6. The Crown Prince's Secret
I finally returned to my home in Oxfordshire in mid-August 1934, almost four years after leaving home. The last time I was with Annie, I was all alone this time. When I met my father again, I was overwhelmed with emotion and finally broke down in tears.
But I had no time for sentimentality. Headquarters was eager to see my intelligence; I had to immediately develop the photos and rush to London to report. These negatives had been brought from Japan to headquarters in London via the Emperor's messenger, and were still entrusted to my handling. These intelligence photos were clearly unsuitable for external development, but fortunately, I had brought the equipment home during my intelligence training and set up a darkroom. Now, all I needed to do was replenish the photographic paper to enlarge and develop to printing copy. I worked continuously in the darkroom for several days, printing hundreds of photos, thankfully with a high success rate. I organized the photos into four large volumes to take to the meeting in London.
(Figure 4-6-1) The Japanese Navy's "Mogami-class" heavy cruisers. "Yes, Your Excellency!" I said, "They've already built over a dozen!" However, Macdonald, who had just switched from the Labour Party to the Conservative Party, was in a weak position at the time. The Labour Party viewed him as a traitor, and the Conservatives did not truly trust him. Power fell into the hands of former Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin. Baldwin was then the Conservative Party leader and Privy Councilor, wielding real influence. More importantly, he was very interested in strengthening the military, so I visited him with my photo album. The following year, Baldwin formed his third government and became Prime Minister.
(Figure 4-6-2) Prime Minister McDonald views a photograph of a Japanese warship taken by Paul Draken.
Due to the restrictions imposed by the Washington Convention, Japan placed particular emphasis on developing heavy cruisers to replace battleships, developing four classes of twelve ships, all designed by the outstanding Japanese shipbuilder Admiral Hiraga Yuzuru. During the Shanghai Incident, I took several photos in the Hwampoo River and Hangchow Bay and found that these ships shared common features: their gun turrets were piled up like mountains, and their bridges were as tall as ancient Japanese castles, which was quite spectacular. The beauty of the hull curves and the exquisite craftsmanship made them practically works of art.
In its early years, Japan imported its warships from Britain, and its domestically built ships were also influenced by British design. The layout of warships at that time was greatly affected by the number and location of boilers and funnels. For example, an armored cruiser had eight boilers, with two boilers sharing one funnel. As a result, four funnels were erected on the deck, occupying more than half the length of the ship, leaving very little space for turrets and the bridge. Japan, however, came up with a unique idea: it curved the four funnels towards the center to form a single, massive funnel. This freed up deck space for more turrets to increase firepower, and a large bridge to accommodate communication and command equipment. The overall design was completely different from that of traditional armored cruisers.
Of course, this also has its drawbacks. For example, the large bridge is actually a conduit for the smokestacks, resulting in very high temperatures inside the bridge. However, its benefits are also obvious. Concentrating the protection of the turrets and the bridge reduces the armored area, thus reducing displacement. This was crucial under the restrictions of the London Naval Treaty, as it meant that more warships could be built with greater firepower within the same displacement limit. Therefore, this type of warship is also known as a "treaty cruiser."
My intelligence led the British government to conclude that since Japan could develop to this extent even with treaty restrictions, they absolutely could not agree to the same conditions as Britain and the United States. However, Japan had already made up its mind that if they did not agree, it would withdraw from the London Treaty. In the end, the United States, Britain, France, and Italy signed an agreement in 1936 to extend the arms limitation, while Japan alone withdrew from the plan to expand its navy indefinitely. The Pacific War, which broke out at the end of 1941, had in fact already embarked on a path of no return in 1936.
News of my return even reached the Prince of Wales. One day, I was summoned by the Prince to meet him with photographs of naval intelligence. After reporting to my superiors, I arrived at his palace one weekend afternoon in civilian clothes. The Prince dismissed all his entourage, citing secrecy. A middle-aged woman came out with tea and refreshments. This was my first meeting with Wallis Simpson, the woman who had caused Edward VIII to abdicate.
"Paul, come to my side and help me!"
After flipping through the photo album, the Crown Prince did not comment on the Far East naval intelligence, but instead made a request that I did not expect.
"Your Highness, I am flattered, but... I still have many missions to undertake in China!" I said.
