Chapter Summaries

In 1937, Yosef and Soviet officials assessed Germany as a growing military and strategic threat that the Soviet Union could not match alone. They resolved to accelerate preparations for war and seek support from the United States and East Africa, even by offering concessions in Asia.

• Yosef told Soviet officials that Germany and its nationalist bloc had become the Soviet Union’s most lethal external threat, making international friends essential.
• Yosef and Marshal Voroshilov compared the countries’ forces, populations, railways, and mobilization capacity, concluding that Germany held major advantages.
• Yosef warned that the Soviet Union might lose on the front lines and called for faster eastward relocation of defense industry and population during the Third Five-Year Plan.
• Yosef said German and Italian intervention had weakened Spain’s Republican government and that Britain and France could not be trusted to oppose Germany.
• Yosef concluded that Germany had strategically encircled the Soviet Union and proposed seeking American and East African support, even if the Soviet Union had to yield interests in Asia.

Yosef and Soviet leaders discussed how to cooperate with the United States and East Africa against Germany. Litvinov argued that Germany threatened the maritime powers more than Soviet Union did and proposed exploiting American concern about East Africa to build a lasting alliance.

• Yosef argued that East Africa and the United States would oppose a Germany that controlled Eurasia and threatened their interests.
• Soviet leaders questioned whether capitalist powers would cooperate with Soviet Union despite their history of hostility.
• Yosef asked Litvinov whether cooperation with East Africa and the United States was possible.
• Litvinov argued that Germany endangered world security and that Soviet Union shared common interests with East Africa and the United States.
• Litvinov said cooperation with East Africa and the United States would be easier than with Britain and France, which distrusted Soviet Union and Slavs.
• Litvinov proposed an “Ally with America against the East” strategy that would use American concern about East Africa to secure cooperation beyond Germany’s defeat.

Yosef and Soviet officials assessed the danger posed by Germany and concluded that Soviet Union could not protect its western industrial centers through military force alone. Yosef ordered a diplomatic turn toward East Africa and United States, leaving Soviet Union poised to pursue closer relations with both countries.

• Litvinov warned that war with Germany would deepen Soviet Union's industrial and military disadvantages, while Mezhlaurk asked whether the military could defend the western industrial zones.
• Marshal Tukhachevsky said the Soviet military could not reliably shield Leningrad, Moscow, and East Ukraine, and proposed delaying Germany's advance while moving industry and military resources eastward.
• Tukhachevsky urged Soviet Union to protect its Caspian oil production and use energy diplomacy to restrict Germany's supplies.
• Yosef declared that Soviet Union would prioritize national security, set aside exporting ideology, and unite with countries opposed to Germany.
• Yosef directed officials to use the Second Five-Year Plan celebration to engage representatives from East Africa and United States, and said he might visit both countries.

Yosef and Soviet leaders discussed seeking support from East Africa and the United States to counter Germany, while considering how to appeal to each country's interests. In Moscow, East African ambassador Lawrence praised the Soviet Union's rapid industrial and urban development as Soviet officials began adjusting their approach to East Africa.

• Yosef proposed that, if circumstances demanded, he might travel abroad to secure support from East Africa and the United States, and the Soviet leaders discussed first testing their willingness to cooperate.
• Molotov argued that East Africa had no incentive to help Germany defeat the Soviet Union and would benefit from keeping Germany in check.
• Yosef directed officials to appeal to American concerns about Germany and East Africa, while warning East Africa of the danger Germany posed.
• Lawrence praised Moscow's prosperity during a car ride with Markov, who challenged East Africa's shift away from a planned economy.
• Lawrence compared Soviet development with Germany's unsustainable growth, prompting Markov to abandon the argument and adopt a more conciliatory tone.
• Lawrence cited the Moscow Canal, Metro, improved roads, factories, and public utilities as evidence of Moscow's transformation into a modern industrial city.

Crown Prince Friedrich assessed the Soviet Union’s new diplomatic openness and considered using improved relations to negotiate an overland highway from Gwadar Port through Afghanistan to Shule. The chapter left the proposal as a possible means of supporting East Africa’s Far East strategy, while Friedrich ordered continued monitoring of the Soviets.

