The Airship Legacy - Part 18 (Final)

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Part XVIII: The Second Great War, 2005

            As the year 2005 began, the news from the frontlines of the Second Great War was not good if you were living and working in the Allied capitals of Berlin, London, Washington, Vladivostok, or Tokyo. China had defeated Japan in Korea. The Russians had pushed the Europeans into Poland. Moral among the troops and civilians was starting to drop. It was in this climate that German Chancellor Lehmann agreed to meet with President Doughty in Washington in February of that year.

            The Washington Conference, which was also atteneded by the Foreign Ministers of the United Kingdom, East Russia, and Japan, would ultimately change the outcome of the war. At this meeting, those present were told about Germany and America’s “secret weapon,” the atomic super-bombs. Both countries now proposed to use these weapons to force Russia and China to end the war. The debates were heated. There was serious concearn of contamination if too many of the bombs were used. In the end, the Conference decided that there would be three bombs used. One on the Chinese city of Harbin, one on Volvograd, and one on Archangel. Some had pushed for using the bombs on larger cities or national capitals, but this idea was dropped. Chancellor Lehmann successfully argued that such an action would likely cause major problems after the war as these countries attempted to rebuild.

- Franks, Dr. Hugo, The Atomic War, Berlin: Humboldt University Press, 2019.

            2004 had been a year of setbacks for the American forces in Siberia. Initially, the Americans had been able to push the Imperials back to Lake Baikal, and were bombing Irkutsk in anticipation for a planned invasion later that year.  However, with the Chinese occupation of Khabarovsk, all plans for Irkutsk were scrapped. Khabarovsk was placed under siege, which would last into 2005. The city would finally fall back into Allied hands on January 29, 2005. The cost was heavy. An estimated 150,000 American lives were lost in the Siege of Khavarovsk.

            With the supply line resecured, attention once again fell on the city of Irkutsk. Planning was slow and cautious. The Chinese were still harassing the Trans-Siberian Railway, and bombing Vladivostok. The War Department decided that the invasion of Irkutsk would begin on July 1. The commanders on the ground were worried about pulling so many troops from the boarder with China, fearing that the Chinese might be able to come in and cut the supply lines again. However, the War Department mysteriously assured them that that would not be a problem, with no further explanation.

            All was revealed, however, on the morning of June 26^th. An American rocket was launched from a submarine in the Pacific, and at 4:22 a.m. local time, the first atomic super-bomb ever to be used slammed into downtown Harbin, in the square infront of the main trainstation. The central part of the city was utterly obliterated. Of the urban population of approximately 4 million, it is believed that nearly 1 million died within the first hour after the attack.

-Newton, Dr. Kyle. Drive to the West: The Western Front of the 2^nd Great War. Los Angeles: UCLA Press, 2021.

China Issues Cease Fire!

Tokyo, June 27- In the wake of the atomic attack on the city of Harbin, the Chinese government has announced a cease fire with the Allied Forces. Chinese authorities are reporting that nearly 2 million people have been killed in the Harbin area, and some think that this count could continue to climb. The Chinese Army has been pulled back from the front lines since the cease fire was issued in order to assist the survivors in Harbin. There are calls for the Chinese President to resign.

            In Korea, the Chinese are on the retreat, announcing they were pulling out of the peninsula. About two hours after the Chinese left Busan, Japanese forces landed and occupied the city. The Japanese Royal Armed Forces announced that they hope to liberate the whole of Korea within a mater of weeks.

-“China Issues Cease Fire!” The New York Times, June 27^th.

            At the beginning of 2005, with added troops from Italy and France, the Russians were finaly pushed out of Polish territory. British and Polish troops liberated Vilinus on January 27^th, and the Germans began to heavily bomb Minsk on February 7^th. Slowly but surely, the Russians were giving up ground to the Allies. Minsk would finally fall on May 17^th, at the cost of nearly 300,000 German lives. By the beginning of June, the British front was in Estonia, and the War Ministry was hopeful that that country would be liberated by the end of July, and that, with any luck, the war could be over by early 2006.

            Then the big game changer came. The Night of the Atoms. At about the same time that the American rocket launched from the Pacific, two German rockets flew across the skies of Eastern Europe. At 10:29 p.m. local time, the first German atomic super bomb hit the city of Volvograd. The second bomb hit Archangel minutes later, at 10:33. Between the two bombs there was nearly 5 million people dead within the first day.

            The Russians were shocked. In the chaos following the bombs, the Allied forces surged forward. The German/Polish force was now surrounding Smolensk, and the British/Polish force had crossed out of Estonia and were headed towards Petrograd. Russian Prime Minister Yalinkov vowed to avenge the destruction of Volvograd and Archangel. Despite this, the Russians continued to loose ground. In the Pacific, theater, the Americans took Irkutsk on July 7^th. Smolensk fell on July 23^rd. Moscow and Petrograd were being bombed daily.

            Yulinkov’s vow would prove to be shortlived. A British bomb slammed into the Russian Executive Offices in Petrograd on August 6^th, 2005. The Russian Prime Minister and two senior cabinet members were killed, including the head of the Prime Minister’s secret police. Czar Vladimir II called for a cease fire with the Allies on August 8^th, which was accepted on August 9^th.

-Rutherford, Dr. Thomas. Our War in Russia. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press, 2022.

The War is Over!

Washington, August 11- The Second Great War has finally come to an end. With the death of the Russian Prime Minister 5 days ago, the Imperial Government’s resolve to continue the war quickly unravled. The War came to an end in Europe on the 9^th, and the Imperial Government asked for a cease fire with the United States, Eastern Russia, and Japan yesterday, which was approved over night by the governments of those countries.

            With the guns falling silent, the spotlight will now shift towards the diplomats. Already, people are discussing what the new boarders of Russia will be, how much reparations they will be forced to pay, and if some of Russia’s leaders would be forced to stand trial for their part in the war. Some want the Russians to stand trial for the estimated half a million American troops that are dead, along with nearly one million European troops.

            But all that will come later. For now, people across the country are jubilant, glad that what many are calling the worst war in history is now over. Families are now waiting eagerly for their loved ones in uniform to return home.

-“The War is Over,” The Washington Post, August 11, 2005.

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The Airship Legacy - Part 17

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Part XVII: The Second Great War, 2003-2004

“We Have Taken Minsk!”

Minsk, January 9- The War Ministry has announced that Allied Forces have finally taken the Imperial Russian city of Minsk. This is the first real movement of the war since November, when the Lithuanian capital of Vilnius was liberated by British and Polish forces. The War Ministry states that it is the goal of the armed forces to push the Imperial Russians out of the Baltic States before the onset of summer, and begin to threaten the Imperial capital of Petrograd. Germany plans on pushing for Moscow by the end of the year, in hopes that the war can be ended before the end of 2003.

            This appears to be the only front that has seen any action so far this year. In the East, winter is still in full swing and American and Vladivostokian commanders do not believe they will be able to push west against the Russian Empire until March.

-“We Have Taken Minsk!”, The Times (London), January 10, 2003.

Korea in Revolt

Tokyo, February 26- Japanese officials have confirmed that communist rebels in Korea have risen up in the southern city of Seoul, proclaiming the so-called “People’s Republic of Korea.” The Dominion of Korea, which has essentially been independent of Japan since reforms passed in the late 1970s, has called upon Japan for assistance. This will likely draw Japanese troops away from the war in Russia. The Korean government in Pyongyang, which has so far been officially neutral in the conflict to the north, has officially closed the border with China, causing many observers to conclude that the Koreans that China may be nominally behind the uprising in southern Korea.

