THE DEATH OF GIL WINANT
“My conversation with Sarah Churchill,” said Ian Fleming to Roald Dahl, “clarifies the timeline of events before Winant’s suicide. The official explanation of the American government is that Gil Winant killed himself out of grief following the execution of his son. Those who question the official explanation- I’m excluding the more outlandish theories here, we know the bullet in his brain had Winant’s fingerprints- suggest that Gil offed himself out of guilt for the destruction of Hiroshima. The Yanks wouldn’t admit that in public- it would undermine their propaganda about Japan, it would call into question the morality of their actions. But it is not an unreasonable thing to conclude, that a man killing himself a few days after wiping out a hundred thousand Japs couldn’t live with being a mass killer. Clearly these events affected his state of mind- but Sarah’s testimony indicates Winant had suicidal thoughts before 1945, before Hiroshima, before the death of his son.
Roald, I’m not sure how much you read the London papers during the war, but if you did you’ll recall the rumors around Sarah- that she was loose, that she carried on with multiple men. She divorced Vic Oliver last year- she told me he had been having affairs for years, that she started going out with Winant around the time her marriage was disintegrating.”
“I suspected as much. Winston, naturally, was not very forthcoming with the details. Randolph Churchill was just divorced as well. Pamela was having an affair with Averell Harriman. I don’t think he appreciates multiple women in his family sleeping with American ambassadors and getting divorced- not for moral reasons, but to preserve his political career,” said Dahl.
“Mr. Churchill’s ego is an obstacle we will have to confront, but given the seriousness of the matter he will ultimately not obstruct the release of the facts. Sarah’s affair with Gil Winant started in 1941, shortly after he was appointed ambassador. She met with him often at official diplomatic events, but of course their interactions in public were entirely proper- she was in attendance with the Prime Minister, and the Ambassador was obligated to be courteous to her. They took care not to hide the affair from the public- Winston is aware only of the bare details. Gil and Constance’s marriage was cold and remote, the affair was mostly a happy one until the summer of 1944.
It’s not impossible that our friends in Moscow were aware of Sarah and Gil before Winant was nominated for Vice President. Henry Wallace was of course the preferred candidate of the Soviets. The same Wallace who sits happily in Harry Weissnovicz’s cabinet and touts the wonders the President is doing for world peace. Wallace’s men, you know, are suspected of Soviet sympathies. If they could not secure the Vice Presidency for Wallace himself, then they would have wanted to secure the nomination for another pliable politician. Not ideologically- that was not within their power- but with blackmail. If the Soviets knew beforehand, they may have directed their agents to discredit alternative candidates for Vice President in order to secure a path for Winant.”
“Hoover has investigated the Presidential Convention,” Dahl replied, “but the Party hacks aren’t keen on talking to a Republican, and don’t want to admit to him or anyone how badly they bungled everything. We do know that Wallace talked down Truman and Barkley, which would be consistent with the theory that he is being influenced by the Soviets as well. Of course, he would have acted the same if his motives were more innocent.”
“It may be that Robert Hannegan and the Democrats botched the Convention unintentionally. What I learned from Sarah was about Winant’s final months as ambassador. Winant remained in London until the end of 1945, departing to New Hampshire at the start of 1946. During that period the press scrutiny of Winant intensified. Roosevelt’s health was suspect even then, people thought Winant would be the next President not too far in the future. Winant certainly thought so himself. He was ecstatic at first- telling Sarah he was going to be President, that she could visit him in the White House with her father. This was not long before she divorced Vic Oliver. The issue of course was Constance Winant. Winant spoke of divorcing Constance, of eloping with Sarah, even of making her First Lady. Sarah indulged such talk at first as idle dreaming- but eventually she realized that Winant was serious. Winant was happy to be elected Vice President, but about a week after winning Winant was notably moody during his liaison with Sarah. He would have to return to the United States soon, and it only then dawned upon him that meant leaving Sarah. Winant could not easily divorce his wife- even if he could weather the scandal, he had obligations not to embarrass Roosevelt. But it’s a divorce Gil Winant wanted, and a marriage to Sarah. He could not figure out how to get there. Eventually Sarah confronted him, telling him there was no future for them. A lot of us had wartime romances, but when the war ended we returned to civilian life and left such things in the past. This is what Sarah told Gil, more or less. And he couldn’t handle it. He had been irregularly moody, worried about his son. He met with Sarah for the last time on Christmas Eve, 1944. Sarah put her foot down, telling him it was time to end their romance. Winant couldn’t accept it. He threatened to commit suicide, multiple times that night. He sent her letters, even after he became President. I persuaded Sarah to share some of these letters, which I’ve copied by hand. There isn’t anything particularly revelatory in the letters, but they do indicate Winant was in a poor state of mind- he complained of melancholy, of missing Sarah, of a deep emptiness inside him. He even wrote of abandoning his duties in Washington, of returning to London to be with Sarah. That was before Roosevelt died, of course. He wrote a couple of letters despairing over the death of his son, of the burden of the Presidency. The last letter he sent was written in June of 1945.