• Lawrence and Markov compared Moscow and Rhine City, and Markov argued that the Soviet Union would catch up with the industrial powers in another ten or twenty years.
• Talaya told Crown Prince Friedrich that Soviet diplomats were making more contact abroad and Cheka activity in East Africa had decreased, but the National Security Bureau could not confirm the reasons from inside the Soviet Union.
• Crown Prince Friedrich and Talaya discussed the Soviet Union’s setback in Spain, the rebels’ growing advantage, and the threat posed by the strengthening German camp to Britain, France, and the Soviet Union.
• Crown Prince Friedrich told Talaya to keep watching the Soviet Union and said improved relations might let East Africa gain access to Central Asia.
• Crown Prince Friedrich considered seeking Soviet approval for a highway from Gwadar Port through Afghanistan to Shule, which could support East Africa’s military cooperation with the Far East Empire if sea routes were cut off.

Ernst and Rudolf discussed the Habsburg states in West Africa and how they could exploit a future war between Germany and France, while avoiding any visible ties to Germany. Crown Prince Friedrich then reported signs of a Soviet foreign-policy shift and proposed preparing negotiations that could secure trade and an overland route from Gwadar to the Far East Empire, leaving Ernst ready to advance East Africa’s Indian Ocean strategy.

• Ernst and Rudolf discussed the growth of the Habsburg Monarchy and New Austria in West Africa, which depended on East African support.
• Ernst warned Rudolf that the Habsburg states could take advantage of a Germany-France war to expand into French West Africa, but must not appear aligned with Germany.
• Crown Prince Friedrich told Ernst that Soviet diplomatic and Cheka activity suggested the Soviet Union might be seeking to ease relations with East Africa.
• Ernst agreed to wait for the Soviet Union to make its intentions explicit while preparing to preserve trade and gain advantages in negotiations.
• Crown Prince Friedrich proposed seeking Soviet cooperation for an overland route from Gwadar Port to the Far East Empire, and Ernst saw an opportunity to strengthen East Africa’s Indian Ocean position.

Ernst argued that East Africa should accommodate Soviet influence in the Middle East and Central Asia while focusing on economic interests and secularization. He told Friedrich to avoid deep involvement in Afghanistan and build the Central Asia Highway as cheaply as possible, leaving its scope and quality minimal.

• Ernst described the Soviet Union as East Africa's main rival in the Middle East and Central Asia, while Friedrich and Rudolf noted Germany's growing role and predicted future competition there.
• Ernst argued that Soviet ideology would weaken over time but that Arab religion posed a longer-lasting challenge, and proposed letting the Soviet Union take greater responsibility for the Middle East while East Africa promoted secularization.
• Ernst warned Friedrich that Afghanistan was a costly, intractable trap and said East Africa should allow the Soviet Union to get entangled there rather than intervene deeply.
• Ernst explained that the Central Asia Highway should serve mainly to move supplies to the Far East Empire, since sea routes were cheaper and the overland route offered little economic value.
• Ernst directed that the highway be built as cheaply as possible, allowing existing roads, one-way sections, and basic sand-and-gravel surfaces; Friedrich was startled by how frugal the plan was.

King Karl I and the Dalmatian cabinet debated how to improve the kingdom’s struggling economy and transport network. Facing Yugoslavia’s military threat, Karl chose the East African railway standard for a planned north-south line and decided an East African company should build it.

• Finance Minister Davis described Dalmatia’s fiscal problems, weak transport links, and need for new economic development.
• Davis proposed a north-south railway from Fiume Port or Zadar to Dubrovnik, supported by east-west roads.
• Transport Minister Wang Lü outlined the trade and defense advantages of European and East African railway standards, prompting a divided cabinet debate.
• Prime Minister Yulitean asked Karl I to decide which railway standard the kingdom should use.
• Karl I chose the East African standard and proposed hiring an East African railway company, citing the threat from Yugoslavia and the low cost of changing standards later.

