also nodded with a smile. The arms trade has always been the most profitable. In the past, they could only watch the British make a lot of money in the arms market, but they couldn't get any orders. Unexpectedly, now the British have come to them. As long as the United States can build warships for the United Kingdom, this will undoubtedly be of great help to the improvement of the United States' shipbuilding capabilities. At the same time, it is equivalent to advertising for the United States all over the world. At that time, the U.S. military arms will definitely be able to open up the situation in the international arms market.

However, Churchill shook his head. This made Brian and Minister Daniels a little confused, wondering what the British were going to do.

"Your Excellency Secretary of State, Your Excellency the Minister of the Navy, the British Empire hopes to purchase the twelve capital ships currently in service in your navy!" Churchill said.

"What?" Brian and Daniels were immediately stunned. They never expected that the Americans would make such a request. You know, the U.S. Navy only has these twelve capital ships now! The other warships are nothing more than old pre-dreadnought ships. Actual combat has long proved that the old former dreadnoughts are no match for the new dreadnoughts at all. If the United States sold all twelve capital ships to the United Kingdom, wouldn't the U.S. Navy be emptied all at once? At that time, how can the security of the United States be guaranteed?

Although, there are a number of capital ships under construction in American shipyards. However, the construction of capital ships has always taken time. This is especially true for the United States. Under such circumstances, if they sell their warships to the United Kingdom, it means that they will have no navy to protect their maritime interests for a long time. This is completely unacceptable for the United States.

"Minister of the Navy, unfortunately, we cannot agree to your country's request! The Republic of America also needs a strong navy to protect our interests. If we sell the warship to your country, the security of the United States of America will depend on There is no guarantee. Therefore, we will not agree to your country's request." Secretary of State Bryan refused without thinking.

Are you kidding me? Although the strength of the U.S. Navy is not strong, how could they sell those capital ships? The British are just too whimsical.