A Shift in Priorities

[Expat]

Originally Posted by Decrian

The socialists of Britain and the Ultra-Prussians of M-A? I don't think they have that much in common besides disliking the US. And even that is due to different reasons (capitalism/racism).

The Mittelafrikans outside of the military aren't particularly conservative. The government has a large contingent of socialists. While not dogmatic like the British, they still might be interested in socialist allies popping up in the neighborhood. Especially if we're talking about places they might be interested in conquering sooner or later.

Man though, the US backing off from the Caribbean. That's big news. I'll be interested to see the extent of that. I'm assuming they're holding onto The Bahamas at the very least, perhaps more.

[Expat]

G 1932: A Study in Misdirection, Alessandro Blasetti (Italy)
What was going through the mind of Franz Ferdinand’s chauffeur when he absent-mindedly made a wrong turn in Sarajevo and ignited the Great War? Blasetti’s film gives one hypothetical answer to this question. The film purports to have no star;[7] the chauffeur serves as protagonist, but is mostly filmed from behind, off to the side, or out-of-focus. This leaves the screen open to a host of minor characters, who appear and disappear, minutely effecting great events without ever realizing it in the weeks leading up to the Archduke’s assassination.
A 1932: Napoleon Part 6, Abel Gance (France)
The stirring final installment in Gance’s redefining epic 33-hour film series detailing the life of the French Emperor.[8] Gance’s series was so well established at this time that he was able to secure two entire divisions of the French and Dutch armies for the recreation of Waterloo. The battle accounted for the largest use of artillery in Europe since the close of the Great War. Gance filmed for three weeks aboard a reconstructed ship-of-the-line on his way to further location shooting on St. Helena. Reprising his role as Napoleon from the two previous installments was Pierre Fresnay, giving what most consider to be the performance of his career.
H 1932: The Four Feathers, Robert Leonard (USA)
A remarkably unfaithful adaptation of the 1902 novel, the film was nevertheless extremely popular at the time of release. Noted in international release for its extremely stereotypical and unfavorable portrayal of Africans, Leonard’s epic still impressed in terms of cinematography and scale.
S 1932: Reinen Tisch Machen, G.W. Pabst (Germany)
Pabst was relentless (along with a few French directors) in his efforts to keep the genre of musical pictures from being totally dominated by the English language. Luise Rainer plays Angelique, daughter of an Alsatian dance hall owner in a town with German loyalties. The dance hall fairs poorly after the war until the French Socialist Exodus brings a wave of fiery youngsters looking for a good time. The dance hall is the place where the pro-German locals mix with the French expatriates. They’re soon joined by traveling Americans, curious Brits, vivacious Italians, and an international cast of colorful characters- all with no shortage of axes to grind. Sparks fly, cultures clash, and a variety of dance and music styles take the stage as Europe and the world learns (through the lens of this small town) what we all share in common.

G 1933: The War of the Worlds, Fritz Lang (Germany)
A 1933: The War of the Worlds, Fritz Lang (Germany)
H 1933: Knights of Malta, Cecil B. DeMille (USA)
The siege of Malta filmed in glorious scope. DeMille constructed a mock-fortress on a Caribbean island (it is rumored he did so with forced local labor) and used thousands of locals as stand-ins for the Turkish army (causing international audiences to scratch their heads, as the Turks were quite African in appearance.)
S 1933: The War of the Worlds, Fritz Lang (Germany)
The movie that standardized dye-transfer color film[9] in Europe and the first to ever win the “Triple Crown” of film awards. While keeping many themes from the classic novel, the narrative was altered to focus on the world’s efforts to combat alien invaders (rather than an individual tale of survival.) Lang filmed all over the globe, securing the services of noted actors and technicians worldwide. His message of global unity for the sake of survival was revolutionary for its time.


