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Secrecy and Deception Chapter 2

Victory in Europe (Wattpad | Ao3)

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Event: V-E Day

Location: Karlshorst, Berlin, Germany

Date: May 8, 1945

It was over.

It was finally over.

Germany was finally surrendering—and thankfully, unconditionally. The war in Europe was finally over. Peace would finally be a reality after all that had happened and all that France had been through.

France was so excited.

“Time to sign, Germany,” Soviet said, pointing to the paper that he, America, and France had signed. Germany scowled, anger and hatred in his eyes. France gave him the same look of loathing back.

No matter how much this monster hated it, he had to sign. He would sign his surrender, and then they would dissolve his government, and he would die.

France was ecstatic about that.

Germany picked up the pen, clutching it tightly. Maybe he hoped he could snap it to delay them further. After all, he would probably die after signing, and he certainly had proven he didn’t want to die.

“Sign the damn paper, Jerry, so this can all be over with.” America snapped. Jerry was such an odd name for America to call Germany, but Britain had used it too when talking about him. English was a bizarre language.

“I will.” Germany hissed, spitting out the English words like they were poison to him. He lowered his hand towards the paper, a hand that looked like it was shaking ever so slightly before he signed.

The effect was immediate. Germany paled and dropped the pen as if his strength had been drained. He seemed to collapse into his chair, grabbing the table for support. His breathing was heavy.

“I’ll keep an eye on him. You two tell Britain and his brothers the news.” Soviet said.

“Britain knows what is occurring.” France pointed out.

“Let’s just tell him. It’ll give his old man mind a sense of peace about the whole thing, not to mention he can work on getting the Germans off the Channel Islands.” America said, grabbing France’s arm and pulling her out. Before they left, however, Germany gave France one last venomous look.

“You can let go of me now,” France said, unsuccessfully trying to free her arm from America’s grip.

“Sorry,” he said, letting go. They walked to the room Britain and his brothers were in. America picked up his pace, reaching the door and throwing it open.

“Dad, unconditional surrender of all German troops has just been secured, but unfortunately, Germany isn't dead,” America said, gliding into the room with graceful steps.

Almost everyone in the room stared at America after hearing that as America had never called Britain dad, at least not as long as France had been alive.

“What? Why are you all staring at me?” America asked, noticing the stares.

“You called me Dad,” Britain said, his voice full of disbelief. America slapped his hand over his mouth before removing it, laughing nervously.

“What, no, you must be hearing things. You are an old county.” America said. Britain raised an eyebrow, and America began running the back of his neck before he spoke, his voice quiet. “I…I…I started calling you dad mentally after Yalta. I…didn’t mean to say it out loud. It’s just…I dunno...”

Britain exited his seat, knocking Northern Ireland to the ground, who flipped him off. Britain pulled America into a hug.

“Britain, are you crying?” America asked, his body language becoming more stiff.

“Oh, you are not calling me Britain after calling me Dad,” Britain said, tightening his arms around America.

“I’ll call you whatever the hell I want, old man,” America responded, trying to loosen Britain’s grip on him, some strange emotion in his eyes.

“And what do you want to call me?” Britain, pulling himself out of the hug.

“I plead the fifth,” America responded.

“What does that mean?” Britain asked, looking just as confused as France was. America rolled his eyes.

“Europeans,” he said, shaking his head, although there was a fond smile on his lips.

“It means Europeans?” Scotland asked with a smirk. France laughed, something about Germany surrendering having lifted a weight from her shoulders, making it easier to laugh and smile.

“What? No! Don’t be stupid.” America responded. America and Scotland quickly got into a dumb fight over this, but they were smiling, so you could see the fight wasn’t because they were mad at each other. Wales was egging them on, as Wales does, and Britain was watching with a fond smile, looking the happiest France had ever seen him. It was clear he was pleased about America calling him dad again.

It was a welcome change from all the violence they had seen in the war. The war was over.

Finally, finally, finally, they could have peace.

If nothing goes horribly wrong, but then again, what could be worse than this war we had just gone through and all the horror that had come out of it?

