"Sir, the Serbs are making hostile remarks, accusing us of building an army to attack them."
"Preposterous, what would we want to build an army for? We are and have ever been peaceful."
"Yes, sir I realize that, but it seems the Serbs are being excessively paranoid."
"Pssh, its not paranoia, they know as well as you do that we have no interest in war. They are not paranoid fools, they are doing this quite deliberatly."
"What for?"
"They are trying to squeeze us to get our navigational charts of New England. They are attempting to colonize this new world but lack skilled sea captains like Leif Erickson and John Cabot. Since we are not going to give away information about the new world, they are trying to threaten us for them."
"How can you be so sure, sir?"
"When you have been around as long as I have, you learn to read people, you learn politics and how the world works. They are trying to manipulate us, and world opinion to get access to our sea charts. This is not an honorable way for friends to behave toward each other. Send them an open letter again pledging friendship with Serbia, but stress our need to keep our maps a secret. If they are true friends, they will understand."
"Yes sir."
"Preposterous, what would we want to build an army for? We are and have ever been peaceful."
"Yes, sir I realize that, but it seems the Serbs are being excessively paranoid."
"Pssh, its not paranoia, they know as well as you do that we have no interest in war. They are not paranoid fools, they are doing this quite deliberatly."
"What for?"
"They are trying to squeeze us to get our navigational charts of New England. They are attempting to colonize this new world but lack skilled sea captains like Leif Erickson and John Cabot. Since we are not going to give away information about the new world, they are trying to threaten us for them."
"How can you be so sure, sir?"
"When you have been around as long as I have, you learn to read people, you learn politics and how the world works. They are trying to manipulate us, and world opinion to get access to our sea charts. This is not an honorable way for friends to behave toward each other. Send them an open letter again pledging friendship with Serbia, but stress our need to keep our maps a secret. If they are true friends, they will understand."
"Yes sir."
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