-“Korea in Revolt,” The Washington Post, February 27, 2003

            The Korean Civil War, which is generally considered a minor theater of the wider Second Great War, is considered a major reason why the wider war lasted nearly into 2006, instead of ending in 2004 like many at the time thought it would. When the revolt began in Seoul on February 26^th, the American, East Russian, and Japanese forces had been preparing for a surge towards the city of Chita, which they planned on staring in mid-March. The Korean conflict derailed these plans. Japan pulled most of their resources in Russia to the south, requiring the Americans to send additional troops to sure up the Aldan Line. The Japanese Air Force began bombing rebel positions in Seoul on March 3^rd. This action was decried by China, and on March 10^th the Chinese government recognized the legitimacy of the People’s Republic of Korea, and declared war on the Dominion of Korea on the same day.

            Chinese forces crossed the Korean border on March 17^th, and bombed Pyongyang the following day for hours. The Japanese Navy battled their Chinese counterpart for the first time on March 29^th, as the bulk of the Japanese Navy entered in force to the Yellow Sea. The Battle for the Yellow Sea lasted nearly a month, ending in a Japanese victory on April 25^th. By mid-May, the Japanese Navy had established a successful blockade of Bo Hai Bay, regularly bombarding the city of Dalian. In addition, the Japanese launched a successful raid of Shanghai on May 19^th, destroying much of the harbor. By June, the Japanese had also blockaded the Yangtze River, crippling commerce in Northern China.

            While the naval war was going well, on the Korean Peninsula, however, China had the upper hand. On April 18^th, Pyongyang fell to Chinese forces, sending the Dominion of Korea into a panic. Although the government of the People’s Republic of Korea had been forced out of Seoul by the Japanese by the end of March, the rebel army was now pushing to get back into the city.

-Kim, Dr. Jong Il. The Korean Civil War. Pyongyang: Peninsular Press: 2019.

            With the fighting in Korea, the Spring Offensive of 2003 was delayed by several months. American and East Russian forces finally began to push forward towards Chita on May 20^th, instead of the originally planned date of March 10^th. The Imperial Army put up a strong defense of the city, and the Allied forces would be fighting for the city for most of the summer. Farther north, the American and Republican forces crossed the Aldan River in a drive for the city of Yakutsk. Defenses were much weaker here, and the city was under Allied bombardment by mid-July. On August 1^st, Vladivostokian forces liberated the city.

            Fighting was still fierce in Chita, however, but with Yakutsk in Allied hands, more troops were available for the fight. The city first fell on September 9^th, but would briefly be retaken on September 18^th. Ultimately, the city would be retaken on September 28^th. By the time winter set in, the Western Front had stabilized about 20 miles west of Chita, to the disappointment of American war-planners, who had hoped to be on the shores of Lake Baikal by winter.

-Newton, Dr. Kyle. Drive to the West: The Western Front of the 2^nd Great War. Los Angeles: UCLA Press, 2021.

Russians Retake Minsk

Warsaw, July 3- After weeks of fierce fighting, the Imperial Russian Army has retaken the city of Minsk. In addition, the Russians have been able to make serious gains towards the Polish border, nearly obliterating the Polish forces. The German Army is the main reason that the Russians haven’t crossed back into Poland. In Latvia, there has been little success. The Allied forces have yet to take the Latvian capital, and in some places have lost ground

-“Russians Retake Minsk,” Frankfurter Zeitung, July 4, 2003. 

            One of the best kept secrets of the late 1980s and early 1990s had been the research and development of atomic super-bombs by the United States and Germany. America began first, under orders from the Bush administration, which wanted to develop the bombs in order to use them in the Iran War. Germany secretly learned of this development and started research of their own. The first detonation of an atomic weapon occurred on November 3, 1990 on a small American-controlled atoll in the South Pacific. Germany would detonate their own in August of 1991.

            For the Americans, however, this development would come too late for use in the Iran War, since President Bush was forced to end American involvement in the war in March of 1991. After that time, atomic-weapons research was slowed down considerably for most of the decade. In the later years of the Clinton administration, as conflict in Russia seemed more and more likely, the U.S. government began secretly building more atomic super-bombs to have in case war came. Germany began to do so as well once the Lehmann government came to power in 2001.

            When war in Russia came in 2002, some in the American government (those generals and few politicians with the highest of security clearances to know about the existence of America’s secret weapon) immediately pushed for their use to prevent a long, drawn out war, but President Doughty refused. He told the Joint Chiefs of Staff that the atomic super-bombs were to be a last-resort weapon. The Germans made the same decision.

- Franks, Dr. Hugo, The Atomic War, Berlin: Humboldt University Press, 2019.

            By the end of 2003, over half of the Korean Peninsula was under Chinese control, with the government of the rebel Korean forces having temporarily relocated to Pyongyang, though they vowed to return to the “people’s city” of Seoul. The government of the Korean Dominion had fled south to Busan, which was more easily defended by the Japanese. Despite many losses at sea, the Japanese Navy ruled the Yellow Sea, and Northern China chaffed under the blockade.

            In February of 2004, China began a strong push to the south, taking Seoul on February 20^th, which was loudly celebrated by the communists, who returned to Seoul on the one year anniversary of the start of the revolution on February 26^th. By April, most of the Peninsula under Chinese control, with the Japanese controlling only Busan and about 75 square miles surrounding the city. On April 19^th, the Dominion government began to evacuate to Japan, and on May 9^th, Busan fell to Chinese forces, and the People’s Republic declared victory over the “capitalist lackies of the Japanese.”

-Kim, Dr. Jong Il. The Korean Civil War. Pyongyang: Peninsular Press: 2019.

Khabarovsk Retaken by Chinese

Vladivostok, June 2- The American War Department has announced that the key railroad city of Khabarovsk has fallen once again to Chinese forces. Now that China has forced Japan out of Korea, the Chinese Army has once again turned it’s attention back towards East Russia. In addition to retaking Khabarovsk, the Chinese Air Force has drastically increased its bombing efforts on Vladivostok, leading to many dramatic air battles between the Chinese and American air forces.

-“Khabarovsk Retaken by Chinese,” Frankfurter Zeitung, June 3, 2004.

            During the first half of the Second Great War, there was little good news coming from the Eastern Front, especially in 2003 and 2004. Minsk, after initially falling to allied hands in early 2003, was back in Russian hands by that summer. Although Lithuania was liberated before the end of 2002, the allied commanders had failed to liberate Latvia by the end of 2003, and in February 2004, the Russians pushed the Allies back into Lithuania. On March 17^th, the Imperial Army launched a massive push to the west that would set the Allied war effort back for months. On April 1, Vilnius fell back into Russian hands, and On April 14^th, the Russian army crossed the Polish/Belorussian border into Poland. There was palpable panic in Warsaw that the Russians might be able to take the city before the summer was over.

            It was at this point that France, Italy, and Turkey declared war on the Russian Empire, and waves of fresh troops arrived on the Eastern Front, halting the Imperial advance by the beginning of July. However, Allied Forces were unable to push the Russians back very far, and by the time the winter set in, the front line was still inside Poland.

-Rutherford, Dr. Thomas. Our War in Russia. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press, 2022.

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The Airship Legacy - Part 16

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Part XVI: The Second Great War

            When war initially broke out, the United States was actually non-commital towards the conflict. President Boren and the socialists did support the East Russian Republic, but popular opinion was extremely wary of fighting in a foreign war. Boren did what he could, getting Congress to approve the near unrestricted sale of weapons to the Republic and pass a full embargo on the Russian Empire, and to expel most Imperials from the country. And the Boren Administration had not entirely given up on the diplomatic option, with diplomats working, both formally and informally, trying to end the war before it mushroomed out of control.

The Empire made early advances into the Republic, bombing much of the rail networks and moving well past Lake Baikail. By mid-May, things were looking bleak. To make matters worse, following failed negotiations between Beijing and Vladivostok, the Chinese Republic declared war on the Eastern Russians on May 2, gaining promises of increased territory from the Imperial Russian government.