————————————

Event: Potsdam Conference

Location: Cecilienhof Palace, Potsdam, Allied-Occupied Germany

Date: July 17-August 2 1945

America felt like he didn’t mention he hated politics enough. But politics are awful. And it’s not made any better by the fact America was in a lot of pain due to the lovely new injury he got while fighting on Okinawa, an injury that made President Truman nervous.

Most likely because President Roosevelt had passed away in April, and if the country died, well, that would be a crushing blow to their people, especially after the joy they experienced on Germany’s surrender.

Thankfully, Virginia was with America, though disguised, of course, to help America. Since President Truman wanted to take no chances, he stuck America in the wheelchair, and Virginia was wheeling him up to the building. America hated being stuck in it.

“Dad, you are staying in the goddamn wheelchair so you can heal.” Unorganized Territory said.

“Ginny, I can move the wheelchair myself,” America told his daughter.

“Don’t try that with me, Fa—Mr. America. It’s my job to ensure you don’t make that injury any worse with your stubbornness.” Virginia responded. America exhaled, crossing his arms. He didn’t like being wheeled around like he was helpless, and he didn’t like being called Mr. America. He was pretty sure Virginia was just doing that because she knew it would make him mad.

“Also, because she needs to pretend to be a human,” Caleb said.

“Oh my god, America?” America heard his father’s voice from behind him. America sighed. He and his dad had patched some things up in the days following Germany’s surrender, and his father was back to being his overprotective self even though America was perfectly capable of handling himself.

“Are you?” Unorganized Territory asked.

“Ginny, spin me around,” America ordered.

“No. Wait for Britain, you impatient fuck.” Virginia replied. America flipped her off and began trying to move the wheelchair himself. Virginia sighed and let go of the wheelchair, making it easier for America to turn it.

“Hi, Dad. Please convince her I don’t need to be in this wheelchair. It’s really annoying.” America said. His father looked shocked and concerned.

“What happened? Are you okay?” He asked.

“I’m fine. Got shot in the leg in Okinawa, and everyone’s insistent that I need this wheelchair. I think I’d be fine on crutches.” America said. Virginia snorted.

“Not everything you think is true. This is for your safety, so we don’t make anything worse,” she said.

“I think you should listen to her,” Dad said. America crossed his arms.

“I can take care of myself.”

“Just shut up and stop making things harder for Virginia,” Caleb said.

“No, you can’t,” Virginia responded.

“Yes, I can. I know my limits, so I’ll be fine.” America said. Virginia shot him an incredulous look.

“You do not know your limits,” Virginia said.

“I do! I swear I do!” America insisted. Dad sighed.

“You can argue about this after the conference. We have a meeting to get to.” Dad said. America nodded, and Virginia began pushing his wheelchair forward.

“Oh, come on, just let me do it!” America exclaimed, throwing his hands into the air.

“America, just let me do this,” Virginia said. America sighed as they entered the Cecilienhof Palace. They really liked having those things in palaces. Virginia let go of his wheelchair upon seeing Soviet waiting for them.

“America? What happened to you?” Soviet asked. America smiled and wheeled himself towards the communist nation.

“Got shot. You’re still coming to help us with Japan soon, right?” America asked. Soviet nodded.

“Да. Hopefully, next month at the latest, if no unforeseen complications arise.” Soviet said. America nodded. That was good news. Now that American troops had taken Okinawa, the next target was the main Japanese islands. If the island-hopping campaign had proven anything, it was that taking the main Japanese islands would be one hell of a fight. Soviet’s help would be greatly appreciated, although America wasn’t sure about President Truman’s thoughts.

President Truman was a lot more suspicious of Soviet and his intentions. He saw Soviet’s actions in Eastern Europe as aggressive expansionism, which was an understandable viewpoint to have, especially since James had the same one. However, from America’s experience, and from the fact that he trusted Soviet, to an extent at least, America would place his faith in Soviet and say that his actions were not expansionism but rather worry over his safety.

“I think you need to listen to James more. He’s only ever been worried about your safety.” Unorganized Territory commented.

