EDIT: SEEMS REDDIT DOESN*T WANNA SHOW THE ENTIRE TREE, SO YOU'RE ONLY GETTING THE INDIVIDUAL PARTS
And I'm once again back with another Mini Focus Tree for good 'ol Et's Germany AAR, this one dealing with a very. good. IDEA. in Egypt. I once again have the honour of extending my thanks to u/revolutionary112 for his aid in writing and idea making for this project. And likewise I extend my thanks to Et37 for his wonderful work which had inspired so many people.
And just a quick other note. The reason I haven't done anything since Feuerland is due to my old computer breaking and me being forced to use a Linux, which can't run photoshop. But that's solved now and I'll hopefully be able to do more things in the future.
https://preview.redd.it/mny90jvxhn1d1.png?width=495&format=png&auto=webp&s=b430395cd04d5774de0e1095691d85e101b6d638
1. The Mad Proposal: With the Free Officers Movement and its National Liberation Command Council in charge of Egypt, now comes the issue of trying to govern. The FOM and NLCC enjoys broad popular support among average Egyptians, but political conflict is already beginning to flare up between the FOM's left and right wing, the few remaining Ottoman loyalists continue to be a thorne in the side of out security forces and the economic elite remain opposed to us due to the many leftist members of our movement.
This last group, made up of wealthy landowners, industrialists and the small but influential banking sector remain an great hinder to us cementing the power of the Free Officers Movement in Egypt. Luckily, in a military standoff they know they can't win (like how we know they could still do a lot of damage), so instead the president has recieved a letter. In exchange for denente they wish us too approve their proposal. A, to be frank, completely mad proposal. They wish the NLCC to invite a Italian prince to become monarch of Egypt, to both bind the country closer to Italy as well as serve as a moderating political force. It is, to reiterate, absolutely mad.
2. A Wise Decision, Mr President: After having a good laugh at the absurd proposal, the letter was thrown into the fireplace. The idea would be unpopular with most Egyptians, it would most likely lead to the collapse of the already fraying Free Officers Movement as a unified political bloc. No, better relegate it to the pages of history, no good would come from it.
3. Talk with Ghigi and Nasser: The idea isn't actually as bad as it might sound. The German model of strengthening alliances via shared royal houses has been proven and Egypt will most likely be able to extract some other concessions from the Italian government. It would also help moderate Egyptian politics, by realigning the Egyptian conservative establishment towards the FOM. It might cause some instability short term, but it's well worth it... probably. Anyhow, to get Italy's backing we need to talk with and convince Italian ambassador to Egypt, Mr Ghigi. Nasser, while belonging to the left-wing of the FOM and probably not being too eager to jump in bed with the landowners, is still Vice President and an important member of the NLCC and the wider FOM. If we can convince the ever loyal Nasser, the road to realising the proposal will be much easier, well, it'll at least make it possible.
4. Like Herding Hippos: Well, this proposal and worse, the decision to actually accept it has caused fires EVERYWHERE. The FOM specially are going crazy over this, like... for once since it started the Left FOM and the Right FOM finally agree in something that isn’t hating the ottomans. That would be impressive and even a good thing if they weren’t united in hating this idea so much. It is going to take more than repeated meetings and backroom talks to get them to even consider pondering this. Still, with Nasser tentatively on side, the Italians willing to give a few concessions and the landowners opening their deep pockets to aid us, it's still possible. The journey will be long and hard and will permanently alter the Free Officers Movement, but we can't back down now.
https://preview.redd.it/l0ovbfpkin1d1.png?width=387&format=png&auto=webp&s=658a61fc41491963aeec3dade642bc220401842b
5. Cement Rightist Dominance: With the Right FOM starting to come around, the Left FOM remains an insufferable thorn on our backside regarding this idea. Not even Nasser can help on this front, despite his tentative success in getting a few personal friends on board with this. But then came the most devilish idea. What if the Right FOM... was the ONLY FOM? Nationalism is the word of the day and there are many eager patriots willing to join the FOM. Utilising this influx of rightists into the FOM, we can outmanoeuvre the left-wing. This will lead to the left splitting with the FOM and Nasser will certainly not be happy, but it will get us total right-wing control over the governing NLCC. This will remake the Free Officers Movement into a fundamentally right-wing movement, most of the people who would get in are rabid nationalists and Pharaoists. Well, we are too far in to back out now. Ride or die is it, let’s hope for the best.
6. The Bleeding Agreement: After much negotiations and concessions worth an arm and a leg, the moderate left-wing, mainly social democrats, are willing to stay with the FOM and at least not block the proposed monarchy. A minimum wage, support of labour unions, a couple of ministerial seats and more is what they demanded and were given, but now we can say the entirety of FOM leadership is tentatively backing the idea. Everyone knows it won't last forever; already nicknamed "The Bleeding Agreement", this won't save the FOM, but it does buy us desperately needed time. Still, letting the syndicalists and other radical socialists split off from the FOM, without a moderating force like the social democrats might lead to even further radicalisation.
https://preview.redd.it/qjl9zefzin1d1.png?width=392&format=png&auto=webp&s=8d8a9a7f460695b2e7f9ca35ba7b228c03056bda
7. Constitutional Compromise: Getting this whole monarchy thing going is just compromise after compromise, and when it comes to the centrists and liberals, this is no exception. It will be easier to convince them than their more extreme counterparts, in part because the champion of the Free World is, in fact, a constitutional monarchy. Taking notes from the German and Russian constitutions, these political factions have demanded we accept their constitutional proposal to back the new monarchy. With this the Monarch will just be a ceremonial figurehead with no formal powers, and the Presidency itself, soon to become the position of the Prime Minister, will be severely constrained, with Parliament as the foremost power on our political scene. While it seems like a lot, this in fact will be the easiest group to placate that we have faced, so we will readily sign in and not look back! The Kingdom of Egypt will be a bastion of freedom and democracy... we hope.
8. Convince Fraouk: There still exists many loyalists to the old house of Alawiyya and Farouk I. Even if we get this proposal through, these loyalists will be a big problem. To nip said problem in the bud, we will approach Farouk with an offer. The state is willing to give a generous one-time grant as well as a healthy stipend for him and his family. In exchange he will freely rennounce any claim the House of Alawiyya has to the Egyptian throne and remain abroad. The already weak Faroukist loyalist movement won't be much of a problem after such a devestating blow to their legitimacy.
Farouk and Naguib were once friends. Hopefully they can be again, even if the President was the one that stood between him and the throne.
9. Across the Airwaves: Through the power of moder mass media, you can do remarkable things to public sentiment. The IRO in Europe and Forsters propaganda machine have already proven that, but now it is time for this marvel of modern technology to come to Egypt. Utilising our newfound connections among the Egyptian elite as well as the Free Officers own media operations, we can begin a media blitz to, if not sway the population to jubilant support, at least make sure they don't rise up in arms over the whole plan.
10. Was it Worth it, Mr Prime Minister: The House of Alawiyya is out and the House of Bourbon is in. Kinda ironic that Napoleon was kicked out of Egypt, but the same country will, less than 2 centuries later, have a Bourbon sultan. But now, with the left-wing situation under conrol, a pro-monarchy majority in the NLCC and a public not violently against the idea, we can now officially invite the Italian prince Ranieri to take the throne as sultan of Egypt.
It is done and Egypt will suffer the consequences, Mr Prime Minister
I do enjoy an ominous ending and consequence wise, this will be even worse that A Day Which will Live in Infamy. Yes, even I, the guy who tried getting a Prussian prince as king of Cuba knows that this is a truly horrendous idea which will leave Egypt much worse off.
Don't expect this one to become canon anytime soon.
/Royalist and Courier

