Through international traders, Chen Qiang put the first batch of hula hoops on the Argentina market. As for what the sales will be, it will take at least two or three months to get feedback.

At this time, Chen Qiang also received an invitation letter from Washington, and the White House invited Chen Qiang to attend the opening ceremony of the National Gallery of Art.

As early as 1937, the East Pavilion of the National Gallery of Art was completed, and in 1940, the National Gallery of Art was completed as a whole. This National Gallery of Art was one of Roosevelt's political achievements in his second term, and can also be regarded as a storefront project of Roosevelt. Now Roosevelt has successfully won the third re-election, and of course, he has to increase efforts to promote his political achievements. Therefore, the opening ceremony of the National Gallery of Art was quite grand and well-known people from all walks of life were invited to participate.

Special Envoy Song and Hu Shi also came to the opening ceremony. The Special Envoy Song was originally a versatile person and was particularly good at socializing. He was seen traveling among the crowd and constantly chatting with the guests.

As a literati, Hu Shi was much more reserved and stood there without saying anything, which was when he saw Chen Qiang, he started to talk more.

"Sir, do the Americans know about the Japanese Navy General Kintoriyoshi Okakuchi appearing in Guangdong? What are their reactions?" Chen Qiang asked.

Hu Shi shook his head: "The Americans did not react. Although I had hints and made clear statements one after another, the Americans did not believe that the Japanese would attack Southeast Asia. I learned from the side that in fact, in January, the US Ambassador to Japan, Joseph Gru, sent back a message saying that Japan would sneak attack the US naval base in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, but it was later confirmed that it was just a rumor!"

"What? Americans knew so early that Japan was going to attack Pearl Harbor?" Chen Qiang was shocked.

"I said everything, that's just a rumor." Hu Shi said.

"You rumor! By the end of the year, you Americans' Pearl Harbor has been blown into a sieve by the Japanese!" Chen Qiang said in his heart.

Whether the United States had known that Japan was going to attack Pearl Harbor for a long time has been a mystery in later generations. Many information shows that the United States' own intelligence departments and even the Chinese intelligence departments had the intelligence that Japan was going to attack Pearl Harbor, but the United States was not at all prepared, and eventually allowed the Japanese to successfully attack Pearl Harbor. Some people also said that the Pearl Harbor incident was a bitter plan for Roosevelt to fight against the domestic isolationist forces and allow the United States to join the war with justification.

What is the truth, and there may never be an answer, but what Hu Shi said will definitely not be false. U.S. Ambassador to Japan, Joseph Gru, had already sent back the "rumor" about the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor at the beginning of the year.

Only Chen Qiang knew that this was not a rumor, but something that would happen in a few months.

But suddenly, Chen Qiang thought again, would this so-called "rumor" of sneak attacks on Pearl Harbor be deliberately released by the Japanese. First, the news of a sneak attack on Pearl Harbor, and then the news was a rumor, so that the Americans could be careless and be wary. Then, when they really attacked Pearl Harbor, they caught the United States off guard. This could be considered a tactic of stealing the world and trying to get it.

Thinking of this, Chen Qiang couldn't help but breathe a sigh of helplessness. Although he was in this era, he could always feel the trend of history. But there were still too many historical mysteries that he could not solve.

Chen Qiang did not want to interfere with the incident of Japan's sneak attack on Pearl Harbor. If it was really Roosevelt's trick, wouldn't Chen Qiang's slaughter be ruined by Roosevelt's good thing! What's more, if there was no Pearl Harbor incident and the Americans did not declare war on Japan, China's War of Resistance Against Japan would have to sacrifice more talents to win.

Chen Qiang was still thinking about the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, but Hu Shi said, "The Japanese have also made some moves recently. They sent a new ambassador to the United States, named Yoshisaburo Nomura. He has just taken office recently and is standing there, with the one with a flat head and eyes on it."

"Sir, you are amazing. Japan sent three people to be ambassadors to the United States, including diplomats, economists, and scholars. As a result, you fought against three and drove all three back!" Chen Qiang said with a smile.