It wasn’t like America didn’t have his doubts, especially concerning Soviet’s actions in the Baltics. Hopefully, America would get a chance to talk to Soviet about those doubts during this conference.

“Hey, Ginny? It's not that I don’t trust you or anything, but can you leave while we have our meeting? Come back in a couple of hours, and you can babysit me more than,” America said. Virginia rolled her eyes.

“I wouldn’t have to babysit you if you proved you could be trusted to care for your own health,” Virginia said before leaving.

“Great, she’s gone; let's see if I can stand up,” America said, getting ready to push himself out of his chair. His dad put his hands on America’s shoulders and held him down.

“I’m starting to understand why your government gave you a babysitter, America. Sit down before you hurt yourself.” Dad said. America rolled his eyes.

“I’m not going to hurt myself. Let’s just have this meeting.” America said, wheeling himself over to the room where they were supposed to be having the discussions. America would figure out how to get out of this wheelchair eventually.

“When will you be out of the wheelchair?” Soviet asked. America shrugged.

“When the doctors say it’s safe for me to use my leg without worsening the injury. I don’t know when that will be, as I’m not a doctor. Which is a skill I should probably learn at some point…” America said, trailing off as that thought occurred to him.

“You’d also get out quicker if you stopped trying to stand up,” Rebecca muttered.

“England learned medicine mainly because he hated visiting the doctor whenever his jaw pained him. It’s made it easier for him to take care of himself.” Dad commented.

“What happened to his jaw anyway?” Soviet asked.

“I happened to his jaw. Broke it during the Battle of Bunker Hill. That was a battle during my War of Independence.” America explained.

“Massachusetts is going to yell at you about stealing the credit for his auctions later.” Unorganized Territory laughed, even though they both knew that America only took credit because they couldn’t say it was Massachusetts without looking insane.

“You certainly did a very good job breaking it if it’s still bothering him over a hundred years later,” Soviet said.

“I think I broke it twice. Anyways, as interesting as my uncle is, he's not why we’re here.” America said.

“I wish he were what we were here to talk about. It’s much more fun to complain about my brother than to discuss how we plan to fix Europe,” Dad said. America snorted.

“Dad, Europe is broken beyond repair. We’re just trying to make it function so it doesn’t implode again,” America said.

“I agree with America,” Soviet said. Dad gave him a confused look.

“You’re European,” Dad said.

“Eurasian technically.” Soviet pointed out. Dad rolled his eyes.

“You’re still a little bit European.” He said.

“Alright, let’s get back on topic before we waste the whole day discussing this. The first topic is obviously Germany and how we are dealing with him and his country. We have the plan from before on how to occupy Germany, with France and us, so are we all still in agreement with the map we agreed on in Yalta? And what about the arrangements in Austria?” America said, hoping to bring them back on topic.

“Yes, I don’t have any complaints. Soviet?” Dad asked, turning to face the union. Soviet shook his head.

“Alright, then. We need to figure out our aims for the occupation of Germany and what we hope to achieve during it. Obviously, we are demilitarizing and denazifying the country,” America began.

“Yes. We should abolish their military and secret police, which France said caused her problems. What was it called again?” Dad asked.

“The Gestapo,” Soviet answered.

“Right, that. We should also abolish the SS, and the SA, and anything or anyone that keeps their military tradition alive.” Dad said.

“We should also decentralize, decartelize, and democratize the country,” America said. Soviet blinked, looking confused.

“What? What does the middle word mean? I’ve never heard that before.” He asked.

“It means we transition the national economy from monopoly control by groups of large businesses to a free market economy,” America clarified. Soviet nodded.

“Those are also good aims. We really have a lot to accomplish here.” He said.

“On the topic of democracy, we should also destroy the Nazi party and any afflicted organizations. It’s clear that the Nazi Party will not allow for a democracy in Germany, so in order to reconstruct German political life in a democratic state, that party has to be gone.” Dad said.

“Agreed. We should also abolish Nazi laws as well. If we destroy the party, we must destroy what they’ve done.” Soviet said.