Update #3 appears at the bottom.
Due to numerous disparaging comments by multiple individuals, I have reposted my article.
Heckling does not change what occurred. People need to know these truths, especially those who have experienced the same. They need to know they are sane, that such things are indeed being perpetrated, and the perpetrators use shame to silence them and protect their activities.
I write to encourage them not to listen to disparaging people who speak without knowledge.
February 10, 2024
I am Joseph Cafariello, a Canadian citizen and ex-member of the Canadian military. Of sound mind, not on medication, not a drug user, not a marijuana smoker, not an alcohol drinker, with no mental disorders.
I recently posted to this Liberty subreddit experiences of harassment by Vancouver's police and fire departments (Vancouver, BC, Canada). I’m the fellow who was repeatedly ordered by police to stay out of Vancouver’s Stanley Park, and was continually harassed whenever I visited the park (which I do every second day on my early morning walks).
Immediately following that post, they changed some of the techniques they use in my case. They were either informed of my post or found it themselves, seeing as my internet activity, and phone activity for that matter, are under continuous surveillance (plenty of proof which I will not include here to avoid running off-topic).
In this post, I would like to shed some light on other harassment which is still ongoing, since it occurs in private, away from potential observers. It involves the Canadian and US militaries.
Havana Syndrome
In 2016, numerous employees of the Canadian and US embassies in Havana, Cuba, started experiencing head injuries ranging from mild headaches to concussions. It happened in their sleep, and came to be called Havana Syndrome.
Wikipedia explains (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Havana\_syndrome):
“Havana syndrome is a cluster of idiopathic symptoms experienced mostly abroad by U.S. government officials and military personnel. The symptoms range in severity from pain and ringing in the ears to cognitive dysfunction and were first reported in 2016 by U.S. and Canadian embassy staff in Havana, Cuba. Beginning in 2017, more people, including U.S. intelligence and military personnel and their families, reported having these symptoms in other places, such as China, India, Europe, and Washington, D.C. The U.S. Department of State, Department of Defense, and other federal entities have called the events "Anomalous Health Incidents" (AHI). Of over a thousand purported cases, the majority of US investigative bodies found only a few dozen cases to be suspicious.”
Ladies and gentlemen, I can tell you exactly what happens, because I have been experiencing this since I first joined the Canadian military back in 2002, and am still experiencing these “torments” (as I call them) to this day, already 3 years after leaving the military.
I go to bed. In about 15 minutes, just as I am on the cusp of falling asleep, a hear and feel a heavy thud reverberate and ultimately strike my skull. My body releases a sharp burst of adrenalin, my heart starts racing, and my blood’s circulation speeds up significantly. Depending on the severity of the blow, it can take me anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour to fall asleep again. Though there have been times I could not return to sleep for more than 2 hours.
A strong headache is felt immediately, and lasts for hours. There have been times when my heart felt like it was going to burst, having been startled as such.
The pulse to the head sometimes reverberates through the wall and my bed’s headboard. I distinctly feel as though I have been hit on the top of my skull. At other times, it feels as though the pulse has come through the air, striking the side of my skull.
This is not a sleep disorder, for it does not occur regularly. At times, my sleep is disturbed in this manner 3 or 4 days in a row. At other times, there is no disturbance for up to a week. But they never let me go more than a week without such interruptions to my sleep.
Neither is it sleep apnea, as I do not awaken gasping for breath. The pounding headaches, sudden release of adrenaline, and heart palpitations I experience are caused by external impacts of sound waves or air bursts.
Sonic Weapons
How these pulses are produced is not easy to identify. As Wikipedia explains:
“Once the story became public, various U.S. government representatives attributed the incidents to attacks by unidentified foreign actors, and various U.S. officials blamed the reported symptoms on a variety of unidentified and unknown technologies, including ultrasound and microwave weapons.”
Sonic weapons have been in use for many years by militaries, and by police in crowd control. As Wikipedia explains (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonic\_weapon):
“Some sonic weapons make a focused beam of sound or of ultrasound; others produce an area field of sound. As of 2023 military and police forces make some limited use of sonic weapons.”
(Do not believe the 2023 timeline. The Canadian military has been using these weapons since the early 2000’s at the latest.)
Wikipedia continues:
“Extremely high-power sound waves can disrupt or destroy the eardrums of a target and cause severe pain or disorientation. This is usually sufficient to incapacitate a person. Less powerful sound waves can cause humans to experience nausea or discomfort.”
The users of these technologies must also be using thermal detection equipment to monitor the target’s sleep. As I mentioned, I most often feel these blows the moment I am falling asleep. Body temperature drops when we sleep, and brain activity slows. Heat-detection equipment is likely being used to identify the point at which the target is falling asleep.
Why they prefer to strike at the start of someone’s sleep as opposed to the middle of their sleep, I do not know. Perhaps their intent is to deprive the body of early sleep, limiting the amount of deep sleep available to the person before their alarm rings in the morning.
Ordinary Hammers
Not all such “torments” (as I call them) are caused by high-tech equipment. I have heard and felt distinct hammer strikes running along the 2x4 beams inside my walls. These strikes can be a single hard strike, or several strikes in a row. It is definitely caused by a person with a hammer because the intervals between strikes are equidistant in time; that is, the time spacing between strikes is not random and does not change from strike to strike, but is constant between strikes, exactly as when someone is hammering. And no, it is not someone hanging pictures at 1:30 am, multiple times a week, for years.
On one occasion, when I was standing at my kitchen sink, I felt the floor-board directly under my feet pulse so sharply it felt like a brick had struck the soles of my feet. In this case, my military neighbour likely used a hammer to strike the floorboard on his side of the wall. It is the only plausible explanation.
Surveillance
This leads to surveillance of one’s activities at home. I have plenty of proofs of that. They seem insignificant on an individual basis. But when you put them all together, they present a clear picture of home surveillance.
My laptop computer’s lid cracked one night, at the bottom left corner of the screen. The next day at work, I heard my military supervisor relate to another co-worker that the night before, his laptop computer’s lid cracked at the bottom left corner. I swear to the Lord in Heaven, I am being truthful.
I tested my suspicion of being surveilled. At home one night, I blurted out-loud, “VW Passat. What an ugly sounding word, ‘Passat’”, I said. A few days later, my military colleagues at work started playing a card game at lunch, invented by one of them. The name he gave his game was “Passat”, and when he spoke it, he looked at me for a reaction. If you ever contact the Halifax military base, ask for the Claims Department and ask them if they are still playing Passat.
On another occasion, at a time when I frequented the gym every second day for a few years, I suspected my van had been fitted with a listening device. I suspected so because a number of things I had spoken with people about on my phone while in my van (nothing illegal) were repeated by people at the gym in conversations among themselves. Too many times, parts of other people's conversations matched parts of conversations I had had with others while I was in my van.
I already knew my phone was being tapped, but I also suspected my van was bugged. So one evening while driving in my van, I blurted out-loud a number of things I said I hated. "I hate (this or that)"; "I hate it when...". One of them was, "I hate when people chew gum with their mouths open." I then vocalized an exaggerated gnawing sound, "Gnaw. Gnaw. Gnaw."
The very next time I went to the gym, 2 days later, while I was at an exercise, a fellow sat at an exercise directly behind me. And sure enough, he started chewing with his mouth open, vocalizing that gnawing sound, "Gnaw. Gnaw. Gnaw." I didn't look behind at him, because I knew what was going on, and I wanted to avoid playing into his hand. So he repeated himself again and again until I was done and moved to a different station. Now, honestly, who chews gum at the gym? You can't. Or you run the risk of choking for the heavy breathing, not to mention when laying down on benches. And with precisely the same exaggerated vocalized gnawing sound I had made in my van just 2 days prior.
Their whole intent is to let you know you are being surveilled. They want you to know, as both a warning and a provocation. They want you to say something, to launch accusations, which they would readily deny, making you look paranoid. If you react too strongly, they could even have you diagnosed with some kind of disorder, and put you on medication, which further plays into their hand. (More regarding medications in the last section of this post.)
This is why, as I mentioned in my previous post, they would park their cars shining their high beams on me as I walked past them during my morning walk. And why on some occasions, a group of 3 or 4 would exit their cars and stand on my path just as I approached, forcing me to go around them. They would then remain standing on the path until my return trip through, and after I had passed by the second time, then would then return to their cars - making it absolutely clear I was their interest.
Their intent is not only to make me aware, but also to present themselves in close proximity to me, within easy reach, in the hope I would confront them, resulting in an altercation that could land me in a lot of hot water - 4 witnesses against me, all pleading innocence.
Again, it is all designed to make you look bad, and to warrant some kind of legal measure against you - preferably a medical diagnosis, discrediting you in everything you say about them. If they can't refute your claims, their only remaining option is to discredit you. That's what all of these tricks are designed to accomplish. Who would believe anything you say, once you have been diagnosed with a disorder?
There are plenty more examples. But who would really believe them? I’ll save them for the future.
Home Invasion
Both during and after my military service, I have had my apartments entered without any signs of break-ins. How? Lock-picking and duplicate keys. Indications? Missing objects; ie: money, phone adaptor, etc. Nothing major. Just something to make us understand we are being watched, and to make us understand what they can do.
But it is always something small, something for which you would be ridiculed for divulging.
Two more examples: I found my razor, which I always lay-down razor-end to the wall, turned around, razor-end toward me. Also, in one of my house slippers I found a small shoe sticker on the up-side of the heel. I had those slipper for years, and never had any shoe stickers on them. Yet there it was, clearly visible on the top surface of my slipper, not the bottom. Could I have stepped on a shoe sticker when barefoot in my apartment, only to have the sticker transfer itself to my slipper when I wore it? How many shoe stickers do you have laying around your apartment that you can accidentally step onto?
If I had stepped onto a sticker in my apartment and had it stick to my heel, that means the sticky side was up against my skin. This means the sticker would have had to flip upside down such that the sticky side would then be down, allowing the sticker to stick to the slipper. Do you really think that happened? That sticker was not there when I left my apartment, but it was there when I returned. And it was the wrong sticker, wrong brand, wrong size.
Again, what is their intent? To make someone look ridiculous so no one will believe them should they speak of other more sensitive things.
Staged Incidents
The above incidents clearly point to coordinated and staged events (at my work, my home, on my walks, etc). This is so frequently met with incredulity. "But that would require coordination on the part of so many people," the public dismisses. "They wouldn't do that."
Oh yes they would, and they have, as explained in https://fightgangstalking.com/. Note the documented cases involving the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS, Canada's equivalent to the US' CIA) and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP, Canada's national police force), which were reported in national newspapers.
From https://fightgangstalking.com/ :
“Disruption operations often involve tactics which are illegal, but difficult to prove. These tactics include – but are not limited to – overt surveillance (stalking), slander, blacklisting, “mobbing” (intense, organized harassment in the workplace), “black bag jobs” [home invasions], abusive phone calls, computer hacking, framing, threats, blackmail, vandalism, “street theater” (staged physical and verbal interactions with minions of the people who orchestrate the stalking), harassment by noises, and other forms of bullying. Many of these tactics were used by the FBI during its illegal COINTELPRO operations, as documented by stolen official documents and subsequent Congressional investigations.
"Although the general public is mostly unfamiliar with the practice, references to “disruption” operations – described as such – do occasionally appear in the news media, even though that fact would apparently be news to the editors of The New York Times. In May 2006, for example, an article in The Globe and Mail, a Canadian national newspaper, reported that the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) used “Diffuse and Disrupt” tactics against suspects for whom they lacked sufficient evidence to prosecute. A criminal defense attorney stated that many of her clients complained of harassment by authorities, although they were never arrested."
She can add me to that list too.
For the Benefit of Others
The experiences I have recounted here seem so trivial, so insignificant, they make you look ridiculous if you talk about them. But if we don’t talk about such things, no one will ever know about them. Other people have experienced the same, and are forced to endure such torments in silence. They need encouragement to talk about their own experiences, and so I write about mine in the hope they will talk about theirs, even if I do look ridiculous. The perpetrators are more ridiculous for doing them.