 Germany, though threatening war, had yet actually act, and most of the European powers were waiting on the Kaiser. The events of June 12, 2002, would drastically alter the events of the conflict, and make it grow into what would become know as the Second Great War.

-Samuels, Dr. Lewis. Blood and Ice: The Second Great War, 2002-2005. Georgetown, Washington D.C.: Georgetown University Press, 2022.

            “….and I’m Frank McCaully, and this is an ANN Breaking News Update. We are going live to our correspondent Amanda Sasser, in Berlin, where there has been a report of a violent explosion in the heart of the Reichscapital. Amanda, can you hear us?”

            “Yes Frank, I can hear you. I’m standing in Pariser Platz, not far from the American Embassy and the famous Brandburg Gate, and as you can see behind me, a huge plume of smoke is rising from Unter den Linden Strasse, where an expolsion, believed to have originated in the subway tunnels underneath the streets, ripped into traff…” Amanda receives a piece of paper with new information, and looks stunned.

            “Amanda, what is is?”

            “F-frank, according to his report, President Boren’s motorcade was on Unter den Linden at the time of the explosion, and it appears that this bomb was targeting the President. He had arrived in Berlin last night and was staying that the City Palace with the Kaiser, and was headed to the Chancellory to meet with Chancellor Lehmann this morning when the bomb went off.”

-Broadcast from June 12, 2002, ANN Archives, New York City, New York.

PRESIDENT DEAD: RUSSIANS TO BLAME!

BERLIN, JUNE 12- President Boren, on an emergency trip to Germany to discuss with our allies about what options existed concerning the conflict in Russia, was killed by a terrorist bomb that exploded in the subway tunnels as the President’s motorcade passed on the street above. Initial evidence uncovered by German and American security agents points to Imperial Russian involvement, possibly being a hit ordered by the Russian Prime Minister himself. German Chancellor Heinrich Lehmann stated that Germany would likely declare war on Russia within the next 72 hours, as soon as the Reichstag could be convened and vote. Germans are outraged that the Imperial Russians have perpetrated this dastardly murder on their territory. Since the bombing, hundreds of people have been laying flowers outside the American Embassy in Pariser Platz in honor of America’s slain leader.

            Vice President Samuel Doughty was in Lakehurst, New Jersey, attending the dedication ceremony of the National Airship Historical Center, where the original U.S.S. Eagle is one of many older airships that are now on display to the public. In an eerie throwback to the 1974 assassination of President Hubert Humphrey, Doughty was sworn in as President in the same lounge that President Kennedy took the oath of office following Humphrey’s death. In address to the nation last night, President Doughty swore to avenge the murder of our fallen leader, and to come to the aide of the East Russians. Congress is expected to vote on a declaration of war later today.

-“President Dead: Russians to Blame!” The Washington Post, June 13, 2002.

RUSSIAN WAR CONSUMES GLOBE

LONDON, JUNE 20- In the wake of the assassination of American President Daniel Boren, the Russian War has consumed most of the Globe. America and Germany declared war on Russia on June 13^th. Poland, Denmark, and Finland declared war on Russia on June 16^th. China declared war on the American-led coalition on June 17^th. Japan Declared war on China on June 18^th after Chinese warships fired on a Japanese passenger ship that had left Vladivostok bound for Tokyo. And today, the British parliament voted to declare war on the Russian Empire in a near unanimous vote. The Prime Minister and other members of the government have requested that the Commonwealth Executive Council meet in an emergency session, with the hope that the entirety of the British Commonwealth would stand in solidarity against the Russian Imperials and declare war. It is expected that Iran, Iraq and possibly Pakistan will ally with Imperial Russia. For the first time in nearly a century, it looks as like the world could be dragged into a second Great War.

-“Russian War Consumes Globe,” The Times (London), June 20, 2002

Imperial Troops Take Yakutsk

Vladivostok, July 11- The Imperial Russian Army has taken the East Russian city of Yakutsk, on the Lena River, in yet another victory in the Russian War. As it stands now, the Imperials have completely overrun the Republican defenses along the Lena River and are driving towards the next defensive line at the Aldan River. The Vladivostok Army has suffered heavy losses during this fighting, and the East Russian government is crying out for aid. The city of Vladivostok has been under almost daily bombardment from Chinese aircraft flying out of Harbin. The Chinese have attempted to take the city of Khabarovsk, on the Amur River, but have been pushed back past the border.

            The single positive note from the war so far has been that the Imperial naval base on Sakhalin Island has been captured during a joint East Russian/Japanese assault, ending the Imperial Navy’s presence in the Pacific. Nearly half of the American Pacific Fleet is expected to arrive in the Sea of Japan within the month to alleviate the burden on the Japanese and Republican navies.

-“Imperial Troops Take Yakutsk,” L. A. Times, July 12, 2002.

Warsaw Bombed!

Warsaw, July 20- The fighting of the Russian War has finally spread into Europe. For weeks, the German and Polish navies had been blockading the Baltic Sea, and had sank several cargo ships attempting to leave the Russian Empire. However, until today that was the only real confrontation. That changed in the early hours of the morning, as Imperial Russian bombers, likely flying out of Minsk, flew over the Polish border and bombed central Warsaw, damaging the Polish parliament building and many other buildings. Hundreds are feared to have been killed. At the time of print, there was still no word on the whereabouts of the Polish President and his family, and a bomb did strike the Presidential residence.

            Chancellor Lehmann has assured the German people that the German and Polish armies will be moving against the Russian Empire “as soon as humanly possible.” There is a fear that the Imperial Russians may try and invade some of the Baltic states and take back territory it controlled during the era of the Imperial Baltic Federation. There have been reports of troops massing on the border with Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia. Those nations have declared a state of emergency and have called up their reserve forces.

-“Warsaw Bombed!”, Berliner Morgenpost, July 20, 2002.

Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia Fall

Warsaw, July 30- The Imperial Russian Army has poured over into the three former Imperial Baltic states, quickly wiping out the defense forces of all three nations. The attacks began two days ago, beginning with the bombings of the major cities in these countries, along with bombings of the main military installations. The Russian Navy engaged the German and Polish navies, breaking the blockade and then attacking the port cities of these nations. To make matters worse, the Russian Army is still on the move, and Polish authorities fear that Russians are moving towards the Polish border, possibly to invade Poland itself.

-“Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia Fall,” The Times (London), August 1, 2002.

Khabarovsk Falls to China

Vladivostok, August 9- The East Russian Authorities have confirmed that the Chinese Army has taken the city of Khabarovsk, on the Amur River, cutting off the rail lines that link Vladivostok to the rest of the country. There is now a air of panic beginning to spread in the East Russian capital, with their main army having been pushed back to the Aldan River Defense Line, and the Imperial Russian Army looking poised to break through soon. Farther south, the Imperials have reached the city of Chita, and with the fall of Khabarovsk, it is feared that Chita will fall soon.

            The silver lining in the conflict is that American troops will soon arrive in East Russia, and the War Department stated that they feel confident that these fresh soldiers will be able to take back Khabarovsk and at least stabilize the frontline at the Aldan Line before the onset of winter.

-“Khabarovsk Falls to China,” The Washington Post, August 10, 2002

            The first summer of the Second Great War was considered, overall, a victory for the Imperial Coalition. The Russian Empire had taken Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia at the end of July and had crossed the boarder into Poland on the 2^nd of August, disrupting German and Polish plans to invade the Russian province of Belorussia on August 4^th. The Allied forces were on the defensive in Europe, as well as in the East. China took Khabarovsk on August 9^th, and were encroaching on Vladivostok as well. The Imperial Russians had taken Yakutsk early in the war, and on August 20^th they took the city of Chita. There was a real fear that East Russia would fall before winter if things did not change quickly.

