"Sir, the German Ambassador requests an audience." In Spanish Foreign Minister Preto's office, his secretary was reporting to him.
"The German Ambassador? What was coming had come after all! Let him in!" Preto said. He knew there was no hiding from this. The Germans had certainly come to call him to account this time. If he mishandled things and enraged them, the consequences would be disastrous. But he had taken British money and promised to maintain a hard-line stance. This left Preto in quite a dilemma.
Before long, led by the secretary, the German Ambassador entered Preto's office.
"Foreign Minister, good morning!" The German Ambassador appeared very modest. Yet beneath that, the pride of a diplomat from the world's foremost power still faintly showed.
"Ambassador, good morning. Someone, bring us two cups of coffee," Preto ordered.
"Yes, sir." The secretary quickly brought over two cups of coffee.
After a round of pleasantries, the conversation entered its main subject.
"Foreign Minister, your country's sudden recovery of Gibraltar has greatly shocked my country. It has also affected the peaceful and stable situation in the Mediterranean Sea," the German Ambassador said.
Preto frowned. German logic was somewhat beyond his ability to accept.
"Ambassador, Gibraltar has always been territory of the Kingdom of Spain. Our recovery of Gibraltar is entirely lawful and reasonable; there is nothing wrong with it," Preto said. His attitude hardened. On one hand, the British cheque had done its work. On the other, the Germans' attitude was simply infuriating.
"That Gibraltar is Spanish territory is merely a unilateral claim on your part. In the earliest days, Gibraltar was a settlement of the Phoenicians of North Africa, and it was conquered by the Roman Empire in the second century BC. In the eighth century, the Arabs occupied this place. It was