King Karl I and his cabinet discussed how the Kingdom of Dalmatia could industrialize and defend itself amid threats from Yugoslavia, Italy, and Germany. They planned to develop military production, aluminum processing, and reliable electricity while seeking trade and economic cooperation, especially with Yugoslavia.

• Prime Minister Yulitean urged stronger army defenses along Dalmatia’s borders with Yugoslavia and emphasized hydropower and thermal power to support industry.
• King Karl I argued that Dalmatia needed domestic military production and aluminum processing to reduce dependence on foreign suppliers and build industrial capacity.
• Davis proposed seeking foreign assistance, establishing food-processing and textile industries, using Balkan resources, and turning Dalmatia into a maritime trade hub.
• Davis argued that Dalmatia should pursue economic cooperation with Yugoslavia because it needed Dalmatian ports and could provide markets and raw materials.
• King Karl I decided to approach the Yugoslav government about cooperation and, if negotiations failed, to focus Dalmatian trade on other Adriatic countries and overseas partners.

The Kingdom of Dalmatia faced Yugoslavia’s rejection of economic cooperation and territorial demands, prompting Karl I and Prime Minister Yulitean to weigh defense and diplomatic options. They planned to deepen ties with East Africa, remain wary of Yugoslavia, and manage Germany carefully, while recognizing that balancing the two powers would remain difficult.

• Dalmatia’s envoys approached Yugoslavia in February, but Yugoslavia rejected cooperation unless disputed regions were returned and demanded additional territory, including Fiume Port.
• Prime Minister Yulitean advised Karl I to avoid an arms race with Yugoslavia, rely on the Dinaric Alps for passive defense, and make Yugoslavia believe Germany and East Africa supported Dalmatia.
• Yulitean warned that Germany might exploit a Dalmatian-Yugoslav war to intervene and restore former Austro-Hungarian territories, and Karl I agreed that Dalmatia could neither exclude nor fully trust Germany.
• Yulitean urged Karl I to make East African defense cooperation the core of Dalmatian diplomacy while limiting cooperation with Germany mainly to economics.
• Karl I set three priorities for foreign affairs: deepen the alliance with East Africa, stay militarily vigilant toward Yugoslavia, and handle Germany carefully.
• Yulitean proposed limiting East African troops in Dalmatia and giving Germany a stake in Dalmatian trade, but Karl I doubted Germany would abandon its territorial ambitions.

Crown Prince Friedrich and Foreign Minister Alfred considered Dalmatia’s request to reduce East African troops and discussed using the kingdom to expand East African economic and cultural influence in Europe. Friedrich approved reducing the symbolic garrison and proposed supporting Dalmatian radio stations, newspapers, and economic development as a European showcase for East Africa.

• Prime Minister Yulitean asked East Africa’s ambassador in Split to reduce the East African garrison in Dalmatia, and the ambassador referred the request to East Africa.
• Crown Prince Friedrich and Alfred agreed that East Africa could reduce its symbolic garrison because Dalmatia had stabilized and its strategic value was limited.
• Alfred explained that German reputation, European prejudice, and racism hindered East African exports despite East Africa’s high-end manufacturing strength.
• Friedrich called for improving products and expanding cultural outreach through new media while consolidating East Africa’s influence in regions where its position was stronger.
• Friedrich proposed making Dalmatia a European center for East African cultural dissemination by supporting its radio stations, newspapers, and economy.

In May 1937, Ernst inspected East Africa’s military preparations in Bulawayo and discussed the challenges of expanding the air force with Lieutenant General Hilde. The chapter leaves East Africa focused on elite pilot training and exercises while studying foreign air forces, especially Germany’s and the Soviet Union’s performance in Spain.

• Ernst warned Bulawayo’s senior officers that war could erupt at any moment and ordered steady progress in training, re-equipment, and logistics.
• Lieutenant General Hilde reported that rapid expansion had strained aircraft production and pilot training, while Ernst insisted on strict selection and scientific instruction.
• Hilde described East Africa’s advantages in industry, population, education, civil aviation, and personnel training as foundations for building a strong air force.
• Ernst recommended aerial exercises with simulated opposing forces to compensate for East Africa’s lack of combat experience.
• Hilde said East Africa studied aerial warfare in Spain and sent personnel to Europe, noting that German aircraft held an advantage over Soviet aircraft there.