“Definitely. The laws establish discrimination on grounds of race, creed, and political opinion and cannot be accepted as part of a democratic country.” America said, knowing he was being slightly hypocritical due to several laws the states had and Executive Order 9066.

“It’s not really the same,” Caleb muttered.

America pushed those thoughts aside. His own flaws could be handled later when he was done with this conference and international affairs in Europe and Asia, along with this entire war. Besides, he passed the laws to protect his people, both interred and not, so it was different. America was not doing it out of hate.

“That means we should reorganize the German judicial system based on democratic ideals of equality and justice under law,” Soviet said. America nodded.

“This reminds me too much of the Constitutional Convention,” America muttered, thinking back to the creation of his current government. It was similar but also very, very different.

“At least with the Constitutional Convention, we knew that most of the people making decisions didn’t risk betraying us,” Caleb pointed out in a bored tone.

“Nazi Party members who hold public positions and oppose our postwar aims should be removed from office and replaced by officials who are in support of a democratic system,” Dad said.

“We should try to prevent most of them from gaining positions of power again, to prevent Germany from starting another world war,” Soviet said.

“You have a point, but I don’t think most officials will be able to do much after they are put on trial,” America pointed out. Soviet shrugged.

“That’s also a fair point.” He said.

“When we get rid of the Nazi party, we also need to encourage the existence of democratic parties in Germany. So Germany needs to have the right of assembly and public discussion.” Dad said.

“The freedoms of speech, press, religion, and religious institutions should be respected as well, as should the formation of free trade unions,” America pointed out. Dad nodded.

“Those two things do tie into each other. We should ensure those freedoms in our respective zones.” Dad said, “Soviet?”

“I agree. Those will help eliminate what the Nazi party has done, as long as we control the education system to eliminate fascist doctrines and to develop democratic ideas.” Soviet explained.

“Oh, I had forgotten about schools. Good point. Schools would teach the Nazi party ideals.” America said.

“We also have to reverse Germany's annexations. Sudetenland needs to be returned to Czechoslovakia, Alsace-Lorraine needs to be returned to France, Austria needs to exist again, and the westernmost parts of Poland need to be returned,” Dad said.

“Soviet, you wanted to keep eastern Poland, so do you know exactly how much Poland will be getting,” America asked. Soviet nodded.

“The Oder-Neisse line. Germany will be reduced from its size in 1937 by about 25%. If you agree on that new border, that is. I would also like to take Königsberg and the adjacent area.” Soviet explained.

“I’m okay with that border. America?” Dad said. America nodded.

“Speaking of borders, we need to have expulsions of the German people who live outside the new eastern border of Germany, in Poland and Czechoslovakia. Along with the German people in Hungary.” Soviet said.

“Are you sure? Not every German person is responsible for what Germany and his officials did. Are you sure this is a necessary action?” America asked, not liking these actions. This war had caused enough damage to people’s lives. Did they really need to make it worse? Dad looked just as skeptical as America.

“It’s necessary to ensure the safety of the people who live in those countries.” Soviet insisted.

“Is it? People could die or get hurt doing that. You can’t expect them just to pack up their lives and leave,” Dad said. America felt a sense of deja vu. This reminded him of when Andrew Jackson decided to force the Indians off of their land, even though the court said it was illegal. Sure, what Soviet was saying wasn’t illegal, but America had seen how easily it could go wrong.

“It will be orderly and humane,” Soviet said.

“You can promise that. But will that promise be kept?” America asked, “You can claim all you want, and it’ll be orderly and humane. But if the time comes, will you keep that promise and ensure that it is humane?”

Soviet looked down at Amerrca and nodded. “I will ensure it is humane and enforce that policy with all my power.”

America trusted Soviet, and so did many of his people. But still, there were causes for doubt in his words, like his occupation of the Baltics and his refusal to return Poland to his prewar borders. Should America trust him here?

“I don’t…you should be careful,” Caleb said.

America bit his lip, thinking over it.

“Dad?” Ameirca asked. His father looked just as conflicted as he did.