[7] This (and later War of the Worlds) show a trend in European cinema to distance itself slightly from the “Star-making” process. While stars still rise, films that focus on communal performance or try to convey meaning to the audience through process rather than performance come to represent perhaps 20% of Europe’s productions by the end of the 1930s.

[8] IOTL Gance only finished one part of Napoleon’s life story. ITTL, funding is available and advances in technology (Gance was a notoriously early adaptor) decrease costs while increasing scope. The production becomes viable and successful.

[9] Color film is one area where Europe still lags behind the US, an edge granted by the early and tireless work of Herbert Kalmus for Technicolor, Inc. The process Lang popularizes is a two-strip subtractive process as opposed to the vastly richer three-strip developed for Hollywood. The main benefit for Europe is that the two-strip camera is still relatively portable, allowing for much more diverse cinematography. The Japanese would successfully steal the three-strip process in 1940 and engineer a similar process that did not violate trade laws. Their cameras were sold on the open market by 1943, thus alleviating Europe’s most galling technology gap with Hollywood and jump-starting Japan's high-tech lense and camera industry.

[sloreck]

I expect that some islands (other than Bahamas) will be retained for the protection of the approaches to the Panama canal (one reason the US purchased the VI from Denmark OTL). Protection of the canal was a core interest commercial & military of the USA through OTL 20th century

[Expat]

G 1934: A Causa De, Luis Buñuel (Spain)
A wealthy industrialist accidentally kills the son of an eccentric nobleman in a traffic accident. Before the authorities can arrive, the enraged nobleman orders the industrialist brought to his country estate where he is imprisoned and subjected to strange tortures, including the forced ingestion of various drugs (filmed as extended dream sequences, each one co-directed by a different well-known artist.)
A 1934: The Country Holiday, Wilhelm Weiller (Heymshtot)
H 1934: The Siege, Gregg Toland (USA)
Gun moll Jenny (Ruby Stevens[10]) escapes from a biker gang with a fortune in drugs but is arrested for vagrancy by a small town sheriff (Henry Fonda) in north Texas. The bikers put the town under siege to get their property back and to take revenge on Jenny. The sheriff rallies the community to defense and uses innovative strategy (he’s a veteran of Mexico) to keep the bikers at bay.
S 1934: The Country Holiday, Wilhelm Weiller (Heymshtot)
Otto (František Lederer[11]) and Marie (Hedwig Kiesler[12]) are happily married with two young children in the suburbs of Berlin in the months after the creation of the Heymshtot. A letter arrives from an unknown woman living in the new country claiming to be Marie’s sister who informs her of her Jewish heritage and the presence of a large, extended family hopeful of meeting her. Being adopted, Marie had no notion of her family, and is desperate to meet them. Otto- a sometimes anti-semite- reluctantly agrees, and the family takes a long vacation in the Heymshtot countryside. The film attempts to show the birth of this new country and to convey the sense of relief its inhabitants feel at finally finding a place to belong. This is paralleled in the personal story of Marie as she comes to understand a new, Jewish identity, as well as Otto’s journey towards tolerance.

G 1935: The Magician, Alfred Hitchcock (Great Britain)
A 1935: The Magician, Alfred Hitchcock (Great Britain)
An evocative tale of suspense and the occult featuring stunning performances from Michael Redgrave, Mary Lawson, and Orson Welles as the titular magician. Based on the novel by British dissident Somerset Maugham, the film was only made with special dispensation from the Minister of Culture. Welles steals the show as a villainous hypnotist bent on mastering arcane secrets that will allow him to create life.
H 1935: The Year of Yes and No, Frank Capra (USA)
A wealthy couple (Catherine Moylan[13] and Joel McCrea) go back and forth over the question of divorce. Their constant changes of heart cause discombobulation to their servants, friends, family, and eventually an entire city as they use their wealth to discommode each other (and alternately show their love) in ever more complicated and grandiose ways.
S 1935: The Charms of Bialystock, Ernst Lubitsch (Germany)
The last black and white film to win at Salzburg in the Classic Era. An angel (Hedwig Kiesler) doesn’t so much fall from grace as stumbles from it after a few blunders put her on the outs with the heavenly host. She has most of her powers suspended (she can still read minds with concentration) and is placed into exile in Bialystock where she has been told to save a few souls before she’ll be permitted to return. Instead of getting to work, she teams up with the first person she meets, a small-time grifter (Maurice Chevalier) and uses her mind reading to send the pair on a winning streak in the boomtown’s many casinos. Ultimately the story reaffirms simple values while questioning rigid power structures.


