The next country to drop the "bomb" will be?

[catherine]

Just to let you know Catherine, there was no CIA until after WW2 had ended and the only thing close to it was called the OSA. The CIA was put together after WW2 and was considered a lot tougher. The OSA didn't have the mindset of what the CIA was to become, a hard core intel agency.

I learned the information about the young men going over the US Canadian border in an American history class, so if I am wrong I stand corrected!

As for your previous post above, I was refering to what would have happened if the USA wasn't around. If America hadn't been capable or strong enough, then Hitler would have been able to do as he pleased.

Of course America wanted nothing to do with the War in Europe. The war to end all wars which was what WW1 was called, BTW, was still fresh in America's mind and we were still dealing with the affects of the Great Depression. Most Americans wanted nothing to do with what they thought was Europe's problem and the feeling is simular to what some American's feel about the Middle East today. In fact very simular in some ways. You can't just put on blinders and forget about dangers that other countries are facing from terrorism. It's too easy to say it's their problem and let them deal with it.

Of course FDR knew we had to get involved but as I said before, Americans just didn't want to grasp how dire the sitution was. We were still in the thick of the Depression and oddly enough, it took WW2 to get us out of it. Just about every clear thinking person knows this fact. That reguardless of what some other countries think about America, when it comes time to do the heavy lifting, America is there for it's Allies. I always hear about the evil things America has done in it's past from the blame America crowd, but few of these types can deny that the world is better off with America as a super power, than say if Hitler or the cold war Soviet Union was in charge.

ITA

 

[Teejay32]

It was only in 1941 when the Germans started to attack British shipping to the US did the US declare a state of national emergency, and then it took the attack on Pearl Harbour to end US isolation. The US finally allied with Britain and Russia! So for several years the US knew what was happening with Germany, Hitler and the Third Reich and did absolutely nothing!

What year did Britain actually do something about Germany, Hitler, and the Third Reich, do you know?

 

[Planogirl]

The way the U.S. treated the native Americans and the fact that we had slaves are both big disgraces IMO. I don't see any way that anyone can think otherwise.

I suspect that most countries have black periods in their history though. I'm not justifying it by any means by this statement. I'm just trying to understand.

As for Hiroshima and Nagasaki, yes we spared a lot of our soldiers by killing a lot of Japanese. The part that troubles me is that I thought that our forces did all they could to keep from involving civilians. Dropping these bombs of course did involve the civilian population big time. Was it justified? Probably but it's still disturbing and I hope that it never happens again.

Finally, as for which nation will be the next to use a bomb, to hear some people's comments they hope that it is the U.S. I often hear people say that they hope that the bomb is used on Iran. Personally, I hope not.

 

[Teejay32]

What year did Britain actually do something about Germany, Hitler, and the Third Reich, do you know?

I guess not, so I'll tell you. It was 1940.

The Neutrality Act of 1939 actually cancelled out earlier arms embargos and instituted the "cash and carry" policy, supplying our friends while formally keeping us out of the conflict.

Roosevelt declared a state of emergency in September of 1940, after the Battle of Britain was on.

Later in 1940:

"Never before since Jamestown and Plymouth Rock has our American civilization been in such danger as now...

For, on September 27th, 1940, this year, by an agreement signed in Berlin, three powerful nations, two in Europe and one in Asia, joined themselves together in the threat that if the United States of America interfered with or blocked the expansion program of these three nations -- a program aimed at world control -- they would unite in ultimate action against the United States...

Democracy's fight against world conquest is being greatly aided, and must be more greatly aided, by the rearmament of the United States and by sending every ounce and every ton of munitions and supplies that we can possibly spare to help the defenders who are in the front lines. And it is no more unneutral for us to do that than it is for Sweden, Russia and other nations near Germany to send steel and ore and oil and other war materials into Germany every day in the week...

In a military sense Great Britain and the British Empire are today the spearhead of resistance to world conquest. And they are putting up a fight which will live forever in the story of human gallantry...

We must be the great arsenal of democracy. For us this is an emergency as serious as war itself. We must apply ourselves to our task with the same resolution, the same sense of urgency, the same spirit of patriotism and sacrifice as we would show were we at war...

We have furnished the British great material support and we will furnish far more in the future..."

Late 1940, early 1941, Britain ran out of funds. Congress passed the Lend-Lease Act by March, ending the need for any funds.

The attack on Pearl Harbor happened in December of 1941.

 

[catherine]

What year did Britain actually do something about Germany, Hitler, and the Third Reich, do you know?

