America Threat Theory

Pushing Britain and France to jointly plan an attack on the United States required finesse. They certainly could not directly propose targeting the United States to Britain and France.

After all, no one was a fool. If Spain took the initiative to suggest it, that would mean the matter benefited Spain.

Britain and France had to be made to consider dividing up the United States on their own initiative. Only then would it avoid arousing their suspicions, while also making the future coalition against the United States more united rather than a loose scattering of sand.

How could Britain and France be made to propose a plan to carve up the United States themselves?

The method was actually very simple: relentlessly publicize the United States' current strength. The achievements of the United States in industry and the economy stood proudly above the world, beyond the reach of any European country.

In terms of total steel production, the United States produced 36.45 million tons of steel in 1920. Germany, the highest producer in Europe, managed only 11.57 million tons. Spain, the highest producer of pig iron, managed only 10.57 million tons.

Just how outrageous was the scale of American industry? In 1920, American steel and pig iron production exceeded the combined total of Britain, France, Germany, Spain, Russia, the Austrian Empire, and Italy.

If influenza had not dealt a certain blow to American industry, American industry might already have been capable of pitting one country against the entire world.

That fact alone was enough to greatly deepen European nations' wariness toward the United States. More importantly, the United States had also far surpassed Britain in the speed of naval construction.

If the US Government had not chosen to conceal its true strength, America's total naval tonnage would likely have long since