[10] Barbara Stanwyck

[11] Francis Lederer

[12] Hedy Lamarr

[13] IOTL a beauty queen, here an actress.

[rast]

Seven sons of one mother, and each one of a different mind.
(Cuban proverb)

Minimal presence, it was called. And it seemed to be working much better than anticipated. – The bulk of the Marine Corps had been recalled from the Caribbean and been directed to New Orleans and Florida. Their new task was to reopen the South. The US Army was still kept busy in Appalachia; thus, the Marines had been given the job to establish federal authority in the lowland arc from Louisiana to Virginia. – The good thing was that the Marine Corps Commandant, General Butler, had left Cuba already and had set up his headquarters in Jacksonville, Florida. The bad thing was the chaos erupting on the islands as a result of the Marines breaking camp everywhere simultaneously. – But, mused Benjamin Sumner Welles, President McAdoo’s Special Envoy to Cuba and the Caribbean, the effect on the various guerrilla movements was even more telling.

Suddenly missing the common foe, the insurgents had immediately started infighting. There were Communist factions supported from the Caymans, Jamaica and the British Lesser Antilles isles, blunt anti-US groupings fostered by Venezuela, and quite a lot of indigenous bandits without any formal ties to foreign helpers. All of them were now engaged in a scramble for domination. – Not that the US had the intention to abandon the Caribbean completely. One was going to keep Guantanamo Bay Naval Base on Cuba, Ceiba Naval Station on Puerto Rico, Fort Liberté on Hispaniola and of course Guadeloupe and Martinique. And one would continue to garnish the local governments with weapons and advisors. Sumner trusted that the Cuban authorities – and the mercenaries of the fruit companies – would be able to keep the guerrillas in check. The outlook for Hispaniola was rather gloomy; but as long as Niggers and Brownies were busy killing each other one should not stop them from doing so.

Puerto Rico might even stabilise under some kind of national government. The Jones Act had wisely been repealed in 1923, but an elected legislative assembly was in place nevertheless – and Governor Winship and his Insular Police were also to remain on the spot, although Sumner trusted Winship only to exacerbate the tensions. Well, one had to wait and see. Most probably, the Puerto Rican Nationalists would be able to come out the winners – and Pedro Albizu Campos was going to be President and declare independence.

However, it was Cuba that interested Sumner most. He thought that ‘Colonel’ Fulgencio Batista y Zaldivar – hell, the guy was nothing but a simple sergeant, but somehow had managed to become the strong man of the indigene military – was capable of engineering some kind of national government. Batista was a corrupt wretch but perhaps the best choice for battling the insurgents. Sumner estimated that he would be able to direct the various reactionary forces – and even score victory against the guerrillas, at least in the first run. – In the long run, however, he saw Cuba descend into chaos. The majority of the population did neither support Batista and his cronies nor the insurgents, thus both sides were going to use force in order to get the backing required – leading to an ever increasing spiral of violence.

Well, the US Navy would continue to control the waters of the Caribbean. Not that Sumner had confidence in Vice Admiral Yarnell, the naval commander; but even if a number of ships was going to be mothballed – his wife, who had recently returned to Washington, had informed him about such plans – there were more than enough vessels available for patrolling the sea lanes in the Caribbean. None of the countries of Central and adjacent South America had anything like a powerful navy – and the Europeans were showing remarkable restraint, therefore the Caribbean was going to remain a US American pond.