            Luckily, the first American forces arrived in Vladivostok on August 10^th, with the full force arriving in the country by August 22^nd. In the last major advance of the summer, the American and Republican forces launched an attack on Khabarovsk on August 30^th, the city was taken from the Chinese in mid September.  And with American troops augmenting the Republican ranks on the Aldan Line, the Imperial Russians were not able to make any more territorial gains in East Russia.

            In the West, the Allies were able to push the Imperial Russians out of Poland by mid-August, with German and Polish troops crossing into Lithuania and Russian Belorussia in September. By mid October, the Allies were laying siege to Minsk. British troops arrived in Poland on October 22^nd, and with this the Allies were able to make a powerful enough surge to take the Lithuanian capital from the Imperial forces on November 3^rd.

-Price, Dr. Henry, Great War of the 21^st Century, London: New British Press, 2018.

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Part XV: War Clouds Loom

            From 1998 thru early 2001, Czar Vladimir II was able to keep Andre Yulinkov and the RNC in check. However, in April of 2001, Yulinkov got the break he had been searching for. His security agents discovered that the Czar had been having an affair with a women in Moscow, and that he had fathered two children by this women. At this point, Yulinkov blackmailed the Czar into taking a hands-off approach to governing, and allow the RNC to turn the pressure back up on East Russia. In less than two years, thanks to this information, Russia would drag the world into war.

-Plaks, Dr. Jeffry, History of Modern Russia, Cambrigde, MA: Harvard University Press, 2011.

YULINKOV REISSUES DEMANDS

PETROGRAD, MAY 3- Russian Prime Minister Andre Yulinkov announced today that the Imperial Russian Government was rejecting the plan outlined in the 1998 London Agreement, and that the Vladivostok Republic had 1 year to fulfill the other items of the “Petrograd Demands” that had originally been issued in 1997. The Russian Foreign Minister announced today that by May of 2002, East Russia must reduce it’s military to 1/3 of it’s current size, allow for the construction of two more military bases for Imperial use, and devalue the Republican Ruble to ¼ it’s current value.

            Outgoing Prime Minister Margret Roberts, who announced last month that she would retire at the end of the year, expressed shock and outrage at the announcement from Russia. “The United Kingdom, and the other members of the 1998 Five Party Talks put forth great effort to make a plan for peace in Russia, and today the fascist Yulinkov has cast aside these plans in what could only be called warmongering.” In the United States, President Boren, who was a leader in coming up with the London Agreement, expressed his severe disappointment at the news, and has called on Imperial Russia to change its course of action to prevent conflict from erupting.

            So far, the Vladivostok Democratic Republic has not responded to these renewed demands, and many experts think that President Yuri Medinov may choose to ignore what amounts to an ultimatum, and try and get the members of the ’98 Five Party Talks to get Imperial Russia back to the negotiating table.

-“Yulinkov Reissues Demands,” The Times (London), May 4, 2001.

ZENTRUM TAKES REICHSTAG

BERLIN, JUNE 9-The Zentrum Party, headed by Heinrich Lehmann, has taken control of the Reichstag for the first time in nearly a generation, beating out the Monarchist Party. Having a clear majority at 59%, with the support of the Social Democrats and the Greens as well, Lehmann, the great-grandson of Hugo Eckener, will take office later this month as Chancellor of the German Empire. Kaiser Fredrick Wilhelm II offered congratulations to Lehmann and his fellow Zentrum Party Members.

        Some now wonder what this all means for German-Russian relations, since the Zentrum Party has been a vocal advocate of recognizing the independence of East Russia. This is all the more of a touchy situation now that the Imperial Russian government has reissued the “Petrograd Demands,” which has placed an ultimatum on the Eastern 8government to comply within one year or possibly face military action, which has been decried by the Zentrum Party, along with many leaders around the world.

-“Zentrum Takes Reichstag,” Berliner Morgenpost, June 10, 2001.

INTERNATIONAL SPACE CONFERENCE PLANNED

CAPE CANVERAL,  JULY 6- Today the American Space Exloration Agency announced that ASEA, the Imperal Rocket Force of Germany, and the British Space Agency plan to hold an international conference in Berlin in November to discuss the possibility of future joint ventures in the exploration of space, such as an international space station (or stations) in orbit around Earth, and possibly Mars as well, along with a more concerted effort at Lunar and Martian colonization.

            The idea for an international space conference, and possibly an international space organization, has been around since the 1970s, but, apart from the Frankfurt Treaty conference of 1990, there has been little in the way of joint efforts in space. President Boren stated on the campaign trail that he wanted to see a meeting between the major world space agencies to try and establish real cooperation between the space-faring nations on issues like colonization and space travel in and around Earth. Such efforts had been blocked during the Republican administration of George HW Bush, and President Clinton was focused on ending the war in Iran and issues at home.

-“International Space Conference Planned,” The New York Times, July 7, 2001.

RUSSIA CONFERENCE SET FOR WARSAW

PETROGRAD, SEP 3- The Imperial Russian Government has reluctantly agreed today to an offer made by Germany, the United Kingdom, France, Poland, and the United States to try and solve the issues between the two Russian states, which look more and more like they could be spriling towards war. The Imperial Foreign Ministry announced this afternoon that the Russian Empire will agree to meet in Warsaw for talks with East Russia and the 5 neutral nations in April of next year, just a month ahead of the May 2002 deadline.

            Despite attempts at being optomistic, there are many in His Majesty’s government that are very doubtful that this new conference will be able to solve the problems arrising in Russia. Thomas Rutherford, a professor of political science at Oxford and considered an expert on Russia and frequently used as a consultant by the government told the Times that “A lasting agreement at Warsaw seems highly unlikely. Prime Minister Yulinkov and the RNC are hell-bent on restoring the entirety of the Russian Empire as it was before 1917, and the mere existance of an independent East Russia flies in the face of their party agenda. For awhile Czar Vladimir II seemed to have reigned in Yulinkov and his cronies, but that has apparently ended.”

-“Russia Conference Set for Warsaw,” The Times (London), September 4, 2001.

PROTESTER SHOOTING FLAIRS VIOLENCE IN EAST RUSSIA

VLADIVOSTOK, OCT 12- What began as a peaceful protest to the Imperial Russian demands on the East Russian state turned violent when two pro-Imperial gunmen opened fire on the unarmed crowd that had gathered outside the Presidential Palace, killing 5 protestors before police standing nearby apprehended the shooters. This attack enraged the populace of Vladivostok, and large scale riots ensued across the city. Within hours,  thousands upon thousands of people marched loudly throught the streets and converged on the consulate of Imperial Russia, overwhelming police guards that had been set up outside. The protestors ended up storming the gates of the compound, at which point Imperial guards opened fire on the rioters, further enraging the crowd.

            Eventually, Imperial secuirty and Vladivostok police were able to push the rioters out of the consulate compound and initially disperse the crowd, but not before protestors were able to set fire to part of the consulate compound. And although the crowds have dispersed, the city is still simmering, and government has put into effect a dusk-to-dawn curfew, and have put up road blocks around the district where the Imperial Russian consulate is located to prevent rioters from attacking this part of the city.

-“Protestor Shooting Flairs Violence in East Russia,” L.A. Times, October 13, 2001.

            The Berlin International Space Conference in November of 2001 was the start of a new era of mankind’s exploration of space. The governments of Germany, America, and Britain had decided that continued competition between their space programs was doing more harm than good. What was needed was cooperation. With this attitude in mind, the delegates from the American Space Exploration Agency, Germany’s Imperial Rocket Force, and the British Space Agency gathered in the capital of the German Empire on November 4, 2001 and would be in session for nearly two weeks.