"The task... oh! It's to take care of that pretty American lady, her name is... something like Annie!" the Crown Prince said with a smile.
When I heard the Crown Prince mention Annie, my eyes welled up with tears. I told the Crown Prince everything about Annie's disappearance.
"Alas! Life is unpredictable, we can only seize the present!" The Crown Prince sighed, grasped Mrs. Simpson's hand tightly, and the two gazed at each other affectionately; I immediately knew that the rumors about the Crown Prince's girlfriend were not unfounded.
(Figure 4-6-3) The Crown Prince clenched his fist and pointed out the window, as if he were giving a speech to the crowd, while Mrs. Simpson nodded in agreement.
"In that case, you might as well come and help me. I will ask the Prime Minister to explain to your superior!" The Crown Prince said, "Don't worry, I don't want you to be my aide-de-camp. I want you to be my personal political representative. You know that I will ascend the throne sooner or later. In the future, there will be some things that the government cannot do in person and I will need someone to contact. I know that you have a wide network of people in various countries and are very capable. You are the best candidate."
"Your Highness flatters me!" I said politely.
"I'm serious! I heard you even met Prime Minister Hitler? Tell me what kind of person he was?" The Crown Prince lit a cigarette and listened with great interest as I recounted my meeting with Hitler.
After I finished speaking, the Crown Prince stood up, walked to a map hanging on the wall, pointed at it, and said, "Look, Germany is blocking the communists for us. We, Britain, should unite with Germany to form an anti-communist alliance and protect Western Europe from being communistized!" The Crown Prince slammed his hand on the table and said, "It's hateful how those politicians in the cabinet are still stuck in the mindset of the last world war. They don't understand that the enemy now is not Germany, but the Soviet Union!"
I stared at the Crown Prince without saying a word. He continued pacing back and forth in the room, saying, "Look at Hitler. He directly addressed the will of the people in any policy. A true modern leader is one who can grasp the will of the people. Those old fogies like the Prime Minister are still living in the 18th century. I don't want to be their king. I want to be the king of all the British people, the real king!"
As the Crown Prince spoke, he walked to the window, raised his clasped hands towards the outside, as if addressing the crowd below. I saw Mrs. Simpson nodding in agreement frequently beside him.
I think the Crown Prince must have asked the Prime Minister to transfer me, but because the London Naval Conference was imminent and my mission was too important, headquarters refused to release me, so the matter was temporarily put on hold.
In late October, representatives from various countries attending the naval conference arrived in London. I went to the dock to greet Rear Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, who had arrived by ship from the United States. He was the chief negotiator for the Japanese side at this conference. On the dock, he told
reporters in fluent English: "Japan can no longer succumb to the constraints of the proportionality system for the navy. On this point, our government has no room for compromise!"
I felt a chill run down my spine when I heard that.
I went up to welcome him, and Yamamoto gave me a hug with American-style enthusiasm. But this time, I was no longer a child, but one of the staff members of the negotiating opponent. Naturally, he was much more cautious in his speech, but our relationship was different after all.
"Good day, sir!" Yamamoto said, bowing respectfully.
(Figure 4-6-4) Paul took Isoroku Yamamoto to Bond Street to order a naval vice admiral's uniform and to a photo studio to take a photo shoot.
He was absolutely right. Yamamoto is now world-renowned for his research and dedication to naval aviation, but his concept of naval aviation was actually conceived by me, tracing back to my experience aboard the ""Rosamond" " over the Pearl River in Canton in 1923. I wasn't qualified to sit at the conference table, but from the messages relayed back by the delegates, Yamamoto was a really difficult fellow. He kept clamoring to break the original 5:5:3 ratio of capital ships and added a bunch of new demands, leaving no room for maneuver. It seemed that the negotiations were about to break down, and Britain was already negotiating with the United States about whether to just agree to Japan's conditions. At the last minute, I was ordered to find out the bottom line of the Japanese delegation again.
Just in mid-November, Yamamoto Isoroku received his promotion to vice admiral in London. I took him to Bond Street, the most famous place in London to order military uniforms, and ordered a full dress uniform for a vice admiral. Yamamoto cherished this uniform very much, and he still wore it when he was promoted to admiral and became commander of the Combined Fleet.