“If…you can ensure it is humane…” his father began hesitantly. Soviet raised an eyebrow.

“Yes?” He said.

“If you can ensure it is humane, then I will support it,” Dad said, his voice more confident. Soviet smiled and nodded.

“Америка?” Soviet asked, turning to America. America exhaled and nodded.

“Make sure it’s humane,” he said. Soviet nodded.

America hoped he didn’t just make a mistake.

——————————————

“Soviet. I have something to tell you while we wait for Dad.” America said.

“Why not tell us both at once? Or are you even informing your father of what you are going to tell me?” Soviet asked.

“Dad knows already. He was informed earlier.” America said. Soviet was informed much earlier than Soviet, considering his father and Canada were both aware of the Manhattan Project as soon as it started.

“Ah. So what is this about?” Soviet asked, sitting down.

“My government has created a new weapon of unusual destructive force,” America said, shrugging.

“What kind of weapon?” Soviet asked, not seeming as impressed as President Truman had thought he would be. President Truman hoped the information would pressure Stalin to concede to their demands regarding Europe's post-war division.

“Oh god, please don’t tell us he already knows.” Unorganized Territory said.

“A very powerful one,” America said as his father walked in.

“Today’s topic is war reparations, and we're finishing up discussions on Germany,” Dad said, sitting down.

“Woo,” America said tiredly, not raising his voice from its normal volume. This was going to be a fun topic to discuss. Soviet gave America an odd look.

“Are you okay?” He asked. America yawned.

“I’m exhausted,” America said. Worry over Japan, mixed with the fact that he had found out North Dakota had been injured in the Pacific Theater, although no one had told America why, had made it hard to sleep. Thankfully, Virginia was harassing Nebraska for an answer, as he was the one who relayed the news to them. Of course, there is the possibility Nebraska doesn’t know and found out from one of the twenty-two other states in the Pacific.

“I can take control if you want, and you can watch,” Caleb offered.

“Try and get some more sleep then.” Dad said, “Anyways, back to the topic of war reparations.”

“I want to have a claim to German industries in your zones.” Soviet immediately started. Well…that was quite a claim Soviet had just made.

“That’s an insane claim to make.” Unorganized Territory said.

“Do you think that giving him Poland made him think he could claim that?” Rebecca asked.

“And why exactly would we do that?” America asked, giving Soviet a strange look.

“Because we are all occupying Germany, so we should all benefit from the industries,” he said with a smile.

“We aren’t letting you have any claim to the industries in our zones of occupation,” Dad said.

“You could….” America began, thinking again over what he was going to say.

“Are you really giving him more?!” Caleb asked incredulously.

“I could what?” Soviet asked.

“You could revive war reparations from the industries in our zones, so long as you give up those claims to the industries,” America said.

“How much?” Soviet asked.

“What do you mean?” Dad asked.

“How much will I be receiving from these industries?” Soviet clarified. America bit his lip, thinking carefully. He couldn’t just give anything away for free.

“15% of usable industrial capital equipment, consisting of metallurgical, chemical, and machine manufacturing industries from the western zones in exchange for food, coal, potash, zinc, timber, clay, and petroleum products from the eastern zones,” America said.

“And how would I get these materials to my area?” Soviet asked.

“You do it yourself within five years.” America offered. Soviet looked thoughtful.

“I still want some claim to the industries,” Soviet said.

“What about this? 10% of the industrial capacity of the western zones unnecessary for the German peace economy would be transferred to you within two years, without any obligation of further payment of any kind in return,” his father offered. America nodded in agreement. It seemed fair.

“Alright. And your claims on German industries in the eastern zone?” Soviet asked.

“We’ll give them up if you take our offer and give up your claims,” His father said.

“We should also figure out how much we are getting in war reparations,” America added.

“Let’s wait a couple of months. We destroyed a lot of Germany and should wait for some of it to come back before we determine that.” Soviet said.

“Yes. We should also remove industrial equipment from the western zones to satisfy reparations, with the Allied Control Council making the determination of the equipment following policies set by the Allied Commission and with the participation of France.” Dad said. Soviet nodded before adding his opinion.