            Many decisions were made during the deliberations between policy makers and scientists. The meeting was dubbed in the press as the “Congress of the Minds”. In the end, the Conference drafted the “Berlin Space Treaty”, which was submitted to the representative governments for approval. Germany signed first in December 2001, with America in January of 2002, and Britain in February of the same year. The BST created the International Space Council, which would consist of three members from each member agency, and would help direct all joint operations. The BST also created the International Colonial Authority, which was placed in charge of all human colonies on the Moon and Mars. The ICA would be made up of two delegates from each member agency.

            The ISC met for the first time at it’s temporary headquarters in Frankfurt, Germany, on April 3, 2002. A basic ten-year plan was established as a framework for the ISC, with various joint missions being discussed. However, the events of the following month in Russia would overshadow the ISC and it’s mission for several years, with the outbreak of war putting space exploration on the back burner for a good portion of that decade.

-Hanes, Dr. Samuel. The Birth of International Space Exploration. New York City: Atlantic Press House, 2014.

WAR!  YULINKOV USE CONFERENCE AS DECOY

WARSAW, APR 20- The Warsaw Conference, now it it’s fifth day, has come to an abrupt end. During today’s deliberations between Germany, Britain, France, Poland, the United States, Imperial Russia, and East Russia, news reached the Vladivostok delegation, made up of the East Russian President, Foreign Secretary, and several other members of the East Russian government, that Imperial troops had crossed the boarder in the Baikal region, bombing military outposts and rail lines. Imperial Russian Chancellor Yulinkov left the city shortly after the news was announced, and the East Russian president announced an hour later that “a state of War now exists between the two Russias.”

            Chancellor Lehmann gave the Foreign Ministry orders to dispel the Imperial Russian ambassador and embassy staff in Berlin, and that the military should begin to make preparations for war. It is widely expected that a formal declaration of war by the German Empire against Imperial Russia will be made by the Reichstag once the Chancellor and the rest of the German delegation return home.

            As the sun set, the American Vice President departed aboard the U.S.S. Eagle II, and will also have the East Russian President and delegation with him as well, since the faster route home is now a war zone. A military escort is being given to the American airship that generally carries the U.S. President.

            At the time of print, it is still unclear whether or not the United States or Great Britain will declare war on Imperial Russia, though it seems likely. France has stated that for now, they will remain neutral. Poland has closed their boarders with Imperial Russia and dispelled the Imperial Russian ambassador.

-“War! Yulinkov Uses Conference as Decoy!” Frankfurter Zeitung April 21, 2002.  

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Part XIV: The Dawn of the Next Century

ELECTIONS SET FOR END OF SEPTEMBER

LONDON, AUG 27- Caving to pressure from the many opposition parties that have been formed in the four months since the approval of the Political Speech and Association Act, Prime Minister Prince has announced that there will be a General Election on September 30.  This comes after months of rallies and speeches by various opposition leaders calling for an end of what some call the last BUF parliament. Many expect that the New Labour Party, which recently elected Ms. Margret Roberts of Grantham, Lincolnshire, as their party leader, to sweep the upcoming election, which would make Roberts the first female Prime Minister of Great Britain, and the first time since 1965 that someone not a member of the British Union of Fascists would be in charge. Proponents of the rulling party believe that people will stay loyal to “a party that has strived to do nothing more than make Great Britain truly great”, but outside observers think otherwise.

-“Elections set for end of September,” The Times (London), August 28, 1994.

SOCIALIST-LIBERTY COALITION ON ROCKY GROUND

WASHINGTON, SEP 14- The coalition in the House of Representatives between the Liberty Party and the Socialist Party may be on much shakier ground than originally believed back in 1992. There have been several heated debates between members of the two parties concerning the Liberty Party’s prized policy item, the reinstatement of affirmative action. Party leaders, including Vice President Rosenberg, have stated they believe a new law similar to the infamous 1-4 law should be passed into law, and “wipe away the sins of the previous administration”. Most socialists, however, do not want any affirmative action law in place, and are refusing to cooperate with their coalition members, siding with Republicans and leading to a deadlock in Congress. Currently, Speaker Henry Duvall (S-Cal) has said that this issue will be resolved peaceably and that the current coalition in the House will weather the storm. Some pundits aren’t so sure, and think that this debate could lead to Republican gains in the upcoming election.

            Most polls show that nearly 40% of Americans do not agree with affirmative action, while only 30% are in favor, with the rest being undecided. However, nearly 60% agree that the old “1-4 Law” did more harm than good and should not try to be reinstated.

-“Socialist-Liberty Coaltion on Rocky Ground,” The New York Times, September 14, 1994.

NEW LABOUR SWEEPS ELECTION!

LONDON, SEP 30- As the polls closed, it became clear that the people of this country were ushering in a new era, ending nearly 30 years of fascist rule, voting en masse for New Labour and the other newly created parties in an utter rejection of the party of Mosley. New Labour received 69 seats in Parliament, the Democratic-Republicans 11 seats, the Conservatives 10, and the BUF was reduced to just 8 seats, and the Communists took 2. There have been impromptu parties celebrating the end of the BUF rule all over London, people taking down the lightning-bolt banner of the fascists and burning them, taking down portraits of Sir Oswald Mosley, and many other acts of anger directed at the former ruling party.

            Soon-to-be Prime Minister Margret Roberts told a jubilant crowd gathered in Trafalgar Square that “tonight, we’ve taken back our Country. We’ve taken it out of the hands of power-hungry blackshirts and placed it back into the hands of the people of Britain. My fellow citizens, pat yourself on the back, and congratulate yourself for bringing back our democracy. May we never have to relearn the lesson of what happens if we give it away.” Roberts, a former member of the Conservative party until she was arrested in 1971 for blatant attacks on Sir Oswald Mosley’s government in a session of Parliament, she was released this spring from Glasgow CSP Prison, and has become the central figure of the “New Britain”, and many Britons have been referring to her as “Grandma Margret.” At 69 years old, the grey-haired Roberts will be Great Britain’s first female Prime Minister and also one of the oldest Prime Minister’s in history.

            Outgoing Prime Minister Robert Prince stated that “the people of this country have spoken. Our party no longer has the mandate to rule, and so we shall step aside and allow New Labour to take office. I congratulate Margret Roberts and her fellow party members for a great success and wish them wisdom and good luck as they prepare to lead our great country.

-“New Labour Sweeps Election,” The Times (London), October 1, 1994.

HOUSE COALITION COLLAPSES

WASHINGTON, DEC 1- Speaker of the House Henry Duvall announced today that negotiations had broken down between leaders of the Socialist and Liberty party members about continuing a coalition between the two parties, and that the Socialists, as the largest minority in the House, would continue as the leadership in most positions, offering some committee posts to both Republicans and Liberty members.

            Overall, the Republicans have come out of this year’s mid-term elections as the victors. Although they did not take the majority in either house of Congress, they are now the number two party and are in a better position to get some parts of their agenda through the legislature, as opposed to the Liberty party, which seems to be falling further out of touch with the electorate, clinging to ideals of two decades ago when the party formed from the ashes of the old Democratic Party. There are some in Washington that believe that, if the Liberty Party continues down this road, they might not hold together. One analyst said that “if things don’t change at the LP HQ and soon, the party will fold, with members jumping ship and either joining the Republicans or the Socialists, and will return our country to the old 2-party system that had existed prior to the collapse of the Democrats in the late 1970s.”

            Vice President Rosenberg stated that “the Liberty Party is as relevant and strong as it was in the 1970s. We’ve just got to repackage our goals so that they make more sense to the people. I’m deeply saddened that my party and the President’s party could not come to an agreement in the House, but it’s not the end of the world.”