At the restaurant, I ordered a bottle of champagne to congratulate him. After a few drinks, Yamamoto suddenly said to me, "Sigh! The spectators don't know what the actors are doing, yet they're clapping wildly!"
Yamamoto knew I was a behind-the-scenes member of the British negotiating team, and that any clue could reveal his hand. But I knew Yamamoto too well; he was a shrewd gambler who liked to take risks. Whether what he said was true or false, it was certain that it was not a slip of the tongue while drunk. He was testing me. Having studied him for a long time, I knew exactly what was going on as soon as I heard it. What Yamamoto wanted to convey was that he did not want to break the deadlock and that we should not be deceived by appearances.
On the surface, Japan insisted on maintaining the same proportion of capital ships as the US and UK, even at the cost of breaking the treaty. However, this was not Yamamoto's true intention. His pretense of increasing the proportion of capital ships was merely a bargaining chip; his real aim was to gain leverage in aircraft carriers and submarines. Yamamoto was well aware of the US's industrial strength and had no desire to break the negotiations, nor did he care about securing a higher proportion of capital ships. A proponent of naval aviation, Yamamoto wanted aircraft carriers and submarines, essentially trading outdated capital ships for these new weapons that the US and UK had not yet considered. However, Yamamoto's apparent insistence greatly encouraged the right wing in Japan, who clamored to withdraw from the naval conference and focus entirely on developing capital ships, thus abandoning his true goals. No wonder Yamamoto was complaining bitterly.
(Figures 4-6-5) Isoroku Yamamoto adopted a tough stance at the London Naval Conference in order to gain leverage.
I want to add that in the 1930s, navies around the world were still primarily led by battleships with heavy artillery. Aircraft carriers and submarines were essentially auxiliary vessels, unlike the prestigious status they held after World War II. At that time, aircraft carriers and transport ships were roughly equal in importance, and submarines were essentially submerged versions of torpedo boats, often without even proper names. The vast majority of naval commanders worldwide were considered "fleet enthusiasts," believing that naval battles would always involve capital ships arrayed and exchanging heavy artillery fire. Those with foresight regarding naval aviation, like Isoroku Yamamoto, were extremely rare at the time.
Upon returning to headquarters, I immediately submitted the report. I thought that after conveying Yamamoto's goodwill, all parties should be able to reach a certain consensus, but I never expected that this would fall into the United States' trap. Because the United States' true intention was to use an arms race to drag Japan down. This is a tactic used by resource-rich countries to gamble everything, just like how Germany was dragged down in the last world war.
After understanding Yamamoto's reluctance to break the deadlock, the United States became even more determined to push him toward breaking the deadlock. Coupled with the pressure he faced from within Japan, the shrewd Yamamoto ran out of options and had no choice but to end the negotiations in failure. Japan withdrew from the Naval Arms Limitation Treaty, and the "Fleet Faction" was overjoyed. They immediately began construction of the super battleship "Yamato," leading Japan toward the end of its life as its resources were gradually depleted.
"Our Japanese Navy has always been modeled after the British Royal Navy, but in the future, we will probably drift further and further away from it!"
Yamamoto said to me sadly on the day the negotiations broke down. "Those watching the show must be applauding me as I take my final bow."
That day I also brought a telegram from Ribbentrop in Berlin, inviting Yamamoto to visit Germany after the conference. He agreed on the spot and hoped that I could accompany him. This was exactly what I wanted, because I had already asked my superiors for permission to go and see how Japan and Germany were actually connected.
How did Ribbentrop end up inviting Yamamoto Isoroku through me? He told me personally in Berlin that Nazi spies in Britain had already relayed information about my acquaintance with Yamamoto back to Germany. Ribbentrop felt it was more convenient to invite him through my personal relationship than through the Japanese embassy, given his considerable help during my previous visit to Germany; that favor still applied. Ribbentrop has always preferred to bypass traditional diplomatic channels, and this remained true even after becoming Foreign Minister.
Strangely enough, the Crown Prince also knew that I was going to visit Germany with Yamamoto and summoned me again. He asked me to deliver a personal letter to Ribbentrop to express his greetings and to say that he hoped to have the opportunity to visit Germany and meet with Chancellor Hitler. The Crown Prince brought up the matter of asking me to help him again, and I said that I would be happy to do so as long as my superiors agreed.