“He’s back on his France shit again,” Caleb sighed.

“Set a time limit. Do it within two years or so from the determination of reparations.” America’s father nodded, accepting Soviet’s request.

“We’ll be sure to do that. Oh, and we still need to figure out what war reparations Poland is getting,” America said.

“I will settle Poland's reparation claims from my share of reparations. Poland should be excluded from the division of German compensation,” Soviet said.

“Soviet, Poland might be one of the countries that deserves compensation the most out of everyone here. Germany actually occupied him, something the three of us avoided. He should at least get something that we all agree on. No offense, but you haven’t been the best to Poland recently. Even if we let you do that, how can we ensure you do it fairly?” Dad said.

“And James claims that he could never get along with Britain. I’ll be sure to inform him of this the next time we talk.” Rebecca said.

“Well, what do you propose?” Soviet said.

“If you are going to settle Poland's reparation claims with your share of reparations, you should share your own division of German compensation. Say, 15%?” America said. Soviet looked unhappy at that but nodded.

“Fine. Next, we should talk about these industries more in-depth,” he said.

“Well, obviously, we need to destroy or control all German industries with military potential.” Dad began. I nodded.

“Agreed. That will most certainly be part of the demilitarization process.” America said.

“Shipyards and aircraft factories should be a focus, for sure. Either dismantled or destroyed, we can’t let Germans have that kind of power in the future.” Soviet said.

“And on that note, all production capacity associated with war potential, such as metal, chemicals, or machinery factories, should be reduced to a minimum level, which the Allied Control Commission can later determine,” Dad added.

“Yeah, any surplus manufacturing capacity should be dismantled or destroyed as war reparations,” America added again. Soviet and Dad nodded.

“I think we are all in agreement on this. Shall we move on?” Dad asked.

“Yeah. Next, we should consider controlling international trade. Now that I think about it, research should too,” Soviet said.

“We cannot trust Germany with international trade or research. That is definitely something we will implement,” America said.

“Their economy will be decentralized by decartelization and reorganized, with a primary emphasis on agriculture and peaceful domestic industries,” Dad said. America nodded.

“Yes, those industries will prevent Germany from trying to create any type of weapon or raise some form of resistance during their occupation,” America said.

“The types and amounts of industry to be dismantled to achieve that can be determined later.” Dad said, “Are you in agreement, Soviet?”

“Yes. I also have another proposal. The German standard of living should be prevented from exceeding the European average,” Soviet said.

“I agree,” Dad said quickly. That was harsh, as the European standard of living wouldn’t be the best due to this war. And was it the best idea to punish all German people for their government's actions?

America sighed. It was a country that was being occupied due to their actions during this war. This would probably change once they proved that they could behave.

“I agree with this as well,” America said. When Germany’s occupation ended, they could rebuild their standard of living.

“We should also set limits regarding the disposition and future use of the defeated German navy and merchant ships,” Dad said.

“We could assign experts to cooperate on principles invoking that that can be agreed on and announced by our governments,” America suggested. Soviet nodded.

“I like that plan.” He stated.

“Great. Lastly, we need to figure out Austria.” Dad said.

“Karl Renner has set up a provisional government in Austria. I think that the government should be extended to all of Austria.” Soviet said.

“Wait, he had another kid?” Unorganized Territory asked, incredulous.

“After I and my father’s troops enter Vienna, we can examine the proposal. Does that sound good?” America asked. Soviet nodded.

“That sounds good to me,” he said. America smiled. He felt much more confident about today's results than yesterday's. Hopefully, these meetings will wrap up soon. America was very tired of attending them.

——————————————

“We are discussing Poland now. You promised to consider recognizing the provisional government. Will you do that?” Soviet asked. America groaned, leaning back in his wheelchair. This was a very difficult decision to make. America didn’t want to betray Poland and risk his death because of recognition by a new government. But then again, this government, along with the government-in-exile, were probably both keeping Poland alive.

