Republic of China: Ace Pilot

Chapter 178, Section 177: Procurement of Eavesdropping Equipment and Mitsubishi's European Fighter Jet Purchase

On August 19, 1933, the North American trip ended, and the plane took off from Las Vegas and flew to New York.

After a final rest in New York, it will cross the 6000-kilometer Atlantic Ocean to return to Europe.

On this return voyage, Fang Wen was more cautious, and he planned to consult with American meteorological experts to understand the marine climate situation.

These kinds of experts don't exist in New York, but rather at the National Weather Service in Maryland.

After consulting with the authorities about the latest marine weather conditions over the phone, Fang Wen decided to depart at 6 a.m. on August 21.

In other words, I will be spending two days in New York on the 19th and 20th.

While they waited, Indiana asked, "Don't you two bring anything home from America?"

Men from all countries bring gifts home after a long journey, and Indiana brought some back from Europe this time.

His reminder made Fang Wen realize his mistake.

Yes, after being away for more than two months, it won't do to come home empty-handed.

I need to prepare gifts for my wife, gifts for the Taishan Airlines team, and gifts for my classmates and business partners.

In China, etiquette is essential, and it's even more important than in the United States.

He looked at Lin Shuiwang: "Aren't you going to buy some things to take back to China too?"

Lin Shuiwang nodded: "Yes, when my mother and I went back to China, we brought back some European specialties for our relatives, and adding some American ones would be nice too."

Therefore, the three of them used this day or so to find some interesting and meaningful gifts to bring back to New York.

As a local, Indiana became the tour guide.

The three strolled along Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, where there were still many shops even during the Great Depression.

Surprisingly, the most numerous were tobacco shops.

The streets are lined with both small vendors selling cigars, tobacco, and cigarettes, as well as dedicated stores.

Many men and women on the street were smoking without a care in the world.

Considering that my company, Taishan Airlines, also has a cigarette business, bringing back some of this local specialty would be a good idea.

If you're going to bring anything, bring the most distinctive cigars.

He was led by Indiana to a Cuban cigar shop.

They offer on-site cigar making and sales there.

"How should we choose?" Fang Wen asked.

The salesperson explained, "We have different grades of pre-processed tobacco leaves. You can choose according to your preference and then have them prepared on-site."

Fang Wen didn't have this preference, nor did Lin Shuiwang and Indiana. He asked the salesperson how much the best tobacco leaves plus the production cost would be.
The other party replied that it was $2 each, $0.5 for medium-sized ones, and 20 cents for cheap ones.

The price is acceptable. Cuban cigars were introduced to the Middle East a hundred years ago and are a popular luxury item for men worldwide.

Fang Wen then inquired about the packaging and learned that there were boxes containing two or five sticks, and the packaging was exquisite.

This perfectly met his requirements, so he immediately ordered 1000 sticks, which were then made into 80 five-stick gift boxes and 300 two-stick gift boxes.

In addition, each gift box must be printed with the English words "Mount Taishan".

Bringing this back would make it a presentable gift, suitable for social occasions, or for events.

The cigar shop hadn't had this much business in a long time, and they were bustling with activity.

They asked for a $100 deposit, agreed to deliver the cigars on the afternoon of the 20th, and let Fang Wen tour the cigar-making process.

Fang Wen and his two companions then went to the tobacco-making room.

The workers first took out the special tobacco blanks used for Cuban cigars.

This is the core of cigar flavor; each cigar brand has a different recipe, which is made by blending several types of tobacco leaves.

After workers use special techniques to make several kinds of tobacco leaves into a tight and non-loose tobacco embryo, they wrap the tobacco embryo with a tobacco cover and a tobacco liner, and then glue it together with non-toxic glue.

These cigars need to be air-dried for at least a day before they can be shipped.

After watching the cigar making process, Fang Wen and his two companions left the cigar shop to continue buying local specialties.

Among the many items, Fang Wen took a liking to one more.

Two years ago, RCA produced a vinyl record called LongPlay, which means a vinyl record that can record more content.

In the days before television and the internet, phonographs and vinyl records were popular devices besides radio.

Fang Wen plans to buy a batch of high-quality blank vinyl records.

After making the purchase, he suddenly thought of another thing related to sound.

Listening device.

The Japanese are rampant in Shanghai now, and they have also planted many intelligence agencies there.

Fang Wen believed he needed eavesdropping technology. If he mastered this technology, he could use it to monitor the movements of Japanese intelligence agencies in Shanghai, thereby gaining more advantages.

He then spoke quietly to Indiana.

"Do you have any way to get me a batch of eavesdropping devices?"

"What kind do you want?" Indiana asked, as he did indeed have connections in that area.