I remember a military colleague being hauled away by military police one morning, as she was struggling and having a violent fit. A fellow on her floor told me she was throwing chairs at her walls screaming, “Stop it! Stop it! Stop it!”. When he mentioned that, I knew exactly what they had done to her. She was considered unruly, and was being watched intently. They wanted her out, and that is how they accomplished it. Through wall tapping and sleep deprivation, they push you to the breaking point. And when you finally lose control and do something rash, they pounce on you, and you’re out. Now she has a criminal record, considered a criminal when in reality she was a victim. Welcome to the Canadian military, and other militaries besides, I am sure.
There are dozens upon dozens of experiences I could present. But who will really read them? Worse still, who will really believe them? I overheard my military supervisor in Halifax whisper to another, “Do you think he knows?”, after I had mentioned one of the many “coincidences” I experienced, but with a tone of my being aware it was not a mere coincidence. As I turned my face to my computer screen, I whispered under my breath, but still loud enough for him to hear, “Yes, (rank) (name), I know.” A few minutes later, as he walked past my desk, he leaned in by my ear and whispered, “We’re trying to help you.” I should have pressed him for answers right then and there, but you just don’t know how much trouble you can get into when making such accusations in the military. So I let it go. But I will never forget.
Should anyone reading this ever decide to launch some kind of inquiry, I can mention names of over 100 people to contact, including military personnel, family members, neighbours, building managers, and others who have been contacted by military personnel with false narratives about me. They flash their ID’s and other credentials, and people believe anything they say. They turn family, friends, co-workers and neighbours against you, even recruiting their participation. Your acquaintances not only participate, but actually feel justified and emboldened playing tricks on you. It isn't their fault, though; they have been misled. I would reference them solely for corroboration.
As a final thought, here are explanations of two military programs in which certain persons (sometimes military, sometimes civilian) are kept under constant surveillance, and are in some cases subjected to conditioning in an attempt to turn them into what is called a “sleeper agent”. Almost all of the tactics presented below have been experience by me, including constant surveillance (ie: my previous post here regarding being harassed on my morning walks) and sleep deprivation (as per the top portion of this post, which other military members in Cuba and elsewhere around the world have also experienced).
Pentagon’s Signature Reduction Program
See Newsweek’s article: https://www.newsweek.com/exclusive-inside-militarys-secret-undercover-army-1591881
Some excerpts from that Newsweek article, plus more background information on the Pentagon’s Signature Reduction Program, can be found here: https://fightgangstalking.com/
“The largest undercover force the world has ever known is the one created by the Pentagon over the past decade. Some 60,000 people now belong to this secret army, many working under masked identities and in low profile, all part of a broad program called “signature reduction.” The force, more than ten times the size of the clandestine elements of the CIA, carries out domestic and foreign assignments, both in military uniforms and under civilian cover, in real life and online, sometimes hiding in private businesses and consultancies, some of them household name companies.
“…a little-known sector of the American military, but also a completely unregulated practice. No one knows the program’s total size, and the explosion of signature reduction has never been examined for its impact on military policies and culture. Congress has never held a hearing on the subject. And yet the military developing this gigantic clandestine force challenges U.S. laws, the Geneva Conventions, the code of military conduct and basic accountability.
“…The signature reduction effort engages some 130 private companies to administer the new clandestine world. Dozens of little known and secret government organizations support the program, doling out classified contracts and overseeing publicly unacknowledged operations.
"Federal spy agencies are using Americans to spy on their fellow citizens – the same approach to governance famously employed by communist East Germany."
How to Develop a Hypnotic Sleeper Agent
By Dantalion Jones / Masters of Mind Control
The following “was” on the web, but has been removed. Surprise, surprise. But I saved its web files to my computer years ago, knowing that sooner or later it would be removed. I made a jpeg image of the web page as it once appeared, attached here.
Note that I have experienced almost all of the tactics described below, including the stalking I mentioned in my previous post here (regular walks in the park), the sleep deprivation noted at the top of this post, and the surveillance and intrusions described here as well.
Quoting the now-removed webpage: “How to Develop a Hypnotic Sleeper Agent” (from here to end of post):
Amid all the conspiracy theories one of the most feared is that there exist "sleeper agents" in our society who are programmed to come into service when they are triggered by a phone call or key word.
These alleged sleeper agents don't even know they are programmed to become saboteurs, soldiers, suicide bomber, etc because of the thoroughness of their programming. They are the feared "Manchurian Candidate" that the movies portray.
The question is "Are they real?"
If they are true sleeper agents there is no way of telling until they are activated. One can however theorize exactly how they are made.
Indoctrination
Using indoctrination a person can be made to embrace a religious or philosophical belief that would make becoming a sleeper agent possible.
This would be a person so committed to an ideal they would be willing to wait patiently as a member of society until they are called into action. These people would know their mission and consciously hold it secret while interacting with the rest of society.
Conditioning
Conditioning is a repetitive process where the desired responses are enforced and rewarded and unwanted responses are punished. This can be done consciously as part of training drill and it can be done subconsciously using hypnosis or drugs to create amnesia.
Hypnosis
It has been demonstrated that hypnosis can create "amnesia walls" in which the subject has no conscious memory of what happened in the hypnosis session. It has further been demonstrated that hypnosis can give post hypnotic instruction to be carried out automatically in the waking state without the subject knowing it or questioning the behavior.
What follows is conjecture and theory based on testimonials of people who were alleged to be sleeper agents and soldiers.
Continuous Supervisions
Continuous supervision doesn't mean that the subject is cut off completely from society. It means that they are constantly overseen and every aspect of their lives are managed (without their knowledge or consent) to support their hypnotic programming.
This would include:
• Repeated reinforcement of all hypnotic conditioning.
• Handlers. Handlers are people who help maintain the subjects environment to maintain all the programming. They can play the role of family, friends, lovers, psychologists, coaches or any roll the subject perceives as supportive. The truth is the handlers are their to support the successful fulfillment of the programming and not the subject as a person.
• Minimal sleep so that the mind/brain does not process all the sleeper conditioning during sleep.
• Creating constant environmental challenges like unemployment or poverty. This gives the subject something other than their programming to focus on.
• Frequent hospitalization. This gives overt opportunity to sedate the subject for conditioning. If the subject has a history of hospitalizations for mental disturbances all the better. No one will take them seriously.
Joseph Cafariello
PS... Today is the second day after this post (February 12, 2024). A garbage truck just slammed into my parked car.
PPS... I finish writing this post because I am satisfied with its shape and content; not because of what happened to my car.
It is similar to when you are reaching for your coat, and someone tells you, "Take your coat." Since you have to take your coat, your brain tells you it's ok to obey them, and you comply. They just created an instance where they led you, and you followed them. And your brain accepted it.
It's a technique the military uses all the time. It trains you to accept instructions from that person or group. Done enough times, you become comfortable obeying them.
I just say, "I take my coat because I choose to, not because you tell me to." It's important to make that clear, to block the conditioning and affirm our self-governance; not just to them, but to ourselves as well. Now our brain realizes we took our coat by our own choice; we are still in command.
So too, I say regarding today's event. "Thanks for the warning, but I had already finished writing my post. I finished by my own choosing."
UPDATES 1 & 2: February 26 & March 07, 2024:
My apartment was once again entered while I was out. Either a key was used or the lock was picked. This may or may not have included assistance from building staff. Home invasions are included in the list of their techniques noted above, referred to as "black bag jobs".
All tenants on my floor received new fridges a couple of weeks ago. I removed the tape securing the bins inside my new fridge, and also removed all styrofoam pads from the corners of the glass shelves when I repositioned them.
The person(s) who have been invading my living space on a regular basis have struck again. As you can see in the photo below, the styrofoam pads on the corners of my fridge's shelves were restored when I was out of my apartment. I had removed all pads when I repositioned the shelves. Yet now they are back.
It is a tactic used to undermine our observational awareness in an attempt to make us second-guess and doubt ourselves. The aim is to cause people to feel less sure not only of the things we have done, but also feel less sure of the things others have done. They want us to question the accuracy of our observations and memory.
The idea is to train you to dismiss any anomalies you may observe as being your own misperception of things. Once they convince you not to trust your own judgement, they are free to do whatever they want to you, and you will simply accept it without questioning.
UPDATE 3: May 18, 2024:
Confrontations with individuals keep occurring, at times potentially violent. Following are just 3 such encounters as of late.
1 - Kick-boxer in the park:
As I parked my car in one of the parking lots in Vancouver's Stanley Park one night, another vehicle drove up behind me and parked several spots away. A tall man exited that vehicle, and walked hastily along the path I always walk, down some steps to the water's sea wall path. I took my time and followed my usual walk, also down the steps down to the sea wall. The man knew my routine, and was in a hurry to get ahead of me.
As I walked along the sea wall, I saw the same man sitting on a bench, playing a loud religious sermon in a foreign language on a device I did not clearly see. As I walked past him, he called out to me to stop and chat. I ignored him and continued walking past. He rose and started walking behind me.
I opened my umbrella, turned, and walked past him the other way, returning to the stairs back to the parking lot. He also turned and continued following me. I started running. He also started running. I ran up the steps, as did he.
Being taller than I am, his legs are longer than mine, and he quickly caught up to me on a grassy patch at the top of the steps. I turned to him and asked, "Why are you following me?" He did not reply, but stood profile to me, the same stance a kick-boxer uses when ready to kick someone. He was tall, thin, and in excellent physical shape as you would see in a kick-boxer.
He did not speak at all, but was just waiting for me to make a move. I turned, entered my vehicle and left. The encounter continued with a chase through the park in our cars. Yes, that is correct. He chased me out of the park in his car.
2 - Told to keep quiet:
The perpetrators need to operate with as little detection as possible, and they repeatedly warn their subjects to keep their mouths shut about their experiences.
On another of my recent nightly walks, a man stood on the sidewalk ahead of me about half a block away, looked at me, and shouted into the sky at nobody, giving the appearance of being a homeless person shouting for no reason. He then started walking in my direction. I continued walking straight. As he passed me, he leaned into my face and shouted into my ear, "Shut the f_ck up!" I continued walking in my direction, and he resumed walking in his.
The idea is to make it seem as though he is just a deranged man wandering the streets at night, shouting at nothing, so that when he shouts at me, any observer would simply dismiss his actions. But in reality, he was sent to send me a message to stop publishing posts like this, which I had done many times on many sites, and continue to. They don't like it when we reveal their methods. But the truth must be known.
3 - You'll be sorry:
On another occasion, while returning from grocery shopping one afternoon, I walked past a man sitting by a storefront. He was clean-cut, wearing clean clothes, without any carts or wagons or any belongings of any kind. As I passed him, he asked me for some spare change. I replied, "I'm sorry," and continued walking past. He replied, "You will be."
There are numerous other experiences, like two seemingly unassociated men standing on the sea wall about 100 meters away from each other, each of them spitting just as I walked past each one.
There are too many experiences to mention. Looking at each experience individually, one would easily dismiss them as being unrelated and simply coincidental. But put them all together and a picture starts to form, like putting together the pieces of a puzzle.
As I hand you each piece of the puzzle one by one, you dismiss each piece, saying, "This could be anything." And you discard it. You keep discarding each piece as I hand it to you. By the end of it, you look down at the table and say, "You have nothing." That's because you looked at each piece as a separate item and threw it away. But if you leave the pieces on the table as I hand them to you and do not hastily discard them, you will see they form a clear picture when put all together.
We must look at all these events as a whole. Individually, each one could be anything. But when all of these experiences are put together and considered as a whole, they form an undeniable picture. Do not be quick to dismiss each piece. Leave the pieces on the table and look at the whole. The picture I present is sound.
Remember, I have all the pieces; you do not. I see the picture more clearly than you do.
Joseph Cafariello
https://preview.redd.it/we31ymcsm91d1.jpg?width=966&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3d56ac3dd3558a60d477ba9315104d1b66b139f8

