Secret Society #7: Clashing with Wilson and Forging the Vatican Pact
Secret Society #7. I'd gone to London, thrown down with Wilson a bit, and come back. All because that bastard was against the mandate system. Wilson wanted to carve up Indochina and let it self-determine, but I shot that down, saying it'd just become another colony. Peace is nice, right? With opposition piling on opposition, the talks just spun in circles. But in the end, Wilson accepted my—well, Korea's—mandate plan on the condition that there'd be no mandate over Korea itself. Everyone else besides America had already signed on anyway, and both Wilson and I were sort of WWE pros. We had to tag-team a big move later, so if our chemistry was off from the start, we'd both be in trouble. Who knew what accidents might happen? Whatever with Wilson, I wanted Indonesia to be Greater Indonesia as much as possible, and ideally Indochina to be Greater Indochina too. That way, the balance would hold. A rough power equilibrium was key to stabilizing the Malacca Strait. Otherwise, pirates would swarm as usual. To Korea, Southeast Asia's straits were as vital as Arab oil.
"Your Excellency, aren't we building the oil storage tanks a bit too big?"
"We need reserves that can hold out for at least three years, even if Korea faces an oil embargo."
"Three years of embargo and the country wouldn't be ruined?"
Yeah, kinda. In my past life, some folks yammered that if Korea got blockaded and its food imports cut off, it'd be a disaster, preaching food security. But after ruling a bit, food security seemed like bullshit compared to energy security. Food security was just a political issue, not a national one. Japan didn't launch its Southern Operation for bananas—they went for oil. Soon enough, Arab fruits would grace Korean tables. If you had to nitpick, food security was just a side effect when energy security—oil security—failed. You could freeze food, powder it, store it for ten years easy. So Korea's tables overflowing with imports? No threat to national survival. America did it, and Korea would too. We're an industrial nation now. Oil is what matters.
"Offshore drilling— is that really promising? It looks too risky and technically tough."
Well, if you can't secure oil, you can't be a hegemon. I don't plan to be one, but not being able to and choosing not to are worlds apart. Like not firing nukes versus not having them. America's massive nuclear arsenal is obvious.
"Right now, with oil at about a dollar a barrel, even if we succeed in sticking it in the sea, it's pointless. All loss. And if my plans go through, oil prices won't rise much anyway."
But.
"That doesn't mean we hand our weakness to others on a platter."
Above all, Germany was already choking under Soviet oil leverage. And among the world's oil fields, the only spots beyond great powers' reach or colonial locals' influence were ocean platforms. Duh, it's the sea. Oil or gas deep inland? Hard to develop for the same reason. Distant countries pour money into resource diplomacy, but it never pans out—the locals siphon it off. How much oil is there? Secondary issue. First, plant the rigs where I can reach. That's why I don't drill deep in Arabia either. Puppeteers like Britain can, but liberator Korea? Nah. Korea usually picks retreat—nicely put—from locals. World's harsh; hate seeing blood.
The problem? Ocean platforms are a massive challenge. Even top tech nations like America and Britain struggle. Industry insiders say they're researching how to plant them deep offshore. Same as Korea. Like my Manchuria oil project, full of tech hurdles. Flip side: perfect timing for Korea to be first. We've salvaged treasure ships ages ago, drilled frozen Manchurian wastes. Synergy? Definitely. With money, will, and accumulated tech, why not? Low oil prices kill profitability? Nah, low prices boom Korea's economy. If prices spike for some reason, platforms shine. I saw it as insurance. Extreme risk aversion. Look at the West bleeding from Middle East wars jacking up prices—essential.
With Britain, Arthur Balfour, and Rothschilds insisting on Israel despite my persuasion, even more so. World’s full of shadowy forces. Freemasons. Communists. Jews. Bill Gates. Plenty. But incomparable, the real-deal global puppetmaster: the Catholics. Aka Vatican. History proves it. America and Britain, tangled in stakeholders, move slow. Vatican's god-pope-believer hierarchy? A monolithic terror. Every bad Vatican rumor sinks into darkness. Why? Who knows. Probably never will. Better that way.
And that's why atheist powerhouse Korea allied with the Vatican. Protestant West eyes it warily, but not Korea. We let them missionary in Korea and our sphere—like allowing Buddhist alms rounds. Persecuting shepherds? Persecuting the Supreme Leader who permitted them. If they spy for their gain in Korea? Fine. Pursuing self-interest means bending to Korean influence. Religion can't gain traction here anyway. True community provides religion's embrace and solidarity. Lower church thresholds all you want; can't beat no real church. With nationalism and war sidelining Vatican now, Korea never ignored it. World's chaos boosts zealots, right?
And with this Israel mess—not Jerusalem, but lower Israel—Korea forged an alliance beyond mere joint ventures. We'd aid North African missions; Vatican boot Israel from Arab lands. Korea frothed that Israel was a Middle East time bomb; Vatican agreed. They never liked Jews anyway. Thus, believer and atheist aided each other in secret. Korea sowed doubt in North African Muslims' faith. Vatican blocked Israel's Palestine plant full-force. Anglican Britain's okay? Irrelevant. Catholic Vatican nixes Jewish state in Palestine. Especially if eyeing the Temple. France guarantees Jerusalem independence if Israel covets it; Britain's Israel drags due to this.
'War's not even over—why honor Israel promises now?'
'?'
Every reason, every channel: persuasion, pressure. France vows no Israel Jerusalem grab. Obvious sources.
"Those damn old church bastards!"
Jews' financial muscle? Useless against Vatican, out of lockdown early. Italy and Mussolini yielded to Vatican sooner; that's world affairs. Jews frothed protests at Britain. Promises broken! Jerusalem's a nation, unveiled. But Israel? Booted from Palestine, no full recognition. Head of state installed, but internationally? Not a state. Britain dodges: post-war. Jews knew: Britain's recalculating. No leaving it be.