Fang Wen was also unaware of this, so he simply asked Indiana to explain the existing listening equipment.

According to Indiana's introduction.

The FBI already possesses very advanced wiretapping equipment.

There are two types.

One type is a wired recording eavesdropping device.

It requires burying concealed wires in the wall, connecting a small external receiver, and setting up a recording and eavesdropping room in a nearby room.

This technology is clumsy and impractical.

It's impossible to rent a house near Japanese intelligence agencies and then plant a mole to infiltrate Japan.

Aside from having the eavesdropping devices installed during the initial renovation, Fang Wen couldn't think of any other way to use them.

The second method is wiretapping.

This involves adding a branch line to the copper wires of the telephone. When the other party answers the call, the conversation can be eavesdropped on through the branch line.

This method is also unreliable.

Similarly, it is necessary to secretly install wiretapping telephone lines in the presence of Japanese intelligence agencies, and to ensure that the telephone line splitters are not detected.

Fang Wen finally understood that current eavesdropping technology was still too primitive, and only the side with the home advantage could set up eavesdropping devices.

Those who operate in the shadows, ironically, lack eavesdropping capabilities.

Perhaps this is a direction to consider, reminding Indiana so he can be prepared, and maybe he can use this as a stepping stone to get promoted in the future.

He continued his conversation with Indiana.

Is there a special wireless eavesdropping device that can eavesdrop without wires?

Indiana was astonished; the amazing Eastern pilot had come up with a new idea.

He wasn't sure if the technology could be developed, but he knew the FBI definitely needed such a device.

"Chief Hoover would definitely like this kind of thing."

"Hoover, wasn't he the previous president? How did he become the FBI director?"

Fang Wen was surprised; he didn't really understand the political landscape in the United States.

Indiana explained, "The president was Herbert Clark Hoover, and the director was John Edgar Hoover. Relatively speaking, I would have preferred the latter to be president, after all, he had served as director of the Bureau of Investigation for ten years and did a very good job."

Listening to Indiana's words, Fang Wen remained noncommittal. An FBI director who could serve for ten years must be a very complex person.

But such a person would certainly be very interested in wiretapping, because wiretapping technology would give him more leverage. He offered Indiana advice from the perspective of someone from the future who viewed the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

"The FBI's primary function is investigation, which involves discreetly gathering information about the individuals being investigated without alerting them. If you possess superior investigative techniques, your position within the FBI will become very secure, and you will gain greater respect."

Indiana listened to Fang Wen's words thoughtfully.

Lacking wireless eavesdropping methods, Fang Wen still managed to get wired eavesdropping devices and telephone eavesdropping devices from Indiana.

Perhaps it will come in handy in the future.

In addition, I bought some whiskey and chocolates as gifts.

On August 22, D.332 took off from New York Airport and returned along the same route it had taken.

The journey was blessed with favorable weather and no sea storms. It took 20 hours to reach Toulouse, Europe.

Due to the 6-hour time difference, we arrived in Europe at 8 a.m.

D.332 landed smoothly on the runway at Devatina Airport.

Emir de Vatina warmly welcomed them with a delegation of journalists.

The interview mainly focused on his experience traveling between the Atlantic and the Atlantic. Fang Wen gave a few brief answers and then left the rest to Lin Shuiwang.

He was talking to Emir de Vatina on the side.

"Has TWA Airlines contacted you?"

"I've contacted them. Are you sure you want to transfer the order for two D.332s to them?"

"Confirmed, but the delivery time for the other three aircraft remains unchanged, and the terms for the five engineers you provided will also remain unchanged."

Fang Wen emphasized that once they returned, the Asia-Europe route needed to be prepared for operation, and the three D.332s had to be produced as soon as possible.

Emil de Vatina said there was no problem, as they had been working overtime for the past three months and the frames for two of the aircraft had already been completed.

Fang Wen and he went to the production hangar to take a look, and indeed, the metal frames of two D.332s had been completed.

Now there's another problem: if I'm flying back in my D.332, how am I going to bring back the Boeing 247 that flew in from Asia?
Fang Wen, who was just thinking about how to solve the potential transportation capacity problem in China, discussed it with Emil de Vatina.

"My company has some minor issues with air freight capacity."

"what do you want?"

"Experienced pilots, for Asia-Europe flights, and passenger planes with a range of over 700 kilometers."

“The pilot position is easy. I’ve heard that the government is planning to merge five airlines into Air France, and many overlapping routes will be canceled. A number of pilots have already been laid off. You can recruit them.”

Emil de Vatina gave some great news.

The establishment of Air France gave Fang Wen the opportunity to recruit experienced pilots.

