Chapter 225: Reactions to Bruno’s Rise
With William Howard Taft being elected to the position of U.S. President, a man who was beholden to his donors within the America First Committee, which itself was a lobbying group designed by Bruno to keep the United States out of the war, the United States and its official stance on the Great War was one of pure neutrality.
Unlike in Bruno's past life, they did not even attempt to provide material aid to the Allied Powers, believing that any attempt to get involved, even indirectly, was a dereliction of their patriotic duty and a violation of the Founding Fathers' vision for the nation.
To put it simply, the United States maintained open trade with nations from both alliances while neither favoring one nor the other in any official or unofficial capacity. Meanwhile, newspapers printed the ongoing happenings of the war.
One such story was currently being read by the President of the United States, William Howard Taft, who smirked at the photograph of the trenches outside Belgrade, which was just beneath the sensational headline.
"The Wolf of Prussia is rewarded for his defense of Serbia."
The article then went on to explain Bruno had been awarded the Iron Cross First Class for his victory over the Serbian Provisional Army at Belgrade. It also stated that, due to his position on the front lines, Bruno had yet to receive the honor but would be given it personally by the Kaiser the next time he entered a state of leave.
However, the mere mention of the moniker "The Wolf of Prussia" caused the American President to sneer. It was one of three nicknames used by the West to refer to Bruno. The fourth, however, was a name Bruno was only called by the Japanese. It was also the epithet generally used by those with a more favorable disposition toward the German general.
The term "Butcher of Belgrade" was almost always spoken in reference to Bruno by those who hated him. Meanwhile, "The Red Scourge" was commonly found among the ranks of anti-Marxist circles.
The very use of the term showed that the author of the article was probably highly biased toward Bruno, and it was a nickname commonly used by media outlets in the United States. Something the American President found curious.
"Tell me, James, what do you think of this so-called Wolf? I'm starting to get the feeling that the Germans have more influence over our society than they reasonably should."