“I will recognize the Provisional Government of National Unity,” Dad said. Soviet smiled and nodded, turning to America.

“Америка?” He asked. America sighed.

“I will also recognize the government, but free elections with widespread suffrage and secret ballots need to be held as soon as possible. Democratic and anti-Nazi parties should be allowed to participate, and representatives of the Allied press should have full freedom to report on developments during the elections,” America said. The Soviet nodded.

“Oh fuck you, America,” James snapped.

“It's understandable that you would want to ensure that. I will make sure it occurs.” Soviet said, “Now this government still needs to take control of parts of Poland that were run by the former government.”

“I’m sure America and I can take measures to ensure for the Polish Provisional Government to own property in the territories of Poland and to have all legal rights to the property so no other government can have it,” Dad said.

“So you set him up to die and then make him give away his land? America!” James ranted.

“Спасибо, that will be much appreciated,” Soviet said.

“All Poles that return to Poland will be allowed personal and property rights, right?” America asked.

“They will,” Soviet said.

“Good. We’ve also figured out where Poland’s provisional western border will be, on the Oder-Neisse line, but should we finalize that border?” America asked.

“We can finalize the border at the peace settlement. It won’t be that big of a deal.” Dad said. America nodded.

“How about we permanently resolve all territorial questions after peace is established in those regions? By my western border near the Baltic Sea,” Soviet Union proposed.

“What exactly does that include?” America asked.

“It includes the eastern shore of the Bay of Danzig to the east, north of Braunsberg and Goldap, to the meeting point of the frontiers of Lithuania, the Polish Republic, and East Prussia,” Soviet said.

“Dad?” America asked, hoping to hear his thoughts on this.

“Königsberg and the area near it. We can transfer that to you if you agree with that, America?” Dad asked. America nodded. Soviet looked a little offended by the offer but accepted.

“Fine. I will accept that.” He said, “I suppose you will be supporting that now?”

“I guarantee I will support the proposal of the conference when peace is ensured,” America said.

“I will as well,” Dad said. Soviet nodded.

“Good. Now let’s move on to Italy, the Fascist’s father,” Soviet said.

“Hey, his son tried to kill him. We should cut him some slack,” Caleb commented nonchalantly.

“What about him?” America asked, knowing that Soviet probably had another one of his proposals.

“I have concerns involving the mandated territories.” He said.

“What about them? We made decisions at the Yalta Conference and the Charter of the United Nations.” Dad said. Soviet scowled.

“Listen, Soviet, we don’t even have a peace treaty with Italy. Besides, Italy fought on our side and is making good progress towards establishing a democratic government and institutions. After a peace treaty, we can support an application from Italy for UN membership.” America said.

“We still need to work out the peace treaty with Italy. Then, we can figure out the situation with Italy’s colonies. Let’s move on to our other issues,” Dad said.

“We should begin our withdrawal from Tehran,” America suggested. His father nodded.

“What about the rest of Persia?” He asked. America shrugged.

“We can figure that out later. After all, this meeting isn’t to make a peace treaty,” America said.

“No, it’s just to betray our allies for a man who’s manipulating us into giving him more power,” James snapped.

“Are you okay with that?” Dad asked. Soviet nodded.

“I’m okay with discussions at a later date.” He said.

“Great. Now, Tangier, the city on the Straits of Gibraltar, except on the African side, I think should remain international land, at least for now, or until we can discuss it further,” Dad said. Tangier used to belong to Morocco, America’s very old friend. America would like it returned to him, but he knew keeping it international was the best decision for now.

“Another friend? Really America? Really, Maverick?” James said, throwing out America’s human name in his anger.

“I agree,” Soviet said as America nodded.

“Speaking of straits, I think the Montreux Convention needs to be revised. But if you two agree, we can discuss that with Turkey's government,” America said.

“Oh, right, we should discuss that with Turkey. Soviet?” Dad commented.

“Да, we should do that,” Soviet said.

“Also, we and I mean we as in the Western-allied powers, need to have input in the Allied Control Commission of Eastern and Central Europe,” America said.

