Chapter 16: The Insulandia Campaign and the Smith Law.
"The difference between a republic and an empire is the loyalty of one's army"
- Julius Caesar
Prescott tried to take a good photo, but no Indonesian guerrilla wanted to pose for his picture. Although photography had never been his strong suit, since the beginning of the Civil War, he had begun to see photography in a different light. Now, he tried to accompany his weekly columns in the newspaper with some photos. But it was difficult in the jungle—not only because of the development, which was difficult in the open air but also because of how the fighting had been.
Whether Japanese or Indonesian, the enemy hid among the trees, preventing the American soldiers from having a clear view of them. For this reason, the American veterans had become accustomed to shooting at everything that moved. This was not very humanitarian, but the American counterinsurgency doctrine had changed since the Civil War. General Gerow said it clearly: "We have not come to make friends, gentlemen. My objective is to defeat the enemy with the least possible losses. And if that means there must be civilian casualties, then there will be. Your life is worth far more than any of those men. Keep that in mind."
It was certainly unethical. Even ungentlemanly. However, the reality is that the Civil War and this period of reconstruction transformed the American way of waging war, especially counterinsurgency. There were, for example, the syndicalist remnants of the 2nd Continental Army, which often moved along the border between unstable Canada and the unprotected northern border of the United States. Just a week earlier, FBI forces had hunted down several hundred men penetrating the Canadian border. Apparently, their mission was to sabotage and retreat north. However, those hundreds of men were surrounded a few miles from the border and crushed by artillery and aircraft. The few who survived had returned to occupied New England.
In the West, Gus Hall's syndicalist guerrillas continued their fight in Michigan. Although news came in dribs and drabs (due to government censorship), Hall's guerrilla tactics were being fought by federal divisions. William had even heard rumors of the use of lethal gas in some fields in the north. However, Hall's guerrillas were retreating almost intact to Canada, taking advantage of the fact that the Canadian Army was deployed in India. Federal forces were banned from entering Canada. It was logical, although counterproductive. The syndicalists had a base in the north from which to fight.
He would probably write about it in his next column. Due to his prestige and influence, he discovered he was one of the few journalists not censored by the Government Information Office. However, he did not intend to waste that privilege. So, while he would talk about Indonesian guerrilla tactics and how to improve them in the future, he would not relate them to anything that was happening at home.
His Sunday column was no longer in the Washington Herald but in the Times. It had certainly been a change. And for the better. Although William denied it, he was glad to be out of Hearst's shadow, especially now that he was being sidelined. He would always be grateful to him for hiring him, but their paths had long since parted.
To his right, on the other side of that makeshift trench that was that rock, Mike Caulfield fired his Springfield rifle with intermittent curses.
-Where the hell is the artillery? We have to pound their positions if we want to advance.
A veteran, with his cigar in his mouth, answered him while also cursing.
-It seems that reinforcements are on the way. We just have to keep them somewhat busy.
Shortly after, they heard the first engine noises. Soon, half a dozen tanks were firing on the hill. Even crouched on the rock, William could hear the enemy's screams of pain and terror. The tankers must have heard it too and began to advance up the hill. Only 4 tanks made it to the top. The other two had broken down on the way to the top. That chain would have to be checked. The soldiers advanced after the tanks and took the hill. They had finally finished the fight. At least for the moment.
So William took the opportunity to take some photos. But while he was doing so, he realized that there were two types of enemies. On one side were the peasants, armed with rifles and even spears. Many seemed on the verge of starvation. There were many with their backs turned. Running away had not saved their lives. But then there were others. With uniform, and other facial features. And unlike the peasants, they had not run away. Everyone facing forward. Mike approached him.
-You know the order, you can't take a picture of these guys.
-I know. They're all yours.
While William took photos, the American soldiers piled up the Japanese corpses. Afterward, Mike gave a funeral oration and lit a pyre. The orders from above were clear. There was to be no record of combat against Japanese units.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The US Expeditionary Force in Insuland (USFI) arrived on the coast of Insuland on September 24. But as soon as they arrived, they realized that their situation was dire. Not only were the Dutch colonial forces low on morale, but they were also short of supplies. Therefore, von Gerow coordinated with the Dutch General Staff to mount a counterattack. While the few elite Dutch forces mounted a counterattack to capture the northern ports, the USFI would go south to try to take a port in the south of the island. As soon as they arrived, they found themselves attacked by insurgent forces. However, the American forces destroyed them and recaptured several villages before stopping without supplies. Although the American forces could not count on aviation, they did have a strong reinforcement of support armored vehicles. These were prototypes of the vehicles produced by Ford's Armament Program. Although prone to breakage, they prevailed over all enemies they encountered and were vital in attacking enemy entrenched areas.
