At the Port of Naples, Italy, Mr. Cohens was leading the employees of Global Trading Company to count and verify the goods shipped from Brazil to Italy. Most of them were cigarettes, and the rest were mostly sugar, pepper, wine and other items. While checking the goods, Mr. Cohens was asking several captains.
"Moscona, this voyage went smoothly!"
"Of course, Mr. Cohens, we were under the protection of the naval fleet throughout the journey. Although we encountered several attacks from the Germans, we were safe and sound."
Moscona was full of questions. Hadn't he informed the company about his schedule? Why was Mr. Cohens asking him questions now?
"Then no one will cause you any trouble in Brazil this time!"
Mr. Cohens pinched the list in his hand, seeming to be avoiding the question.
"Of course not. The whole process was arranged by the boss himself. We are either parked at the naval base or have naval protection. How could anyone be so blind as to cause trouble for us?"
Moscona looked at Mr. Cohens strangely, wondering what was going on with Mr. Cohens today.
“Does the boss have a huge network of connections in Brazil as well?”
...
...
Coens felt a little embarrassed by Moscona's gaze and his face turned slightly red.
"I'm not sure about the specific situation because I'm near the dock most of the time. You may need to ask the person in charge of the Brazilian branch."
Captain Moscona was somewhat confused by Mr. Cohen's embarrassed expression. While answering Mr. Cohen's questions, he began to think about Mr. Cohen's intentions.
"So you've been to the boss' hometown, right? You brought back so many crew members that the boss recruited in Brazil."
After a lot of meaningless talk, Coens finally made up his mind and decided to bring the question back to his own topic.
"Of course, the boss's home is near Port Sanchez."
The Captain had been confused by Cohen's words and was able to only answer whatever was asked.
"I don't know. Have you ever heard them talk about the situation at the boss's home?"
Finally, Coens asked the question that he wanted to know most!
"What do you mean? I heard the bosses' fellow countrymen talk about some of them on the ship."
Captain, looking at the expression on Mr. Cohens' face, he had some rough guesses about his purpose and couldn't help but find it a little funny.
"Yeah! It's mainly about whether the boss has a girlfriend in Brazil or something like that. Do you know what I mean?"
Coens had obviously lost some patience with the rude captain in front of him, so he decided not to hide anymore and went straight to the point!
"Haha... I understand. Mr. Cohens is trying to find out the situation for Miss Lilith! Hehe... Don't worry! I actually asked about this, and everyone said..."
Moscona was relieved to see that Mr. Cohens finally revealed his true intentions. You are not Chinese, why don't you just say what you want to say? Why go around in such a big circle?
"What are you talking about?"
Seeing the gentleman on the boat paused in the middle of his speech, Coens blurted out with an anxious look on his face.
"Hehe... Don't worry! Mr. Cohens, the boss doesn't have a girlfriend in Brazil! Hehe..."
The captain laughed loudly, and Coens' face turned red because of his deliberately mocking tone.
"Yeah... I get it! Then you guys hurry up and inspect the ship. Since the cargo has been almost unloaded, I'll leave first!"
After saying this, he ran away.
At this time, at the U.S. Naval Base, Vice Admiral Amuro Chambers, Commander of the U.S. Fourth Fleet, was chatting with Commodore Jackson of the Naval Logistics Department.
"Jackson, the appetites of these Brazilians are growing. Brazil is not threatened by war, but this time they want us to provide them with the most advanced naval destroyer. I don't know what they want to use it for. Are they going to dominate South America?"
Lieutenant General Chambers was a tall, white man, with his uniform buttoned up meticulously, sharp eyes, and a three or four centimeter wound on his left cheek. Obviously, he was also a military commander who had experienced the test of blood and fire. At this moment, there was a little dissatisfaction in his eyes.
"General, the Brazilian navy is all old models from the First World War. They haven't launched any new naval ships in nearly 20 years. Now that they see our new warships and a brand new war model, it's normal for them to have some thoughts!"
Brigadier General Jackson expressed his opinion calmly.
"So what do you mean! Do we meet their demands?"
After hearing Jackson's words, Lieutenant General Chambers became obviously more dissatisfied.
"That depends on how the General wants to use the Brazilian Navy. If you just need them to lay and clear mines, then of course you don't have to care about their ideas. But if the General needs them to help us perform other combat missions, then it's no problem to provide some military equipment."
"You have a point, but the Brazilian Navy's combat capability is basically child's play. They have no actual combat experience at all! What can I expect them to do?"
The disdain on Lieutenant General Chambers' face was evident.
"This subordinate doesn't have any good ideas. I don't think the Brazilian Navy wants to send its inexperienced navy directly to the front line to perform dangerous combat missions. It's more likely that they will be used to learn new ways of warfare and new ship concepts."
"That's my guess, so I have some doubts about providing them with warships, but President Eisenhower is very satisfied with the performance of the Brazilian Army, and Admiral King hopes that the Brazilian Navy can also play a better role for us."
Vice Admiral Chambers had a clear understanding of the thoughts of the navy's top brass.
"Do you mean that the higher-ups intend to provide warships to Brazil?"
"The higher-ups definitely want to expand our influence in the Brazilian military. After all, America is America for Americans. It can't just be a slogan."
"I understand what you mean! It seems that providing warships to the Brazilian Navy is inevitable. Do you have the right person to support us?"
"This is also where we hesitate. Colonel Parisi of the Brazilian Expeditionary Force is actually a very suitable candidate, but unfortunately he is President Vargas's confidant, and President Vargas is a very good politician. He will not really stand with us, just like when he stood with the Germans, when the Germans encountered a decline, he immediately turned to our arms. This fence-sitter cannot become a true pro-American faction."
When it comes to specific candidates to support, Lieutenant General Chambers starts to have a headache. After all, the United States began to interfere in Brazilian politics only in the 1940s and showed some results.
"Oh! If you need a friend who has a close relationship with the United States, I do have a candidate. Unfortunately, he is just a lieutenant and has only experience as a transport ship captain. He may not be qualified to be the spokesperson for the United States in the Brazilian Navy."
Brigadier General Jackson, who had always had a calm expression, finally began to smile.
"Oh! Tell me, rank and ability are not important. As long as he can keep up with us, we can make up for what he lacks."
"This guy is a Brazilian of Chinese descent, a minority in Brazil. He was the captain of the transport ship we allocated to the Brazilian Navy last time. The reason I chose him is because he has a deep relationship with our U.S. Navy. He is the savior of General Clark's son John and a close friend. Even General Clark once called me and asked me to thank him because he eased the relationship between them. This little guy is also very smart. He has sold three captured transport ships for us. Moreover, he sent me a telegram some time ago, asking me to purchase ten more transport ships. He has contributed a lot of funds to our Navy Department."
"Hearing what you said, I'm beginning to be interested in him. You talk to him first. If he really is one of our pro-American factions, then bring him over and I'll talk to him in detail."
"Of course, no problem. Their ship has returned to the dock today. I believe he will contact me soon. I will have a good chat with him then. I believe you will not be disappointed."
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