Chapter 178: 177, Purchasing Listening Equipment, Mitsubishi Company’s European Fighter Jet Procurement
On August 19, 1933, the North American trip ended, and the airplane took off from Las Vegas, flying to New York.
After final maintenance in New York, it would cross the 6000-kilometer Atlantic Ocean range and return to Europe.
For this return to base, Fang Wen was more cautious. He prepared to consult an American weather expert on ocean climate conditions.
Such experts were not in New York but at the National Weather Bureau in Maryland.
After consulting via telephone on the latest ocean climate, Fang Wen decided to depart at 6 a.m. on August 21.
That is to say, they would stay in New York for 2 days on the 19th and 20th.
During this waiting time, Indiana asked, “Aren’t you two bringing anything back from the United States?”
No matter which country’s men, they would bring gifts home after a long trip. Indiana had brought some when returning from Europe this time.
His reminder made Fang Wen realize.
Yes, after being away for more than two months, he couldn’t return home empty-handed.
Gifts for his wife, gifts for the Taishan Airlines small group, and for classmates and business partners all needed preparation.
In China, etiquette is indispensable and even more particular than in the United States.
He looked at Lin Shuiwang: “You also want to buy some things to return to China, right?”
Lin Shuiwang nodded: “Yes, when Mother and I return to China, we’ve brought some European specialty products for relatives, and adding some American ones would be nice.”
Thus, the three used this day and a half to find some interesting and meaningful gifts in New York to bring back.
Indiana, as a local, became the tour guide.
The three strolled along Fifth Avenue in Manhattan. Even during the Great Depression, there were still many shops here.
The most numerous were tobacco shops.
On the streets, there were small vendors selling cigars, pipe tobacco, and cigarettes, as well as specialized stores.
Men and women on the main street were smoking without a care.
Thinking that his own Taishan Airlines also had related cigarette business, bringing some such specialty products would be good.
If bringing any, then the most characteristic cigars.
Under Indiana’s lead, he came to a Cuban cigar shop.
There, cigars were made on-site and sold.
“How should we choose?” Fang Wen asked.
The salesperson introduced: “We have tobacco leaves of different grades that have already been processed. You can select according to your preferences, then have them made on-site.”
Fang Wen had no such preference, nor did Lin Shuiwang or Indiana. He asked the salesperson how much the best tobacco leaves plus production expenses would cost.
The reply was 2 US dollars each for the top grade, 0.5 US dollars for medium, and 20 cents for cheap ones.
This price was acceptable. Cuban cigars had spread to the Middle East a hundred years ago and were a globally popular male luxury item.
Fang Wen also inquired about packaging and learned there were boxes of two or five, with exquisite packaging.
This perfectly met his needs, so he immediately ordered 1000 cigars, made into 80 five-cigar gift boxes and 300 two-cigar gift boxes.
And each gift box needed to be printed with the English words “Mount Taishan,” meaning Taishan.
This way, when brought back, whether for gifting, entertaining, or events, it would be very presentable.
The cigar shop hadn’t seen such big business in a long time and busily got to work enthusiastically.
They took a 100 US dollar deposit, agreed on delivery in the afternoon of the 20th, and let Fang Wen observe the cigar-making process.
Then Fang Wen and the other two came to the tobacco room.
Workers first took out the special Cuban cigar tobacco embryo materials.
This was the core of the cigar’s flavor. Each cigar brand had different formulas, blended from several types of tobacco leaves.
Workers used special techniques to form several tobacco leaves into a tight, non-loose tobacco embryo, then wrapped it with a binder leaf and wrapper leaf, and connected with non-toxic glue.
Such cigars needed to air-dry for at least a day before shipment.
After watching the cigar making, Fang Wen and the other two left the cigar shop and continued purchasing specialty products.
Among the many commodities, Fang Wen took a liking to another item.
The vinyl record produced two years ago by Radio Corporation of America, named LongPlay, meaning a vinyl record that could record more content.
In an era without television or internet, phonographs and vinyl records were very popular devices besides radio stations.
Fang Wen planned to buy a batch of high-quality blank vinyl records to bring back.
After buying, he suddenly thought of another sound-related matter.
Listening devices.
Now in Shanghai, Japanese were rampant and had planted many intelligence institutions.
Fang Wen believed he needed eavesdropping technology. If he mastered it, he could monitor the movements of Japanese intelligence institutions in Shanghai through technical means, gaining more initiative.
Immediately, he spoke softly with Indiana.