Isoroku Yamamoto received a hero's welcome at the Berlin train station. The Germans regarded him as a symbol of resistance against British and American powers, and his visit further strengthened the rapprochement between Germany and Japan. In the past, we always thought of Japan as a traditional ally of Britain, and Germany and Japan had even fought several fierce land and naval battles in Tsingtao during the war. But this time, I was surprised to find that Japan and Germany actually had many similarities, and the alliance of the Axis powers was already taking shape at this time.
(Figure 4-6-6) Paul Draken and Isoroku Yamamoto visit a newly built submarine in Germany.
Thanks to Yamamoto, I had the opportunity to visit the German Navy's construction site during this trip to Germany. Based on the lessons of the last war, the German Navy no longer spent money on large warships that were of little use, but instead focused more on the development of submarines. However, due to the restrictions of the Treaty of Versailles after the war, this could not be done openly. Nevertheless, our intelligence showed that the German authorities had secretly built submarines in the Netherlands and Finland. The Germans had denied this in the past, but strangely enough, this time they seemed to have no intention of hiding it from me, a British naval intelligence officer.
I accompanied Yamamoto to visit several U-boats under construction at a German shipyard. Although the quantity and quality were still limited, the attitude of the German military gave me a gut feeling that they would soon break the restrictions on German military equipment imposed by the Treaty of Versailles. Sure enough, a month later Hitler announced a full-scale expansion of the military, and the German shipyard immediately announced the launch of several submarines.
Isoroku Yamamoto's itinerary in Germany was handled by Colonel Hiroshi Oshima, the Deputy Military Attaché at the Japanese Embassy. Since Yamamoto's visit was arranged through me by Ribbentrop, Oshima was initially unsure of my identity and deliberately kept his distance. This Mr. Oshima came from a military family; his father had served as Minister of the Army. Oshima received a German-style education from a young age and was more German than most Germans. He later rose through the ranks from military attaché to Japanese Ambassador to Germany, a very rare occurrence in diplomatic circles. I specifically mentioned him because we had even clashed during the war.
After visiting Germany, Yamamoto Isoroku returned to Japan by train via the Soviet Union, while I hitched a ride back to England on a plane flown by an Australian pilot. Before I left, Ribbentrop gave me a secret letter to deliver to the Prince of Wales, and a small gift to give to Mrs. Simpson.
Upon my return to London, I presented Ribbentrop's letter to the Prince of Wales and the gift for Mrs. Simpson. The Prince was pleased, saying that the Prime Minister had agreed to let me serve under him and that I would henceforth act as his liaison with Germany. Soon after, my superior summoned me and said, "His Highness has asked the Prime Minister for you several times, and we cannot keep refusing, so you may go. However, if you wish to return to MI6 or the Navy in the future, please remember one thing: you are someone sent by MI6 to His Highness's side, not someone he employs!"
My superior's words sounded like he was kindly concerned for my future, but in reality, it wasn't like that at all. He actually meant for me to monitor the Crown Prince, something I only learned later. Perhaps coincidentally, I was promoted to lieutenant while being transferred to serve the Prince; my uniform sleeve insignia changed from one thick and one thin strips to two thick gold strips. My friends joked that I was promoted just to look good standing next to the Prince. Promotions in peacetime are indeed very slow; if it weren't for the outbreak of World War II, I seriously doubt I would have remained a lieutenant until retirement.
In my observation, Edward doesn't intend to play the role of a traditional heir apparent. He's keen to appeal to the public with his political ideals, and the people seem quite fond of this future king. I naively believe that Edward will undoubtedly be a wise and popular ruler, a boon to the British Empire. But the Cabinet and Parliament don't think so. How many monarchs have been beheaded throughout history to achieve Britain's representative politics today? They don't want to be restored by this arrogant future king. As for Wallis Simpson, although she is married, that's irrelevant. Before Edward's ascension, few people considered the possibility of her becoming Queen.
After I began serving the Crown Prince, I traveled between London and Berlin frequently, acting as a secret envoy between the Crown Prince and Ribbentrop. Ribbentrop even told me that he would soon be sent to London by Hitler, and that he would then be able to meet with the Crown Prince often. A sense of unease crept into my mind; my sixth sense told me that there must be some secret between the Crown Prince and the German government. Every time I returned from Germany, I was summoned to headquarters to give a report. Once, they even asked me to hand over the Crown Prince's letters. I began to feel a little scared. Caught between the Crown Prince's trust and the organization's demands, I didn't know what to do and had to consult my father.
