A few more chapters this evening. Cracking stuff. You'll have to forgive my whimsical comments on three-year-old tidbits, but there is much to enjoy!
Lord El Pip is asked to personally deliver a box of Coronas to Sir Winston in appreciation of his bold remarks and to indicate the esteem with which the Turkish Government regards him, with PM Inönü’s personal best wishes.
Things which have not aged well: Pip being dispatched to go and give Churchill corona…
30 Nov 38
Classified Report: Germany. Nazi leaders were instructed to have flowers held by onlookers confiscated by security wherever Hitler's motorcade was about to pass through. The Nazis had been trying unsuccessfully for years to discourage the practice of throwing flowers at Hitler because it was feared that an assassin could throw a bouquet containing a bomb. If only!
If only indeed. Hitler being killed by a flower bomb would be beautiful indeed. Maybe we can work this into the infamous Hindenburg crash mass Nazi death AAR prompt?
There were a number of empty seats at the function because the Germans boycotted after seeing an advance copy of the speech, which included a passage criticizing the German press for its tone and for rarely showing “any sign of a desire to understand our point of view.”
It seems peak Chamberlain to be complaining of all things about Germany "not understanding our point of view". Mind you, the fact that he is giving them a bit of. bruising (even if only in the 'marketplace of ideas') is at least
something.
Coming Up: How long can Atatürk last? [Ed. his powers of survival have exceeded those in OTL, when he died on 10 Nov 38.] It must be the tonic of large doses of Glory that have allowed him to keep going on.
Glory hallelujah!
News Report: Paris, France. British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain and his foreign minister Ernest Bevin [Lord Halifax in OTL] meet with their French counterparts Albert Sarraut [Édouard Daladier in OTL] and Leon Blum [Georges Bonnet in OTL] in Paris. Britain agreed to stand with France in rejecting any Italian territorial demands made upon French colonial possessions.
Bevin in the Chamberlain government is curious indeed, though he
was about as far right as Labour went (for the time) and a nasty anti-Semite to boot. But he was a also staunch anti-appeaser, so one wonders why he has replaced Halifax. If Churchill were in I could understand the appointment, with the corollary perhaps that Anthony Eden would presumably be dead somewhere and thus unable to answer the call to service.
Meanwhile, Persephonee is ready with her new design for the flag of the Union of Glorious National Republics. She runs it up the flagpole for Calistar:
A lovely flag indeed (I haven't quoted the image in case it goes blank again). Reminds me a little of
the Valais canton flag in Switzerland, which niche though it may be I've had a liking for ever since I picked up a mini version of it on holiday many many years ago.
Chamberlain and Mussolini end their face-to-face talks with nothing concrete accomplished. Chamberlain (always the naïve optimist) is heartened by the loud cheers he receives from Italians during his visit.
Loud cheers and parading by the Fascisti do historically have a good affect on Tories, so Benito has done well getting a cheer or two for Nev. Churchill, too, was quite impressed by Mussolini's theatrics. As he wrote to Clemmie in 1927,
"This country [Italy] gives the impression of discipline, order, goodwill, smiling faces. A happy strict school... The Fascists have been saluting in their impressive manner all over the place."
