America: My Time

Chapter 1016 The Insidious Enemy

Chapter 1006 The Insidious Enemy

John's attitude at the White House New Year's party conveyed a lot, and different people had different feelings. Throughout the party, John only exchanged a few words with the president when he approached him, and then ignored him completely, showing him no respect. On the contrary, John was having a great time talking with the elephants, which made the donkeys furious and grit their teeth.

Cutting off someone's livelihood is like killing their parents; it's an irreconcilable hatred. When Donkey completely sided with the oil capital and Rockefeller, their relationship with John became hostile. Their attempt to force John to compromise with their numerous 'plans' was simply wishful thinking.

John's reaction did indeed shock many people, but what shocked them the most was the reaction of John's family. His parents didn't seem to care at all, Old Martin was also calm, and the rest of the family didn't react at all. This was what made people feel abnormal. After all, Old Martin was a member of the Donkeys. If even he was so calm, it showed how big the problem was. If they weren't careful, the Donkeys could lose even more votes.

Just as John and the others were about to leave, the White House guys made their move. The military extended invitations to John and other heads of defense companies, hoping they could sit down and discuss the development of the US defense industry. This was a show of force, but John wasn't angry at the invitation; everything was under control. However, they were given two days to prepare.

"This is too arrogant! Is this some kind of show of force against us? Do they really think we're easy to mess with? They're not giving us any face at all, actually inviting us to the White House New Year's Eve party. Donkey is too arrogant!" After receiving the invitation, not everyone had the same mindset as John; most people felt immense pressure.

"Two days? Is this how you give us time to negotiate? If that's the case, then let's have a fair and square discussion. Let's sit down and talk properly. We can't let these guys get too arrogant. We've also invited Morgan and Rockefeller. I'd like to know if Rockefeller can ignore all of this, or if they've received benefits from the military!"

It has to be said that Zipperton's move directly provoked Boeing's anger. They could not accept such a thing. No matter how many ideas you have, you can't do things so excessively. At least give everyone some time to prepare, instead of doing this directly without giving them any time to prepare!

“John, I believe you have also received an invitation from the military. It seems the worst is about to happen. Boeing has invited us to sit down and talk tomorrow. I originally thought I wouldn’t have to worry too much about the development of our military enterprises, but now General Dynamics has also become a target, and I have no choice but to get involved. Even Rockefeller has been invited!” Morgan didn’t hide anything and said everything directly.

"Isn't this normal? Rockefeller is different from us. They have a good working relationship with Donkey. Martin and McDonnell Douglas might not be affected. After all, they were prepared in advance. It's only us guys who don't know when to back down who will suffer. Of course, it's also possible that Rockefeller has already made arrangements, and Boeing might just be a stooge!"

John's words made Morgan's gaze sharpen. He wasn't stupid and naturally understood John's intention. Don't be fooled by Boeing's anger; it doesn't necessarily mean it's genuine. After all, in business competition, any means are acceptable, and playing a double agent game isn't out of the question.

“That’s true. Anything can happen in this situation. We can just deal with whatever comes our way. If these guys are prepared or even colluded, we don’t need to pay them any attention!” Morgan nodded thoughtfully, a hint of wariness in his eyes—warness towards Boeing and wariness towards the First Citibank consortium!
What started as an internal negotiation among military-industrial enterprises turned into a far cry from the reality. While Boeing appeared to be relentlessly questioning Rockefeller, their arguments lacked any real impact and yielded no tangible results. This opening filled John and Morgan with a cold, cynical smile. Had John not reminded them, Morgan might never have suspected that Rockefeller had reached an agreement with First Citibank. However, this cooperation had little impact on Morgan, as they had already made a deal with John; they had sold Grumman to him, and now Gulfstream Aerospace was the leading military-industrial conglomerate in the United States.

Nobody's a fool. Seeing this, they naturally parted on bad terms. The so-called alliance of military enterprises instantly became a joke. At this point, everyone understood that it was all a scheme by Rockefeller and First Citibank, and even Donkey and Oil Capital were involved. There were shady deals behind it all!
If it weren't for the collaboration and scheming between First Citibank and Rockefeller, and if everyone could genuinely sit down together to discuss countermeasures, even the military and the White House would have to carefully consider their opinions. But now the situation is completely different. There's a mole within the military-industrial complex, which makes things complicated. Even if they really want to retaliate, they don't have the time; their precious time has already been wasted.

Just as John had predicted, when he returned to the White House and faced the military, White House personnel, and the schemes of Rockefeller and First Citibank, a hint of mockery appeared on everyone's faces. Clearly, the numerous military-industrial enterprises that had been outmaneuvered were extremely angry.

"Gentlemen, we have no choice. The United States' economy is already facing significant problems. Continuing to invest in military research and development would only plunge the US into difficulties. Therefore, we had to make this decision. Moreover, the Russians have already fallen, and we no longer need to maintain such high military spending! So the White House and the military hope that you can prepare yourselves and make adjustments to cope with the upcoming changes!"

When the White House spoke, John sneered disdainfully, "This is the decision made by the White House and the military. The Russians have indeed fallen, but that doesn't mean that investment in military industries should be reduced. Moreover, I cannot agree with your argument. The military forcibly shut down our production lines before, and now they want to cut even more projects. Can I assume that you want to sever the research and development capabilities of the US military industry and destroy the US manufacturing industry? Without military orders, the entire US manufacturing industry will be affected. Can your so-called high technology compensate for the consequences of the destruction of the manufacturing industry? Furthermore, our military exports have also been restricted. Isn't this clearly forcing us to cut off so much research and development? It's clearly forcing us all to give up our investment in the military industry. This result will directly create a break in the US military research and development. You are undermining the foundation of the US. US hegemony is built on a strong military."

What a huge accusation! No one expected John to accuse the White House and the military so blatantly. If this accusation is proven true, they'll be in big trouble. A faint hint of mockery appeared on the faces of many of the military industry leaders present, a mockery of the White House and the military.

“Mr. John, you’re wrong to say that. Are you suggesting we continue to invest in the military industry? Don’t you understand how much this will affect the US economy? We have no rivals left. Russia has fallen. You all know how difficult the situation is for Russia and Russia II. Under these circumstances, you still want us to invest more funds in military research and development. Isn’t that going too far? And it’s also damaging the US economy.”

"Heh, high technology is the way out for the US economy, and manufacturing is the abyss for the US. That's your idea, that's your view of our military-industrial enterprises and the US manufacturing industry. If we follow your thinking, the US will fall into a huge disaster, become hollowed out, and without military orders, the entire US manufacturing industry will accelerate its outflow. In this case, in less than twenty years, the US will be in a disaster. At that time, the US will need to bring manufacturing back, but it will be too late. You have cut off all hope for the return of US manufacturing! Even at that time, military-industrial enterprises will also fall into difficulties because research and development has already broken down!"

“Mr. John, you’re wrong. We still have high technology and the financial industry. Moreover, the automobile and steel industries will not be affected and will receive strong support. Your statement is simply not true. Compared with traditional manufacturing, high technology is more cost-effective. Furthermore, if we don’t reduce investment in the military industry, how can we have enough funds to complete the transformation to high technology?”

"I can't argue with you, but in my opinion, your decision is too reckless. You're severing the foundation of the United States. High technology is good, but are you sure it won't backfire? Are you sure that investing in high technology will make the United States stronger? Are you sure that Russia won't rise again? You should know how powerful Russia's military industry is. When that day comes, it will be difficult to revive the military industry. Restarting those cut projects will be extremely difficult. In short, I don't agree with your argument. If you insist on doing this, I reserve my opinion!"

(End of this chapter)