Here I would like to add some explanation about the relationship between the British royal family and Germany. Due to frequent intermarriages among European royal families in the last century, most of them were related. The British royal family originally even had a German surname. It was only after the outbreak of the European war that they temporarily changed their surname from the German "Saxe-Coburg and Gotha" to "Windsor" in 1917, to consider the public's opinion. British people over the age of 20 probably still remember this. Therefore, it is not difficult to make people believe that the Crown Prince is pro-German.
After hearing my question, my father remained silent for a long while before saying, "I'll go ask someone. This matter must never be told to anyone!"
The person my father consulted was our old neighbor, Winston Churchill. Churchill was at the lowest point in his political career at the time. A few years earlier, as Chancellor of the Exchequer in Stanley Baldwin's cabinet, he had witnessed the Great Depression, and his lack of financial acumen had left Britain's finances in disarray, leading to his resignation. His later advocacy of the German threat theory was out of step with the prevailing trends, making him a political liability for the Conservative Party. But my father recognized Churchill's capabilities. Instead of seeking advice from those in power, he turned to someone even his own party members avoided. My father's foresight is something I will never learn in my lifetime.
(Figures 4-6-7) The Sir Draken and son visited Winston Churchill to seek his advice.
We met in a hotel room in London. Winston Churchill, puffing on his large cigar, listened as I recounted my acquaintance with the Crown Prince and my visit to Germany. After I finished, he said, "The Crown Prince could ascend the throne at any time. Do we have any other choice? So, although Your Highness and I have different views, I will still express my support for him and hope to influence him through you. Please tell Your Highness that I, Winston Churchill, am certainly aware of the threat posed by the Communists to the West, but please consider this: is the Soviet Union closer to us or Germany? In my opinion, Germany will definitely launch a war within five years. By then, Your Highness may have already ascended the throne and will be leading the nation to face Hitler's army. Are we prepared?"
As for Mrs. Simpson, Churchill said, "I have no prejudice against her being American. You know my mother was American too, but she got too close to the Germans, which might become a handle for others to use against her."
I knew that Mrs. Simpson was too close to the Germans, and I knew that she had an ambiguous relationship with Ribbentrop, which continued even after her marriage to the Duke of Windsor; but what about someone else's leverage? Who was that someone else?
As we were leaving, Churchill said, "You can come to me anytime if you have any problems!" I did indeed visit him often afterward, which eventually led to the political upheaval that shocked the world in 1936.
In June 1935, veteran politician Stanley Baldwin re-formed his cabinet, and the Crown Prince's desire to marry Mrs. Simpson was brought to the forefront for discussion. The Crown Prince even promised not to grant her the title of Queen in the future in order to seek the cabinet's approval. Baldwin remained noncommittal for the time being. At this time, Churchill jumped out to support the Crown Prince's marriage. The perceptive Baldwin immediately felt that Churchill wanted to use the issue of the Crown Prince to challenge his position as Prime Minister. Then, Baldwin heard from somewhere that I had a secret meeting with Churchill, which deepened his impression.
(Figure 4-6-8) Baldwin threatened in Parliament with the resignation of the entire cabinet to oppose Edward VIII's marriage to Mrs. Simpson.
This is a very strange situation. Churchill has always been known for his views on the German threat, but this time he supports the Crown Prince's marriage to Mrs. Simpson. Therefore, it is difficult for Baldwin to accuse him of being pro-German. If the Crown Prince ascends the throne, Churchill's political power will increase significantly, and he may replace Baldwin.
Just then, George V died, and the Prince of Wales naturally ascended the throne as Edward VIII in early 1936. Everything seemed to be in Churchill's favor, and he was even planning to form a cabinet.
But a shrewd and calculating man like Baldwin was not so easily subdued. He immediately changed his tune, strongly opposing the king's marriage on the grounds that a divorced woman was unsuitable to be queen, and even threatened the entire cabinet with a mass resignation. Faced with a choice, the king had no choice but to abdicate on December 10th of that year, and his brother George VI ascended the throne. Churchill's plan completely failed, and he did not become Prime Minister of Britain until after the outbreak of World War II, succeeding Chamberlain and ushering in the Churchill era.