From the moment the USFI arrived in Indonesia, the Japanese tried to provoke an international incident with the United States that would allow them to send more support to Sunarko's government. To do this, they boarded American supply ships or fired on ships flying a neutral flag. But in Washington, General MacArthur created the "I haven't seen any here" policy. This policy stated that journalists were forbidden to mention any captured or killed Japanese combatants. Their corpses were to be burned and all evidence of their presence destroyed. Thanks to this, the Japanese were unable to involve their government further in the fight. Back on the ground, the situation was becoming desperate. With almost no supplies and much of the local population in rebellion, the situation was slowly getting worse for the USFI. So, finally General Gerow had an idea.
The Sunda Strait is about 24 kilometers (15 miles) long at its narrowest point, separating the island of Java (in the east) from Sumatra (in the west). It was certainly possible to move an army to the other side of the island with naval support. But without it? On the night of 14-15 October, USFI soldiers used boats requisitioned from fishermen to sail in turns to Java. The few Japanese ships in the area spotted them, but thought they were retreating Indonesian rebels. Thus, USFI forces succeeded in taking Batavia on 18 October. This showed the world the torture and destruction carried out by the guerrillas. It also allowed supply ships to supply the USFI. Thanks to this bold move, the USFI had saved the Dutch monarchy from total defeat.
But what could not be saved was the British Raj. On October 23, the British colonial forces of the 3rd and 4th Armies surrendered to the Indian socialist government's promise of leniency. With this, the surviving troops of the Entente found themselves trapped in India. There, Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery entrenched himself in Karachi and ordered all surviving units to retreat to the last safe haven. However, it was to no avail. The Canadian public was fed up with the war and there were demonstrations and riots calling for peace. Finally, a Canadian delegation led by Louis Mountbatten arrived in Calcutta to discuss a peace treaty with the head of the indian opposition, Jawaharlal Nehru.
Louis Mountbatten and Jawaharlal Nehru in a car on their way to Calcutta to lead peace negotiations. Although the two men represented very different ideas, they managed to understand each other and, thanks to this, managed to save thousands of lives.
Although it was difficult to reach an agreement, peace finally came to northern India. On the 29th, the Treaty of Ottawa was signed.
In this, British forces promised to withdraw from the territory in exchange for the release of prisoners and compensation payments for expropriations to landowners. In turn, the Entente promised not to aid the Indian Confederacy in the south and to withdraw all its troops from Karachi within a month. That month, Karachi was in chaos, with tens of thousands of Indian soldiers and officials trying to flee the country in the face of possible repression by the new Indian government in the north. Eventually, more than 100,000 Indians were resettled in Australia and Canada. On November 28, General Montgomery handed over the keys to the city to the totalist commander of the Indian Commune. Now, all socialist armies headed south. A few days later, Indian tanks took the city of Hyderabad. It may have been a matter of time, but India was going to fall into socialist hands. Finally, the Indian Confederacy surrendered on December 19.
Ultimately, this was the end of British influence in India. But the unrest in Canada continued even after the soldiers returned home. In general, the Canadian population was tired of war and hardship. They blamed Edward VIII for the war. Thus, a new political movement was born in Canada: the Democratic Renewal Alliance. This movement was an informal movement led by the veteran ex-Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King and was a coalition between liberals and social democrats, who under Edward's system were out of politics. Basically, the demands of the movement were the withdrawal from New England and Alaska, the breaking of the Entente alliance (which they felt would force Canadians to waste their lives against the International), the removal of the influence of British exiles and the elimination of the undemocratic privileges that Edward VIII had acquired during his reign. Being considered an anti-monarchy movement, the Canadian government began a campaign of repression. In doing so, MI6 realised that part of the movement's funding came from American money. Although they were careful not to spread this information, the King considered it a serious offence against his government. He would not forget it.
Returning to Indonesia, the USFI re-directed itself north to assault Sumatra. There, von Gerow planned Operation Anaconda. It was to begin on December 10. During those months, the soldiers engaged in counterinsurgency and prepared for the attack. Soon, news came from Italy. After months of the Italian Red Army defending itself against the Italian anti-socialist Coalition, the coalition forces were exhausted. This was taken advantage of by the new Italian marshal, Mario Ricci. He coordinated with the high command of the International and launched a powerful offensive before winter set in. In it, Italian mountain troops crossed the Apennines and retook Florence and much of the territory occupied by the Two Sicilies.
It was a debacle for the Coalition, which found itself outnumbered, with its soldiers mutinying and surrendering en masse. In early December, the Most Serene Republic of Venice was cut off from the rest, forced to defend itself behind the Po. But then, Marshal Mario Ricci brought in his reserves, the armoured forces of the Internationale. On 4 December, Rome fell to the Italian forces.