“Do you have a way to get me a batch of bugging devices?”
“What kind?” Indiana asked. He did have connections in this area.
On this, Fang Wen didn’t know either, so he simply had Indiana explain the existing listening devices.
According to Indiana’s introduction.
The FBI’s bugging devices were already quite advanced.
There were two kinds.
One was the wired recording bug.
It required burying hidden wires in walls, connecting to a small receiver outside, and setting up a recording listening room in a nearby room.
This technology was clumsy and impractical.
It was impossible to rent a house near a Japanese intelligence institution and then bury lines into the Japanese side.
Except for installing the bugging devices during initial renovation, Fang Wen couldn’t think of how to apply this equipment.
The second kind was telephone eavesdropping.
It involved tapping an extra branch line on the telephone machine’s copper wire, allowing eavesdropping on the other party’s call content via the branch line while they were on the phone.
This method was also unreliable.
It similarly required secretly installing eavesdropping telephone lines at Japanese intelligence institutions without the branch line being discovered.
Fang Wen understood that current eavesdropping technology was still too primitive; only the side with home-field advantage could set up bugging devices.
Someone like him, operating in the shadows, had no eavesdropping means.
Perhaps this was a direction. He could remind Indiana to prepare; maybe it could help him achieve merit and promotion later.
He continued talking with Indiana.
“Is there a special wireless eavesdropping device that can eavesdrop without any lines?”
Indiana was surprised; the Magical Eastern Pilot had new ideas again.
He wasn’t sure if this technology could be developed, but he knew the FBI really needed such a device.
“Hoover the Bureau Chief would definitely like this thing.”
“Hoover, isn’t he the former president? How did he become FBI Bureau Chief?”
Fang Wen was surprised; he still didn’t fully understand American political ecology.
Indiana explained: “The president is Herbert Clark Hoover, and the Bureau Chief is John Edgar Hoover. Relatively speaking, I’d rather the latter become president. After all, he’s been Investigation Bureau Bureau Chief for ten years and has done very well.”
Listening to Indiana, Fang Wen was noncommittal. A FBI Bureau Chief who could serve ten years must be a very complex person.
But such a person would definitely be interested in eavesdropping, as it would bring him more leverage.
From the perspective of a future person viewing the FBI, he gave Indiana advice.
“The Investigation Bureau’s main functions are in investigation. Investigation requires quietly understanding targets without alerting them. If you master better investigation methods, your position in the FBI will become very solid and valued.”
Listening to Fang Wen, Indiana was pensive.
Without wireless eavesdropping means, Fang Wen still had Indiana obtain wired bugging devices and telephone bugging devices.
Perhaps they could still be useful later.
In addition, they bought some whiskey and chocolate as gifts.
On August 22, d.332 took off from the New York airport, following the original route back.
This journey was calm with fair weather, encountering no sea storms, taking 20 hours to reach Toulouse in Europe.
Due to the 6-hour time difference, arrival in Europe was at 8 a.m.
On the Devatine Company Airport runway, d.332 landed steadily.
Emile Devatine brought a reporter interview group to welcome enthusiastically.
The interview content was mainly about the feelings of the round-trip across the Atlantic Ocean. Fang Wen answered a few sentences simply, then let Lin Shuiwang handle the responses.
He talked with Emile Devatine on the side.
“Trans World Airlines contacted you, right?”
“They did. Are you sure about transferring the two d.332 orders to them?”
“Sure, but the delivery time for the other three remains unchanged, and the clause for your five engineers won’t change.”
Fang Wen emphasized that after returning, the Asia-Europe route needed to prepare for service, and the three d.332 must be produced as soon as possible.
Emile Devatine said no problem; they had been working overtime for these three months, with frames for two already made.
Fang Wen went with him to the production hangar to check; indeed, metal frames for two d.332 had taken shape.
Now there was another problem: flying d.332 back himself, how to bring back the Boeing 247 that had flown from Asia?
While thinking of solving potential domestic carrying capacity issues, Fang Wen discussed with Emile Devatine.
“My company has some small issues with airline carrying capacity.”
“What do you want?”
“Experienced pilots for Asia-Europe flights, and passenger aircraft with a range over 700 kilometers.”
“Pilots are easy. I got news that the government plans to merge five airline companies into Air France. Many duplicate flight paths will be canceled, and a batch of pilots has been dismissed. You can recruit them.”
Emile Devatine gave major good news.