-“House Coalition Collapses,” The Washington Post, December 1, 1994.

ZGI TO LAUNCH PROTO-TYPE HYBRID CRAFT

AKRON, DEC 12- Officials at Zeppelin-Goodyear International have announced that on February 1, the long-awaited Hybrid Zeppelin (H-ZEP), will leave the hangar at the Friedrichshafen Luftschiffwerks on February 1, 1995. The Hybrid project at ZGI has been in the works since 1979, trying to develop an airship that is lifted both by the buoyancy of its lifting gas and also the forward thrust of it’s propellers.  The interest in this hybrid technology is that, if successful, future H-ZEPs could carry far more passengers than current conventional airships, that have really capped out at about 500 passengers, and have to be truly mammouth in size. The HZEP-001, which has yet to receive a name, is nearly 200 feet in length, and should be able to carry nearly 180 passengers. It took an airship the size of the historic LZ-129 Hindenburg to carry nearly that number, and modern airships built by ZGI, BAW, and CAW are nearly twice that size to carry their current payloads.

            Heinrich Eckener, great-grandson of the famous Hugo Eckener who was appointed head of the company four years ago, stated to the press that “Zeppelin-Goodyear was the first pioneer in airship technology, and the proliferation of the airship is a testament to those efforts. However, I will admit that for the past few decades, we’ve become complacent and not as innovative as in the past. This ends with the H-ZEP. ZGI will retake it’s place at the forefront of lighter-than-air technology.”

-“ZGI to Launch Proto-Type Hybrid Craft,” The New York Times, December 13, 1994.

            During the 1970s, Zeppelin-Goodyear was accused of slipping into a really complacent and un-innovative stance, doing little more than small refinements to the gargantuan craft that they’d been building since the 1940s. Under the grandfatherly leadership of Friedrich Eckener, grandson of the great Hugo Eckener, the company just chugged along, nearly unchanging. During this climate, two frustrated ZGI designers would revolutionize the industry.

            In 1979, George Freemont and Kyle Howards, who were senior designers at Zeppelin-Goodyear, had met with frustration for the last time. They’d pitched a design for a new breed of airship, a semi-rigid, and were rebuffed by the chief designers of the company. Tired of being ignored by “grandpa Fred”, they both left the company. The following year, they founded Pacific Airbuilders in Los Angeles, with support from Californian, Japanese, and Chinese businessmen, all of whom thought that there was a real market for newer, smaller designs in the airship industry. In 1981, the PAC-0001 was launched from the newly completed Pacific Airyard outside Los Angeles. The 350ft. long semi-rigid airship could carry 90 people. Within 5 years, PAC Air had ships flying in China, Japan, Australia, and the Vladivostok Republic. PANAM still continued it’s regular routes in the Pacific, but local airlines purchased these airships from PAC AIR because they were cheaper, less expensive to maintain, and could still carry a decent passenger load.

            The new structural design, along with other new innovations like pivoting engine pods, really increased pressure on ZGI to change their course. When PANAM announced in 1990 that they would be purchasing some of PAC Air’s ships, it was the final straw for the shareholders of ZGI. In June of that year, Friedrich Eckener “resigned” as President of the company. Later that month, Heinrich Eckener, Friedrich’s nephew, took over the company, and announced that a “new direction” was soon in coming.

-Anderson, Dr. Alexander. The Air War: Competition between ZGI and PAC Air. New York: Colombia University Press: 2009.

VICE PRESIDENT ROSENBERG WILL NOT BE ON ’96 TICKET

WASHINGTON, DEC 3- In the continuing saga of the decline in good relations between the Socialist and Liberty parties, Vice President Jacob Rosenberg will not be running for reelection with President Clinton in next year’s election. Rosenberg announced this news to the press this morning at a news conference at the White House with the President. Clinton would not state who his new running mate would be. Rosenberg stated that he was not resigning, and would stay in office until January of 1997 and the end of his elected term.

            There has been some speculation among the press corps in Washington that Vice President Rosenberg will run on the Liberty Party ticket in the upcoming election, however when confronted by this question today at the conference the Vice President said, “at this time that option is not on the table.”

-“Vice President Rosenberg Will Not Be on ’96 Ticket,” The Washington Post, December 4, 1995.

            The election of 1996 was the death knell of the Liberty Party, and ended up restoring the two-party system to U.S. politics. Throughout the remainder of 1995 and into the election year of 1996, the debate raged in the halls of Congress and across the nation as to whether or not a new affirmative action law should be enacted. The Liberty Party leadership, including Vice President Rosenberg, spoke ardently for creating such a new law. However, many of the general public were against such a law, and there were frequent protests across the country.

            In January 1996, Rosenberg announced that he’d be running for President on the Liberty Party ticket, surprising some, but not many of the Washington elite. In March, President Clinton announced that socialist representative Dan Boren of Oklahoma would be his new running mate. The debate over new affirmative action, along with other issues such as a proposed national healthcare system, took the headlines of the debate. Many in the Liberty party kept asking former President King to speak out on the issue. On September 1, shortly after all the party conventions, King did speak out on the issue, and his statement to the press on the steps of his former church in Atlanta would shock the country.

            Stepping up to the microphone, the former president said, “As our nation prepares to once again practice our great democratic tradition of selecting our leaders, a debate rages across our land as to how we can better handle our race relations. For many years, I believed that the law of this nation should force employers and government institutions to have so many people of color for every white person they employed. I believed so strongly in it that when I resided at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, I made such legislation my number one priority. In my desire to do good, I ignored many experts who said this course of action would not work, and so this legislation became law.

            Those good intentions were a disaster for the country, and I can honestly say that I regret making them such a priority. This country needs to let the race wounds heal, and the 1 to 4 Law did little but rub salt in old wounds. And the desire of the Liberty Party to resurrect these types of policies will do more harm than good. I call on all Liberty party candidates, including Vice President Rosenberg, to disavow this course of action, so that together, Americans of all colors and creeds can continue on the path to building a society of racial harmony and equality in a way that doesn’t cause outrage or violence.”

            This short speech in Atlanta rocked the Liberty members to their core, and deeply divided the party. Many leaders, including Rosenberg, proclaimed that they thought King was misguided, and that affirmative action was the only way to guarantee continued racial equality in the work place. This stance would kill whatever slim chance Rosenberg had at the Presidency. In the 1996 presidential election, Rosenberg only carried his home state of New York and neighboring New Jersey. Clinton won reelection with 56% of the popular vote, beating Republican candidate Mark McDonalds of Pennsylvania who received 40% of the vote.

            The following February, only a few weeks after Clinton and Boren had taken been sworn in, the Liberty Party gathered in New York to discuss their party’s future. There was very little consensus on new party policies or new leadership. Finally, on February 17^th, Representative Edward Kennedy of Massachusets made a motion to dissolve the party. And after only 2 rounds of voting, the Liberty Party ceased to exist.

-Franks, Howard. The Politics of Transition: The American Political Landscape from 1970-2000. New York: Colombia University Press: 2005.

NATIONALISTS TAKE CHARGE IN PETROGRAD

PETROGRAD, MARCH 5- The Russian National Coalition has swept this year’s general election for control of the Imperial Duma, taking nearly 75% of the vote, in the largest landslide in the country’s post-Soviet electoral history. Prime Minister Dmitri Gudov of the outgoing Royalist Party has assured the country and the world of a peaceful transition, though some doubt such prospects. Many think that RNC leader Andre Yulinkov is too radical and possibly militaristic. Yulinkov and the RNC are calling for a unification of Imperial Russia and the Vladivostok Republic, along with increasing Russian influences in the former Russian republics to the south of the country, and in other nations like the Ukraine, Poland and Finland. Yulinkov also promises to increase military spending, along with creating new jobs in infrastructure improvements around the country.

