Frederick's return this time was, of course, due to the fact that Wilkie's investments in Hollywood had yielded some positive results. The Lightning Pictures company was delighted to have two rich benefactors out of nowhere. They had been struggling to find anyone to invest in films, and compared to those comedies or musical films, shooting a blockbuster like King Kong was an adventurous attempt for Lightning Pictures. Originally, they would have to bear the cost of this risky venture themselves, but now they had found someone to cover the expenses.
Why not take advantage of this?
Coincidentally, one of King Kong's producers and directors, Merian C. Cooper, was preparing to come to New York for on-location filming. The newly completed Empire State Building was the perfect place for King Kong to battle with cannons and guns. Directors at that time knew how to capitalize on a hot trend. As the tallest building in the world, the Empire State Building was incredibly well-known, and the publicity surrounding it was at its peak. Imagine King Kong on top of the building, fighting with beauty in his arms—what a spectacle!
Wilkie's office was also in New York, so the two of them were set to travel there to sign the contract and transfer the $300,000 investment to Lightning Pictures.
The money, however, had origins in the hotel industry. It wasn't exactly clean money, and given the frequent bank bankruptcies, it wasn't safe to leave the money in the bank or even transfer it electronically. Thus, it had to be physically transported to New York and handed over to Wilkie.
Wilkie had significant connections in New York, so even if the police discovered the money, it wouldn't be confiscated. Without this, the transfer of such a large sum of money across borders would have been nearly impossible. If that were the case, Merian Cooper himself would have had to come to Brooklyn to collect the money.
Before leaving for New York, Nyle told Aunt Ginny that he was going to visit Columbia University, planning to enroll there in the fall. Aunt Ginny supported him and even packed his luggage.
By the way, the musician who had married the Columbia University girl we were talking about the other day—well, he was caught for spending a thousand bucks on a prostitute while at home. I can't help but laugh. Just after we said it, he got arrested. Hilarious!
Soon enough, Nyle and Frederick boarded the train to New York.
"The Federal Reserve won't collapse, right?" Frederick, who didn't usually read the newspapers, glanced at the headline of the paper Nyle was holding.
"Of course not! Even if the sky falls, the Federal Reserve can't collapse," Nyle replied, understanding exactly what Frederick was asking about.
When Nyle saw that President Hoover had allowed the Federal Reserve to extend the loan repayment to Germany, his heart skipped a beat. Germany's situation had worsened to such an extent that it was clear that the rise of the Nazi Party was not far off.
However, it seemed that Western nations, particularly the United States, were greatly afraid of getting involved in another war, especially under such severe economic conditions. Even across the Atlantic, the U.S. was unwilling to participate in another world war.
"Why did Germany end up like this?" Frederick, being of German descent, was naturally concerned about Germany's situation.
He grabbed the first couple of pages of the newspaper that Nyle wasn't reading and began studying them seriously. The more he read, the more concerned he became. The newspaper was full of speculation about the possibility of civil war in Germany, which unsettled him.
As a German immigrant, Frederick still had relatives in Germany, and despite the distance, they kept in touch. In fact, his father, Barendt, had even sent $200 to support his cousins back home.
More importantly, if the United States went to war with Germany again, Frederick would face an incredibly awkward situation due to his heritage. Not only would his daily life be restricted, but he could also become a target for confiscation of his assets.
Moreover, as a German-American, in order to prove loyalty to the United States, he would be expected to donate to the U.S. government to help fund the war against Germany, and to eagerly join the military, going to Europe to fight in the trenches.
It wasn't just an imagined fear—during World War II, Japanese-Americans were placed in internment camps after Japan and the U.S. declared war. While the American internment camps were not as extreme as the Nazi concentration camps, they were still a form of imprisonment.
Many Japanese-Americans joined the military in order to prove their loyalty to the United States and to ensure their families were treated fairly. Many thousands of them fought on the Pacific front, engaging in brutal battles against the Japanese.
If war broke out between Germany and the U.S., Frederick would likely be pressured to enlist in the National Guard and would have to spend money to avoid being sent to Europe to fight in the trenches.
One could say that if it weren't for the need to protect their homeland, people might not be so enthusiastic about joining the military. After all, joining the army wasn't exactly something people eagerly signed up for.
For his own money and safety, Frederick did not want a war between the U.S. and Germany. Nyle didn't have such concerns—after all, Ireland could never go to war with the United States. That tiny island, even divided into two parts, was hardly a match for the might of America.
"Don't worry, it won't happen anytime soon," Nyle said, putting down the newspaper, with a hint of certainty in his voice.
"Why's that?" Frederick genuinely hoped there wouldn't be a war.
Perhaps for the next decade or so, America's isolationist stance would be mixed with the concerns of German-Americans, Italian-Americans, and Japanese-Americans. They feared that if the U.S. went to war with their mother countries, they would have to choose sides.
As long as the U.S. didn't fight these countries, they wouldn't have to make such a choice. With the Americas separated by vast oceans, it would be nearly impossible for any major military power to launch an attack on American soil. Sticking to isolationism seemed like the best way to avoid this difficult dilemma.
"The major countries of the world, including Germany itself, don't want war," Nyle said, still convinced of this.
Whether among the ruling classes or the common people, everyone seemed to be war-weary. The horrors of the First World War were still fresh in everyone's minds. The new generation had not yet grown up, and their parents only had fear and disgust for war.
Even the German people had not been dragged onto the "death train" of war. Moreover, the appeasement policies of Britain and the U.S. were, in effect, catering to the widespread public aversion to war.
"Let's hope there won't be a war…" Frederick muttered, clutching his chest.
There, his money was safely stored, and he could faintly feel his own heartbeat.