"Don't make fun of me," Hu Shi said.

Chen Qiang looked at Yoshisaburo Nomura in the distance and asked, "What is the origin of Yoshisaburo Nomura?"

"He is a Japanese Navy general and once served as the deputy chief of the Japanese military headquarters. He invaded Shanghai during the 128th Incident. Do you see that his left eye has been squinting? His left eye is blind, which was the one who was bombed in Hongkou Park that year." Hu Shi introduced.

Chen Qiang knew that what Hu Shi was talking about was the Hongkou Park explosion in 1932. The explosion was jointly planned and implemented by the "assassination king" Wang Yaqiao and the "father of South Korea" Jin Jiu. The purpose was to assassinate the Japanese commander-in-chief of the army in Shanghai Yoshinobu Shirakawa Yoshinobu Shirakawa Yoshinobu Shirakawa. During that assassination, in addition to Shirakawa Yoshinobu Shirakawa Yoshinobu was pretended to be killed, many senior Japanese leaders were deceived. Yoshisaburo Nomura, who was the commander of the Japanese Third Fleet at the time, was also blinded by the bombing.

After learning that Nomura Yoshisaburo had invaded Shanghai as early as 1932, Chen Qiang suddenly felt that Nomura Yoshisaburo was so disliked no matter how he looked at it.

Hu Shi continued: "Last year, Nomura Yoshisaburo joined Japan's Abe Cabinet and Foreign Minister. He is an American member of the Japanese government and is also a pro-American faction. Moreover, Nomura Yoshisaburo also has some personal relationships with President Roosevelt. In recent times, the US-Japan relations have continued to deteriorate, so the Japanese sent him to be the ambassador to the United States to ease relations with the United States. As soon as he arrived in the United States, he had several negotiations with the United States."

Hu Shi said this and deliberately lowered his voice, and then said, "Your previous idea of ​​driving tigers and swallowing wolves was probably destroyed by him. I previously told the Americans that Japan would attack Southeast Asia. However, Yoshisaburo Nomura immediately told the Americans that according to Japan's naval construction plan, Japan would not start solving the Far East issue before 1946, and Japan's focus is still on China. I think it was because of Yoshisaburo Nomura's remarks that the Americans dispelled their doubts about Japan."

"Americans believe the diplomats, too? They are so stupid! If I guess correctly, Yoshisaburo Nomura is trying to stabilize the United States. He is deliberately buying time for Japan!" Chen Qiang said.

"When is the time to fight for?" Hu Shi asked subconsciously.

"Buy time for the Japanese war to attack the United States!" Chen Qiang replied.

"Are you so sure that the Japanese will attack the United States? The United States is so powerful, if you use Japan's courage, they may not dare to attack the United States!" Hu Shi said.

Chen Qiang did not answer Hu Shi's question. He knew that no matter what he said, it was meaningless. So Chen Qiang changed the topic and asked, "Sir, you should tell me some good news!"

"There is good news. The US House of Representatives has passed the "Promotion of the US Defense Act" and is waiting for President Roosevelt to sign it in the end." Hu Shi said with a smile.

"It is good news for Americans to promote their own national defense?" Chen Qiang asked subconsciously.

"The United States' defense promotion bill is actually a loan and lease bill. The content of the bill mainly provides military assistance to other countries, including lending weapons and ships. In return, the United States needs to lease the army and naval bases of the assisted countries." Hu Shi explained.

During World War II, the United States gave a lot of aid to the Allies, including weapons, ships and other important strategic substances. According to statistics from the United States, during World War II, it gave allies a total of 50.1 billion US dollars of aid to the Allies, accounting for 17% of the total US war expenditure. Of these aids, 31.4 billion US dollars of aid were given to the United Kingdom, 11.3 billion US dollars of aid were given to the Soviet Union, 3.2 billion US dollars of aid were given to France, and 1.6 billion US dollars of aid flowed to China. The more than 50 billion US dollars of aid originated from the passage of the "Promotion of the United States National Defense Act."