I’m no Sigmund Freud, Roald. But the letters indicate that Winant was deeply lonely and depressed. He may have killed himself anyway, at a different time and under different circumstances. It’s entirely possible that Harry White assumed the Presidency just through pure luck.”
“But we had assurances from Hoover that Winant’s staff was aware of the affair.” Dahl interjected. “It’s not surprising that a suicidal man would have suicidal thoughts. The question is whether the Soviets tried to blackmail him. While you were canoodling with Sarah, I was investigating the Daily Mirror. Silvester Bolam was writing a story in the summer of 1945, gathering evidence of Winant’s romancing. He claims there were whispers of an affair after Winant was nominated, but nothing concrete. Somehow, he obtained a photograph of Sarah and Gil together. It is not explicit- they are merely embracing, but the implication is clear. A junior editor at the Daily Mirror took this photograph to the American embassy. Word of the photograph reached the President. Unfortunately the photograph is no longer extant- Bolam seems to have destroyed the photograph after the President killed himself in order to hide his culpability. He told me he lost it, but he basically admitted to shredding the evidence. The American Embassy denies they were ever presented with this photograph. The question remains- where did the Daily Mirror get the photograph? The rag is filled with twits and parler pinks. I don’t know that they have the wits to be willing Soviet agents. They were investigating the story in the middle of the election, trying to boost the Labour Party by discrediting Winston. The photograph must have been taken in 1944. Someone waited to release it.”
“ The question of course is whether the photographer was just a nosy busybody or did he have some other agenda? There was that defector who claimed a British journalist had been recruited by Soviet intelligence. It’s possible he could be involved. The Conservatives lost anyway even without these public revelations- although we can’t rule out Soviet interference in our elections elsewhere. I don’t think the Labour government was legitimately elected. But it takes no conspiracy, or even great skill, to capture such a photograph. Could we even identify the most likely suspects?”
“The photograph came in the mail in an envelope with no return address and a short typed letter. Anyone in London could have sent it in. I’m making a list of all the tabloid journalists and dirty photographers we can investigate. We should also gather intelligence on the Soviet Embassy, see who was stationed here during the war. You know my theory about a Soviet spy ring of communist Britons. We need a list of prominent figures with Communist sympathies.”
“It’s possible that the Daily Mirror’s planned article is what it initially appears to be- a partisan attack on the Churchills, and with no foreign involvement. But if it were a Soviet plot, they likely would have been spying on Winant after July 1944 in an attempt to gather intelligence on the new Vice President. Either the Russians got very lucky, or they had some local help. But it stands to reason that if they spent so much effort infiltrating the American government, the United Kingdom would also be compromised- perhaps even to the same degree. Take care that Attlee does not hear about your business at the Daily Mirror.”
Ghosts on the Roof
William Randolph Hearst was tired. He had spent the past few days touring Rio de Janeiro and meeting with prominent Brazilian officials, including former President Vargas. The Brazilians had provided him with a chauffeur who had driven Hearst to various locations across the city. Hearst had managed to avoid doing any significant amounts of walking, but at his age any extensive activity quickly wore him out. Rio was a lively city, and Hearst had been lively as well until recent years. The city was filled with too many paupers for his liking. But these were minor inconveniences, compared to his true purpose for coming to Brazil. Hearst had ruled over his empire of newspapers for over half a century. He had frequently directed that his newspapers publish particular stories and take particular positions, although he did so rarely these days, spending most of his time in San Simeon. It was rarer still for him to become personally involved in the research for a story- for him to assume the role of journalist. But, as Hearst suspected, he was reporting on the biggest story of the century, he had no interest in delegating the job to his employees. He would secure his legacy as one of the greatest Americans in history by attaching his name to the story byline. The Republicans, when they inevitably gained control of Congress in 1947, would owe him a favor.