Ernst explained why East Africa had lowered army enlistment standards and ordered the National Defense Army to reform its ideology, discipline, and public image. He left the military inspection to visit classified engineering projects in Bulawayo, while secretly pursuing a model for reform in the Far East.

• Major General Tavisihe told Ernst that low recruitment standards had brought criminals and other troublesome recruits into the army.
• Ernst defended the policy, arguing that military service could reform idle people and that training standards must remain high despite the recruits’ poor quality.
• Ernst warned Tavisihe and the other officers that East Africa’s army needed new moral standards and must become a force for peace, national security, and public safety.
• Ernst ordered a future rectification of the National Defense Army’s military thinking, discipline, regulations, and conduct, citing Germany and Japan as negative examples.
• Ernst kept secret that he had sent personnel to study the Northwest Armed Forces in the Far East and planned to adapt their military practices for East Africa.
• Ernst ended the inspection in Bulawayo and told the officers he expected the army to be transformed by his next visit.

Gladen’s East African research team met American journalist Snow while studying the Red region and negotiating trade and an airport project with its regime. After Japan launched a full-scale war against the Far East Empire, Ernst and Crown Prince Friedrich discussed how the conflict could create an opportunity for East Africa to expand its military preparations.

• Gladen and Snow discussed East African activity and investment in the northwest of the Far East Empire.
• Gladen’s team negotiated trade in supplies and weapons, along with plans to build an airport, with the Red region’s regime.
• Japan launched a full-scale war against the Far East Empire on July 7, 1937, a date East Africa later designated as the start of World War II.
• Ernst told Crown Prince Friedrich that Japan’s attack marked the beginning of World War II and argued that East Africa should expand its military preparations.
• Friedrich said East Africa should watch the Soviet Union, Britain, and the United States as the Soviet Union sought closer relations with East Africa and America.

Crown Prince Friedrich warned that the Soviet Union might cooperate with the United States to contain East Africa, especially over control of the Middle East. Ernst outlined East Africa’s strategy of focusing on five regions and using Germany and Japan to weaken Britain and France, leaving East Africa to claim their overseas interests.

• Crown Prince Friedrich explained that East Africa’s potential land corridor through Egypt and the Sinai Peninsula could extend its influence across Eurasia and alarm other powers.
• Crown Prince Friedrich argued that the Soviet Union could seek cooperation with the United States to counter East Africa, while Ernst said East Africa could exploit their rivalries in Europe and the Far East.
• Ernst identified South America, West Africa, the Mediterranean rim, the Indian Ocean coast, and Southeast Asia as East Africa’s core strategic regions.
• Ernst said Britain and France held overseas interests East Africa wanted, but East Africa would avoid confronting them directly.
• Ernst planned to use Germany and Japan as proxies against Britain and France, then seize the gains after those countries were exhausted by war.

Ichiro Kawasaki and Tsugu Koizumi inspected the East African Pacific Fleet at Billiton Island and judged its ships and sailors undisciplined and weak. Their observations left them convinced that East Africa’s naval reputation exceeded its real strength, while they envied its easy acquisition of overseas colonies.

• Ichiro Kawasaki and Tsugu Koizumi watched the East African Pacific Fleet in Billiton Island’s harbor and criticized its aging, rusty ships.
• Ichiro Kawasaki and Tsugu Koizumi disparaged the East African sailors’ training and discipline, comparing them unfavorably with Japan’s Army Baka.
• Tsugu Koizumi listed how East Africa had acquired colonies through purchases, force, and pressure, while Ichiro Kawasaki lamented that Japan had missed similar opportunities.
• Ichiro Kawasaki’s belief that East Africa’s navy was weak was reinforced by Japan’s celebrated victories over the Far East Empire and Russia.
• The account explained that East Africa’s royal connections and standing among Western powers had helped it acquire overseas territories and resist American pressure.