My work was done as soon as the King abdicated. Although the Duke and Duchess of Windsor still hoped that I would go to Europe with them, I was determined to get out of this vortex. I had been away from China for almost two and a half years and couldn't wait to return to Shanghai. When the King broadcast his abdication announcement, I was already on an Imperial Airway plane flying across the ocean.
The story of Edward VIII's decision to abdicate for love is widely known, but the reality is quite different. He was a victim of the political struggle between Baldwin and Churchill, and the divorced woman was merely a pretext.
After their marriage, the Duke and Duchess of Windsor left England for France, maintaining frequent contact with Germany and later secretly visiting Hitler. When war broke out, the Duke and Duchess used a visit to the Maginot Line as an opportunity to leak French military intelligence to Germany, leading to the rapid collapse of the French front and their eventual fall. Churchill was then the wartime Prime Minister of Britain, and rumors circulated that the Duke of Windsor wanted to use Nazi power to return to Britain and restore the monarchy. It is said that Churchill subsequently transferred the Duke to the Bahamas in Central America as governor overnight to cut off their opportunities to collude with the Nazi Party. However, the real reason was that Churchill used the Duke of Windsor to prevent Britain from surrendering in 1941 like France.
In May 1940, due to strategic errors, nearly 400,000 British and French troops were surrounded by German armored forces on the French coast of Dunkirk. Nazi tanks could have annihilated them all on the beach at any moment. However, a miracle occurred: Hitler's final order to attack was delayed by two days. The British used those two days to mobilize all available ships and rescue 340,000 troops back to Britain. Although these men lost all their heavy equipment, they became a vital force in the defense of Britain and the later counter-offensive on the European continent. If they had been annihilated on the beaches of Dunkirk, Britain would not have had enough troops to defend against the German offensive and would have suffered the same fate as France. So, what exactly caused Hitler to delay issuing the attack order?
It turns out that Churchill's support for the Crown Prince's marriage to Mrs. Simpson led Edward to believe that Churchill was on his side. Even after his abdication, the two maintained contact. When the Anglo-French forces were trapped in Dunkirk, the Duke of Windsor happened to be in Germany. Churchill secretly conveyed to Hitler through him his willingness to join forces with Germany to form an anti-communist and anti-Soviet alliance. At this time, Hitler also felt that facing too many enemies in this war was a bit too much, and it would be more advantageous to focus on dealing with France and maintaining the gains. Under these circumstances, annihilating the British army seemed a bit inappropriate.
While Hitler hesitated, Churchill swiftly mobilized all available ships to evacuate 340,000 troops back to Britain, declaring that he would never surrender. Hitler then realized he had been tricked and, in a fit of rage, ordered Göring to prepare for the air raid on London—this was the origin of the Battle of Britain. However, Hitler's only chance to eliminate Britain's fighting force was lost. From then on, Britain became the last beacon of hope in the fight against Nazism in Europe. Governments in exile and remnants of various countries converged on the British Isles, ready for battle. Four years later, they launched a counterattack, defeating the Nazis and liberating all of Europe. The Duke of Windsor unintentionally saved Britain, but he could no longer remain in Nazi-occupied Europe and was forced to obey Churchill's orders, being exiled to the Bahamas as governor. At that time, I was already in China; my father told me these things later.
(Figure 4-6-9) T.E. Lawrence speeds along a country road on his Brough Superior SS100.
One more thing that happened while I was serving the Prince of Wales is worth mentioning. Due to the rise of the Arab national self-determination movement after the war, many forces had the shadow of the Communist Party behind them, and Britain's interests in the Middle East were seriously challenged. As a result, the Prince of Wales hoped to find an expert who understood the Arab world. The first person I thought of was my old friend, Colonel TE Lawrence, also known as Sergeant Shaw, who was famous as "Lawrence of Arabia".
The Crown Prince also knew of Lawrence's reputation, and after obtaining his permission, I telegraphed him saying I would visit him in the countryside. Colonel Lawrence replied that he would pick me up at the train station on his motorcycle. That old fellow is now addicted to motorcycles; he's probably forgotten what it was like to ride a camel in the desert back in the day!