Italian division enters in Rome. It is worth highlighting its helmets, which demonstrate how the weapons of the Third International (in this case the Union of Britain) were vital to rearming the Italian Red Army.
But back in Insulandia, American troops began Operation Anaconda on 10 December. They fought fierce battles in the jungles. Although they did not suffer too many casualties, the need to eliminate guerrilla strongholds slowed progress. However an event to the north ended the war before the USFI could advance further. Reichskanzler Goerdeler was under pressure from hawks in his government, who feared that the Dutch government would eventually align itself completely with the United States. So he ordered General Rommel to finally invade the independent government. The fleet eventually sailed from Singapore and landed on the coast on the 16th.
Although German progress was slow, it was inexorable. Finally, the rebel government fled to Formosa Island and the whole of Insuland surrendered to Dutch rule. Although the situation remained unstable for a long time, the crisis was over..
Returning to the United States, the USFI intervention was followed nationwide through newspapers, radio, and the weekly columns of journalist William J. Prescott. The deployment of troops was generally seen as a positive thing. Many thought that thanks to the intervention, American status abroad had been reestablished. In addition to all this, it served to adapt American military doctrine to counterinsurgency and jungle combat. Therefore, it is time to talk about the American Army and its development in the moments after the Civil War.
The American Army had had more than half a million men during the civil war. Most of the soldiers at the beginning of the conflict had been officers or soldiers before the war. This from the very beginning made the Army lean towards professionalism, rather than militias. Therefore, when the CSA surrendered, all the men in the Federal Army had extensive combat experience. This was taken advantage of by MacArthur and McNair, who prepared the General Mobilization Plan for 1940. The plan established that although it was logical to reduce the Army, it was not advisable. With imperialist Canada to the north and totalist Mexico to the south, MacArthur considered that the Army should continue to strengthen itself. Therefore, although many men returned home, those who did not formed the backbone of the new American Army. Therefore, the General Staff continued to train units and recruits. Many of these, especially the most old, formed part of the reserve, the National Guard. But the rest continued to join the front. In short, the Army continued to receive a large part of state funding.
For the rest of the year, the main debate was about the FBI's jurisdiction. During the Civil War, Edgar Hoover's FBI had been given carte blanche to violate various laws, relying on the old "Alien and Sedition Acts" of 1798. Because it was so old, many vague sections helped the FBI to act as judge, tribunal, and executioner in the reconquered territories. All this added to the influence of the Army, meant that the Executive and the Congress of the United States did not influence the "liberated" areas. Therefore, Alf Landon announced that the 1st and 2nd military districts would rejoin the Union before the next election, the presidential election of 1940. And he also introduced the issue of FBI restrictions in Congress. Soon, Republican Congressman Thomas E. Dewey, leader of the liberal wing, introduced a bill to limit the FBI. All of this was taken by the Army and the FBI as a challenge against them. And so, they put all their influence into paralyzing Landon's reforms. Although reincorporation into the Union was an executive order and therefore irrevocable, Landon's bill to limit the FBI was not an executive order.
Map of the military districts implemented in 1938.
Landon and Dewey were quick to pass the bill through Congress, but they were brutally defeated in the Senate, where both Democrats and conservative Republicans voted against it. No matter how hard Landon tried to convince them, it was impossible. And soon, another bill appeared in Congress: the Smith Act. This law was created by the southern Democrat Howard W. Smith, from Virginia. The law advocated the following points:
- Prohibition of subversive activities, any attempt to advocate the violent overthrow of the United States government or to organize or be a member of groups that promoted such an ideology was penalized. Penalties included up to 20 years in prison and fines of up to $10,000.
- Required registration of foreigners over the age of 14 residing in the United States and obtaining an identification card. This registration was overseen by the Department of Justice.
- Regulated speech and publications: Criminalized the distribution of materials that encouraged violent insurrection or the overthrow of the government.
- Authorized the FBI to serve as the law enforcement arm. Also gave the FBI independence. It no longer depended on Congress or the President.
- The FBI was given a new jurisdiction: external threats outside the United States. However, before acting, it depended on the President.
Ultimately, this law served to continue the power of the FBI, in addition to granting it complete independence from Landon. Once the law was drafted, it still had to be passed by Congress, where moderate and liberal Republicans were almost in the majority. Landon was sure that he could get the law to stop. On December 24, during Christmas Eve dinner, the leader of the liberal wing of the Republican Party, Thomas E. Dewey, received a visit at his home. At his door, General Dwight Eisenhower, the leader of the conservative Republicans, Robert A. Taft, and finally General MacArthur appeared. Although it is not known what they said to him, they managed to convince him in a friendly way to support the Smith Act. With this, the law was soon passed in both Congress and the Senate, although not by much of a majority. And a week later, it was the President's turn to sign it. But Landon refused and vetoed the law. I thought that this strange coalition that had managed to pass the bill would explode if I forced them to vote together. It didn't happen. In a motion in both houses, Congressmen Dewey, Taft, and Smith finally managed to pass the bill over the presidential veto. This not only put him at odds with his own party but was a huge failure for the Landon Administration.
