Survive as a World War II Soldier - Chapter 55



Only Noblemtl

#055

Even in the 21st century, it was the national rule to make every effort to boost the economy before an election.

And in 1928, with the presidential election just around the corner, America was in a state of turmoil.

A boom that lasted for nearly ten years immediately following the end of World War I. People believed that this boom would last forever.

Of course, to my eyes that knew the future, it all seemed precarious.

Fortunately, not everyone was blind.

“Now I understand a little what you said last time, sir.”

When we met to check on the Foundation’s work, Marcus spoke with a serious face.

“okay?”

“Yes. When the director told me about the street robbers, I actually thought that there were only a very small number of such people. Honestly, when I look at the guys who were drafted and brought in…”

“Even thinking about it now makes me sigh.”

When I think about the hardships of that time…

What’s the word? How much trouble did they have to put into making humans out of talking monkeys who don’t even know how to brush their teeth?

“So it’s not really surprising that one of those guys would go around committing robbery and living the way he wants. But···”

He said that after creating the foundation and asking around, it was completely different from what he had expected.

“Something seems wrong with this.”

“Yeah, that’s why I created the Foundation.”

“But why is it that I can see it with my own eyes···”

Marcus lamented that he wondered if people simply did not notice.

“Oh, by the way, you said you needed to hire an employee?”

“Uh. Anna Roosevelt…”

When I first brought up the subject, Marcus didn’t seem too keen on it.

For a young woman, it was because her father was Franklin Roosevelt.

“Are you saying you weren’t married until that age?”

“You’re only twenty-two?”

“Not just that. So, you have some social experience, right?”

“Okay. You’ve been a reporter for quite some time. And since you’re a smart guy, use it well.”

There was no confidence in Marcus’ face as he reluctantly nodded to my words.

But it didn’t take long for Marcus’ attitude to change.

“Oh my goodness, I don’t know how well you do your job.”

“okay?”

“Yes, I was foolish to doubt your judgment, sir.”

As was the case with the interview at the last press conference, Anna is a child I have known since she was little.

From a young age, she seemed to be more intelligent than my younger brothers. If she weren’t a girl, I would kidnap her and throw her in West Point.

The child’s only flaw was that she was a girl, and a girl born in the 20th century.

If he had been a boy, or even if he had been born a little later, he could have been a girl.

“I have a wide network of connections, especially with young people in the financial world.”

“That’s right. That kid is Roosevelt too.”

“So Anna suggested that instead of buying gold, why don’t you invest in gold mines?”

“Gold mine?”

“Yes, there is a problem with storing physical gold and silver.”

“You’re leaving it in the bank, aren’t you?”

If a bank survives into the 21st century and I have heard of it, it will not collapse during the Great Depression, right?

They were renting safe deposit boxes from such excellent banks and storing gold.

“If, as the director predicted, there is a huge panic as Anna said, then….”

There was talk that the government might try to forcefully purchase gold.

What came to mind when I heard that story was none other than the gold collection campaign that took place during the IMF era.

The words were voluntary, but the reality was…

‘Hey, when I think about that time, even when I’m sleeping, I feel so…’

‘Hey. Is it just you, hyung? You’re just comparing the gold collection performance of each unit···.’

‘Everyone, I just took out all the gold in the house.’

I remembered the conversations of my seniors who were always lamenting that if they had kept all that gold instead of selling it, they would have earned two or three times more.

Of course, it is unlikely that a gold collecting movement like that would have taken place in Korea in the late 20th century, but you never know.

I don’t know the economic history of the early 20th century very well.

“I thought it was a safe asset, but it turns out it could be dangerous in other ways.”

“Yes. Of course, I won’t just confiscate it without paying the price, but···.”

“It’s more likely that they’ll throw it away in bonds rather than cash.”

“Yes. The Foundation currently has too much gold.”

The more I listened to the explanation, the more it made sense.

“So instead of just buying gold, let’s buy a gold mine… Not bad.”

I nodded and immediately called for Anna to come over.

“Three, sir?”

Anna, who was trying to call me friendly as usual, quickly changed her address after confirming Marcus’s presence.

“I heard you found it.”

“Yeah, so you said you gave your opinion on the foundation’s investment situation?”

“Yes. I don’t think it’s a good idea to just save up gold.”

“The gold mine story was fine. I heard there were other opinions as well.”

Anna answered my question as if she had been waiting for it.

“Don’t you think we need to invest in preparation for the coming panic, rather than just waiting for it to happen? Especially since you and this foundation have goals.”

Then, what Anna took out and showed was…

“What is this?”

“It’s a recent release, Homel···.”

“Don’t invest.”

“Huh? I haven’t even started explaining it yet?”

I felt like I knew it without even hearing the explanation.

What Anna took out was none other than a can of ham.

Of course, it wasn’t the spam I knew.

Spam, how can I stand it?

But ham was just the beginning.

The real Mr. Park that Anna asked about was different.

“who?”

“There’s this guy named Joseph Patrick Kennedy who’s into movies now and went to Hollywood. But he was originally from Wall Street…”

Is that Kennedy, whose son is John?

##

“Miss Anna? You don’t look well. What happened?”

Anna, who returned to the office, shook her head at her colleague’s questions.

It definitely turned out the way I wanted.

The fund’s investment approach, which had been run on an extremely conservative basis, was set to change.

I decided to stop foolishly collecting gold and putting it in a bank vault and invest it in a gold mine.

A bill was also passed allowing her to make aggressive investments in some of the companies she had chosen, such as Homel.

‘But I’m not sure if you really listened to my opinion.’

When Anna first got a job at the foundation and saw the financial and investment situation, she was quite pleased.