The US Bahamas territory – which included the Turks and Caicos Islands – had never been affected by the insurgencies. The islanders, although initially unhappy to have been sold to the US, today were rather glad that this fact was saving them from British Communist rule. Actually, a lot of people from the continental US had sought refuge on the islands, bringing with them money and a profound readiness to invest it.

What Sumner could not yet thoroughly assess were the recent events in Colombia. He suspected that Venezuela, a sworn enemy of the US, had had her fingers in the pie. That might imply an imminent danger to Panama – and he had already advised Washington about his suspicions. Well, they had answered that the garrison of Panama was not going to be reduced. One considered the canal safe. – Sumner had his second thoughts about this, but there was little use in arguing with the McAdoo Administration these days; they were increasingly behaving like a band of zombies…

[Expat]

That seems a likely destiny for Bahamas: sold up as private islands for the wealthy, with low property taxes and plenty of low-wage service jobs more than enough to maintain a pretty decent lifestyle for the natives. Certainly not the most dignified destiny, of course.

From what we've heard, operations in the southern US should be more about opening lines of communication and supply than anything else. There will probably be some pockets of violent resistance. But I suspect most people down there are just afraid of boogeymen more than anything else. Everyone- black and white- worried their neighbors are going to kill them and sitting around terrified in armed camps. One warning from proper soldiers to put down weapons and most will comply.

The Black Belt should be approached gingerly, but with the Coughlin and Hoover truces in effect those counties should be as ready to get back to normal as any place.

[Expat]

G 1936: Clocks, Samuel “Willy” Wilder (Germany)
The first film not made by a major studio to win a major award. Made in Danzig on a minimal budget, the film follows the lives of a crew of Polish stevedores. No professional actors were used and Wilder tried his best to cast for verisimilitude. Many actual dockworkers appear in the film. Filmed with a cast-off black and white camera abandoned by color-mad UFA and with a script written day-by-day, the gritty world of the minority Poles was brought to life in a way cinema rarely approached in those days. The protagonist lives by the clock at work and also as a competitive rower, hoping to escape his uncomfortable circumstances through sport, like so many Poles of the era. Stands in stark contrast to the lush studio productions dominating much of the rest of Europe, and marks the arrival of German Underground Cinema[14] on the world stage.
A 1936: La Guinguette à Deux Sous, Jean Renoir (France)
Best known of the Julien Maigret detective films, Renoir only took over the project in a deal to fund his next two films. It has been called the quintessential exemplar of the Film d’Ombre genre[15]. Known for its heavy use of shadows and black and white cinematography, the French excelled at this heavily atmospheric style of filmmaking as matter of practicality when wholesale color conversion was still too expensive outside of Germany and Italy.
H 1936: Where the River Bends, William Faulkner (USA)
The last of Faulkner’s “Southern Cycle,” this award is interpreted as a tribute to all four films rather than this one (often considered the weakest of the four.) Lucille (Paulette Goddard) maries Albert (a young and unknown Harold Peale[16]) just as he leaves for the Great War. She inhabits a drafty, faded antebellum mansion and begins to dream she hears the ghosts of its past residents. Her dreams give her glimpses of the south’s history, leaving her with a deep sense of melancholy. Albert’s death from influenza leaves Lucy alone in an uncertain world. As time goes by the ghosts in her dreams become a source of comfort to her, to the point where she rarely wishes to leave the house. The film’s last act delivers a tour-de-force performance from Goddard as she fights with her own conflicting desires to leave the house and embrace an uncertain fate or stay and be subsumed within its walls and lineage. Faulkner’s last completed film[17].
S 1936: The Lady Macbeth, Max Ophüls (Germany)
Marlene Dietrich stars in this retelling of the Shakespeare play with an even stronger, more devious, and more motivated Lady Macbeth. She manipulates her way through the film with a mix of feminine charm and outright regal power.