Another huge failure was the news that came from Russia. After the Civil War, Landon sent Douglas "Doug" MacArthur II to Russia as ambassador. Landon, along with others, hoped that the young man's lack of language skills and lack of experience would at least keep quiet. However, Doug did manage to get the "Amtorg Trading Corporation" restored, a highly noteworthy event, as it went against Savinkov's protectionist policies. Thanks to this, the American public did not forget "Young Caesar."
This Russian-American trade alliance was especially important in the wake of the international events that took place in December. After World War I, the Ottoman Empire dominated the Middle East under the rule of vizier Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. However, his assassination in 1937 meant that the Turkish army staged a coup and appointed one of the generals as vizier. This was not well received by the Arab population, who saw their discrimination against the Turks increasing. This feeling was channeled by the King of Egypt, who was the patron of the First Pan-Arab Congress in Cairo. Finally, on February 2, King Farouk I issued an ultimatum, demanding that the Ottoman Empire return the territories of Syria, Palestine, Arabia, and Iraq. Naturally, the Turkish military government refused. The next day, Ottoman aircraft bombed Alexandria. That was the start of the First Arab War, with uprisings throughout the Levant. Iran took advantage of this and declared war on the Ottoman Empire a month later. Now that the oil supply in the East was on fire, the Reichspackt began using American oil. This was good for the American economy.
Then Supreme Court Judge Felix Frankfurter announced that after years of preparation, he was ready to try the leaders of the CSA, the Pacific States and the AUS. The Denver trials were to begin on March 9, 1939.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Happy 2025! Well, we're facing the longest update yet. I wanted to cover in one chapter everything up to the Denver Trials, which will be the main topic of the next chapter. However, it's been too much. So much so that I've had to leave part of the Prescott narrative for the next chapter.
I also wanted to say that I'm aware that I haven't explained yet how the Congress and Senate are working. Considering that half the country is controlled by military districts, it's obvious that it's not the normal number of congressmen and senators. However, I was planning to leave the explanation for when we had to cover the 1940 elections!
That will probably change at some point, as Landon's reluctance to support MacArthur's foreign policy will get on the American Caesar's nerves...
It may be... we'll see later.
This is a very fair point and it’s helpful you have made it clear. Whether it is achievable is, of course, still in the lap of the gods.
When I started writing this AAR, I knew I wanted to do things differently. I know it's "possible" for MacArthur to be a dictator. But I didn't like the idea at all.
Although an ARR about a divided America in a Third Civil War like in Atomic Crown would be amazing... There's still a lot to see in this AAR. There's a long way to go before I can think about the next ones.
Hoover the FBI guy is a dangerous man. I wonder when or if someone will move against him, as the threat to democracy he is.
It seems that Landon has tried. But it didn't help at all
How ironic that Hearst gets investigated and discredited after trying that same tactic against Frankfurter.
I don't think the young Doug will enjoy his posting very much. He'll want something closer to government.
This shadow clique has a hard task ahead of them. They'll need to be very careful with how they do things.
Yes, Hearst deserved it. Moreover, he did not count on this alliance in the shadows of Eisenhower, Hoover and Frankfurt. We will talk about it without revealing too much when we see the Denver trials. Obviously Doug will want to come back, although he seems to be doing pretty well in Russia so far. No doubt! If they are not careful, it can all end badly. But they are a great power behind the scenes. We'll talk about them later.
Thanks for the latest chapter. It seems U.S. attempts to heal after this civil war and restore a form of democracy will take some time. Democracy is weak when it is the federal police (secret police?) and the military that are the true powers.
Well, that seems to be the case. Although the influence of the Army and the FBI will become clearer when we watch the trials.
I agree with your philosophy that you want to avoid another civil war. Given the shape of the U.S., how could it have tried to stop the hostilities elsewhere in the hemisphere?
Well, I think the United States is still the great power in America, perhaps excepting Canada. And the intervention in Asia proves one thing: America is still there. Let's not forget that MacArthur is the opposite of isolationism. No doubt, if he has another chance to intervene in another country, he will do so. (In the near future, America is going to use the Monroe Doctrine A LOT.)
It will be interesting to see what the U.S. expeditionary force will do in the Pacific. Seems too small to make a difference but we will see.
I have summarized a bit, but I was quite overwhelmed at the beginning. Although my troops were far superior, they consumed a lot of supplies. So much so that I was on the verge of losing both units. But suddenly I realized that the passage to Batavia was open and I crossed it praying. Thank God, there was not a single unit. Otherwise, the USFI would have died.