These individuals can contribute to the development of Asia-Europe flights, enabling the launch of such flights before Taishan Airlines trains its own pilots.

Fang Wen wants to go to Paris immediately to recruit people.

But Emil de Vatina hadn't finished speaking.

"Regarding aircraft, I have some information that might be useful to you: Mitsubishi Corporation of Japan is preparing to purchase the design blueprints for the Junkers G.38."

It seems that Mildwatina was aware of the war between Japan and China, which is why she reminded him.

Fang Wen expressed his gratitude and pondered the matter.

The Junkers G.38 is the world's largest passenger plane that Fang Wen flew on in Germany.

It's even a bit bigger than the F.220.

Fang Wen had asked the crew members if this kind of aircraft was for sale, and the crew members proudly replied that it would never be sold to outsiders.

But now, they're actually going to sell the design drawings to Mitsubishi.

What will Mitsubishi do with it?
Of course, it wasn't about producing passenger planes, but rather converting them into strategic bombers.

(Junkers G.38)

(Japanese secret strategic bomber: Ki-20, also known as the Type 92 heavy bomber)

But is this kind of strategic bomber useful?
Fang Wen, who piloted an F-220 and bombed the Japanese army, is the most qualified to speak on this matter.

He compared the data of the Junkers G.38 and envisioned what strategic bombing opportunities would be possible with such an aircraft.

It might be a very bulky strategic bomber.

The speed won't be fast: a little over 200 kilometers per hour.

Its weight will definitely exceed 10 tons, or even 15 tons.

Its payload capacity may be slightly higher than that of the F.220, estimated at around 10 tons.

It seems that the Japanese became more focused on strategic bombers after the Great Wall was bombed during the War of Resistance against Japan.

In Europe or the United States, they probably wouldn't care about such a bulky heavy bomber.

However, given China's weak air combat and air defense capabilities, such heavy bombers could potentially cause huge casualties, leading to chaos in the battle.

Based on his own experience, Fang Wen judged that this kind of heavy bomber was still very threatening on the Chinese battlefield.

Although he didn't know if he could stop the deal, Fang Wen still wanted to give it a try.

Saying goodbye to Emir de Vatina.

Fang Wen and Lin Shuiwang flew a Boeing 247 to Paris.

Upon landing in Paris, I immediately got busy.

First, the four people in Paris were notified: Cheng Dayou, Bai Zeshan, Gu Xingzuo, and Dai Shimao.

Gu Xingzuo and Dai Shimao were waiting at their relatives' house in Paris. They just needed to be notified to board the plane as soon as it returned.

Fang Wen talked with Cheng Dayou and Bai Zeshan to learn about their situations.

Cheng Dayou, who was studying at the aviation school, has already completed his coursework.

After more than two months of study, he has mastered basic French communication skills and a great deal of knowledge about aviation services, making him an excellent flight attendant manager and educator for Asia-Europe flights.

As for Bai Zeshan, who is studying at the French Polytechnic, Fang Wen felt that he might not be able to learn much in just over two months, since radio technology is not something that can be fully mastered.

He suggested, "Bai Zeshan, you can stay in Paris. Once the Asia-Europe route opens, you can take a flight back anytime. The company can also give you a monthly training allowance for your studies and living expenses."

Bai Zeshan looked ashamed: "General Manager, in the past two months, I have made no progress other than studying, and your logic circuit theory has made no progress at all."

Computer technology isn't something that can be easily developed.

Fang Wen didn't even believe that Bai Zeshan could have done it alone, after all, it was an achievement that required a large number of scientists from the United States to come together.

He simply wanted to give a new life to a radio technology talent who was not originally recorded in history.

But seeing Bai Zeshan's seriousness, he couldn't help but think, why not give him a simpler task so that he wouldn't be under so much pressure?

Therefore, Fang Wen spoke up: "You can't do logic circuits by yourself, so put them aside for now. I have a new problem, let's see if you can solve it."

"Please speak, General Manager."

"I want to know if there is any way for me to hear sounds from afar without any contact."

He was asking about wireless eavesdropping, thinking it might be related to Bai Zeshan's expertise in radio engineering.

Bai Zeshan didn't quite understand this issue at first.

With Fang Wen's further explanation, he understood.

Bai Zeshan really does have a good idea.

He analyzed, "General Manager, this is what I'm thinking: isn't this just a radio station? If we only make a radio wave converter and transmitter, and then use a receiver and receiver, we can achieve wireless eavesdropping."

Fang Wen was stunned; it seemed to be based on a similar principle.

The problem is that radio hosts use a lot of equipment to convert sound into electricity and transmit it. If these devices are placed in the room where they are to be eavesdropped on, can they be made invisible?
(End of this chapter)