[14] German Underground Cinema bears similarities to OTL’s Cinéma vérité as well as Italian Neo-Realism and British Angry Young Men films. It often focuses on industrial locations and the life of the working class. The form will really come into its own when actors schooled in the Vienna Method join the movement starting in 1938. One side effect from this film is the ignition of the Polish film industry. Based on the popularity of Clocks in Poland, “Kanał Kino” (or sewer cinema) soon saw dozens of low-budget films emerging from that country every year. Kanał Kino became an important and influential artistic force in Eastern Europe and the world.

[15] Film d’Ombre is similar to OTL’s Film Noir in its use of shadow and light to produce a stark contrast. The main difference is a lack of the characteristic “grit” that pervades most Noir. Ombre is usually quite polished by comparison. Both rely heavily on tragic figures, though Ombre tends to focus on sadness and regret rather than Noir’s anger and bitterness. Ombre plots can also range further into romance than Noir.

[16] Fictional. Viewed ITTL as perhaps the greatest actor of his age.

[17] Faulkner would emerge from rehab in late 1936 and soon after begin production on an adaptation of Moby-Dick. The production was set to be lavish; the budget even surpassing that of his entire four-film “Southern Cycle.” Unable to keep up with the grueling schedule he set for himself, Faulkner fell back into his pattern of cocaine use a month into filming. He would be found dead in his trailer with only half the film completed. This would be the first of several failed adaptations of Moby-Dick, leading to its reputation as “The Unfilmable Whale.”

[Arrix85]

Managed to finally catch-up with this awesome TL.... the first one in the post-1900 board I actually got to see through. The big point here for me it's that the scenario ITTL avoid the usual second round following the Great War, here seems to me there are gonna be a good deal of regional wars, but a WW doesn't seem inevitable.

I'm curious about the fact of De Gasperi being the most likely new head of the executive committee of the COMECON (To catch up I mostly skipped the comment if not for Rast and Expat posts, so someone else noticed it?). What's the scope of this commitee? something like OTL European Commitee today? that would be mind-blowing to say the least, given being decades in advance and the fact the COMECON covers already most of Europe (except Ireland, Britain, Poland and obviously Russia). A Russian threat could be beneficial to european unity since they can't rely upon on someone else to do the job for them.

About the Unites States I hope they manage to recover but there's no chance they're gonna try a more "european" model. the whole "god chosen country" complex is still there. The brain drain is gonna hurt them badly, hopefully racism is gonna dwindle, if not the brain drain is gonna be permanent, people may go study in the USA, but remain there...

Another good thing of this TL is the emergence of these blocks which could lead to a more sustained competition in space faring.

[rast]

Originally Posted by Arrix85

I'm curious about the fact of De Gasperi being the most likely new head of the executive committee of the COMECON (To catch up I mostly skipped the comment if not for Rast and Expat posts, so someone else noticed it?). What's the scope of this commitee? something like OTL European Commitee today? that would be mind-blowing to say the least, given being decades in advance and the fact the COMECON covers already most of Europe (except Ireland, Britain, Poland and obviously Russia)

No comparison to OTL's European Union, the COMECON is still a purely economic affair, more like the old OTL European Coal and Steel Community. - And the executice committee is more like the High Authority of the ECSC - with quite similar powers.

[GamingWeasel]

I finally read through all existing content.

Keep up the good work Rast.

[rast]

Tomorrow belongs to the people who prepare for it today.
(Middle African proverb)

It was not noon yet, but Hosea Kutako was already reeking of rum, as Otto Mwaya noticed when shaking hands with the tall Herero. The man visibly didn’t appear to be sloshed; so, Mwaya supposed he had just filled up to working gauge. Well, there were some nasty and nutty stories circulating in political circles in Daressalam about drinking orgies involving the First Minister of Südwestafrika and his wives. Kutako was not very popular in the Council of First Ministers, which was dominated by the SDPMA. While Chief David Bokanda of Nordwestkongo, the other tribal head of province, understood quite well to play along constructively, Kutako was notorious as an obstructionist and a dog in the manger. True, the Hereros had suffered heavily from German vindictiveness, but, man, that had happened thirty years ago – and, after all, the Hereros had started the killing game, only to discover that they in the long run were no match for the Germans.