Charles Edward Merriam, the 37th President of the United States, Official Presidential Portrait
The Poisoned Chalice
Upon taking the presidential oath of office after the resignation of President Alvin York, Charles Edward Merriam found himself at the helm of a rudderless ship. Civil unrest was at an all-time high due to mass protests against York’s preemptive nuclear strike and large-scale labor strikes, much of the cabinet had been left vacant by a wave of resignations following York’s controversial decision not to consult his own advisors on the decision, and an already uneasy economy had been thrown into chaos by the total obliteration of a major trading partner. Even the sky itself had visibly darkened while global temperatures dropped, bringing about cries of the end times being visited upon Earth for man’s folly. In this moment of national crisis, Merriam took to the airwaves with a radio address to the American people asking them to unite with him in a national effort for the first 100 days of his presidency to right the course of the country amidst the national crisis.
Moving with alacrity to fill the vacancies within his cabinet and bring his administration into full gear, Merriam leaned upon his network of academic contacts to appoint a ring of economic, industrial, and social science experts — Jacob Viner, Bessie Louise Pierce, George W. Taylor, and Leo Wolman — into several key cabinet positions. Similarly, rather than appoint a political operative as his Secretary of State or War, he instead chose to elevate career diplomat and acting Secretary of State Joseph Grew into his position permanently while promoting War Department General Counsel William Marbury Jr. to be Secretary of War. Finding both Secretary of the Navy James V. Forrestal and Secretary of Agriculture John Marvin Jones to be highly competent and sufficiently disentangled from the chaos of the York administration, Merriam requested that the pair remain in their positions. However, Postmaster General Thomas Perkins Henderson would not be so lucky, as Merriam distrusted his close ties to President York and felt the office was wracked by cronyism, thus requesting his immediate resignation to be replaced with former Louisiana Governor and highly regarded reformist Sam H. Jones. To round out his cabinet, Merriam appointed California Governor Earl Warren as his Attorney General due to Warren’s wealth of experience in suppressing syndicalist insurrectionists in his home state, as well as Delaware Senator and businessman J. Allen Frear to manage the Department of the Interior with an eye towards economizing a bloated department.
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Secretary of State Joseph Grew, a defining member of the Merriam administration with his foreign policy expertise during the world’s darkest hour.
Calming a Roiling Sea
Believing that anxiety surrounding a national economy plagued by boundless problems was at the root of the national malaise that might yet inspire a resurgence of syndicalism, Merriam quickly moved to restore confidence for both consumers and businesses. As a first step to move past the combative relationships that President Hughes and York held with organized labor, Merriam invited newly minted American Federation of Labor President George Meany for a symbolic meeting to discuss labor issues and establish an informal political alliance to raise wages and working standards as a means to settle the persistent labor unrest. Thus, President Merriam and his Secretary of Labor George W. Taylor began applying the National Labor Arbitration Act to settle hundreds of strikes across the country resulting in a moderate nationwide increase in wage levels and the proliferation of employer-provided healthcare as a commonly provided benefit. Taylor even proved successful in earning the begrudging respect of Congress of Industrial Organizations President Walter Reuther’s respect despite the organization’s more explicitly confrontational approach to industrial relations.
Despite this success in the application of labor arbitration, Merriam’s ambition of comprehensive legislation to establish a formal system of corporatist economic structures was repeatedly frustrated by the inability to secure enough bipartisan support in the House of Representatives to pass several successive iterations of his proposals. Yet as a longtime proponent of executive power, Merriam was not entirely thwarted by this setback and notably issued an Executive Order forming the Office of National Research headed by MIT President Karl T. Compton and complemented by a number of figures in both the natural and social sciences to direct national research efforts towards answering pressing questions of the new atomic age. Perhaps the most significant of its achievements were the pioneering of new sanitation, public health, and antibiotic techniques to finally stamp out the bubonic plague epidemic that had persisted since the initial Japanese bioweapon attack. Furthermore, Speaker of the House Wright Patman was successful in passing a budget through the House substantially scaling back wartime spending and taxation in light of the transition of the United States military from a combat force to an occupation force abroad. Anticipating a corresponding decrease in inflation, Merriam worked with his Secretary of Commerce Leo Wolman to begin the process of relieving wartime price controls that had remained in place throughout the York administration while encouraging the development of private industrial codes of conduct for businesses to self-regulate prices.
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A wartime propaganda poster supporting labor arbitration that continued distribution under the Merriam presidency.
Sewing A Tattered World
America was not the only country suffering in the aftermath of the Second World War. The decade-long war had wreaked havoc upon the entire world and left entire nations virtually leveled by bombs and depleted of their resources. American efforts at international reconstruction had been haphazard and largely left in the hands of private charities during the York administration, much to the consternation of its allies and the occupied peoples. Thus, out of a mixture of humanitarian reasons, a desire to restore America’s international reputation, and a calculation that such destruction could breed communist movements such as the syndicalist revolt that had embroiled the United States, Secretary of State Joseph Grew proposed a much more ambitious plan that would soon bear his name. With the strong support of President Merriam, Congress earmarked a staggering $15 billion with wide bipartisan support to be distributed to European governments for necessary imports of food and basic materials from the United States as well as for industrial investments to rebuild the European economy. An ancillary fund was likewise also established to support the reconstruction of China, which had been ravaged by brutal warfare with Imperial Japan. As a committed supporter of free trade, President Merriam also used the leverage of the Grew Plan to compel the recipients of the funding to lower trade barriers between one another and with the United States in order to stimulate international trade. The sole major holdout would be the United Kingdom, where Prime Minister Aneurin Bevan remained committed to an autarkic system of steep trade barriers outside the Imperial system since the country had suffered far less damage than its peers in the Second World War.
Another guiding principle of President Merriam’s approach to international reconstruction would be a wide-ranging program of technical assistance. With the country’s decades-long commitment to widely available public education and a sophisticated network of universities engaged in industrial research, the American economy had come to be regarded as the most technologically advanced in the entire world. Already under President Dewey, the United States had begun programs of sharing its technical expertise in production methods and industrial organization to China and the countries of Latin America. Thus, Merriam’s formalization of an Office for Technical Assistance under the Department of State was an extension of an already well-established practice. With support from personnel and agencies in the Departments of Labor and Commerce, the Office of Technical Assistance undertook a wide-ranging and sophisticated statistical analysis of European industries to identify weaknesses in productivity while arranging for large-scale observation visits by European industrial leaders as well as the collation and distribution of technical literature in order to disseminate best practices across continents. Following the initial success of the program in Europe over the first months of his term, Merriam proceeded with an extension of the program to developing nations in the Middle East and South Asia in order to modernize their economies as well.
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A meeting of Grew Plan information chiefs in the American Embassy in France.
Year Without Summer
While atomic weapons had been deployed several times throughout the Second World War to destroy French, Russian, and Japanese cities, they had never been used on the scale ordered by President Alvin York to destroy the German Empire. As a result of the simultaneous destruction of dozens of German cities in fiery infernos, the atmosphere of the planet itself became choked by a layer of ash and soot that demonstrably lowered global temperatures in the following months. With the effect coined as a “nuclear winter” by British chemist Samuel Glasstone, a world food supply already challenged by the disruptions of war experienced a dramatic shortfall in agricultural production sending many war-ravaged areas teetering into famine. However, this presented a unique opportunity for the United States, which had for decades struggled with chronic overproduction of agricultural products causing dim economic prospects for the nation’s farmers. Now, there was a ready market for the surplus in the United States that persisted even through the nuclear winter.
Though European governments were already using their Grew Plan funds to import American food products in large amounts, Secretary of Agriculture John Marvin Jones was determined to employ the powers of the federal government in assistance of this shift. Backed by a series of executive orders from President Merriam, Jones vastly expanded the neglected Populist-era Sub-Treasury system to grant easy credit and storage solutions to farmers who lacked sufficient capital to take advantage of the vastly increased demand for their product while also using wartime legislation to purchase eroded land for its rehabilitation and resale for food production by government experts. Much like the rest of the executive branch, at Merriam’s direction the Department of Agriculture also leaned into partnerships with dozens of agricultural colleges spread throughout the United States to collect and publish a corpus of literature on improved farming practices and fertilizer production techniques to further stimulate production.
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Electrical lines going up on a rural farm as part of a program pioneered by Secretary of Agriculture John Marvin Jones to further develop American agriculture.
New World Order
Having earned widespread popularity among the American public for his statesmanship at home and thus leaving the November elections with a decisive popular mandate, Merriam turned to the pressing issue of foreign affairs in the latter half of his term. In the chaos of the Second World War and its immediate aftermath, the powers of the Grand Alliance had failed to conclusively agree on the structures of the post-war world. Even after the destruction of the German Empire, which had been the largest obstacle in the effort to conclude new international agreements, debate raged on what form these would take as the world federalist movement took root across the globe. In order to lay the foundation of future global cooperation, Merriam began by reviving the institutions of the Hague Treaty that had been rendered inoperative by the withdrawal of participation by several countries and subsequent outbreak of the Second World War. While the Permanent Court of International Arbitration would be restored largely unchanged from its original construction, the International Monetary Fund would be greatly transformed due to President Merriam’s influential support for John Maynard Keynes’s proposal to formulate a supranational currency called “bancor” to be the unit of account for an International Clearing Union tasked with regulating international trade.
While many nationalists and isolationists decried Merriam’s move towards the internationalization of monetary policy, the circle of Atlanticists within the party led by Vice President Edward J. Meeman was urging him to go even further towards world government. Compelled by a promise made to the Atlanticist faction during his party’s National Convention, President Merriam authorized the summoning of an international conference to discuss the concept of an Atlantic Union between the western democratic countries of the world. However, where many expected that Merriam might appoint a coterie of apathetic diplomats to undermine the movement, the President instead shockingly sent a delegation filled with committed Atlanticists led by New York Senator Grenville Clark, Tennessee Senator Estes Kefauver, and the proposal’s first author Clarence Streit to Brussels for the conference, much to the outrage of opponents of world federalism within his party. After weeks spent deliberating the minutiae of the Atlantic Union, the conference emerged just before the holiday season with a proposed constitution and hundreds of pages of documentation surrounding the historical precedents and contemporary reasoning behind the proposal to electrify the debate surrounding a world government.
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A Time Magazine feature of Clarence Streit, one of the leading theorists behind the Atlantic Union proposal.
God’s Instrument or War Criminal?
The most controversial question hanging over the term of President Charles Edward Merriam was the fate of former President Alvin York. To many Americans, York had committed a crime against humanity comparable to those against which they had fought against for a decade and the incident ignited a debate surrounding presidential authority to deploy nuclear weapons. Throughout the initial months of his presidency, Merriam dodged questions surrounding the President and declined to make substantial public comment aside from occasional suggestions that the President had sole command over the United States military. At Merriam’s private urging, Speaker of the House Wright Patman also squashed suggestions that a President could still be impeached after leaving office. Likewise, Merriam directed the Justice Department not to open a federal prosecution against York and thus leaving the ailing former President’s case in legal limbo. Speaking out more strongly after his successful reelection campaign, Merriam clarified that while he found the act personally abhorrent it remained a legal exercise of the President’s powers as commander-in-chief and that as the victims were nationals of another country there was no basis for either a prosecution or a pardon in the name of crimes against the United States.
Beyond just the conduct of the President himself, the atomic bombing of Germany brought with it new concern around the governance of nuclear weapons. Believing that tight-lipped military control over nuclear weapons under wartime authority was a large factor in York’s ability to unilaterally strike Germany, the Senate’s sole independent Brien McMahon led the charge to place nuclear weapons and energy development under the control of an independent civilian commission appointed by both the President and the legislative officers. Though his bill died in committee, it inspired the Federalist Reform Party to counter with their own bill introduced by Kentucky Senator Andrew J. May replacing McMahon’s proposed commission with a board to be dominated by military officers exclusively appointed by the President. While the Federalist Reform majority in the Senate quickly passed the May bill over an attempted filibuster by McMahon, the bill came to a screeching halt in the House of Representatives where the opposition parties unified to fiercely oppose its passage. With Congress at an impasse, President Merriam issued executive orders continuing the status quo of the wartime project board that had been initiated by President Howard Hughes.
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Independent Connecticut Senator Brien McMahon, who took leadership of the fight for civilian control over nuclear energy
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Note: Not strictly bound by Merriam’s term, the following sections are meant to summarize the state of the world after the conclusion of the Second World War.
The Red Stars of Europe
Throughout the decade-spanning Second World War, the United Kingdom had been under the leadership of Conservative Prime Minister Duff Cooper. In order to maintain control against the irascible anti-war opposition led by Labour’s Oswald Mosley, Cooper had resorted to the royal authority of King Edward VIII to unilaterally bring the country into the war and cancel elections throughout its duration. While he had been successful in prosecuting the war to victory and securing the downfall of Mosley’s control over the Labour Party, when Cooper was finally forced to call elections at the war’s end he found voters profoundly unsympathetic to his accomplishments and his Tory government was defeated in a staggering landslide by the Labour Party. Thus, King Edward was reluctantly forced to appoint the Labour Party leader, Aneurin “Nye” Bevan, as the Prime Minister of the country. As an ally to former party leader Oswald Mosley, Bevan quickly embarked on the domestic implementation of the “Mosley Memorandum” to nationalize wide stretches of the British economy while also pursuing a massive expansion of the British welfare state. Following the atomic bombing of the German Empire, Bevan forcefully attacked the wanton use of weapons of mass destruction in a surprise attack and relations remained frosty even after York’s resignation as President Merriam cut off the United Kingdom from any knowledge sharing regarding nuclear power and weaponry.