And thus, despite being well into his eighties and suffering from severe travel lag, Hearst felt young and eager again as he was escorted into the American Embassy. He had brought a couple of scribblers with him to the meeting to transcribe the conversation, but he made it clear that the boss would be doing the talking. Hearst and his men entered the front door of the Embassy and were greeted by Adolf Berle, the American Ambassador to Brazil. Hearst adjusted his white seersucker suit and took off his hat before shaking Berle’s hand. “Your hospitality is much appreciated Ambassador. You know, I am taking a working holiday of sorts, and I was wondering if you could spare a few moments to discuss American policy in South America. I do like to mix business with pleasure.”
Berle nodded. “I hope your boys will go easy on me.”
“Oh no, I have someone else in mind. If you don’t mind relocating to a more private place where we can have this discussion.”
The ambassador obliged, escorting Hearst into a small private reception room. Hearst’s scribblers entered the room, closing the door behind them.
“Anything to drink, Mr. Hearst?”
“No. I’ll get right down to business. You know, the President’s foreign policy has proved to be quite controversial.”
The Ambassador sighed. “I think any man in that position at this time would have to make difficult and momentous decisions which would attract a great deal of criticism.”
“Do you consider Rio an exile? You were once in the inner circle at the White House, and now you sit a continent away serving as a mere functionary. Is the President shunning you?”
“President White didn’t send me here- Roosevelt did, and that was after a period of consultation over where I could best serve the administration. I never had any personal quarrel with the President or disagreement significant enough that-”
“It’s your relationship with the President that I want to discuss, Ambassador. You know the President has been accused by the Republicans of being too close to Moscow, alleging all sorts of things about his concessions to Stalin.”
“I don’t think it appropriate for me as an ambassador to comment on partisan politics.”
“For the other ambassadors of the United States, it would be inappropriate. But not for you, Mr. Berle, personally. Not for you at all. Do you recall, just before the outbreak of the war in Europe, meeting with a certain Whittaker Chambers?”
Berle paused as his face turned pale. “What do you mean to imply, Mr. Hearst?”
“I don’t know if you’re aware of this, but Chambers has been missing since last year. He is presumed dead by the police. The official explanation is suicide- but Mrs. Chambers says he was not suicidal, and his colleagues at Time Magazine agree. We have heard from an associate of his who you also met with- this associate is now in hiding- that Mr. Chambers warned you of a Communist conspiracy within the United States government, and provided you with a list of conspirators and spies. These alleged spies included men who now hold high government office. Laurence Duggan, your superior at the State Department. Frank Coe, now the Secretary of the Treasury. Alger Hiss, now Secretary-General of the United Nations. Lauchlin Currie, now Chief of Staff at the White House. Harry Dexter White, now the President of the United States.”
Berle sat in his chair, motionless, his expression frozen. After Hearst’s scribbler finished writing a sentence in his notepad, a silence fell over the parlor. The silence lasted for a few minutes, before Hearst broke the silence. “It’s important, Mr. Berle.”
“I do recall hosting Chambers and Isaac Don Levine at my home around that time. Chambers was a rather imaginative fellow, but I can’t say I remember that conversation in any great detail. He made wild accusations about Communist agents, yes, which I reported to the President. We agreed that the allegations of Mr. Chambers were without merit. I don’t think Chambers was deliberately lying- but he was an excitable man given to mistaken theorizing. I took some notes on the meeting- I don’t recall where they are right now- but I don’t recall if President White was mentioned. I believe these notes are in the possession of the Justice Department.”
“Levine also took notes, which have been made available to me. Do you not think it curious that the men Mr. Chambers listed are now in all high ranking positions in the United States government?”
Berle paused again. “You know I can- I can’t substantiate such accusations against my superiors, this is a rather incredible claim you are making here, Mr. Hearst.”