“Why? I’m handling everything perfectly well.” Soviet asked.

“We should be allowed to have input, though. Hostilities in Europe are over, so it’s not just you who has access to Eastern and Central Europe anymore,” Dad said. Soviet sighed.

“Fine. When we have more time, we can work on revisions to the Allied Control Commission tomorrow. Is there anything else anyone wants to bring up?”

“We should probably create, like a council of some, and one that probably includes France and China, to sort out the peace settlement with Germany, which will then be accepted by the government of Germany once Germany has been established. We can call it, like, I dunno, the Council of Foreign Ministers.” America proposed.

“This Council of Foreign Ministers could also handle the peace treaty with Italy and further actions in Tehran and the rest of Persia,” Dad added.

“And peace treaties with everyone else. I like this idea, America. We should work on creating it.” Soviet said.

“Tomorrow. I’m tired, and we’ve already discussed many things.” America said.

“Fine, tomorrow then,” Dad said, standing up. America couldn’t wait to be allowed to do that again. America sighed as he thought back to what they had discussed.

America hoped Poland didn’t get too mad at him for this. America did what was necessary to protect the peace, even though he probably won’t see it that way.

———————————————-

“So I think we are all in agreement that Japan either surrenders or will be destroyed. Am I right about that?” China asked America and his father. Soviet wasn’t here, as he had yet to declare war on Japan. This meeting of the Potsdam Conference was for the three countries currently at war with Japan, as they were going to decide the terms of Japan’s surrender.

“Absolutely. It’s figuring out the rest of the terms that might be a problem,” America said.

“Once these terms are set, we won’t hesitate to enforce them, nor will we offer any alternatives or change our minds. What is set here is set in stone,” Dad said, slamming his hands on the table. America raised an eyebrow. His father always had a flair for the dramatic.

“That was unnecessary,” China commented. America nodded in agreement.

“It was unnecessary, but it was also fun,” Dad said with a small smile.

“Anyways,” America said, wanting to ensure they stayed on topic, “like with Germany, we should eliminate all officials who decide to make Japan embark on world conquest.”

“Definitely. We should also be in charge of designating the parts of Japan we will occupy.” Dad said.

“The Cairo Declaration of 1943 said that Japanese sovereignty shall be limited to the islands of Honshu, Hokkaido, Kyushu, Shikoku, and such minor islands as we determine, so we should enforce that in the terms of surrender,” China said. America nodded.

“Right, we definitely will be returning everyone’s territory when Japan surrenders. And the soldiers…I think once we disarm them, we should give them the opportunity to go home and live peacefully.” America suggested nervously.

“Are you sure? The Japanese have committed so many war crimes against me and probably against you! Why let them live peacefully?” China pointed out.

“I want peace. We can only achieve peace if everyone is at peace. I don’t want to destroy their nation, not if they surrender, although I will do so to end this war. But I want them to be able to recover and become better. All we need to punish is the worst of the worst, the officers that allowed war crimes and the like.” America said. China sighed but nodded.

“You make an understandable point.” China

“I support that point as well.” Dad said, “And like with Germany, we need to remove everything in the way of Japan becoming democratic and ensure freedom of speech, of religion, of thought are established.”

“And ensure they understand human rights,” China added. Dad nodded.

“Yes, definitely that as well.” He agreed.

“We should also allow Japan to have industries that can maintain her economy, give us war reparations, but don’t allow her to gain access to anything that can be used as weapons,” America said. China nodded.

“She should also be banned from world trade until we permit her to ensure she can’t get her hands on any weapons,” China added.

“Indeed. We can withdraw once these goals are achieved and Japan has a better government and hopefully a replacement.” Dad said. I nodded.

“Are we all good with that?” America asked. China nodded.

“I think we should draft it now, and hopefully, Japan will listen and bring this war to an end. If not, well, she knows what is coming for her,” China stated.

“Prompt and utter destruction,” Dad said, looking at America, who nodded.

“I have the means to ensure we keep that promise,” America said.

“Then ensure we keep it,” China said.

“I will. You have my word.”

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