            While Chancellor Rothschild stated that Germany supports the strengthening of Imperial Russia so that it is not so dependent on German aid, other nations in Europe are eyeing the RNC with considerable pause. Chief among them is British Prime Minister Margaret Roberts, who’s country is still trying to heal from nearly 30 years of fascist rule under the BUF. British Foreign Minister Henry Downs says that, “while we respect Russia’s right to elect whomever they choose, we fear that the Yulinkov and the RNC have molded themselves too closely to the fascist political movement.” Similar concearns have been expressed by the Italian government.

-“Nationalists Take Charge in Petrograd,” Berliner Morgenpost, March 6, 1997.

           

PANAM BUYS FIRST HYBRID ZEP

NEW YORK, APRIL 17- It’s been two years since ZGI first launched it’s new HZEP (Hybrid Zeppelin), the LZ-490 Träumer, and the new class of airship is finally ready to join the long legacy of passenger service with PANAM and Lufthansa. The German airline announced two days ago that it was buying the LZ-490 and LZ-491 (newly completed last year and named Zeppeliner Traum), and that both ships will see service by the end of 1997. Not to be outdone, PANAM officials today announced that the LZ-492 and LZ-493, both under construction in Ecknerstadt-Friedrichshafen, would be purchased by the company and hopefully put in service by the beginning of 1998. In the announcement, the airline officials also confirmed that the Akron Airship Yards would be building 4 HZEPs for PANAM’s use.

            The Träumer can carry up to 195 passengers during a regular flight, and has the ability to cross the Atlantic or Pacific oceans without landing, something that early detractors of the design feared it wouldn’t be able to do. Now that it appears that the HZEP is a success, ZGI officials feel confident that the company has completed a “course correction” it undertook when it resigned President Frederich Eckener back in 1990 and replaced him with his younger nephew Heinrich. ZGI looks to be gaining ground back from it’s new chief competitor, Pacific Airbuilders, which came onto the industry scene in the 1980s and has really stolen the airship market in the Pacific rim, selling craft to Australia, China, Japan, and East Russia, along with a smattering of sales in Africa and South America. This new craft by Zeppelin-Goodyear may just put PAC Air on its toes. In addition, there are rumors floating around that ZGI might be working on a semi-rigid airship design of their own.

-“PANAM Buys First Hybrid Zep,” The New York Times, April 18, 1997.

IMPERIAL RUSSIA ISSUES DEMANDS TO VLADIVOSTOK

PETROGRAD, SEP 7- Russian Prime Minister Andre Yulinkov presented a list of demands on the Vladivostok Democratic Republic “in order to maintain peace between the two Russian states.” These demands include surrendering the State of Baikal, devaluing of the Republican Ruble, downsizing East Russia’s military, and allowing Imperial Russia to base troops in the East to serve as a base for “Imperial Russia’s interests in the Pacific.” These demands have shocked the international community and have drawn condemnation from the United States, Japan, China, the Dominion of Canada, and from here in the United Kingdom as well. Prime Minister Roberts decried the so-called Petrograd Demands as “intolerable” and “little more that quasi-fascist bullying.” The Foreign Ministry has stated that Great Britain stands firm behind the independence and full sovereignty of East Russia, and calls on the Imperial government in Petrograd to stand down. Similar sentiments were echoed across the Atlantic in Washington where President Clinton stated that “America remains committed to the sovereignty and independence of the Vladivostok Democratic Republic, and calls on Imperial Russia to drop its senseless demands.” In Berlin, German Chancellor Dietrich Rothschild stated that “Germany wishes to see peace in Russia, and while we do not agree with all that Prime Minister Yulinkov is asking for, we do pledge to support Imperial Russia in its internal affairs, and offer our services in trying to reach a settlement with East Russia.” Germany does not legally recognize the independence of Vladivostok, which goes back to the 1950s when the German government, in helping to set up Imperial Russia from the ashes of the Polish War, pledged to only recognize that nation as the legitimate successor to the collapsing Soviet Union. Not everyone in Germany agrees with this stance, however. Leader of the opposition in the Reichstag Heinrich Lehmann of the Zentrum Party calls his nation’s stance on the issue “shameful”, and says that the Zentrum Party supports the independence of Vladivostok.

            East Russia itself has yet to respond to the demands, and many expect that such a response from President Yuri Medinov may be a while in coming, if at all. The Imperial Russian government has given the East until the end of 1997 to respond, before they will “take appropriate action to see that our demands are met.”

-“Imperial Russia Issues Demands to Vladivostok,” The Times (London), Sep 8, 1997.

GUNMAN STORMS ST. LOUIS HOSPITAL

ST. LOUIS, DEC 8- A lone gunman identified as Chris McClure, a factory worker in St. Louis, stormed into the emergency room at St. Louis Regional Medical Center and took the ER hostage and demanded that the doctors present give his son a heart transplant. McClure’s son, Michael, collapsed last spring while playing little league baseball, whereupon doctors discovered that he had a rare medical condition and was in despirate need of a new heaert. The McClures have no medical insurance, and Michael has been denied a transplant twice. Desperate, McClure took matters into his own hands at 7:45 this morning. Negotiations were made and Michael McClure received his new heart at 5:30 this evening. After the surgery, McClure surrendered to police, and is now in custody at an undisclosed St. Louis jail.

            This disturbing turn of events has occurred during the midst of a heated debate in Washington over a proposed national healthcare system that is strongly supported by President Clinton and most of the Socialist Party. This event will likely add more fuel to the debate’s fire, and could be a turning point in the legislative process.

-“Gunman Storms St. Louis Hospital,” The Washington Post, December 9, 1997.

CZAR VLADIMIR DEAD

PETROGRAD, DEC 19- Just days before Christmas, Russia’s Czar Vladimir I, who took the throne on August 1, 1955, passed away in his sleep last night. Russia’s Prime Minister Andre Yulinkov has declared a 90 day state of mourning at the loss of the first Imperial leader in post-Soviet Russia. Czar Vladimir was born on August 30, 1917, and lived the first part of his life in exile in France, and later in Germany after his sister became the Empress of Germany in 1939. After the Polish War, which ended with the defeat of the Soviet Union in 1954, Vladimir was chosen to head the new Imperial Baltic Federation, which dissolved in 1981 at which time Vladimir became the head of the newly restored Russian Empire.

            His Imperial Majesty’s funeral will likely be scheduled for the day after Christmas, and his son, Prince Alexi, will likely take the throne after the first of the year.

-“Czar Vladimir Dead,” Frankfurter Zeitung, December 20, 1997.

            It is believed by most historians that the death of Czar Vladimir I gave East Russia the time it needed to hold onto its sovereignty. As the Russian nation bid farewell to their beloved leader, his son would put real pressure on the Russian National Coalition and the Russian Prime Minister Andre Yulinkov to ease up on the Vladivostok Republic. On January 3, 1998, Crown Prince Alexi became Czar Vladimir II, and soon thereafter sent a letter to Russian government that forbade any military action against the eastern republic, and in effect made the Petrograd Demands go away.

            This would not last forever, of course. Yulinkov and his men would work tirelessly for two years to be able to get a handle on the new Czar, and when they finally had it, they blackmailed him into quite submission, and would reassert their demands and threaten to drag the world into a second world war.

-Plaks, Dr. Jeffry, History of Modern Russia, Cambrigde, MA: Harvard University Press, 2011.

NATIONAL HEALTHCARE ACT IS LAW!

WASHINGTON, MAR 4- President Clinton’s landmark healthcare proposal has been signed into law. Passed last week by the Senate and the week before by the House, America will now have a semi-nationalized healthcare system. The president, vice president, first lady, and the leaders of both houses of Congress gathered at the White House for the historic signing ceremony today.

