The White House conference room was already packed with senior US government officials and important military commanders. Yet every face was exceedingly grim. The naval commanders in particular looked as though their own mothers had died.
News of the American Navy's crushing defeat in the Battle of the Azores had already spread. Though only senior Cabinet officials and principal military commanders knew of it, the news struck everyone like a violent storm, leaving them deeply shaken.
"God! I can't believe that even our mighty navy was no match for the Germans. Does that mean the Germans are invincible? How could we possibly defeat them? If we fail, wouldn't that mean we lose this war?" a senior Cabinet official said.
"The navy's defeat has left us with virtually no chance of defeating the Germans. Now, I'm afraid we can only try to secure a dignified peace."
The naval commanders' expressions grew even uglier at such talk. It was as though the navy had become the sinner of the entire United States.
"President Roosevelt has arrived!"
Everyone hurriedly rose to their feet, and the murmurs vanished without a trace.
"Gentlemen, please sit," President Roosevelt said.
"Gentlemen, the decisive battle between our navy and the German Navy has already been decided. Unfortunately, we have once again lost to the Germans. Our naval officers and men fought bravely and gave everything they had. But the gap in strength between the two sides was simply too great. Thus, we ultimately still lost," President Roosevelt said.
President Roosevelt attributed the primary cause of the defeat to the German Navy's overwhelming strength. Clearly, he did not wish to damage the navy's morale. Though the navy had lost this battle, it would remain an extremely important force in the coming war. If the navy lost confidence and was