On May 13th, I took the train there, but after waiting and waiting at the station, he and his motorcycle never appeared. As darkness fell, I had no choice but to take the last train back to London. Soon after, news came that Lawrence, on his way to the train station, had been involved in a motorcycle accident near Bovington Camp in Dorset while swerving to avoid children, and had died from his injuries on the morning of the 19th. I attended his funeral at St. Paul's Cathedral; the death of this legendary figure was just as dramatic.
After the war, I heard a rumor that Lawrence might have been assassinated because Hitler had expressed great admiration for him, and Prince Wales wanted him to act as a secret messenger between Hitler and Lawrence. Churchill found out about this and arranged for a car accident to kill Lawrence. This story is very dramatic, but it seems to conflate me with Lawrence. In fact, I was the Prince's contact person with Germany.
(Figure 4-6-10) Gertrude Bell in Baghdad.
When discussing Colonel Lawrence's influence in the Middle East, another person who cannot be ignored is Gertrude Bell. This Ms. Bell was Lawrence's colleague in the Cairo intelligence service and wielded considerable influence in Middle Eastern politics. Strictly speaking, Lawrence was merely the executor; she was the true shadow puppeteer. She was the de facto architect of the four kingdoms of Iraq, Syria, Saudi Arabia, and Jordan after World War I, and was known as the "Queen of the Desert." Unfortunately, she died mysteriously in 1926; otherwise, she might have been even more suited to the position.
My father also knew Ms. Bell, as she was a senior to him at Oxford University. In those days, many British people were very interested in the history and archaeology of Central Asia, India, and the Western Regions of China. Most of them had similar backgrounds: Oxford graduates, officials in colonial governments or diplomatic consulates, and recruits by British intelligence. Many in this circle knew each other, or at least had heard of one another; Bell was one such example. My father mentioned Gertrude Bell's name several times in his autobiography and admitted that he learned a great deal from her.
Gertrude Bell even had a significant influence on me. Although she died a year before I came to China, through my father, Colonel Lawrence, Earl of Almásy , Stein, and others, I was fortunate enough to join this group and leave a record in the history of British adventures in the Near East and Far East in the early 20th century.
Speaking of people with the surname Bell, I'd also like to mention another person who has a strong connection to China and to me: Julian Bell. He's a year younger than me and came from an unusually well-connected artistic family in London. The famous female writer Virginia Woolf was his aunt, and Woolf's lesbian partner was Gertrude Bell's best friend.
After graduating from King's College, Cambridge in 1935, Julian Bell was aimless and wanted to go on an adventure in the East. Hearing that I had a lot of connections in China, he came to me. It just so happened that my good friend Xu Zhimo's close girlfriend, Ling Shuhua, was teaching at the newly established Wuhan University and needed an English teacher. So I introduced Julian to her: the salary was quite attractive.
(Figure 4-6-11) Ling Shuhua travels with her British lover Julian Bell.
Why am I specifically mentioning this person? First, because Ling Shuhua had a close relationship with Xu Zhimo, a fact known to very few, but which Xu, a close friend of mine, confided in me about. Ling Shuhua, like Lin Huiyin, was both beautiful and talented. In my opinion, Xu admired Ling even more than Lin, which is why he entrusted her personal belongings to her rather than his wife Lu Xiaoman or Lin Huiyin. This led to a considerable uproar in Chinese cultural circles when Lin Huiyin asked Ling Shuhua for Xu's belongings after his plane crash in 1931, as she refused.
When I introduced Julian to China, Ling Shuhua was already married to her teacher, Chen Siying. Upon arriving at Wuhan University, Julian fell madly in love with Ling Shuhua, who was eight years his senior. Their unconventional relationship was far more shocking than anything else in the conservative society of China at the time. As a result, Julian was dismissed from Wuhan University and returned to his home country in 1937. His adventurous nature soon led him to Spain to participate in the civil war as part of an international volunteer team. He was killed when the ambulance he was driving was attack by Nazi German aircraft, ending his short but brilliant life.