Because of Air France’s establishment, Fang Wen had a chance to recruit experienced pilots.
These people could boost the Asia-Europe flight. Before Taishan Airlines’ free pilots were trained, the Asia-Europe flight could open early.
Fang Wen wanted to go to Paris immediately for recruitment.
But Emile Devatine wasn’t finished.
“For airplanes, I got news that might be useful to you: Japan’s Mitsubishi Company plans to purchase Junkers G.38 design blueprints.”
It seemed Emile Devatine knew about the war between Japan and China, hence the reminder.
Fang Wen expressed thanks and pondered the matter.
Junkers G.38 was the world’s largest passenger aircraft that Fang Wen had ridden in Germany.
Even a bit larger than f.220.
Back then, Fang Wen had asked the crew members if such an airplane was for sale, and they proudly said absolutely not for foreign sale.
But now, the design blueprints were to be sold to Mitsubishi Company.
What would Mitsubishi Company do with it?
Of course not produce passenger aircraft, but transform it into a strategic bomber.
（Junkers G.38）
（Japanese Army secret strategic bomber: Ki-20 also known as Type 92 heavy bomber）
But was such a strategic bomber useful?
Fang Wen, who had bombed the Japanese Army with f.220, had the most say.
He compared the Junkers G.38 data and envisioned what a strategic bomber made from such an aircraft would be like.
It would likely be a very heavy strategic bomber.
Speed wouldn’t be fast: just over 200 kilometers per hour.
Tare weight would definitely exceed 10 tons, even 15 tons.
Payload might be a bit higher than f.220, around 10 tons.
It seemed after being bombed in the Great Wall Campaign, the Japanese paid more attention to strategic bombers.
In Europe or the United States, they might not care about such a heavy heavy bomber.
But facing China’s weak air combat and air defense capabilities, this heavy bomber could likely cause huge casualties, leading to battle situation chaos.
Based on his own experience, Fang Wen judged that this heavy bomber would still be very threatening on the Chinese battlefield.
Though unsure if he could stop this transaction, Fang Wen wanted to try.
He bid farewell to Emile Devatine.
Fang Wen and Lin Shuiwang flew the Boeing 247 to Paris.
After landing in Paris, they immediately got busy.
First, notify the four in Paris: Cheng Dayou, Bai Zeshan, Gu Xingzuo, Dai Shimiao.
Gu Xingzuo and Dai Shimiao were waiting at relatives’ homes in Paris; once notified of the airplane’s return to base, they could board.
Fang Wen talked with Cheng Dayou and Bai Zeshan to understand their situations.
Cheng Dayou, studying at the aviation school, had completed his courses.
His two-plus months of study had mastered basic French communication and much aviation service knowledge, making him a good flight attendant management and education personnel for Asia-Europe flights.
As for Bai Zeshan studying at the French engineering school, Fang Wen felt two-plus months might not yield much knowledge, as radio technology wasn’t easy to fully master.
He suggested: “Bai Zeshan, you can stay in Paris. After the Asia-Europe route opens, you can return anytime on an Asia-Europe route airplane. The company can give you monthly training funds for study and living expenses.”
Bai Zeshan looked ashamed: “General Manager, in these two-plus months, besides studying, I have no results. Your logic circuit theory has seen no progress.”
Computer technology wasn’t that easy to research.
Fang Wen didn’t even think one person like Bai Zeshan could achieve it, as it was the result of many scientists gathered by the United States.
He just wanted to give a radio technology talent unrecorded in history a new life.
But seeing Bai Zeshan’s seriousness, he couldn’t help thinking of giving him a simpler task to reduce the pressure.
Thus, Fang Wen said: “You can’t do logic circuits alone; set it aside first. I have a new problem; see if you can solve it.”
“General Manager, tell me.”
“I want to know if there’s a way for me to hear distant sounds without any contact.”
He was asking about wireless eavesdropping issues, thinking it related to Bai Zeshan’s radio expertise.
On this problem, Bai Zeshan didn’t understand at first.
Under Fang Wen’s continued explanation, he understood.
Bai Zeshan really had ideas.
He analyzed: “General Manager, here’s my thought: isn’t this just a radio station? If we make only a radio sound wave conversion launch device, then use a receiving restoration device, we can achieve wireless eavesdropping function.”
Fang Wen was stunned; it seemed like a similar principle.
The problem was, a radio station host used a bunch of equipment for voice-to-electricity conversion and transmission. Could such equipment be hidden in the room to be eavesdropped?