“Chambers named Nathan Witt- head of the National Labor Relations Board- as a Communist in his conversation with you. This was before Witt was made to resign for his Communist sympathies by HUAC. Clearly, Chambers was at least partially correct that Witt was a Communist. I know you can’t say for sure whether Chambers was correct- these are serious accusations yes. But the accuracy of his charges regarding Mr. Witt suggests that there’s good reason to believe the other names on the list have reasons to belong there. This is no fairy tale. Shouldn’t the world know, if that’s the case? Doesn’t that merit some investigation? The Justice Department is compromised- President White seems to be aware of these accusations and has shut down investigations into the matter. The only way we’re getting to the bottom of this, that the muse of history records the truth for posterity, is by your word. Do I have your word?” Hearst handed a note to Berle. “This is a full list of the names provided by Levine.”
Berle read the list. “Yes, I do remember Chambers accusing Witt. The Hiss Brothers, yes, Chambers was quite vocal in denouncing them. Duggan- yes. Mr. White- did he mention the President?” Berle paused. “Yes, it is possible he mentioned the President. Certainly many of these names are close to the President. Do you think Mr. Chambers was murdered? That the Communists killed him because of his… knowledge?”
“That is what we are trying to establish here. The facts of the case. I must offer my deepest gratitude to you, Ambassador. What we have established here today- this will bring us much closer to justice. We will uncover the truth now.”
The Betrayal of China
The below editorial was written by Henry Luce but was published in TIME Magazine without a byline in September 1946.
A quiet catastrophe is unfolding in China. The communist creep threatens to overrun that ancient country. The rest of the world takes little notice or care of the battles unfolding in the northern countryside. Even in the large cities on the Coast, where the Kuomintang projects power and strength, there is little understanding of the Communist threat.
Manchuria remains under firm Communist control, even after the official withdrawal of Soviet troops. The Chinese Communists were handed control over the province by the Soviets. The Kuomintang organized an offensive to retake Manchuria over the summer, but this offensive was quickly abandoned due to a shortage of arms and supplies. Premier Soong has made repeated requests to the United States that American money and weapons be made available to the national government, but the U.S has failed to respond to these requests. The United States has resumed its’ pre-war, isolationist, devil-may-care attitude towards Asian affairs outside Japan. Harry White appears to take no interest in the continent, and his State Department allies are indifferent at best to the plight of the Kuomintang. They have withdrawn the American military presence in Northern China, ignoring Chiang Kai-Shek’s request for aid. Hopeh and Shantung provinces have now been overrun almost entirely by Communist guerrillas. The Communists are particularly strong in the countryside, where Kuomintang control is nonexistent. Peking and Tientsin are islands of KMT rule in a sea of insurgents. A ceasefire negotiated by General Marshall has collapsed entirely. In the past few months, the Communists have raided critical supply depots and infrastructure points and assassinated key military officials. Chiang Kai-Shek insists that the government will soon crush the insurgency, but the military outlook remains gloomy. Government troops are taking increasingly heavy casualties. The Soviets have clearly put their thumb on the scale for the Chinese Communists in the emerging Civil War, but the Americans remain nowhere to be seen.
Whatever the rationale, it is clear that American policy towards policy has been that of deliberate abandonment. Lauchlin Currie, who negotiated the dispersal of lend-lease aid in the war against the Japanese, is all smiles but of little use. President White is under the misapprehension that Chiang is a dictator, and that the KMT has fascist elements. Chiang has on occasion taken hard measures to restore order to China, but was it not also the case that Abraham Lincoln suspended habeas corpus and arrested suspected traitors in order to save the Union? Those decisions were ill received at the time, but few patriots today question that Lincoln’s actions were necessary to save the Republic. Posterity will smile upon Chiang, and frown with displeasure upon White’s meandering. The strength of Chiang will allow the Republic of China to persevere, but White’s betrayal of China has cost much blood and treasure which could have otherwise been preserved. Yes, there is no other term to describe the abandonment of Chiang than betrayal- the betrayal of the Chinese people.
A SECRET MEETING AT THE CAPITAL GARAGE, WASHINGTON DC
Lauchlin Currie knocked on the car door of the Soviet Ambassador. Andrei Gromyko’s driver opened the passenger door, letting Currie into the car.
“A couple of Hoover’s private PIs have been stationed outside my home. I don’t like this situation. I think we should reevaluate our relationship.”
“The President and the General Secretary reached an agreement at Potsdam establishing the terms of our relationship. It is not for you to change the terms of that agreement unilaterally,” asserted Gromyko.