Because it seemed like she could be of help to the foundation.

So I studied hard and received help from people around me.

Particularly helpful was Joseph Kennedy, who, like MacArthur, was an acquaintance of Franklin’s father.

In fact, I had asked for advice from several acquaintances who worked on Wall Street, in addition to Kennedy.

Among those I had been friends with since childhood, there were stockbrokers and many businessmen who had inherited their family businesses.

But most people scoffed at the idea that a panic might ensue.

“scare?”

“Are you kidding me? With this boom?”

“Even if it comes, it will just be a temporary happening, right?”

“Where on earth did you hear such nonsense?”

Most people laughed it off as nonsense, while others said it could work but wouldn’t last long.

In fact, when Marcus first explained the Foundation’s financial situation and mentioned the possibility of a panic, she felt the same way.

But working at the foundation forced her to change her mind.

‘I worked as a journalist for several years, but I was a complete frog in a well.’

At the same time, my respect for MacArthur deepened once again.

‘How on earth does Uncle know this?’

I already knew he was a great person, but the more I watched him closely, the more amazed I became.

Anyway, that’s why I became even more serious about the foundation’s work.

So she sought advice from a number of people she knew, but it wasn’t easy to find like-minded people.

Then she found someone who would listen to her story, and it was none other than Kennedy.

Kennedy, who is now a movie buff and has moved, but who made a name for himself as a capable investor on Wall Street, was interested in the story she told.

“Panic? You said there would be panic? Hmm. Actually, I’m thinking the same thing.”

“yes?”

Kennedy burst into laughter, saying that even the shoeshine boy on the street talked about stocks.

“What does that have to do with panic?”

“Think about it carefully. They are the ones who barely make a living from day to day. But if even those kids are talking about stocks, doesn’t that mean the entire nation is obsessed with stocks?”

“Oh, that could be the case.”

“This is so weird. It’s overheated to an abnormal degree. And that means that this inflated bubble is about to burst.”

Having explained his analysis in this way, Kennedy naturally asked to be introduced to MacArthur.

“Why on earth didn’t your father introduce me to you when he knew about that?”

He even grumbled and cursed Roosevelt.

Of course, Roosevelt, who heard his grumbling, looked dumbfounded.

“What, would I have done that on purpose? It just so happens that the two of you don’t get along.”

##

“It’s been a while, Anna.”

“yes.”

“Let’s see, how old are you now···”

“I’m twenty-two. If you’re asking when I’m getting married or if I have a fiancé, I’d like to decline.”

At Anna’s answer, who was the first to hit the player, Kennedy smiled and shook his head.

“Oh my. Eleanor must be really upset.”

“This is my life.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

“General MacArthur wanted to see me too?”

“Yes. I guess there aren’t many people who have similar thoughts about the economic situation.”

“yes.”

Kennedy nodded and asked MacArthur a series of questions.

Anna smiled at him and answered to the best of her knowledge.

It was a car where we were having a long conversation while in a moving car.

At one point, Kennedy, with a serious expression on his face, called out to Anna.

“Anna, you.”

“Why, why?”

“Tsk tsk. Thinking about your parents, I can imagine how greedy you are, but wouldn’t it be hard for you?”

“yes?”

“I don’t know about other people, but I can’t be fooled. I think you want General MacArthur, don’t you?”

Anna’s eyes widened at Kennedy’s words.

“What? Did you hear that from the kids?”

It must have been the friends he had met the night before who had told Kennedy.

##

So the first time I saw MacArthur was when I was sixteen.

Her father was a politician, and there was always a constant stream of guests at their house.

Especially after she took an interest in military affairs as Assistant Secretary of the Navy, it was not uncommon for soldiers to visit her house.

But even among the many soldiers, MacArthur was special.

“It was the first time I’ve seen an uncle who played so well with his younger siblings.”

Most of the soldiers were macho, self-righteous men.

Especially those of higher rank were accustomed to giving orders rather than making requests, and they found her noisy and unruly younger siblings annoying.

In fact, my father was also bothered by his younger siblings.

But MacArthur was different.

“What? That’s why you fell in love with your old lady?”

“It’s true that it’s not common to find a man who takes good care of his children, but···.”

“Hey, I’m not your mom.”

Anna screamed and glared at her friend.

“He’s an old man. He’s older than your father.”

“Haven’t you seen the picture? Nana is completely different from your pot-bellied father.”

Anna’s friends nodded their heads, saying, “Well, that’s true.”

“And he is a fully awake person.”

“Well, last time I saw Marion Holly, she seemed really nice.”

“Oh, that’s right. She was really sweet back then. And she looked good, too.”

“That’s right, that’s right.”

“Oh, now that I think about it, didn’t you say you were dating Holly back then?”

“Oh, okay.”

Anna pursed her lips at the sight of her friends laughing out loud and bringing up the scandal she had tried to forget.

“No. I asked him and he said he wasn’t interested in a girl like that. He said he didn’t look like a girl to him.”

“Oh, oh. Really?”

At Anna’s words, one of her friends looked at her with a mischievous face.

“As far as I know, Holly and I aren’t that many years apart in age.”

“Oh, three years old.”

“Pfft. So you don’t see me as a woman either?”

Anna’s eyes became clouded by her friend’s teasing that hit the nail on the head.

“Hey, she said she was going to cry.”

“Oh, what is it? Really.”

“Miss. Why are you crying over something like this?”

“Ugh. Do you think I look like I don’t cry? Honestly, what am I lacking? But you don’t see me as a woman.”

People say that younger is better, but for some reason, this man prefers older women.

Anna became even more depressed as she remembered the information given to her by Eisenhower, MacArthur’s adjutant, with whom she had recently become close.

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