Yet even the radicalism of Nye Bevan paled in comparison to that of the Spanish Republic, where a blossoming social and economic revolution was years underway. Following the victory of the leftist Republic against Nationalist forces in the country’s civil war, thanks in no small part to the decisive support of President Frank J. Hayes, agriculture was rapidly collectivized by the Spanish government while a combination of state support and syndicalist initiative led to over 75% of the industrial economy being brought under worker control. Taking inspiration from the writings and political efforts of American President John Dewey, the Spanish also imported many of his principles of progressive child-centric education while undertaking the community construction of centers of adult learning woven into forums of political debate. However, standing in stark contrast to the system of government on the mainland would be the so-called “Spanish State” existing in Spain’s African colonies. With their heavy conservative military presence, the colonies had formed a powerbase for the Spanish Nationalists and thus served as a natural place of refuge after their defeat in the war, while the socialist Republican government held little interest in reconquering a system of colonies that it found morally repugnant. Thus, the colonies became the host of a rival government and ruthless colonial state that came under the leadership of Falangist Agustin Aznar after he successfully orchestrated the murder of his political rivals to become the Jefe Nacional.
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Prime Minister Aneurin Bevan of the United Kingdom, the sole power offering a serious challenge to American hegemony over the post-war world.
Integralism Lives?
After the surrenders of the Kingdoms of France and Italy during the Second World War, the Allied powers were too pressed for manpower in their colossal struggle against Russia and Japan in the East to administer a full military occupation. Thus, instead the administration of Howard Hughes accepted the continuation of their governments so long as they cooperated with American occupation authorities. As a result, Italian Integralism and its monarchy would continue under the auspices of General Pietro Badoglio who was vested by King Victor Emmanuel III and the Grand Council of Fascism as Italy’s new prime minister after the downfall of Benito Mussolini. However, Badoglio’s position would become increasingly unstable after the large-scale effort of the German Empire to fund and arm leftist Italian insurgents and increasingly dependent upon the United States occupation forces for support to avert their overthrow. While France would likewise retain its newly crowned King Henri VI, his political strategy would be markedly different from that of the Italians. Believing that the monarchist right would have no choice but to support him, Henri appointed socialist Vincent Auriol as his Prime Minister and issued a new liberal constitution to endear the political left to him as well. Final peace treaties with both countries, forced to be renegotiated after the destruction of the German Empire, would not yet be concluded by the end of President Merriam’s first term though the recognition of separatist movements in Brittany and Corsica was viewed as an implicit precondition by the American government.
As the political and military leadership of the German Empire had been devastated by the atomic bombings, the continuance of the Kaiserreich was not only seen as undesirable by President Alvin York but also simply impractical. Although York would not be able to oversee the country past its initial occupation, President Merriam held much the same opinion and negotiated the de jure abolition of the German Empire alongside the British and divided the country into two zones of occupation. Though relying on the expertise of the limited number of German experts who were both still alive and willing to cooperate with the occupation authorities, much of the day-to-day administration of the occupation zones would be carried out by the military forces of the occupying powers. Yet while the occupying forces made great strides in repairing the utterly destroyed nations and stabilizing its food supply, the occupation faced never before seen challenges with enormous incidence rates of cancer and a newly identified “atomic bomb disease” with poorly understood symptoms and little understanding of its treatment.
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King Henri and Queen Isabelle of France, wearing a more austere style in an appeal to the French working class.
Blood Tide of the East
After Russia’s humiliating defeat in the Russo-Japanese War of 1934-1935, the country slipped into a dark period of brutal dictatorship at the hands of Anastasy Vonsyatsky and Ivan Solonevich. Yet few could have imagined that the horror could grow worse. The employment of strategic bombing against its crucial oil supply, the nuclear bombing of several of its cities, and worst of all an enormous anthrax attack targeted at its food supply caused the disintegration of Russia into famine and anarchy. As the powers of the Grand Alliance had declared victory and withdrew their troops from active fighting upon the surrender of Andrew Vlasov’s warlord band to western forces, the turmoil in Russia remained raging throughout President Merriam’s term with little outside intervention. Forces ranged from the claimed Romanov regent Mikhail Drozdovsky to the classical Integralist Boris Savinkov to the bloodthirsty racialist Bronislav Kaminski and dozens more in between fighting for the desiccated scraps of the once mighty country.
Ever vigilant on the frontier of this anarchy was the Reichskommissariat Muskowien, the former German puppet state instated by the Kaiser to facilitate the colonization of occupied Russian lands by German settlers. After its Reichskommissar was killed during the nuclear attack while visiting Berlin, his secretary Erich Koch seized control alongside a junta of military officers proclaiming the Reichskommissariat as a haven for the German people and embarking on a program of ethnic cleansing of the local Slavic population. Fearing that a military response would not only require another costly and unpopular war in Europe but also embroil the United States in the Russian frontier, President Merriam opted to continue the York administration’s position of withholding recognition from the Reichskommissariat while instead extending American influence in Eastern Europe under the auspices of his newly formed Office of Strategic Services.
With the German puppet governments in the Baltics, Poland, and Ukraine deeply unpopular and dependent on German support, their governments quickly collapsed under American and British influence leading to the establishment of new governments in each of the nations. Taking inspiration from the British program to unify the three Baltic nations under a single Baltic Union, President Merriam undertook a nation-building program of his own to attempt to unify Poland, Ukraine, and Romania into a single federation. However, the project remained stalled throughout his term due to a lack of enthusiasm from the member countries. Meanwhile, in an accord with the countries of the Grand Alliance, President Merriam and Secretary of State Joseph Grew took to settling the geopolitical situation of the Balkans. With the restoration of the Tsardom of Bulgaria already settled and Greece still preoccupied by civil war, the chief question would be the status of the former Triune. Striving for a balance between the competing claims of Austria and Hungary which had spiraled the world into war ten long years before, Grew negotiated the formation of a Danubian Confederation to replace the former Triune with substantial autonomy granted to the Czech, Slovak, Slovene, Hungarian, Croatian, Triestine, and Austrian states composing it but unifying them with a common citizenship and foreign policy.
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The ruins of what was once a Russian home, a testament to the country’s seemingly interminable anarchy.
Self-Determination For Whom?
Over the course of the Second World War, British and American forces had come to occupy virtually all of the vast continent of Africa and with the end of the war it fell upon them to oversee its fate. With the recent independence of the United States of the Congo under President Alvin York serving as an example, both President Charles Edward Merriam and British Prime Minister Aneurin Bevan were committed to the eventual decolonization of the African continent but they also agreed that the bulk of the diverse African peoples needed further “instruction” on democratic governance and western culture before being granted independence. Thus, the colonial system of rule remained largely unchanged on the continent, though German colonies would be transferred to the United Kingdom as trust territories and French and Italian colonies remained occupied until the settlement of a final peace treaty. The sole exception came in the German colony of Tanganyika, where former German Ambassador to the United Kingdom Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck escaped the destruction of his home in Bremen through a chance visit to his former Askari soldiers and worked with a group of veterans to proclaim a biracial Republic of Tanganyika in the aftermath of the German Empire’s destruction. Recalling Lettow-Vorbeck’s famous guerilla warfare campaign in the First World War, both the United Kingdom and the United States begrudgingly recognized this new African Republic.
Though the British were slow to release their colonies in Africa, the immense pressure building up within India could not be contained any longer as the Indian National Congress refused to tolerate the continuation of the home rule status quo. Thanks in large part to the close personal relationship of Prime Minister Bevan and Indian nationalist leader Jawaharlal Nehru, negotiations proceeded smoothly albeit without significant consultation of Muslim authorities that Nehru had clashed with previously. In the final agreement, India was granted independent Dominion status within the British Empire as a united polity and quickly forced the remaining princely states to comply. Under pressure of a possibly violent revolt in Burma, Bevan also pressed for an act to give independence to the Union of Burma soon thereafter. Even less consent from the colonizing power was required for the Indochinese Federation under the leadership of Ho Chi Minh, which had already successfully cast off both French rule and a later Japanese invasion. Though cautious of Ho Chi Minh’s socialist principles, President Merriam and Secretary Grew remained concerned about the more dangerous Marxist-Hansenist opposition in the country and decided to recognize his leadership to bolster his position against the radicals. This anti-colonialist streak would also extend itself to Indonesia, where American troops were instructed not to turn the country over to the former Dutch colonial administrators and instead support the independence movement to foster a loyal American ally in Southeast Asia.
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An independence procession in the newly formed Dominion of India.
Democracy in the Far East
Ever since the fateful day in 1939 when the United States declared war upon Japan, the Tiger of the East had become entrenched in the minds of the American people as their mortal enemy. Yet even despite cries for the execution of Emperor Hirohito and the visitation of revenge upon the Japanese people among the public, cooler heads prevailed in the State Department. The initial stages of Japan’s occupation were overseen by President Alvin York, who magnanimously saw Japan as a country that ought to be reformed rather than punished. Pressing for the shattering of its culture of militarism, the installation of structures of democracy, and even the Christianization of the nation, York’s program for the occupation proved massively influential for the future state of the country. Yet it would be President Charles Edward Merriam, eager to draw down United States military commitments, who would finish the process and finalize the treaty with Japan. Among the provisions of the treaty were the independence of Hawaii as a republic under American influence, the annexation of several Pacific islands including the Ryukyu Islands to serve as American naval installations, the placement of the remaining Pacific islands into trust territories, and the total demilitarization of Japan under a democratic system.
The presidency of Tasker H. Bliss had ushered in a special relationship between the United States and China that had persisted for the next twenty years. Yet under President Charles Edward Merriam, it had begun to fray. Upon hearing reports of American aid dollars being embezzled by the Chiang Kai-Shek administration for lavish personal corruption and believing Chiang to be a fundamentally self-interested and unreliable ally, Merriam quickly soured upon the Chinese Premier. Yet with the death of Vice Premier Feng Yuxiang, the opposition to Chiang remained too scattered for there to be any viable alternative. Thus, Merriam began maneuvering to install a set of new East Asian allies to reduce the monolithic power of China in the region. Chief among these was the Republic of Manchuria, which had been declared by a multi-ethnic group of local leaders seeking to avoid Chinese domination and given patronage by both Presidents York and Merriam. A further spite to Chiang would come with President Merriam’s support of the declaration of Taiwanese independence by Lei Chen, as the island had remained occupied by United States Marines after the end of the war. Despite these affronts, tensions between China and the United States were somewhat assuaged by American support for the return of French Yunnan, British Canton, Japanese Fujian, and Japanese Shandong to the Chinese Republic.
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A woman voting in Japan’s first free and fair elections in decades.
World Revolution, of Two Sorts
During the Great Depression, the Dominion of Newfoundland found itself in total collapse and was forced to surrender its independence back to its colonial overlord in the United Kingdom. Yet the war years remained hard for the Dominion and its people remained deeply unsatisfied with its governmental arrangement. As the concept of the Atlantic Union spread through the world with the impending end of the Second World War, a local movement under the leadership of Chesley Crosbie began preaching for a declaration of independence and subsequent application for United States statehood as a demonstration of support for the Atlanticist concept. Though initially dismissed as a fringe movement, a rapid growth of support led the Atlantic Union Party to carry independence to victory in a 1948 referendum. A subsequent victory in the first elections of the Dominion brought the Atlantic Union Party into power and it made its application for American statehood shortly thereafter. Once again angering the anti-Atlanticist section of the party, President Merriam urged that statehood be introduced as a joint resolution of the House and Senate, which ensured its passage even despite the opposition of a critical bloc of Senators who may have made a regular treaty ratification impossible. Yet a similar attempt at statehood for the island of Sicily would be blocked by Merriam, who argued that the referendum used for its justification was illegitimate due to an opposition boycott.
Long suffering under the neo-colonialism of their former colonial masters in France and a newer clique of German elites dominating the local economy, the nation of Haiti became a hotbed for the ideology of Marxism-Hansenism, which preached a violent and permanent world revolution to secure control of the means of production under the democratic management of the workers. After succeeding in its own revolution to overthrow the capitalist class, Haiti became a haven for Hansenists across the Americas seeking to plot their own revolutions by supporting them with revolutionary praxis, arms, and propaganda. After the outbreak of a revolution in Cuba, President Merriam recognized the threat that Haiti posed to the stability of the Americas and ordered the imposition of trade sanctions to strangle the suspected flow of funds and materiel from American Hansenists to the island. Furthermore, Secretary of State Joseph Grew orchestrated a vote in the International Association of American States to expel revolutionary Haiti from the organization due to its support for world revolution and undermining the government of other member states.
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Map of the world by the end of President Charles Edward Merriam’s first term in 1949. Credit and many thanks to Some_Pole for helping create the map!
How would you rate President Charles Edward Merriam’s first term in office?
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On a real note...
I would like to discuss how oppressive this outcome of the Second World War would be for Europe & maybe the world- in terms of the lives of everyday people. (Taking into account wealth inequality, social situation and lack of progressive thinking.) Also would this world order last, how long for?
If you couldn't give a s* about the q's then please just enjoy reading over the pinnacle of having "too much time on your hands" & looking at neat maps. : )
Bear in mind I play with more of an RP aspect.
General context:
I recently had a Germany playthrough, I went with the Bauer putsch and this was the outcome by 1950. I'll touch on some of the more important nations political status'.
In 1940 the Weltkreig started with a 3I consisting of UoB, CoF, Batavian Commune, Syndie Belgium, Russia, Argentina & a few other minors. After defeating the CoF & UoB first in 1943, I created the situations I will go into below. Russia was defeated around 1945-6.
After victory, I chose to restore the monarchy under Wilhelm IV & the government of national salvation. As well as restore the UK in just England & Wales.
In around 1946, I chose to declare war on the entente, which at the time consisted of the Kingdom of France (in Africa), the United Kingdom (just England & Wales) & their overseas territories, Pat aut USA, Empire of Brazil, Portugal & various minors.
In around 1947 I invaded Italy & Switzerland, dividing the former and annexing the latter.
In 1948, I took the focus on pan-Europeanism which allowed Germany to part-puppet all members of mitteleuropa which had expanded hugely by that point.
By 1950, I had subdued all of Europe, Africa & taken Toronto. At this point I decided to white peace with the remaining entente for RP reasons, since I beleived by 1950 a war against the US would be too unpopular even for Bauer.
Europe 1950
As Germany I chose to annex vast lands in the east and west, the Oststaat:

• Belarus - A national populist government under Lastouski, which was given lands in the division of Russia post war.
• Ukranian State - Hetmanate remained throughout the war and afterwards, they were given the extended boundaries of Ukraine in the east.
• United Baltic Duchy - After an initial collapse pre-WWII, a soc liberal government under Wilhelm Munter. (I couldn't seem to change this in the aftermath of the war, it seems likely unlikely they'd be willing to work with Bauer.)
• Poland - An authoriarian democratic regime under MKP-SP & August IV.
• Lithuania - Annexed after a failed socialist revolt.
• Russia - Dismantled thoroughly, along with a loss of siberia, the far east & central Asia. Ruled by the ROVS & Bermondt-Avalov, as an Oststaat of Germany.

The East
Caucasus:

• Georgia (integrated mitteleuropa) - chose to restore the monarchy under Joachim of Prussia, with a social democrat government.

In the desert war, the Ottoman Empire was able to defeat Egypt and its arabian allies, however was almost capitulated by Iran. Therefore I took the decision to intervene while still at war with Russia to gain an ally in the region, as a result:

• Armenia - was puppeted by Germany with paternal autocratic government.
• Azerbaijan - was handed to the Ottomans, who turned it into an autonomous puppet with a social conservative government.

South Eastern Europe & Balkans
In the balkan war, Bulgaria and Albania were able to overcome Greece & Serbia, forcing a peace.

• Bulgaria (integrated mitteleuropa) - Instituted the royal dictatorship which continued to Boris III.
• Albania (integrated mitteleuropa) - A social democrat government with ownership of Kosovo.
• Romania (integrated mitteleuropa) - Defeated in the balkan war, did not join the side of Russia during the conflict and later chose to join the Reichspact. With a bit of RP-based justification, I chose to take Transylvania and grant it to Hungary after Russia had collapsed. The government is a market liberal PNL under King Michael.
• Greece - After defeat in the balkan war, they fell to syndacalism and joined the 3I, during the war they were defeated by Bulgaria but later puppetted by Germany. A KTE paternal autocracy under King Pavlos was established, with reduced borders.
• Serbia - Were not initially invaded until 1945, later made a Bulgarian puppet.
• Montenegro - Peacefully gained independence from Serbia after the Balkan war, under a royalist traditional dictatorship that peacefully joined the Reichspact in 1940s.

https://preview.redd.it/bejdujtx52zc1.png?width=1568&format=png&auto=webp&s=029042886aad541dfd093cac81e603def51e792a

• Former Austria
  • Austria chose to go with ending dualism, which led to a crown lands revolt. The nation collapsed and was annexed by Schleicher Germany.
  • Hungary (integrated mitteleuropa) - A social-conservative government under Tildy, with the general boundaries of greater Hungary.
  • Croatia/Illyria - A greater Croatia with a paternal autocratic government under Ivo Pilar.
• Ottoman Empire (integrated mitteleuropa) - A military focused paternal autocracy under Ahmed IV, almost suffered a loss of Constantinople to Iran in the gulf war (but I intervened).

Southern Europe

• Italy - In the aftermath of the second Weltkreig, a federalist Italy found itself at war with the entente, therefore it was invaded by Germany and puppeted with pateral autocratic military governance.
• Sardinia Piedmont- Split off from Italy by Germany, given lands in Savoy taken from the commune and ruled by Amedeo I directly, with a paternal autocratic BN party.
• Spanish state (integrated mitteleuropa) - The kingdom was triumphant in the civil war and later joined the Reichspakt, was given Labourd & Roussillon.
• Portugal - Puppet of the German Empire, created when capitulated in war against the Entente in 1946, ruled by Maria III & PCC authoritarian democracy. Retained ownership of Mozambique.

https://preview.redd.it/ivkbx63h62zc1.png?width=1730&format=png&auto=webp&s=8b832716fce618efd4bdb4dadf25226f1944fe4b
Western Europe

• Military government in France & England after the destruction of the commune & union, a failed Halifax conference.
  • France - Ownership of Algeria and parts of west africa (see map)
• Scotland - A scottish national regime under Donaldson with a SFC paternal autocratic rule. Strongly anti-unionist, co-existed with a United Kingdom from 1944-6 until invasion of the entente in 1946.
• Ireland - Formerly independent but capitulated to the union in 1943, becoming a German puppet under Hugo MacNeill's military clique in 1944.

Northern Europe

• Denmark (integrated mitteleuropa) - Social democrat government under Frederik IX, suffered frequent invasion by the Union of Britain throughout the course of WWII (1940-44)
• Norway (integrated mitteleuropa) - Quisiling regime prior & throughout WWII. Sided with the Reichspakt with a paternal autocratic government under the Samfundsvernet.
• Kingdom of Finland (autonomous puppet) - Maintained the kingdom, which continued through the current state as an authoritarian democracy ruled by Väinö I & Kokoomus.
• Sweden (integrated mitteleuropa) - Folkpartiet mar lib government under Gustav V, but operating in a political sphere with a majority to the AV (auth dem) (68%).

https://preview.redd.it/ot4b3fe972zc1.png?width=1732&format=png&auto=webp&s=b413a761d810d53ffaaa38a0c5e9440559aa3521
North Africa

• Morocco - Rebelled against Germany during WWII, joined the entente. However in 1946, it was invaded along with the Kingdom of France, later re-puppeted by Germany.
• Tripoli & Cyrenaica - Rebelled against Ottoman rule but were subdued & annexed in the course of the invasion of the Cairo pact.

Middle & Southern Africa

• Mittelafrika (Colony) - Ruled by hardliner RKA Georg von Kraut, placed in the position after Ritter's downfall. Paternal autocracy. Capitulated twice in the war against the entente however the Reichspakt later prevailed. Was granted most of southern french Africa & Angola.
• Liberia & Sierra Leone - German puppets since the collapse of the entente. Both paternal autocracies.
• Ethiopia - Ruled as a 100% paternal autocractic empire, joined the reichspakt peacefully in 1945.
  • Somalia - Puppet of ethiopia, ruled by pat aut SW party.
• Zimbabwe - released in the aftermath of the natal rebellion against SA, a white minority government (pat aut) under Verwoerd as a German puppet state.
• South Africa - Independent under native rule, a social democrat government with President Gumede. Achieved independence after a rebellion against the entente around 1946? & the coloured enfranchisement act.

North America
North America

• USA - In the civil war, Long won. He was later killed & replaced by van Horn Moseley & the war powers committee. They chose to join the entente, then taking over leadership from Canada. At the end of the war with the entente in 1948-9, I chose to whitepeace them after canada fell and the mexican front became a stalemate.
• Canada - A puppet of Germany led by a pat aut military government.
• Quebec - Led by a pat aut union nationale under Duplessis, I chose to carve this out of Canada in the aftermath of its capitulation. Autonomous german puppet.
• Mexico - Pat aut 100% under the military junta of Garza. Puppeted by Germany after the collapse of the 3I. Was the main front of war with the US until the white peace with the remaining entente.
• Haiti - Social democracy under Calixte, joined the reichspakt and served alongside Cuba as the main German base in the Caribbean throughout both wars with 3I & entente.
• Central American republic - Neutral under a PU pat aut Castaneda government, currently guaranteed in independence by Germany and the US.

https://preview.redd.it/er0gsf32d2zc1.png?width=1060&format=png&auto=webp&s=724e09fd3136094a6dc38b3d8e0e66af9e85794c
South America

• Empire of Brazil - Nat populist monarchy under Pedro III, joined the entente and were whitepeaced alongside the USA. Were mostly involved in capitulating Argentina in WWII, which gave them control over Argentina & Araucania as puppets in the aftermath.
• Peru & Chile - Puppets of the nationalist Brazilian regime.
• Columbia - Ruled by a pat aut Pinillia government, head of the Adean pact (Ecuador & Panama inc.). Not affected by warfare.
• Guyana - Nat pop puppet of Brazil, created after the defeat of the west indies federation & entente. I chose to give this land to Brazil, originally it was German but I felt it would be impossible to control.

https://preview.redd.it/yt730ef0e2zc1.png?width=1654&format=png&auto=webp&s=956ce8031dc03c27ba373a5fd6a9b6eccd4216cd
West Asia

• India - Divided into various German puppet authorities (though I'm not sure this would last long at all, it would surely be more complex.) The British raj collapsed along with the entente and was therefore split into provincial powers.
• Afghanistan - Remained neutral throughout.
• Alas Orda - Pat aut dictatorship under Ayukevich. Created after the collapse of Russia, autonomous puppet of Germany.
• Mongolia & East Turkestan - Independent, former pat aut nobility & latter aut dem Kashgar party.
• Tibet - Social democracy under the 14th lama, currently at war with the republic of China since 1946.
• Kingdom of Siam - Formerly part of the co-prosperity sphere before the German invasion of Japan. Independent in 1950 under a pat aut Rama IX with a Burmese client state.

East Asia

• Republic of China - Unified by Fengtian around 1945, after the eastern seas war and conquest of China by the co-prosperity sphere. Rebelled againt Japanese domination and forced the Japanese back to the edge of Korea. Were engaged in a war with the entente over Macau, up until 1950. Authoritarian democracy under Zhang Xueliang.
• Japan - Defeated by Germany around 1947, involving an invasion of the home islands. Was reduced greatly, although allowed to retain Korea & the monarchy. Became an aut dem autonomous puppet of Germany with Hirohito remaining emperor, though reduced in power (disarmed).
• German east asia (colony) - Capitulated to the Japanese around 1944, signed a peace deal but after the defeat of the 3I, returned to Asia with German intervention. Was largely occupied by Australia during war with the entente but after the collapse of the Japanese Empire it gained vast territories (new guinea).

Australasia

• Republic of Australia - AFM pat aut government under P. R. Stephenson, an autonomous puppet of Germany (don't think this would last long due to geographical distance). Became a republic whilst being in the entente during its war with Germany.
• New Zealand - Military government puppet of Germany, similar to Canada.