“You know, technically speaking, I am only a member of the Democratic Party and no other political organization. I have always viewed our relationship as more of a partnership, resting upon mutually agreed terms. But I am starting to feel a little unappreciated- that our friendship is being taken for granted. Hoover and his friends seem to think of me as some sort of Benedict Arnold, but I remain loyal to the United States.”
“Is that what you told Chou Enlai? Yes, he reported that conversation to Molotov. I think you used rather different terms then.”
“That was necessary to gain his trust. We have no desire to see Chiang Kai-Shek and his cabal of reactionaries maintain their oppression of the Chinese people. We have worked with the Soviet Union to advance the cause of progressive forces around the world. But Andrei, I think you have to understand there are limits. Your friends in America are not your vassals. We don’t want a rupture in relations but-”
“I assure you that we are still aware of the limitations on the actions available to you. We do not intend to overreach or endanger you. But you cannot say that you are wholly independent of us. We appreciate having friends, but understand that if you choose to threaten the interests of the Soviet Union, we will not hesitate to make… certain reading material available. But I trust you are intelligent enough that that will not be necessary. If your friends feel it necessary to make statements explicitly hostile to the Soviet Union to ward off political opposition, we will not consider it a betrayal. Anything more than statements- we’d ask you to discuss that with us beforehand. With regards to Hoover, there is little in our power we can do. But I understand Mr. Hoover is a confirmed bachelor with no apparent interest in women. Perhaps you could turn the tables, investigate the investigator, see if there is anything going on in his private life.”
CARDIFF, WALES: 1953
“Rule Britannia! Rule Britannia!” cried the crowd as the demagogue climbed to the stage.
The demagogue stared down at the crowd from the podium. Thousands had gathered to attend his rally. Most of them were Cardiff locals, but he knew that many of the attendees had traveled from towns across Wales, and some had even traveled from England. Given that rationing of petrol (along with most other goods) was still extremely strict, it was a testament to his own popularity that so many travelers had come to see him personally in Cardiff. Many had likely traveled by public transport, or by horse or foot. Although he was based in Wales, the strength of his platform had attracted a following across all of Britain. He was making friends in London- supporters of his movement were already well organized there and were partaking in street demonstrations. The demagogue, while raised in Wales, was not ethnically Welsh and had little feel for specifically Welsh issues. No, he had national ambitions- and he felt his message, in these times, would appeal to the peoples of many other nations in the world.
“In Fairy stories,” the demagogue began, “in the folklore of old Europe, there were creatures that were wholly malevolent- monsters and boogeymen who liked to snatch up and gobble up little children, or unwary visitors to dark forests. Witches and giants and gremlins, and goblins and bloodgobblers and whangdoodles. The grownups in these stories think themselves so clever and sophisticated they ignore the monsters at their front door. They think themselves so civilized they have no need for primal fears. Such arrogance always ends, of course, with the monsters eating them, or their families, or wrecking some form of havoc. But the children, free of silly grownup ideas, could see and identify the evil. There is wisdom in their simplicity and clear-eyed vision.
But in those stories, there was usually a way to defeat the evil. Sometimes, a great hero or knight or warrior would be summoned to slay a dreadful beast. I always preferred the ones where the ghouls and monsters were defeated by ordinary people. And the way they accomplished this was by speaking the name of the evil. Recall the girl who promised her firstborn child to that short, funny, little man in exchange for weaving straw into gold. When she learned the name of that goblin- Rumpelstiltskin- she spoke his name- and Rumpelstiltskin, that old coward, was forced to flee and the girl kept her child.
We would like if goblins and monsters were consigned to the past, to the middle ages, to storybooks for children. But alas, in this age the monsters and goblins are all too real. The Communists, the Soviets- they’re the big dragon from lands faraway- they’re too obvious. There is another enemy, a good friend of the dragon, a goblin who’s a little more clever, a little less obvious. They are smaller, so they’re better at hiding, at disguising themselves. They garb themselves in costumes, these goblins, and they like to prey on children. But like Rumpelstiltskin, if you just name the evil, speak the name of these creatures, they will recoil from the light shed upon them and retreat back into darkness. For these goblins love the shadow and fear the light of truth.