The Hereros were still clamouring for redemption – and always were trying to get some extra funds because of their ‘unique fate’. Hell, the people of Küstenland and Tabora had suffered far worse during the Great War, but nobody here had ever thought of raising a fuss because of this. Nevertheless, one somehow had to get along with Kutako and his miserable and greedy tribe; one only wondered why the Ovambos, who always had profited from German rule, had formed a coalition with the Hereros. But Südwest was special anyway. One just had to live with them. Perhaps that in the next elections the comrades of the SDPMA scored better and were able to form the provincial government.

“All right, Otto, what’s up?” asked Kutako.
“You know, Chief Kutako, we want to impose stricter controls on the military…”
“Oh, that’s absolutely fine with me. I’ll vote for it – as long as we can get some additional public funding for our tribal militia.”
Mwaya made a face and scratched his head.
“Now, look, we cannot just favour the Hereros. The Ovambos, the Namas and the German settlers will also want extra common funds, once you are going to get them.”
Kutako shrugged his shoulders.
“No sweat, I don’t mind if they’re getting some extra marks –as long as my people receive their due…”

Mwaya sighed inwardly. It was just like he had expected. A pity that unanimity was intended. The seven SDPMA First Ministers alone could pass the decree at any time, but they had agreed to bring the other three First Ministers in. – Bishop Mawusi of Groß-Togoland did not pose a problem. He was fond of the military, but did not mind increased political control. – Chief Bokanda had asked for some additional teachers, which was all right because his province was lagging behind in education anyway. – Only Chief Kutako created a problem: while vowing to agree to increased control of the federal military, he wanted to boost his tribal militia, which was exclusively under his control.

“Now, Chief Kutako, if we increase control of the federal military, how would you arrange control of the tribal militias in Südwest?”
The Herero looked as if this thought never had crossed his mind before.
“Why should somebody want to control them? – They are strictly bound to tribal territory and only have defensive tasks. The Ovambos and Namas would hate it if I started poking my nose into their affairs. And I should be loath to sniff around behind their backs. – Mind you, the Herero militia, I do control already.”
“So, do you happen to have any figures about the additional costs caused by your proposal?”
“Sure. Look here, it’s not expensive at all…”

[Arrix85]

Tribal militias? yeah, there is no way something can go wrong .

The present of militias outside of federal or provincial control seems another similarity with the USA. The only positive thing here is there's no fricking second amendment in Middle Africa, so the government could have some margin of maneuver if shit happens, but that's not really comforting.

[Kevin in Indy]

Originally Posted by Expat

This would be the first of several failed adaptations of Moby-Dick, leading to its reputation as “The Unfilmable Whale.”

Do you suppose that if an executive died after simply making some serious inqiries about producing Moby-Dick it would become known as "the Unmentionable Sea-Mammal?"

[Jotun]

The militia thing aside, I think it is encouraging that the MA government wants to put its military on a tighter leash.

[Monty Burns]

Originally Posted by Jotun

The militia thing aside, I think it is encouraging that the MA government wants to put its military on a tighter leash.

True.

And the militia thing might come out beneficial as well, if tribalism survived this far and each tribe has a militia, there's a decent likelihood of tribal violence, maybe during the next elections. Even smaller occurences that do not lead to outright civil war will leave the Mittelafrikans occupied with themselves and unable to enact some adventures overseas.

[Expat]

@ Kevin in Indy: Heh, good one!

So about MA's militia system: it's a little worrying, but I doubt it's strong or well-trained enough to stand up to the real army. We probably won't ever get anything like the endemic violence of OTL Africa with one of the most renowned infantry forces in the world on-call to bring order to any fractious corner of the continent.

