African Entrepreneurship Record-Chapter 874 - 178: Dividing the Spoils

"Ambassador Russell, just now, a staff member from the White House came to our embassy. He said President Cleveland invites you to the White House for a discussion."

At this moment, Russell had no idea what Cleveland wanted from him at the White House, because the turmoil in the Hawaiian Islands was part of a special operation by East Africa, known only to East African senior officials, the military, and the National Defense Security Bureau. Even the East Africans themselves were scarcely aware.

However, Russell was not too surprised. Since diplomatic relations between East Africa and the United States were restored, exchanges at such high levels were not uncommon. It's just that President Cleveland had only come to power this March and had no interaction with Russell.

Before Cleveland, the previous U.S. President was Russell Benjamin Harrison. Hence, Cleveland was a relatively unfamiliar figure to Russell.

Of course, Russell wasn't entirely clueless because Cleveland was still the 22nd President of the United States. Yes, Cleveland had previously served a term as U.S. President. This was merely a return to power.

The reason Russell Benjamin Harrison didn't secure a consecutive term was primarily due to his advocacy for economic "isolationism." Facing an economic depression, domestic capital became dissatisfied. After all, the United States was already the world's largest industrial nation, and his policies made the U.S. business sector feel their interests were harmed.

Though Cleveland was a supporter of "liberal economy," after coming to power, not much changed in substance. The U.S. still maintained a "high tariff" policy, albeit somewhat relaxed compared to the Russell era.

Concerning Cleveland, Russell's attitude toward this U.S. President was generally indifferent because they had little interaction previously, and the restoration of U.S.-East Africa diplomatic relations was mainly credited to President Russell. Although Russell also adapted to the international trends post-South African war, showing flexibility, Russell only looked at outcomes. During Cleveland's 22nd presidency, there was not much interaction with East Africa.

Nonetheless, as a diplomat, Russell wouldn't let personal feelings interfere. He still went to the White House according to the invitation, curious about what Cleveland had in mind.

...

In the meeting room. 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

"Hello, Ambassador Russell. I believe this is our first meeting." Cleveland warmly greeted Russell.

"Hello, President Cleveland!" Russell politely replied.

Cleveland noticed this East African diplomat was very young. Of course, that wasn't the initial impression. Rather, Russell seemed somewhat challenging to engage with as a diplomat. After all, Cleveland had greeted him with a smile, yet Russell had such a minimal reaction, quite unlike a qualified diplomat.

He wasn't wrong. Russell came from a military background, inherently carrying a strict and serious demeanor typical of military personnel. East Africa, a nation with less than thirty years of history, didn't have many professional diplomats. In other words, not many professionally trained diplomats in East Africa held high positions.

Within East Africa, the military system provided the fastest route for promotion. Many government officials came from military backgrounds, and since East Africa was often at war, military personnel had more avenues for advancement.

"President Cleveland, why did you invite me this time?" Russell asked directly.

This further confirmed Cleveland's suspicions, yet he maintained his smile, "East Africa and the United States are both great powers, so our interactions aren't necessarily always about state affairs. Sometimes, it's about fostering good relations between our countries. What would Ambassador Russell like to drink?"

"Anything is fine."

"Yablon, prepare a cup of coffee for Ambassador Russell." Seeing Russell's response, Cleveland instructed his secretary.

"Ambassador Russell, you are a straightforward person. I'll speak directly. What is East Africa's stance on Hawaii?" Cleveland asked outright.

"Hawaii, what does that have to do with East Africa?"

"Hmm, don't you know?" Cleveland assumed Russell was playing dumb—you East Africans have already seized Kauai, and now you want to deny it!

Russell, puzzled, responded, "Hawaii should be an island nation in the Pacific Ocean! East Africa and Hawaii are quite far apart."

Seeing Russell genuinely unaware of the situation in the Hawaiian Islands, Cleveland explained the sequence of events to him: "…So, what exactly is East Africa's stance?"

No wonder Russell was unaware of this; after all, Hawaii lay far from East Africa's mainland. Any information relay back to East Africa would require sailing to the South Ryukyu Islands first and then telegraphing back to East Africa.

And the East African troops in Hawaii had not yet returned to the South Ryukyu Islands, as stabilizing Kauai took precedence, meaning there was plenty to do.

Before receiving any message from the mainland, Russell naturally wouldn't get any updates, as special military operations meant the fewer people knew beforehand, the better.

But now, having learned from the U.S. President, Russell knew he couldn't act hastily. He told Cleveland, "I need to report back first and discuss with the mainland."

Cleveland had no choice but to send Russell back. However, with Russell as a connection, East Africa and the United States at least had a channel for communication. Before the South African war, such matters might have caused trouble.

The next day, East Africa's mainland sent detailed information to Russell, clarifying East Africa's stance. Russell then returned to the White House.

"Our deployment of troops to Kauai is true. However, East Africa has no interest in Hawaiian islands beyond Kauai, and this deployment was at the invitation of King Kumari to help avoid exploitation by unscrupulous merchants and address his dissatisfaction with the Kingdom of Hawaii, leading to their secession and restoration."

Russell's words were somewhat genuine at the beginning, but the latter part was entirely East African "slander." After all, Kumari had never known any East Africans before, so how could he have possibly invited East Africa to deploy troops?

However, now aware of East Africa's intentions, Cleveland breathed a sigh of relief. If East Africa was merely installing a puppet regime on Kauai, it was barely acceptable.

After all, the most important aspect of Hawaii was Pearl Harbor. If East Africa were targeting Pearl Harbor, even Cleveland, who opposed U.S. annexation of Hawaii, wouldn't agree.

Moreover, the United States itself was culpable. The coup in southern Hawaii was orchestrated by its own people, meaning the U.S. couldn't morally condemn East Africa, as criticism of East Africa would imply criticizing itself.

Thus, morally, the U.S. couldn't expel East African influence from Hawaii, and militarily, it was impossible. The U.S. military, at present, exercised extreme caution, and Cleveland was not a militant leader. Furthermore, East Africa's military strength commanded U.S. respect, making it evidently impossible to expel East Africa from the Hawaiian Islands through force.

The U.S. committed the first move, while East Africa executed the fifteenth. Amid the U.S.-East Africa conflicts, the likes of England and France would likely be most pleased, leading Cleveland to lean towards evenly splitting Hawaii with East Africa.

Indeed, after East Africa's position was made clear, Cleveland altered his initial stance against annexing Hawaii.

After all, if the U.S. didn't take action, the Kingdom of Hawaii could not withstand East African invasion, making it better to recognize the Hawaii Republic, an illegitimate government, and incorporate the southern Hawaiian Islands into U.S. influence.

Moreover, Cleveland considered East Africa's intervention in the Hawaiian Islands not entirely negative. Originally, U.S. annexation would provoke negative international reviews, but now, with East African involvement, blame could be shared, dispersing international focus.

Ultimately, President Cleveland made a decision that contradicted his own beliefs, preemptively incorporating Hawaii into the U.S. territory while excluding Kauai for an incomplete state map.