Professor Weinberg's "death" gave the U.S. Consulate an excellent excuse.
At first, the Americans were not willing to have a head-on conflict with the Japanese government. However, the U.S. government also clearly saw that it was only a matter of time before its country would be involved in the war.
President Roosevelt said to his cronies:
"There is a very serious situation for the nation, and a declaration of war will most likely happen tomorrow morning."
Once the United States is involved in the war, the Japanese-German alliance will be the target of their declaration of war.
In Shanghai, the U.S. Consulate has always maintained "cautious neutrality."
In fact, the attitude of the United States has undergone a major turning point.
Assistance to the Chongqing National Government has also quietly begun.
In February 1939 and March 1940, Hu Shi and Chen Guangfu actively negotiated with the United States respectively and obtained two loans of US$25 million and US$20 million for China. China used the sale of tung oil and tin mines as collateral, which was known as the "tung oil loan" and "tung oil loan" in history. "Dianxi Model".
Following the "Tung Oil Loan", the United States loaned another 100 million yuan to Huaxin, including a $50 million metal loan and a $50 million stabilization fund loan.
What is even more exciting is that in July 1940, the United States completely banned the export of scrap steel to Japan, and the embargo against Japan was extended to all weapons and ammunition, military equipment, aircraft parts, optical instruments, metal processing machinery, and various strategic materials;
In December, U.S. President Roosevelt approved the expansion of the embargo against Japan, which included brass and pure copper that Japan urgently needed to manufacture arms.
This greatly enhanced the confidence and morale of the Chinese government, military and civilians who were at the most critical juncture of the War of Resistance.
The incident of Professor Weinberg being “tortured to death” quickly attracted great attention from the U.S. Consulate.
The Consul General of the U.S. Consulate, Don Bonanno, immediately notified the Japanese Consulate General in Shanghai.
But immediately, the Japanese side denied that Professor Weinberg’s death had any connection with Japan.
The U.S. Consulate immediately presented the evidence.
This evidence includes a large number of photos and the confession of Agent 76.
In the confession, Guan Yue clearly admitted that the kidnapping and killing of Professor Weinberg were all initiated by the Japanese side.
The Japanese side continued to deny it and said that all this was planned long ago and was framed against Japan.
The United States and Japan began a long game over the death of Professor Weinberg.
An American is dead.
Well, actually it’s a small thing.
But you can turn it into something big.
For example, the successive embargoes have long caused the Japanese government to continuously lodge protests.
However, President Roosevelt was prepared to extend the embargo again.
Shanghai gave the United States the best excuse.
The U.S. government has long been considering an oil embargo on Japan, and now the opportunity has arrived.
Not only the embargo, a larger plan is taking shape:
ABCD surrounds the network!
The so-called ABCD encirclement network refers to the encirclement network formed by the United States (America), the United Kingdom (Britain), China (China) and the Netherlands (Dutch) against Japan.
Even more radical is the British government.
They plan to put forward three conditions to Japan:
Japanese troops withdrew from mainland China, abolished the Triple Alliance of Japan, Germany and Italy, and did not recognize Chinese political power other than the Chongqing National Government.
However, after careful consideration, President Roosevelt believed that these three conditions would seriously irritate the Japanese government and make the situation develop irreversibly. Therefore, he suggested that the British side not propose these three conditions for the time being.
Just because you don’t raise it yet doesn’t mean it will never be raised.
Because the Americans are also preparing a memorandum with similar content.
The attitudes of Britain and the United States are rapidly tilting towards the National Government. This is an excellent shot in the arm for China, which is in trouble!
Meng Shaoyuan threw out the chess piece of Professor Weinberg at the most critical juncture, giving the United States an overwhelming say.
No one cares how Professor Weinberg died, by whose hands he died, or even whether the professor really died.
All they care about is this excuse.
Excuses have always been Japanese favorites.
From Northeast to Beiping, from Beiping to Shanghai.
Now, it's the Americans' turn to play.
On Christmas Eve 1940, a man was secretly taken into the consulate by a U.S. consulate car.
Meng Shaoyuan!
He's not here for Christmas Eve.
He held a three-hour confidential conversation with the Consul General Don Bonanno.
No one except the highest level knows the specific content of this meeting.
There is no written record.
But many years later, some content about this meeting still appeared in Bonanou's memoirs:
"The Chinese predicted very early that Germany would launch an attack on the Soviet Union and the Japanese would launch an attack on the United States. I was very shocked at the time. Although war was imminent, I thought the future that that person described was simply crazy.
But now I must admit that the Chinese have achieved an incredibly detailed level of intelligence work! "
This meeting allowed Meng Shaoyuan and the US Consulate in Shanghai to establish an alliance that both sides refused to recognize.
The Shanghai District of the Military Command Bureau commanded by Meng Shaoyuan will comprehensively protect the American Jews in Shanghai within its own sphere of influence and share intelligence with the United States as much as possible.
The U.S. Consulate will also provide full assistance to the Shanghai District of the Military Command Bureau within the scope allowed!
Including personal aspects.
This is the so-called "Christmas Alliance"
End of January 1941, Washington.
A woman named Peng Bilan took over a dozen boxes shipped from distant Shanghai from Don Bonanno's personal representative.
Those boxes contained the personal property of a man named Meng in Shanghai.
And this is also part of the so-called "Christmas Alliance".
Professor Weinberg was secretly sent away from Shanghai, and after a short stay in Hong Kong, he quietly arrived in the United States.
There he reunited with his nephew Leonard Oyewells.
Leonard was very surprised by Professor Weinberg's "resurrection from the dead."
When he figured out the whole truth, he immediately gave his uncle a new identity.
Since then, Professor Weinberg has really disappeared from the world.
At the same time, Leonard also reported to his best friend, William Joseph Donovan.
From then on, the names Shanghai and Meng Shaoyuan left a deep impression on Donovan's heart.
Meng Shaoyuan, who was in Shanghai at this time, knew very well that the coming 1941 would be his most difficult year.
But it is also the most promising year.
The darkness before dawn is coming.
However, the light is not far away!
Victory is not far away!
The only thing that made him unhappy was that Mr. Moyes, the president of the Shanghai Public Settlement Industry Bureau, had expired and was about to return to China.
Meng Shaoyuan was really reluctant to give up.
Over the years, he and Moyes have gone from confrontation to cooperation, and the two sides have established a very good friendship!