            “For too long, our nation’s citizens have been victim to a mish-mash of healthcare that benifited the rich more than the poor. The incident last December in St. Louis only underscored this gap in good coverage. Well I am proud today to tell my fellow citizens that those days are no more. From now on, all Americans are garunteed first class healthcare as a right, not a priveldge for the most wealthy.” The President said these remarks as he signed the legislation.           

            The new law will place most hostpials under federal control, and states that no citizen can be denied care. From now on, citizens will pay more out of their paychecks to help cover the cost, however regardless of income care will be the same. Private hospticals will remain under the system, however. Also, private practices of the “family doctor” will remain in place, and citizens will be covered under their new federal health insurance.

            About two thirds of Congressional Republicans voted against the law, citing what they feared would be a mountain of expense that the federal government wasn’t ready to handle. They also fear that they system will keep people from receiving the best care possible, and that people will have to wait on lists to receive medical proceedures. Their claims were not enough, however, to prevent the law’s passage. The act will go into effect January 1, 1999.

-“National Healthcare Act is Law!” The New York Times, March 5, 1998.

FIVE PARTY TALKS SET FOR LONDON

BERLIN, JUNE 8- His Majesty’s government has confirmed that the so-called Five Party Talks will begin on August 1^st in London. Consisting of Germany, the United Kingdom, Imperial Russia, the United States, and the Vladivostok Republic, these talks are aimed at finding a solution to the crisis that started last year when Imperial Russian Prime Minister Andre Yulinkov issued the “Petrograd Demands” to East Russia. Things have calmed somewhat since Vladimir II took the throne in Petrograd, and Chancellor Rothschild stated that he hoped a peaceful solution could be found to prevent any violence between the two Russian nations. The talks are the brainchild of American Secretary of State Samuel Doughty, who had President Clinton bring up the idea earlier this spring. Doughty, the great-grandon of Hugo Eckener, has a long history of peace making behind him. His mother, Adrianna Eckener, married Ohio senator Cameron Doughty in 1949. Cameron senior was appointed as ambassador to Germany in 1959, when young Samuel was just 7 years old, and continued at that post until 1976, when he returned to the United States Senate.

            Many hope that when American Vice President Dan Boren and the American delegation arrive in London with their counterparts from the other members of the talks, that Secretary Doughty can work the same diplomatic magic that his great-grandfather did in 1941 during the Danzig Crisis. The German and British governments seem hopeful that some sort of an arrangement can be reached. Since Vladimir II has apparently reigned in Yulinkov, this seems highly possible.

-“Five Party Talks Set for London,” Berliner Morgenpost, June 9, 1998.

[LONDON AGREEMENT SIGNED

LONDON, AUG 27- Imperial Russia and the Vladivostok Republic have agreed to a peace settlement that shall be implemented over the next five years. The brainchild of U.S. Vice President Dan Boren and U.S. Secretary of State Samuel Doughty, this agreement is a compromise on the stringent Petrograd Demands that were issued by the Imperial Russian government last year. On January 1, 1999, the Vladivostok Republic will surrender the western half of the State of Baikal, and will allow the Imperial Russian Armed Forces to maintain a military base on the Imperial side of Lake Baikal, and a small naval base on Vladivostok’s Pacific coast. However, the eastern Russian republic will not downsize its military forces, nor devalue its currency. The American and British delegations both believe this is a step forward, and hope that this agreement can ease tensions between the two Russian nations and make talk of conflict go away.

            In Petrograd, Czar Vladimir II hailed the London Agreement as a resounding success, saying that the Imperial government wants to restore peaceful relations with its eastern cousin. Not everyone in the Russian capital was so impressed, however. Prime Minister Yulinkov, while giving his assent to the signing of the agreement, stated he had serious doubts whether or not this compromise would really ease tensions on the inter-Russian border. Several other members of Yulinkov’s ruling RNC party echoed their leaders sentiments on Russian television throughout the day. Vladivostokian President Yuri Medinov, who will be up for election next year, has hailed this agreement as “a bold step towards peace” between the Russian people.

            Here in Germany, Chancellor Rothschild stated that he was pleased with how the talks turned out, and was hopeful that the status quo in Russia was on its way to being restored. Some in the Reichstag are not so satisfied, however. Opposition leader Heinrich Lehmann, the great-grandson of Hugo Eckener and head of the Zentrum Party, stated that Germany should have extended legal recognition with Vladivostok, to add legitimacy to their cause, which was not a part of the agreement signed in London. While this was suggested, The German government stood by their 40 plus year old agreement with Imperial Russia not to legally recognize any other state as the successor to the Soviet Union.

-“London Agreement Signed,” Frankfurter Zeitung, August 28, 1998.

CLINTON WILL NOT RUN AGAIN

LITTLE ROCK, NOV 29- While in Little Rock to celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday, President Clinton announced that he would not seek a nomination to run for a third term. This clears the playing field for Vice President Dan Boren, who seems to be the most likely candidate to be nominated by the socialist party for next year’s election. Other possible socialist candidates include Secretary of State Samuel Doughty of Ohio, or Speaker of the House Henry Duvall. Though none of these men have declared their candidacy yet, rumors are flying wildely around the nation’s capital, and all three men formed exploratory committees earlier this year to consider the idea.

-“Clinton Will Not Run Again,” The Washington Post, November 30, 1999.

BOREN PICKS DOUGHTY AS VP

WASHINGTON, MAY 9- Presidential candidate and current Vice President Daniel Boren announced today that current Secretary of State Sameul Doughty will be serving as his running mate for the November presidential election. This new development has bolstered Vice President Boren’s already high poll numbers, putting him further ahead of Republican candidate Mark McDaniels of Pennsylvania, who ran back in 1996 as well and has been the father of the Republican party for most of the decade.

            Secretary of State Doughty has been credited with crafting the recent London Agreement that has eased the tension between the Russian Empire and the Vladivostok Republic, and is seen by most socialist politicians and by many Americans in general as a solid choice for Boren’s VP.

-“Boren Picks Doughty as VP,” The New York Times, May 10, 2000.

            As the Boren and McDaniels campaigns are gearing up for their first debate, Time magazine takes a look at the big issues for the 2000 election:

-Russia: Though the Clinton administration was able to help the two Russian nations temporarily ease tensions, a more permanent solution is needed to prevent conflict. Boren and Doughty believe they can come up with a peaceful solution. The McDaniels campagin wants to leave the Russians to themselves and not support the Vladivostokains, esepcially if war does break out.

-Health Care: The Boren camp wants to expand and fine tune the Clinton Healthcare System, while the Republicans want to trim it back and allow for more private healthcare services.

-Space: The socialists are for scaling down the individual efforts of the ASEA and want to work the the Germans to form an international space organization to handle further colonization of the Moon and of Mars, where as McDaniels wants to bolster the ASEA and continue with independent exploration and colonization of space.

-Energy Sources: Vice President Boren wants to accelerate the devolopment of non-petroleum based energy sources, where as the Republican party wants to go at a slower pace.

-“Election 2000: The Issues,” Time October 9, 2000.

BOREN WINS WHITE HOUSE!

WASHINGTON, NOV 4- Daniel Boren and his running mate Samuel Doughty have won the White House, in one of the closest elections in recent memory. The Republicans tried hard to take the presidency back from the Socialists, who have held the reigns for 8 years, but were unable to do so. In all, Boren took 52% of the popular vote to McDaniels’ 47%, with 1% going to State’s Rights candidate William Humphries of Alabama. Boren and Doughty were in Oklahoma City last night as the election results came in, and when NBC first announced that the Socialist candidate had won, the watch party at the Skirvin Hotel went wild with excitement.

-“Boren Wins White House!” The Washington Post, November 5, 2000.

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