He summoned his secretary again.
"In the na of the Singapore Governor’s Office of the Malayan Colony, send a telegram to U.S. President Johnson, outlining the events in Johor. State that Hardy Security, acting under the pretense of an employer contract, attacked the Johor Sultan, Johor prison, and Johor military camp, resulting in the Sultan’s death, the escape of over a thousand prisoners from the prison, and the death or injury of more than 500 soldiers at the military camp.
’Hardy Security’s actions have severely infringed upon colonial interests and caused extrely adverse effects. We hope the U.S. governnt will restrain its corporations to prevent harm to U.S.-UK relations and political interests.’"
After saying this last line, Mountbatten paused, feeling uneasy.
Whether relations were hard was a matter for the higher-ups to decide; he himself didn’t have the authority to make such a statent.
"Strike the last sentence. Change ’restrain’ to ’investigate.’"
The secretary promptly crossed out the phrase, "to prevent harm to U.S.-UK relations and political interests."
The secretary left.
Mountbatten lit a cigar.
Thinking it over, he realized sothing.
Recently, the Malayans had been causing significant unrest, constantly clamoring for independence and rights.
The British governnt had repeatedly instructed Mountbatten to find ways to stabilize the colony’s governance and managent. Mountbatten had devised various strategies, but the results were minimal, leaving him increasingly frustrated with the agitators.
Hardy, by killing a Sultan, had effectively sent a warning to the others.
In this world, shouting slogans wasn’t enough. Without the protection of the British Empire, these natives would have been finished by the communists long ago—yet they still sought privileges.
In that mont, Mountbatten felt a strange sense of satisfaction.
The White House:
The telegraph office received the telegram from Malaya. The director of the telegraph office read it and, following procedure, handed it to Michael Corleone, the director of the President’s Assistant Liaison Office.
"Mr. Corleone, there’s a telegram from the Far East, specifically the Singapore Governor’s Office in Malaya. It concerns Mr. Hardy and Hardy Security. Please review it."
Michael read the telegram, raising an eyebrow as a faint smile crossed his lips.
"It’s sent under the na of the Singapore Governor’s Office? I expected it to co directly from the British governnt. Alright, leave it with ; I’ll show it to the President."
The telegraph office director left. Enjoy exclusive adventures from .Côm
Michael picked up another telegram from his desk—this one sent earlier by Hardy. Anticipating that soone would complain to the U.S. governnt, Hardy had sent a detailed explanation in advance.
Holding both telegrams, Michael headed to Johnson’s office.
Johnson was reviewing docunts.
The situation in the Far East, though more stable than during MacArthur’s tenure, remained tense and increasingly complex.
Johnson had a nagging feeling that the situation would not et his expectations—sothing he did not want to admit.
He wasn’t in the best mood.
Michael entered and handed over the two telegrams.
"Mr. President, there’s a matter from the Far East."
Johnson frowned.
"The Far East again. What’s the issue now?"
"A native Sultan in Malaya attempted to seize Hardy Group assets. Hardy Security responded with force, targeting the Sultan. They went a bit overboard, bombing the Sultan’s military camp and killing him."
"The Singapore Governor’s Office has sent a telegram requesting that we investigate HD Security."
The ntion of Hardy caught Johnson’s attention. He took the telegram, read it carefully, and placed it aside with a calm expression.
"This matter has nothing to do with the United States," he said flatly.
"Hardy is a British viscount and the Governor of Penang. While HD Security is an Arican company, its actions took place in Malaya, which is outside U.S. jurisdiction. The U.S. governnt has no obligation to intervene."
"Hardy stated in his telegram that this was a comrcial operation conducted by HD Security under an employer contract, which falls entirely outside Arica’s purview."
Johnson paused for a mont.
"Both the U.S. and Britain have diminishing influence in the Far East. Hardy’s actions, in my view, strengthen our leverage in the region and help secure Western interests there."
Michael remained composed as he asked, "How would you like this matter to be handled?"
Johnson waved his hand dismissively."The U.S. governnt will not issue any formal response. If reporters ask, say this is a British dostic affair and let the British handle it."
Michael nodded and left.
On his way back, Michael chuckled quietly to himself."In Arica, Hardy dares to fly fighter jets against gangs. These gready communist in Southeast Asia who tried to seize his assets must not have done their howork beforehand."
Back in his office, Michael drafted a reply telegram to the Singapore Governor’s Office.
Soon, Singapore received the White House’s reply.
The content was straightforward: this matter does not fall under U.S. jurisdiction. The U.S. will not intervene. Please resolve it within the British frawork.
Governor Mountbatten read the telegram, feeling utterly speechless.
It was all just bureaucratic buck-passing.
In the end, the ball was thrown back into his court. What could he do? What was he even capable of doing?
Screw it.
If the death of a native Sultan didn’t matter to the Pri Minister or the Aricans, why should it matter to him? At least this way, no one could hold him accountable.
The events that unfolded in Johor quickly spread with ti, drawing global attention. Newspapers around the world reported on the incident, and people from many countries learned that the Sultan of Johor had been killed. The perpetrator? None other than HD Security, the largest Arican security company.
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