According to the "Promotion of US Defense Act", weapons and ships that the United States aided to other countries need to be returned to the United States after the war, but in fact, after the end of World War II, the weapons supported to the Allied forces were not returned to the United States. When the war was over, the weapons became scrapped copper and iron. Even if the weapons were returned to the United States, the United States still felt that there was no place to store them. At that time, a politician in the United States described: "You lend someone a piece of chewing gum, and the other party will return them to you after chewing them. Of course, you will not ask for them again!"

In the end, Britain purchased the weapons to support them at a 10% discount after the war. However, because Britain was short of money after the war, the money was finally considered a loan to the UK. The loan was paid for a full sixty years and it was not paid on December 29, 2006.

The materials for the United States to support the Soviet Union were relatively complicated. At that time, there were many Japanese warships in the Pacific, so the materials for the United States to support the Soviet Union either crossed the Bering Strait, transported from the Arctic Ocean to the Soviet Union, crossed the Cape of Good Hope in Africa, and transported from the Middle East to the Soviet Union. The transportation cost was very high, and the Americans also counted the freight costs within aid. This also led to differences between the United States and the Soviet Union on the amount of repayment after the war. In addition, the beginning of the Cold War, the US-Soviet relations deteriorated, so the money became a mess, and the dispute continued until 1972, and the Soviet Union finally only repaid 720 million US dollars in food aid.

As for the weapons that support China, they eventually became the American armed divisions of Chiang Kai-shek. Later, these weapons appeared on the Korean battlefield. It is estimated that the Americans must be confused when they saw the Chinese army using American weapons.

These aids from the United States are not free. Countries that receive assistance have to pay their own ports as US naval bases and allow the United States to build military bases and garrison troops on their homeland. In the future, US military bases are spread all over the world, which is derived from the "Promotion of the United States National Defense Act" in 1941. It can be said that because of the emergence of this bill, the United States has taken the first step in global expansion.

It is also for this reason that when the US president asks South Korea for military garrison funds in the future, South Korea's reaction will be so great, because according to the "Promotion of the United States National Defense Act", the United States needs to pay rent for other people's harbors and military bases. It would be good if South Korea did not ask the United States for rent. The United States would collect protection fees again, and South Korea would definitely not do it.

Hu Shi explained to Chen Qiang the content of the "Promotion of the US National Defense Act". Chen Qiang then realized that judging from the current situation, the passage of this bill will definitely be beneficial to China, and at least China can obtain more aid from the United States.

Hu Shi said excitedly: "Now that this bill has been passed in the Senate and the House of Representatives, and we are waiting for President Roosevelt to sign it. We have already negotiated with the US side. Once President Roosevelt signs, the United States will regard China as the first target of aid. If you are lucky, you will be able to ship the first batch of supplies to China in the next month."

Chen Qiang asked again: "A Japanese army lost a navy general. Have you done anything?"

"It is said that there are a large number of Japanese troops gathering in the Ninth War Zone. The Japanese army's target this time should be Changsha." Hu Shi said.

"There are heavy troops guarding Changsha, so there should be no problem with your hands." Chen Qiang said.

Hu Shi sighed: "The world is now, not only in China, but also in the United States, but in time, I really don't know when this chaotic world will end! When will we live a peaceful life!"

Chen Qiang frowned slightly. Until now, many people have indeed begun to feel tired of war.

Hu Shi was in the United States and stayed away from war, so the Chinese people at this time would have a stronger desire for peace. Perhaps this is the reason why those honest people who want to live a stable life choose to succumb to the rule of the Japanese, be the Japanese people, or even become traitors.

This seems to be in line with the old saying, it is better to be a peaceful dog than a troubled person. Perhaps some people really think that following the Japanese is better than being a peaceful dog than going to the battlefield to be a troubled person.

However, such people will not understand that if they do not drive away the invaders, there will never be a real peace day!