My first impression of Julian was that he was gay; I've always been very sensitive to this kind of thing. He once mentioned that his lover was his Cambridge classmate, Anthony Blunt, who became Queen Elizabeth II's Art Advisor in 1956 and was knighted, only to be discovered to be a Soviet spy, becoming one of the biggest political scandals of the Cold War. In fact, at least five people from that gay circle at Cambridge were recruited by the Soviet KGB, the infamous "Cambridge Five", some of whom were brought to justice because of me. I think if Julian hadn't died young, he certainly would have been one of them.
While I was in London, I was still paying close attention to news from China. In mid-June 1935, I received intelligence from Hong Kong at MI6 headquarters that Chen Tsitang had joined forces with the Kuangsi clique to rebel. The three major warships of the Canton Navy, the Haichi, Haichen, and Chaohe, had deserted. Chen Tsitang sent planes to bomb them, and the three ships fled to the open sea. Chen Shaokuan, the Minister of the Navy of the Central Navy and a member of the Fookian clique, personally led China's newest and most advanced light cruiser, the "Ninghai" (the same ship I had taken to Japan the previous year), south to intercept them and take them over. The officers and men of the Haichi and other ships were unwilling to be incorporated into the Fookian clique and hid under the protection of the Hong Kong colony overnight. The Hong Kong British government did not want to offend Chen Tsitang of Canton, but it could not ignore the demands of Nanking. It did not know what to do and hoped that I could go to Hong Kong to assist in handling the situation.
But this was right when Baldwin had just formed his cabinet, and I didn’t dare leave London for a moment. However, since I was very familiar with the factional struggles in the Chinese Navy, I knew that Chan Chak was manipulating things behind the scenes. I sent a telegram to Chan Chak suggesting that each ship could be directly placed under the Nanking Military and Political Department, which would relieve the officers and soldiers of their worries about being incorporated into the Fookian faction. In this way, they would take the initiative to leave Hong Kong and avoid the embarrassment of the Hong Kong government. The subsequent developments were exactly as I had planned.
At the same time, all of Chen Tsitang's air force planes also defected to Nanking. Chen lost both his aircraft and ships, and had no choice but to resign and go abroad. There is also a legend about this "opportunity not to be missed," which can be taken with a grain of salt. It is said that Chen Tsitang's brother, Chen Weichow, was good at physiognomy. He took advantage of his trip to Nanking to meet Chiang Kai-shek to secretly observe and compare the two men's faces and concluded that Chen Tsitang would definitely replace Chiang and succeed to the throne this year. The opportunity should not be missed! (The Chinese pronunciation of "chance" and "airplane" is the same.) It was not until the entire Canton Air Force defected and flew north that he realized that the "opportunity not to be missed" meant that the planes should not be lost! Song Feihu played a major role in this defection of the Canton Air Force planes. He was detained by the Canton military in 1928 along with his plane and forced to join the Canton Air Force. Now he was going to transfer to the Central Air Force.
(Figure 4-6-13) Emily Hahn has a pet monkey that often sits on her shoulder.
In late 1935, I received a Christmas card from Emily Hahn in Shanghai. I could sense her affection for me in her words. She was very true to her promise; when we last met in New York, she said she would come to China to see me after two years in Africa, and she had indeed come as promised. However, I was away and couldn't return immediately, and Annie had already passed away. So I introduced her to a few of my friends in Shanghai, asking them to take care of her, including Shao Shunmei, with whom she later had a tragic love affair. If I had still been in Shanghai at that time, perhaps it wouldn't have been Shao Shunmei, but me.
With her stunning beauty and daring personality, Emily Hahn became the object of many Westerners' fantasies upon arriving in Shanghai, including Sir Sassoon, one of Shanghai's wealthiest men, who was a photography enthusiast and for whom she served as a nude model. However, she eventually married a Chinese man named Shao Sinmay., which aroused the jealousy of many Western men, who often used insulting language towards her.
I don't think Emily Hahn truly loved Shao Sinmay. She was merely seeking the thrill of exotic experiences, and Sinmay's wealth satisfied her material desires, even leading her to try opium—a very expensive addiction. I believe Hahn is fickle; she'll find new romances whenever she's in a new environment, and that proved to be true later. Hahn's behavior made her seem like a leftist, even being questioned by the FBI when she returned to the US, but I know she isn't. She even criticized the nihilism of feminism. I'm the only one who truly understands her, and she agrees, but I was never her lover, though she once considered it.
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