…Russian information-laundering and Chinese propaganda have long had different goals. Chinese propagandists mostly stayed out of the democratic world’s politics, except to promote Chinese achievements, Chinese economic success, and Chinese narratives about Tibet or Hong Kong…Russian efforts were more aggressive—sometimes in conjunction with the far right or the far left in the democratic world—and aimed to distort debates and elections in the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, and elsewhere. Still, they often seemed unfocused, as if computer hackers were throwing spaghetti at the wall, just to see which crazy story might stick. Venezuela and Iran were fringe players, not real sources of influence.
Slowly, though, these autocracies have come together, not around particular stories, but around a set of ideas, or rather in opposition to a set of ideas. Transparency, for example. And rule of law. And democracy…
This is the core problem for autocracies: The Russians, the Chinese, the Iranians, and others all know that the language of transparency, accountability, justice, and democracy appeals to some of their citizens, as it does to many people who live in dictatorships. Even the most sophisticated surveillance can’t wholly suppress it. The very ideas of democracy and freedom must be discredited—especially in the places where they have historically flourished.
Most don’t offer their fellow citizens a vision of utopia, and don’t inspire them to build a better world. Instead, they teach people to be cynical and passive, apathetic and afraid, because there is no better world to build. Their goal is to persuade their own people to stay out of politics, and above all to convince them that there is no democratic alternative:
Our state may be corrupt, but everyone else is corrupt too. You may not like our leader, but the others are worse. You may not like our society, but at least we are strong. The democratic world is weak, degenerate, divided, dying.
…Russians, although they hear very little about what happens in their own towns and cities, receive similar messages about the decline of places they don’t know and have mostly never visited: America, France, Britain, Sweden, Poland—countries apparently filled with degeneracy, hypocrisy, and Russophobia…
The infrastructure of antidemocratic propaganda takes many forms, some overt and some covert, some aimed at the public and some aimed at elites…
None of these efforts would succeed without local actors who share the autocratic world’s goals. Russia, China, and Venezuela did not invent anti-Americanism…All they do is amplify existing people and movements—whether anti-LGBTQ, anti-Semitic, anti-Muslim, anti-immigrant, anti-Ukrainian, or, above all, antidemocratic. Sometimes they provide a social-media echo. Sometimes they employ reporters and spokespeople. Sometimes they use the media networks they built for this purpose. And sometimes, they just rely on Americans to do it for them.
Here is the difficult truth: a part of the American political spectrum is not merely a passive recipient of the combined authoritarian narratives that come from Russia, China, and their ilk, but an active participant in creating and spreading them. Like the leaders of those countries, the American MAGA right also wants Americans to believe that their democracy is degenerate, their elections illegitimate, their civilization dying. The MAGA movement’s leaders also have an interest in pumping nihilism and cynicism into the brains of their fellow citizens, and in convincing them that nothing they see is true. Their goals are so similar that it is hard to distinguish between the online American alt-right and its foreign amplifiers, who have multiplied since the days when this was solely a Russian project…
Given that both Russian and Chinese actors now blend in so easily with the MAGA messaging operation, it is hardly surprising that the American government has difficulty responding to the newly interlinked autocratic propaganda network. American-government-backed foreign broadcasters—Voice of America, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Radio Farda, Radio Martí—still exist, but neither their mandate nor their funding has changed much in recent years. The intelligence agencies continue to observe what happens—there is a Foreign Malign Influence Center under the Office of the Director of National Intelligence—but they are by definition not part of the public debate. The only relatively new government institution fighting antidemocratic propaganda is the Global Engagement Center, but it is in the State Department, and its mandate is to focus on authoritarian propaganda outside the United States.…
Today the GEC is run by James Rubin, a former State Department spokesperson from the Bill Clinton era. It employs 125 people and has a budget of $61 million—hardly a match for the many billions that China and Russia spend building their media networks. But it is beginning to find its footing, handing out small grants to international groups that track and reveal foreign disinformation operations. It’s now specializing in identifying covert propaganda campaigns before they begin, with the help of U.S. intelligence agencies. Rubin calls this “prebunking” and describes it as a kind of “inoculation”: “If journalists and governments know that this is coming, then when it comes, they will recognize it.”…
Some social-media companies have made purely voluntary efforts to remove foreign-government propaganda, sometimes after being tipped off by the U.S. government but mostly on their own. In the U.S., Facebook created a security-policy unit that still regularly announces when it discovers “coordinated inauthentic behavior”—meaning accounts that are automated and/or evidently part of a planned operation from (usually) Russian, Iranian, or Chinese sources—and then takes down the posts. It is difficult for outsiders to monitor this activity, because the company restricts access to its data, and even controls the tools that can be used to examine the data…
Because the American extreme right and (more rarely) the extreme left benefit from the spread of antidemocratic narratives, they have an interest in silencing or hobbling any group that wants to stop, or even identify, foreign campaigns. Senator Mark Warner, the chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, told me that “we are actually less prepared today than we were four years ago” for foreign attempts to influence the 2024 election. This is not only because authoritarian propaganda campaigns have become more sophisticated as they begin to use AI, or because “you obviously have a political environment here where there’s a lot more Americans who are more distrustful of all institutions.”…
One could call this a secret authoritarian “plot” to preserve the ability to spread antidemocratic conspiracy theories, except that it’s not a secret. It’s all visible, right on the surface. Russia, China, and sometimes other state actors—Venezuela, Iran, Hungary—work with Americans to discredit democracy, to undermine the credibility of democratic leaders, to mock the rule of law. They do so with the goal of electing Trump, whose second presidency would damage the image of democracy around the world, as well as the stability of democracy in America, even further.