...

After attending the opening ceremony of the National Gallery of Art, Chen Qiang did not stay in Washington for more time, but returned to New York.

After a busy day, Chen Qiang was about to go home, but heard a familiar voice outside.

"Mr. Chen is here?"

Chen Qiang stretched his head and saw that it was Stanley Lieber who came.

"Stanley, come in and sit down!" Chen Qiang took Stanley Lieber into the office and poured him another cup of coffee.

"Thank you, Mr. Chen." Stanley Lieber took the coffee cup and hurriedly thanked.

Chen Qiang and Stanley Lieber are also familiar with each other. The poster of the hula hoop was painted by Stanley Lieber. Chen Qiang was very satisfied with those posters and also had a good impression of Stanley Lieber, a young man who was a little shy but had a talent for painting.

"Stanley, is there anything you need to come to me?" Chen Qiang asked.

But Stanley Lieber took out a comic magazine from his pocket and said, "Mr. Chen, the comics I drew have already appeared in the magazine. I remember you said that if my comics were published, I must tell you, so I specially gave them to you."

"Really? That's great!" Chen Qiang also felt a little surprised. When he first met Stanley Lieber two years ago, Stanley Lieber was still a 17-year-old high school student. Unexpectedly, Stanley Lieber is now a formal cartoonist, and his works have been published in comic magazines.

"Stanley, you are only 19 years old this year. I'm afraid there are not many cartoonists in the whole of the United States!" Chen Qiang couldn't help but praise.

Stanley Lieber smiled shyly, while Chen Qiang looked down at the comic.

"Time Comics? I have never heard of this comic magazine, so I must not be famous." Chen Qiang was thinking about it, but the cover of the comic magazine attracted him. The man in the middle of the cover was wearing a blue costume, a white five-pointed star in the middle of his chest, a big "a" character in the middle of his helmet, and he also held a triangular shield, and a five-pointed star on the shield.

"Captain America!" Chen Qiang couldn't help blurting out.

"Mr. Chen, have you seen Captain America in the first two issues?" Stanley Lieber asked in surprise.

Chen Qiang was a little puzzled. He remembered that Captain America was a Marvel superhero and the core of the Avengers. How could he run into this time comic that he had never heard of before? Isn’t this infringement?

"Captain America belongs to Marvel, there is no doubt about this. But I went to the bookstore before to ask. Without Marvel Comics, is it said that Marvel of this era not called Marvel, and this Time Comics is the predecessor of Marvel?" Chen Qiang finally figured out this point.

Stanley Lieber next to him continued: "The role of Captain America was originally created by our editor-in-chief Joe Simon and Jack Kobe, but recently, editor-in-chief Simon had some conflicts with the boss, so I am responsible for filling out the contents of this issue of "Captain America".

Chen Qiang was even more surprised. He did not expect that the shy young man he knew would have participated in the creation of "Captain America". If Marvel movies became popular in later generations, this experience would be enough to boast about his grandson.

Chen Qiang did not read Captain America's comics immediately. He took a pen and handed it to Stanley Lieber, and said at the same time: "Stanley Lieber, come and sign the magazine! I will definitely collect this magazine well."

"Thank you, Mr. Chen." Stanley Lieber took the pen and wrote "Give it to my dear friend Mr. Chen Qiang" on the cover of the magazine, and then signed the signature.

Chen Qiang looked at the signature written by Stanley Lieber, but was shocked.

"Stan-lee, Stan-Lee! How could it be Stan-Lee?"

Stanley Lieber discovered Chen Qiang's doubts, and he immediately explained: "No one in our business uses his real name. Everyone will choose a pseudonym. My name is Stanley, so I simply chose a homonym, called Stan Lee!"

Chen Qiang was stunned and stunned.

"He must be the one who painted the "Captain America" ​​comics. I was still thinking about it before, asking for an autograph to take a photo, etc. I didn't expect that I would find someone by my side!"

———
Chapter completed!