Ichiro Kawasaki and Tsugu Koizumi discussed Japan’s naval strategy and the threats posed by East Africa, the United States, and Britain. They left the discussion focused on seizing British resources and strategic positions to secure Japan’s rise and keep East Africa out of the Pacific.

• Tsugu Koizumi and Ichiro Kawasaki judged East Africa’s Pacific Fleet to be poorly maintained, while praising Britain’s Singapore base and navy.
• Ichiro Kawasaki warned that Japan needed to destroy East Africa’s Pacific forces efficiently while preserving strength to face the United States.
• Tsugu Koizumi urged Japan to prioritize East Africa and the United States, but Ichiro Kawasaki cautioned that Britain could still intervene in the Far East.
• Ichiro Kawasaki argued that Japan would need to seize British holdings, including Singapore, northern Borneo, Myanmar, and Australia, to secure resources and block East Africa’s return to the Pacific.
• The chapter explained how British oil development in northern Borneo and East African propaganda had encouraged Japan to covet the region and Australia’s resources.

Commander Yodeler worried that war in Europe and Asia could threaten East Africa’s Pacific Fleet, while Staff Officer Derisen dismissed the risk of Japan or the United States provoking the Empire. The chapter ended with Derisen confidently treating Japan as too weak to challenge the great powers.

• Yodeler listened to news of Japan’s war against the Far East Empire and grew concerned about worsening international tensions.
• Yodeler summoned Derisen, and the two exchanged jokes about Derisen’s laziness and the possibility of transferring him to a remote Pacific posting.
• Yodeler warned that conflict in Europe could spread to the Far East and asked whether the Pacific Fleet should prepare for trouble.
• Derisen argued that the United States would not turn against the Empire and that Japan would not risk provoking other nations while fighting the Far East Empire.
• Derisen declared that Japan was merely a regional power and could not seriously threaten the Empire.

Commander Yodeler and Derisen concluded that Japan was unlikely to wage war against East Africa, while East Africa prepared a highway through Afghanistan and Soviet territory to reach the Far East Empire. The Soviets agreed to build and supervise their section, viewing the route as both a strategic link and a way to improve Central Asian transportation.

• Commander Yodeler explained that Japan's victories over the Far East Empire and Tsarist Russia did not prove it could defeat Britain, the United States, or a fully mobilized East Africa.
• Commander Yodeler and Derisen agreed that the Pacific Fleet faced no imminent war and could continue its routine.
• East Africa prepared to begin construction of the Central Asia Highway in August 1937, with routes linking Shule and Yili to the Far East Empire through Soviet territory.
• Crown Prince Friedrich told Ernst that the Soviet Union would build its own highway section and permit passage, while restricting East African contact with Soviet Central Asian communities.
• Crown Prince Friedrich and Ernst accepted Soviet oversight and intended to keep East Africa's involvement in Afghanistan focused on securing a temporary land route to the Far East Empire.
• The Soviet Union planned to improve its highway section and saw the route as a future trade connection to the Indian Ocean and a strategic link to the Far East Empire.

Ernst and Crown Prince Friedrich discussed the risks and limited benefits of the Central Asia Highway, stressing that East Africa needed Afghanistan’s support and a stable Afghan government. In Afghanistan, King Shah and his relatives saw the project as a chance to strengthen royal control and build closer ties with East Africa as Britain weakened and the Soviet Union grew stronger.

• Ernst said the Central Asia Highway’s strategic value outweighed its economic returns and argued that Afghanistan’s government should help provide manpower and maintain order.
• Ernst explained that German investments in Afghanistan depended on both Germany’s continued strength and the survival of Afghanistan’s regime, while Crown Prince Friedrich noted East Africa would also struggle to recover losses if Britain or the Soviet Union fomented unrest.
• Ernst argued that the highway could help Afghanistan’s unified government extend its control into the north.
• King Shah convened the Royal Family and described the highway as an opportunity to improve transport, develop the economy, and strengthen control over northern Afghanistan.
• Hashim urged Shah to use Afghanistan’s cooperation on the highway to deepen ties with East Africa and attract its investment.
• Mahmoud said the Soviet Union posed Afghanistan’s greatest threat and that East Africa was the best prospective patron as Britain declined.