In this article we will focus on Robert Alphonso Taft and the major international events of 1949-1952. More detailed history of countries will be provided later. Current plan is: Europe 1949-52, Middle East and Indian subcondinent 44-52, Japan and southeast Asia 1946-1952, Rest of the World (brief) 44-52 (not much changes)... then we will go to another era from 1953 to 1963 (we already did Cuba).
American internal politics 1946-1952
Truman (1944-1948)
Long and exhausting war against Japan. Despite unquestionable support for the war effort, criticism of usage of nuclear weapons emerged from the left (other American war crimes remained secretly covered up). In 1946 a great wave of unemployment came, connected with large labour strikes (1946-1947 strike wave). Another labour strike started as a response to intervention in China, which was perceived very negatively by the public. 1946 midterms gave Republicans control over Congress headed by Taft, who became the most prominent opponent of Truman. Staunch conservative Taft attacked both Truman’s progressive policies and interventionism. In response to strikes Taft created the infamous Taft–Hartley Act in 1947, that heavily restricted work of the unions. Truman tried to veto it, but Congress overridden it. Taft’s Congress also passed Amendment XXII in 1947, not allowing more than two presidential terms (abolished later by MacArthur). Taft also successfully undermined several progressive policies and introduced major tax cuts (again Truman tried to stop it). In November 1947 Taft strongly criticised Truman for China and aggressive foreign policy, he also opposed extend of the Marshall plan, TATO and also American membership in the UN, Taft declared his desire to seek Republican nomination.
In 1948 Truman introduced his policies continuing Roosevelt’s New Deal as the Fair Deal. In 1948 US federal institutions and the US military were desegregated by Truman. Already during 1946 the Second Red Scare started, the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) led by McCarthy gained prominence, in 1947 first hearing of Hollywood suspects. Suspected socialists were purged from unions. “Temporary Commission on Employee Loyalty” was also established by Truman to purge the federal administration of suspected communists. In 1947 US military and intelligence were reorganised, and the CIA formed.
Taft running on conservative (balanced budget, limited spending, pro-business policies and tax cuts, ending of majority of the New Deal social policies, but supported national housing and slum clearance) non-interventionist (retreat from China, non-involvement in Europe, opposing TATO, cutting Marshall plan) platform. Truman is Truman – anti-communist liberalism, interventionism, New Deal progressive policies. Split of Democrats: Dixiecrat Strom Thurmond (racism “state rights”, segregation) and Progressive Wallace (normalisation of relations with USSR, end to anti-communism, “radical” New Deal policies). Wikibox is of course accurate and Taft is elected president.
Taft (1949-1953)
In this part we will focus only on domestic policies of Taft. The international significance of Taft is massive, it forms probably the single biggest shift in international relations in this timeline compared to our reality during these years and he basically did a great job for the Soviets to win the Cold War.
Taft’s domestic policies can be easily predicted from his leadership of conservative-led Congress, turning away from the New Deal and Keynesian economics back to free market capitalism. New Deal social programs were abolished. Taft’s America will be somehow an anomaly compared to other countries going in the direction of Keynesian post-war consensus. Before 1950 mid-terms, when Congress and House were lost to the “Liberal Coalition” (liberal Republicans and Democrats) Taft enjoyed support of both. In 1949 his only progressive initiative Housing Act of 1949 was passed – construction of low-income housing, slum clearance. However, between 1949-1950 the US had housing problems, as rents rose on average by 30% as rent regulations were abolished. Also, other forms of price controls dropped in 1949, this resulted in massive increase in prices, on paper providing economic growth and considered successful. These policies led to dissatisfaction of the working class, however due to strong anti-union laws and anticommunism in society, their protests were met only with negative reaction. Another policy of the Taft presidency was rising tariffs to favour domestic industry and impose limits on immigration. Taft attempted to gain southern votes for Republicans in 1950 by implementing a proto-southern strategy. Other notable would be creation of the Wiley Committee dealing with organised crime (in our reality Kefauver Committee).
Taft was a strong anti-communist, don’t be fooled with his non-intervention. According to Taft: “True dangers of communism don't come from Moscow, but from the big government in Washington D.C.” Red Scare continues, Hollywood witch hunt starts. Senator Joseph McCarthy quickly gets national prominence. After signing the Peace Treaty with Germany McCarthy, who already criticised Taft’s foreign policy, openly attacked the president in June 1950. Allegedly his administration is infiltrated by communists. Taft calls McCarthy a “demagogic lunatic” in response. This creates rift among Republicans, and the majority of them condemn McCarthy, and he is basically shut down. This however makes him even more prominent and popular within the media and population, and he continues to claim that several Republican and Democratic figures are communist sympathisers, citing Republicans turning against him as further proof. McCarthy is touring the country, writing articles, and appearing on radio and wanting to “take the Republican Party back from traitors.” Meanwhile, Taft administration continues with hardline anti-communist policy with McCarran Act of 1950 (forced registration of all members of communist organisations, make possible their detention and barred them from entering US) and Walter Act of 1952 that banned all communist organisations, public hysteria is fuelled further by Rosenberg trial and Mao’s victory in China (1951).
Despite being a rather popular president during his first year, since 1950 Taft’s approval ratings go rapidly downhill, crashing in 1951. After 1951 even former Taft’s staunch supporters – big business – started to look to other horses to back. Taft becomes one of the most disliked incumbent and non-intervention is discredited. Majority of Republicans and Party bosses that backed Taft in 1950, changed their position and distanced themselves from him, in order to prevent the GOP from getting completely destroyed by Democrats in the 1952 election. During this pressure Taft retreats from the hardline isolationist stance and presents “New Foreign Policy Doctrine,” however it is not met with positive response and instead mocked as “late sobering up.”
We still didn’t meet Taft’s biggest hater – Douglas MacArthur. Already in his speech before Congress in May 1949 he attacked Taft’s policy. MacArthur toured America from 1950, visiting big cities, but also small rural towns. Speaking about war, communism, rebuilding of Japan and most importantly attacking the president as a coward. MacArthur pushed a variation of “stab in the back” narrative about China and the rise of communism. In 1951 MacArthur announced he wanted to challenge Taft for the Republican nomination. Already at the beginning he gained support of a large part of the GOP, which feared Taft’s defeat and popular general seemed like a great choice for replacement. As MacArthur adopted McCarthyistic talking points, he also gained his endorsement (many speculated about McCarthy’s own candidature) and both men appeared several times together.
1952 Republican primaries were dominated by MacArthur (3 June 1952), he was not only Taf’s adversary second one was liberal Republican Earl Warren, who strongly opposed both men. It marked the first time an incumbent president lost primaries. This was the largest humiliation Taft had to face. The visibly sad president congratulated the general at the GOP convention and announced that he will retire from politics after his term ends. What historians went to describe as “MacArthur mania” captured the year 1952 in the USA, he was everywhere, and everyone talked about him. Majority of people supported him as a respected war hero, who seems to have point, however the (largely decimated) left strongly warned about him and called him a danger to democracy. Similar position was adopted by President Taft, who stated that “Despite the fact that I have been a proud Republican my whole life, I cannot endorse Douglas MacArthur for President. Man, who wants to enable the rise of a dangerous demagogue without any strong political experience to one of the most prominent positions in this country, I am speaking of Senator Joseph McCarthy, poses a threat to the American values of individual freedom of individual.” The MacArthur campaign also adopted catchy slogans “Mac is back” and “I Back Mac.” MacArthur also gained important support of the working class dissatisfied with free market policies. In November 1952 MacArthur was elected president.
Taft Conciliation 1949-1952
“Taft Conciliation” (also as the British-American Split or the Taft’s Retreat. Conciliation used mostly in socialist bloc, retreat in USA and split in UK) refers to the period of the Cold War, when tensions greatly reduced, occupation of Axis powers and post-WW2 conflicts ended. It completely changed the course of international relations: (Without Taft there would be: Very long China war, Vietnam war, Divided Germany, No French revolution…etc). Let’s first speak about more general issues. Japan will be addressed separately.
TATO – Taft wanted to completely withdraw from TATO, however this motion issued to Congress in August 1949 was rejected, despite conservative majority. Despite this, American withdrawal from Alliance leadership positions and President Robert Taft several times publicly states that the United States will not intervene in any wars TATO may be involved in. Leadership of Alliance shifted to London. British and other members saw this as a betrayal. The Soviets welcomed this move as a significant reduction of tensions. TATO continued to function on paper, but due to the American stance it was almost dysfunctional. American troops withdrew from Europe in 1950.
Marshall Plan and American loans – Taft viewed this as large government spending that has to reason, in 1950 the European Recovery Program was significantly cut off by 50%. Several special promised loans were either cancelled or put on high interest rates to be more profitable for the US, countries were also obliged to use American money only to buy American products. The UK managed to secure better terms, however far from what they had with Truman. Military aid was cut off completely.
Soviet-American Relations – Improvement. Another important document that came out of the Geneva Conference was the Four Powers Treaty of 9th May 1950 (UK, USA, USSR, France) in which all countries agreed to solve all diplomatic disputes amongst themselves by diplomatic means. Post 1950 the US and USSR did not have many relations and communication amongst each other. Despite Soviet pressures, Taft refused to speak about Greenland.
Unification of Germany
Taft changed the policy completely on Germany. He was a man that, both in our reality and here, did not want the US to go to war with Hitler and criticised Nuremberg trials as “victor's justice”. Taft is strongly opposed to the idea of dividing and punishing Germans. First move of Taft is to end the Berlin crisis with his speech from 1st February 1949 Restatement of Policy on Germany, Taft declared that Germany shall not be blindly punished by the victors and shall be quickly re-established as sovereign and united state. Taft also stopped any denazification. This was massive “f*ck you” moment towards Churchill, who wished both to weaken Germany and Soviets by division of Germany. “South German” Mark was withdrawn from West Berlin and the Berlin crisis ended in Soviet victory on 14th February 1949. Bizonia collapsed and both the British and Americans ruled their zones separately. Circulation of new Marks was not allowed in the British zone, while accepted in the American one.
Another point was to elect a new government, as Soviets envisioned in Leipzig notes. General election to the German People’s Congress (Deutscher Volkskongress) on 17th May 1949. This election was held in Soviet, International and American zones, but not in Baden and Wütenberg as the United Kingdom refused to recognise the DVK and instead organised an independent election to Länderrat. That was one controversy, the second one happened in the American zone as openly neo-Nazi parties were allowed to participate (Robert Taft refused to ban any parties from election), this was picked up by socialist bloc and became the main propaganda point. Election results (will be detailed): victory of SED, CSU in Bavaria and CDU in International zone. German People’s Congress declared itself to be constitutional assembly (first session in June 1949) and after heated discussions (despite it was dominated by SED, opposition was still present) delegates drafted the Constitution of German Democratic Republic (24th July), that defined Germany as federative, neutral and democratic state, giving power to unicameral legislative. All states in the Soviet zone agreed to the constitution, Bayern and Franken did not comment and Baden and Wurttemberg rejected it.
Geneva Conference 1st September 1949 to 8th May 1950
Largest conference of the postwar era, last meeting of WW2 Allies. USA (secretary of state William Richards Castle Jr.), USSR (foreign minister Vyacheslav Molotov) Britain (prime minister Winston Churchill, foreign minister Anthony Eden), France (foreign minister Schumann) and Germany (represented by chairman of German People’s Congress Max Reimann (SED) and representative of Länderrat.) To discussion about Germany were also invited representatives of Czechoslovakia, Poland, Netherlands, Belgium, Luxemburg, Norway, Yugoslavia, and Denmark. Other topics discussed were Greece and Austria (later).
Goals: Soviets: Demilitarized, denazified united Germany led by DVK and its proposed constitution, approve eastern and northern border. Americans: just wanted to end occupation and create a united Germany. UK: if possible divided Germany, denazified, democratic, if under Soviet control at least demilitarised, removal of Soviet troops. France: democratic, demilitarised, denazified, French Saarland, removal of Soviet troops. Germans: united denazified Germany led by DVK, vague about borders and military (in best case minimise border losses and remilitarization).
Eventually consensus is reached: Germany would be a united, neutral, democratic, denazified and demilitarised state. Representatives from Länderrat had to attend the People's Congress where a second vote about the constitution shall be held. Polish-German border confirmed, Saarland will become part of France as autonomous regions, similarly with South Schleswig. Kiel Canal shall be administered by the joint German-Danish Commission. Czechoslovakia abandoned claims on Lusatia (due to Soviet pressure and issues of re-igniting issues with the German minority, as nobody agreed to further deportations of Germans), instead the region would be given autonomy and Germany would be obligated to protect Sorbs. Small annexations on the western border were also confirmed.
South German representatives refused to participate, and the constitution and peace treaty draft were approved yet again without them. Britain attempted to use this to break at least Baden-Wütemberg away, but Germans and Soviets made clear they would not sign any treaty that divides Germany. Even large protests are organised by SED to promote German unity. 8.5.1950, the Peace Treaty with Germany is signed. Both Stalin and Taft visited Geneva to sign it (this was the only foreign trip of Taft, but he also stopped in London on the way to Geneva and back, and the last of Stalin). To the German internal situation we will return later on.
Division of Austria
Unlike Germany, the American position towards Austria was a complete lack of interest. Britain wanted to secure a separate West Austria state, while Soviets wanted to do the same thing as in Germany. Americans made an agreement with the British to leave their occupation zone in Austria to British forces during (28 September 1949 Clark-McCreery Agreement). The Geneva summit proposed an election, however Eden objected that elections held in the East would not be democratic, so it would not show the will of the people. After the peace treaty with Germany, 16th May 1950 Britain signed a treaty with the West-Austrian government officially ending the status of occupation and giving its government official recognition. Day later, the USSR did the same in the East with the Koplenig government. 22nd May “Democratic Republic of Austria” promulgated its new constitution (before than both governments adhered to 1929 constitution)
Greek Civil War (1949-1951)
Thing to mention is that another reason for Soviet support to the DSA is Turkey in TATO, which Stalin saw as very provocative action. Already in February 1949 American troops pulled out of Greece. Already the election of Taft was blow for royalist morale, this worsened the situation. Britain reacted with increased presence. DSA commanded switched towards conventional warfare hoping to strike a major victory. Spring offensive of DSA (18th March to 30th May 1949) was major success: DSA captured important cities Kilkís, Sérres, Dráma, Xánthi, Édessa, Komotiní and Kavála – connecting its territories and establishing control over Thrace and large parts of Macedonia, putting Thessaloniki under great danger. Royalist and British forces attempted to counter Greek moves by successful offensive in Thessalia and unsuccessful offensive towards Kavála (June to October 1949). In November 1949 Greece was discussed in Geneva, representatives of governments were invited, however talks collapsed as Provisional Democratic Government representatives walked away after the notion of them putting down weapons. In January 1950 DSA launched a winter offensive towards Alexandropoulos and Thessaloniki (January-March 1950), continuing with guerrilla operations in Pindus. Ending in consolidation of communist territory, however after heavy losses. In summer 1950 royalist forces launched a large counter-offensive, DSA was forced to little retreat, however any major cities weren’t recaptured, to counter this counter-offensive, large guerrilla operations were launched in countryside of central Greece and Peloponnese that were very successful and strongly weakened royalists. Royalist forces reacted with repression against suspected supporters of communists. Winter is difficult for communist guerillas, during winter counter-insurgency operations several of their pockets are destroyed and morale worsens. However, so does morale of royalist and British forces as resources drain and war prolongs.
Change from the established lore is that civil war needs to last longer, as we see. In February 1951 Markos Vafeiadis (he wasn’t purged by Nikos Zachariadis, yet) devised a risky offensive plan, that counted with quick offensive to break and encircle parts of the royalist army backed by guerrilla offensive. Codenamed “OLYMPUS I” (military offensive) and “OLYMPUS II” (guerrilla uprising) plan was approved and coordinated in March. Launched On 7th April 1951 plan started with massive uprising and attacks by guerrilla units, followed after several days by military offensive. DSA forces surprisingly smashed a bulwark of royalist forces in the North and marched southward towards Larissa, key centre. Here DSA was met with royalist defences and a large battle started. Both sides committed everything to Larissa, as both realised this would be the decisive battle. The Battle of Larissa lasted from 21st April to 7th July 1951, it was the largest and deadliest battle of the Greek Civil War and resulted in a decisive communist victory. Royalist forces were decimated and as everything was moved there, meanwhile partisan units managed to secure control of large parts of Peloponnese and Pindus. Royalists regrouped on Lamia-Amfissa fallback line (July-September) but weren’t able to prevent communist forces from breaking them and marched almost unposed to Athens, 20th September 1951. Here, communists proclaimed victory and established the Hellenic People’s Republic. Royalist government relocated to Rhodes and declared evacuation. This is the officially given date to the end of the Greek Civil War. After fall of Lamia-Amfissa line, (British) Royal Navy enacted “Operation Poseidon” (19-30th September) with the help of Turkey, that helped with evacuation of royalist forces and established “Naval Quarantine” over Greece. HPR’s possible naval connection with outside World was closed, any possibilities of Soviet naval presence in Mediterranean prevented and existence of exiled Greece validated.
Taft’s “New Foreign Policy Doctrine”
Robet Taft eventually was forced by circumstances (communist victories in China and Greece were met with very strong response in American media) to reevaluate his stance. 7th of December 1951, on Anniversary of Pearl Harbor, Taft spoke before Congress about “New Foreign Policy Doctrine”, he declared that America cannot and will not let “Stalin take over the World” and while he still opposes confrontational policy that may end up in completely unnecessary war, United States shall protect any country that will face Soviet military aggression. Taft also stated that America shall not oppose countries that choose communism voluntarily and shall not intervene in other countries' politics, as he considers this deeply undemocratic and imperialistic. When PRC landed on Taiwan, Taft was harshly criticised for not helping Chiang Kai-shek, as Taft understood it as what it was – Chinese internal conflict.
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Another map of Germany, (1952)