So, let us speak the name of the evil, so that these goblins will flee in terror. The socialists, the trade unionists, the liberals, they’re weak and scared- they don’t want to speak the name of the evil. But I will. What is the name of this goblin who menaces modern Britain?” cried Roald Dahl, raising his voice louder and louder. “It is the Jew!” The crowd roared with approval. “The Jews, the real-life goblins, control both the banks and the Communist Party. It is the Jew who has brought about the ruin of Britain, brought our civilization to the brink of anarchy and starvation. The Jew who has infiltrated our government and society to bring us down from within! They are wholly slimy and disreputable, the lowest scum of the Earth! There is something inherently repulsive in their character, that makes a person naturally shudder. Even a stinker like Hitler didn’t pick on them for no reason.***
There has long been good reason to suspect the Jew, but in recent years their true nature has been revealed to the whole world. Recall the unholy trinity, the three Jews who seized control of America and left Britain bare and defenseless. These Elders of Zion, leaders of the Jewish conspiracy for world domination, were of the same cabal which controlled the Soviet Union- and naturally they set about undermining the Anglo- I mean white countries, descendants of the Nordic, and Celtic and Roman and Germanic peoples. They manipulated the stock markets, the big companies, the trade unions and the governments to aid the cause of global communist- that is Jewish- domination. Through trickery, deceit, and murder they even placed one of their own in the Presidency of the United States- Harry Weissnovicz, the accursed, the most vile and treacherous bastard who ever lived. The posh professors in London, they pretend to be clever, they’d ask ‘Oh Roald, how can the Jews control the banks and the Communists at the same time, that’s completely contradictory!’ But remember, the great enemy of civilization, Black Harry the spy, before he was President, his profession was an economist! At Bretton Woods, he laid out a plan for a new world banking system- a plot by the Jews to tighten their grip over the western countries, through the United Nations and international banks. But Weissnovicz was only one of the top three Elders in the United States. Recall his two wicked mentors, spies who manipulated the American banks and world economy for years before installing their protegee in the White House. Recall the butcher Henry Morgenthau- known for the starvation of the Germans, for taking bread from the mouths of babes and leaving them to die. It is Morgenthau who is the architect of one of the worst atrocities of our age. But remember, before his destruction of Germany, he was a banker and Secretary of the Treasury for many years, and he manipulated the fiscal and economic policy of the United States to advance the interests of the Jewish-Communist conspiracy. It was he who paved the path for Weissnovicz to bring about the fall of the West.
The oldest of the Elders, of the three ruling Jews, was Bernard Baruch. He was there almost from the beginning of the century- the master of the American Svengalis, who trained Morgenthau as Morgenthau trained Weissnovicz. He controlled President Woodrow Wilson and organized the American banking sector into institutions fully under Jewish control. He brought about the Treaty of Versailles which led to the Second World War. He admits he knew of the coming of the Great Depression, for he helped destroy the world economy to make people turn to Jewish-Communism out of desperation. And finally, to top off his long storied and esteemed career, he introduced the Baruch Plan- which saw the disarmament of the West, the neutering of our military strength, which left this nation vulnerable to Communist annihilation, the atomic death. The crimes of these three men, these Jewish Svengalis, are extensively well documented. Can anyone deny that this Jewish-Communist cabal has brought about greater destruction than any other in world history? We have all seen, all felt the horrors they have unleashed upon this country. They have sat in the shadows plotting for years, putting their mechanisms into motion. It was a Jew, Vic Oliver who corrupted Sarah Churchill and brought about the downfall of Gil Winant, thus dooming the west. He too, was an agent of Bernard Baruch and the Jews who run the entertainment industry. They used our politicians like chess pieces- and look where we are today.``
“Now,” said Dahl, “we have named the evil. But despite their crimes, these goblins remain among us, in positions of power and influence. We cannot restore the Empire without rooting out the Jews among us. When I am elected to Parliament, I promise you we will free this land from foreign domination and cast out the Jews who oppress and steal from us. No more corrupt international treaties, no more feckless bureaucrats, no more endless rationing- we will return power in this country to where it belongs- not in the hands of Jews and foreigners, but in the hands of white British people. Rule Britannia!”
“Rule Britannia! Rule Britannia!” yelled the crowd of Welshmen as Roald Dahl basked in the applause. The traditional politicians, those who had served in Parliament for years; they didn’t understand the national mood. But Dahl understood the deepest fears and prejudices of the people, how hard the years had worn down their patience and goodwill. That is why, he thought, I will ultimately vanquish my enemies.
***This is a real quote from Dahl.