[Bmao]

Originally Posted by Expat

@ Kevin in Indy: Heh, good one!

So about MA's militia system: it's a little worrying, but I doubt it's strong or well-trained enough to stand up to the real army. We probably won't ever get anything like the endemic violence of OTL Africa with one of the most renowned infantry forces in the world on-call to bring order to any fractious corner of the continent.

No way can the tribal militias stand up to the Middle African military in a stand up fight, however, tribal militias could easily make the switch into guerilla warfare. The cause of this I think is the growth of the urban sector is coming increasingly at the cost of these tribes, who see their natural resources, land, personnel and wealth being increasingly diverted to these urban sectors at an accelerating rate and the tribes are seeking to preserve whatever power and autonomy they have left, which is also accentuated by the racism displayed toward non-German speakers in general.

It probably won't become like Africa in OTL, but we could see an equivalent situation as in the ATL US where there is a sense of general chaos and disorder where Middle Africa is forced to clean house for a number of years before it can go on adventures again. Other than the tribes, problems that Middle Africa will certainly face is urban blight as uneducated tribesmen are herded into the cities to form what are the equivalent of favelas, and also human trafficking/prostitution. British communism (this is different from the version of socialism that the Middle Africans practice) and the ideological threat it could pose would also need to be dealt with. The worst situation that Middle Afrika can end up in is that it finds itself hit with internal disorder from within while being pressured by a resurgent USA from without, and having alienated their mentors the Germans.

[Expat]

Yes, but even then I don't see MA militias being that much of a problem. The MA standing army are experts in guerrilla warfare. If they haven't yet literally written the book on it, they should really think about talking to a publisher.

Also, MA's got a pretty stark divide between productive and unproductive sectors. If you hold a few key cities, you hold close to 100% of the industry.

The combination of these two makes me think chiefs have no reason to rebel. The only thing they'd accomplish is losing a seat at the trough.

More likely, the tribal structure will matter less and less in coming decades if they continue to pay no mind to economic development. If the jobs stay in the cities, tribal lines will be broken as men migrate for work. In a generation tribal power will be similar to OTL Native Americans. In four generations they'll be selling clan tartans to raise cash for the annual New Year's gathering and and scholarship fund and little more.

[rast]

Old men and poodles are good for nothing.
(Austrian proverb)

In his shielded dignitaries’ box, Joseph Ferdinand Salvator, Archduke of Austria, was perusing the text of the speech he was going to deliver in about ten minutes time – ending the Summer Games of the 11th Olympiad. Right now, the delegations were still parading into the stadium and the crowd was cheering them. The Archduke smiled with a certain glee while reading the lines. The German team had been reinforced – for the first time massively – with athletes from Middle Africa. But the Schwoarz’n, as he used to call them when in good humour, had belied expectations. For Joseph Ferdinand this was only a confirmation of his prejudices: these black apes were too maladroit for mastering the skills required. White Europeans had invented the Olympic Games, had generated the sports – and were best suited to win the contests.

The Russians had again scored high. Their nimble sports students had proven unbeatable in a host of events. But the British athletes, who were profiting from gross public sponsorship, had delivered the true surprise of these games. This was the gold medal score: Russia 32, Great Britain 15, Germany 9, Italy 6, France 5, United States 4, China 3, Japan 2, Sweden 2, Hungary 2, Denmark 1, Finland 1, Ottoman Empire 1, Spain 1, Indian Federation 1, Swiss 1, Argentine 1, Ukraine 1, and Union of South Africa 1.

The 1940 games were scheduled to take place in Tokyo, and the mayor of that town would invite the athletes of the world after the Archduke had finished his closing address. Joseph Ferdinand had interviewed the chap, a certain UshizukaToratarō, and had been surprised how civilised and educated that chinky eye was. Well, one would see how the Olympic Games were going to fare in East Asia…

[Jotun]

Ugh. What a likable chap that Schluchtenscheißer is