Man can hardly even recognise the devils of his own creation.
(Albert Schweitzer)
But the woman wouldn’t relent. She was a tall and beefy Bantu from southern Cameroon working for the Jaunder General-Anzeiger, a newspaper well known for its anti-US stance.
“If no distinction was ever made between black and white, how is it possible that Middle Africans were explicitly excluded from voluntary service in Mexico, Your Majesty?”
The audience became totally quiet now as everybody was waiting for the Emperor’s reply. This exclusion had deeply hurt many Middle Africans – and was widely seen as an affront. Not only the Middle African military had been keen to get back at the ‘Amis’; there was a widespread desire for revenge – fuelled by the stories about the sterilised and neutered internees, the fate of the MAU 31 crew, and the recent ignominious defeat of the Middle African submarine mission.
“It is known in Germany that many of your fellow citizens crave for revenge – and that is just the reason why they were not admitted for voluntary service in Mexico. The mission requires unemotional soldiers ready to heed the rules of international law. People who want to avenge real or imagined tort are not suited for it. In their obstinate desire to inflict damage on the enemy, they might jeopardise life and health of their comrades. – It is as I already pointed out: The pure desire for revenge is not an acceptable motivation.”
This answer was met by a general murmur of disapproval. Although Wilhelm had correctly summarised the reasons why the German government had excluded Middle Africans from service in Mexico, one felt discriminated and patronised.
“So, the Amis may neuter and degrade our men; keep prisoners of war in miserable isolation long after a treaty of peace has been signed; and are allowed to merrily kill our submarine crews – but we are considered emotionally unstable by our white masters and not allowed to give back as we were given?” asked the female reporter in a high-pitched voice.
“Your vindictive mindset only serves to demonstrate how appropriate the decision of our government really is, dear lady. I can only say that witnessing your attitude emphasises this for me.”
Thus, the interview ended in disharmony, because most Middle Africans present obviously rather agreed with the aggressive stance of the female reporter than with Wilhelm’s moderation.
On the next day, headlines all over Middle Africa ran like: “Are we all little children?” – “No trust in us?” – “Daddy says: No! Bad Middle Africans not good for Mexico.”
When the Imperial Family arrived in Duala, a huge crowd had gathered in front of the railway station, wielding banners demanding admission of Middle Africans to the military mission in Mexico. Plenipotentiary von Schnee was grief-stricken that ‘his’ Middle Africans should not hail the Kaiser’s visit but use it to voice their displeasure.
But Wilhelm appeared unperturbed; he was consistently appraising what he saw, heard and experienced.
Touring the huge naval base, Wilhelm took the opportunity to interview Korvettenkapitän David Kalumbe, the only submarine captain to have returned from the ill-fated Mexican mission. Quite unsurprisingly, Kalumbe also was eager to get back at the US Americans, but he was much more careful than his fellow citizens.
“They are very good, Your Majesty. – At least their navy is, I can’t judge their army; but the navy is downright well trained, attentive and aggressive. My boat was very lucky to escape doom. – We thought, because we had beaten them in our home waters, we could repeat this in their home waters. But that was a faulty belief, they are immensely strong – especially in destroyers; and their means for detecting submarines are at least as good as ours – if not superior. – Only the new generation of German submarines may stand a chance opposite them, our old boats are just coffins…”
Discussing the day with Giovanna at night, Wilhelm wondered what had gone wrong in emancipating the Middle Africans.
“They are like spoiled brats.” said Giovanna. “They have received so many benefits and steadily were praised as model pupils that they now think they always can get their way. In my view, they are as racist and aggressive as the Americans, although under different auspices. – Germany should not expect that eternal gratitude will always make them obey orders from Berlin. These people have a special sense of mission – and they are harbouring a deep grudge against the US, which easily can mutate into a grudge against all whites…”