money was to be used for.’
‘That is how one should treat a client, Sir Charles, be he a little shopkeeper or the legislature of a great nation. When you say the British Government—’
‘I mean us ,Sir Hamo. The Foreign Office and the India Office together. The Tsar must continue his imperial progress through the celestial empire, and no one must know that his funding has comefrom Britain. That knowledge would lead to a violent rupture with France, among other things. Even Parliament doesn’t know. There, I’ve put all my cards on the table.’
Sir Hamo Strange sat back in his chair, and looked with open admiration at the two experts in foreign policy. What brilliant men they were! Well, he’d done what they’d asked. It would now be his exquisite pleasure to tell them about it. He leaned forward in his gilded chair.
‘I have raised the whole of this loan, gentlemen, from private financial institutions in Austria, Romania, Germany and Italy. I fought shy of the London markets, and of the national banks, although, of course, I’m welcome in all the capitals of Europe. I also decided not to approach the Rothschilds, because word of any such approach would have reached France.’
‘Well done, Sir Hamo! That was very clever of you.’ Sir Charles Napier’s voice held genuine admiration for the famous financier’s acumen.
‘Thank you, sir. You are most kind. In all cases I have used intermediaries , who have approached the various banks ostensibly on behalf of different manufacturing companies and timber concerns, all of which are under strong obligations to me. There is one question , however, to which I need an immediate answer. Is the Tsar acting with the consent of his parliament in this matter, or is his railway venture a private concern?’
‘The Russian parliament — the Duma — does exactly what the Tsar tells it to do. The Tsar rules the Russian Empire directly, as autocrat. In the matter of the Trans-Siberian Railway, the Tsar is acting on his own initiative. What he does, the Duma will endorse. The Duma knows nothing of the French finance that was originally behind the project. Or says it doesn’t,’ Sir Charles added drily.
‘Very well. The thirty million pounds – which is in promissory paper and specially purchased German and Italian government loan stock — is lodged entire with the Obolensky Private Bank forNobility in St Petersburg. It is there for the Tsar to use as he wishes.’
Sir Hamo Strange found himself blushing with pleasure as both high-ranking public servants broke into spontaneous applause. All in all, it was proving a heady day! There followed a certain amount of bowing and hand-shaking, and after a few fulsome compliments had been paid, the great financier was ushered out of the Foreign Office by a bevy of secretaries.
Sir Charles Napier handed Colonel Temperley a glass of whisky, to which he had added a minute quantity of water. He stood at the window, looking out across the summer languor of St James’s Park. He sipped his own glass appreciatively.
‘You know, Napier,’ said Temperley, ‘that fellow’s one of the most remarkable people I’ve ever met. That loan – I never imagined he could arrange it so brilliantly. There’s nothing to show that we are concerned at all. Britain, I mean.’
‘Oh, yes, Temperley, Sir Hamo Strange is a national treasure. He’s not an expert in foreign policy – why should he be? – but he’s got a feel for it, a sense of what’s going on, what is serious business , and what is mere charade. In these stirring times I don’t think we could do without Hamo Strange.’
Colonel Temperley drained his glass and stood up.
‘I must get back to the India Office. I’ve left Lubbock manning the China Desk, but I want to be there when a certain report comes in from Tsinan-fu. It’s coming in Latin script, of course, but Lubbock’s Chinese is pretty rudimentary.’
‘What do you think will happen to the Tsar’s foray into
‘That is how one should treat a client, Sir Charles, be he a little shopkeeper or the legislature of a great nation. When you say the British Government—’
‘I mean us ,Sir Hamo. The Foreign Office and the India Office together. The Tsar must continue his imperial progress through the celestial empire, and no one must know that his funding has comefrom Britain. That knowledge would lead to a violent rupture with France, among other things. Even Parliament doesn’t know. There, I’ve put all my cards on the table.’
Sir Hamo Strange sat back in his chair, and looked with open admiration at the two experts in foreign policy. What brilliant men they were! Well, he’d done what they’d asked. It would now be his exquisite pleasure to tell them about it. He leaned forward in his gilded chair.
‘I have raised the whole of this loan, gentlemen, from private financial institutions in Austria, Romania, Germany and Italy. I fought shy of the London markets, and of the national banks, although, of course, I’m welcome in all the capitals of Europe. I also decided not to approach the Rothschilds, because word of any such approach would have reached France.’
‘Well done, Sir Hamo! That was very clever of you.’ Sir Charles Napier’s voice held genuine admiration for the famous financier’s acumen.
‘Thank you, sir. You are most kind. In all cases I have used intermediaries , who have approached the various banks ostensibly on behalf of different manufacturing companies and timber concerns, all of which are under strong obligations to me. There is one question , however, to which I need an immediate answer. Is the Tsar acting with the consent of his parliament in this matter, or is his railway venture a private concern?’
‘The Russian parliament — the Duma — does exactly what the Tsar tells it to do. The Tsar rules the Russian Empire directly, as autocrat. In the matter of the Trans-Siberian Railway, the Tsar is acting on his own initiative. What he does, the Duma will endorse. The Duma knows nothing of the French finance that was originally behind the project. Or says it doesn’t,’ Sir Charles added drily.
‘Very well. The thirty million pounds – which is in promissory paper and specially purchased German and Italian government loan stock — is lodged entire with the Obolensky Private Bank forNobility in St Petersburg. It is there for the Tsar to use as he wishes.’
Sir Hamo Strange found himself blushing with pleasure as both high-ranking public servants broke into spontaneous applause. All in all, it was proving a heady day! There followed a certain amount of bowing and hand-shaking, and after a few fulsome compliments had been paid, the great financier was ushered out of the Foreign Office by a bevy of secretaries.
Sir Charles Napier handed Colonel Temperley a glass of whisky, to which he had added a minute quantity of water. He stood at the window, looking out across the summer languor of St James’s Park. He sipped his own glass appreciatively.
‘You know, Napier,’ said Temperley, ‘that fellow’s one of the most remarkable people I’ve ever met. That loan – I never imagined he could arrange it so brilliantly. There’s nothing to show that we are concerned at all. Britain, I mean.’
‘Oh, yes, Temperley, Sir Hamo Strange is a national treasure. He’s not an expert in foreign policy – why should he be? – but he’s got a feel for it, a sense of what’s going on, what is serious business , and what is mere charade. In these stirring times I don’t think we could do without Hamo Strange.’
Colonel Temperley drained his glass and stood up.
‘I must get back to the India Office. I’ve left Lubbock manning the China Desk, but I want to be there when a certain report comes in from Tsinan-fu. It’s coming in Latin script, of course, but Lubbock’s Chinese is pretty rudimentary.’
‘What do you think will happen to the Tsar’s foray into
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