The German/Polish crisis began in March 1939. Britain and France pledged to support the Poles. After lots of crisis talks between Germany and Britain re: Poland, the Germans finally invaded Poland on the 1st Sept 1939 and two days later Britain declared war on Germany.

 

[Teejay32]

...and?

 

[catherine]

...and?

Gee, I thought that I was answering your question, obviously you do not!

 

[Teejay32]

No, I don't. You took the trouble to write here that the US did nothing for several years, in comparison, and I just assumed you could back that up.

 

[catherine]

I don't know where you got your information from regarding Britain, but let me reiterate, Britain was at war with Germany in 1939! Many British lives had been lost by 1940! While the US was still neutral!

"14 October 1939,
The British Royal Navy battleship HMS Royal Oak sunk by the German U-boat U47 (Leutnant Prien), which has penetrated the hiding place of the English fleet in the bay of Scapa Flow (Scotland) at 1.23u, with 833 men on board."

I don't remember reading anything regarding WWII that states that the US entered the war before the attack on Pearl Harbour.

The United States Enters the War

"On 7 December 1941, while German armies were freezing before Moscow, Japan suddenly pushed the United States into the struggle by attacking the American naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Four days later Hitler declared war on the United States. President Roosevelt called on Congress for immediate and massive expansion of the armed forces. Twenty years of neglect and indifference, however, could not be overcome in a few days.
Helpless as American garrisons in the Pacific fell to the Japanese in the spring of 1942, military leaders in Washington worked feverishly to create a headquarters that could direct a distant war effort and to turn the fledgling ground and air units into viable, balanced fighting forces. In early 1942 the Joint Chiefs of Staff emerged as a committee of the nation's military leaders to advise the President and to coordinate strategy with the British. In March the War Department General Staff was reorganized and the Army divided into three major commands: the Air Forces, Ground Forces, and Service Forces. Thirty-seven Army divisions were in some state of training, but only one was fully trained, equipped, and deployable by January"

 

[Duckfan-in-Chicago]

I don't know where you got your information from regarding Britain, but let me reiterate, Britain was at war with Germany in 1939! Many British lives had been lost by 1940! While the US was still neutral!

"14 October 1939,
The British Royal Navy battleship HMS Royal Oak sunk by the German U-boat U47 (Leutnant Prien), which has penetrated the hiding place of the English fleet in the bay of Scapa Flow (Scotland) at 1.23u, with 833 men on board."

I don't remember reading anything regarding WWII that states that the US entered the war before the attack on Pearl Harbour.

The United States Enters the War

"On 7 December 1941, while German armies were freezing before Moscow, Japan suddenly pushed the United States into the struggle by attacking the American naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Four days later Hitler declared war on the United States. President Roosevelt called on Congress for immediate and massive expansion of the armed forces. Twenty years of neglect and indifference, however, could not be overcome in a few days.
Helpless as American garrisons in the Pacific fell to the Japanese in the spring of 1942, military leaders in Washington worked feverishly to create a headquarters that could direct a distant war effort and to turn the fledgling ground and air units into viable, balanced fighting forces. In early 1942 the Joint Chiefs of Staff emerged as a committee of the nation's military leaders to advise the President and to coordinate strategy with the British. In March the War Department General Staff was reorganized and the Army divided into three major commands: the Air Forces, Ground Forces, and Service Forces. Thirty-seven Army divisions were in some state of training, but only one was fully trained, equipped, and deployable by January"

Where was Britain in 1935 when Hitler passed the Nuremberg Laws stripping the Jews of their civil rights? Why didn't Britain declare war against Germany in 1938 when Germany moved into Czechoslovakia? What about after November, 1938 when '101 synagogues were destroyed and almost 7,500 Jewish businesses were destroyed. 26,000 Jews were arrested and sent to concentration camps, Jews were physically attacked and beaten and 91 died'? Britain and France had a pact with Poland so that if attacked they would declare war also, but with all of the stuff going on in Germany on 8/27/1939 right before the invasion of Poland, both Britain and France are trying to get Poland to negotiate with Germany.

ETA:And another few facts you might want to check, the US started a draft in 1940-the first time ever when this country was at 'peace' and over a year before Pearl Harbor and we were building up our Navy and Air Force. There were no 20 years of negelect before Pearl Harbor. We were getting ready, and FDR was doing everything he could.


FDR had to win reelection in Nov. 1940 despite a strong anti-war sentiment if he was to hope to guide this country into war.

Some people in this country who were anti-war:Charles A. Lindbergh,former president Herbert Hoover, Theodore Roosevelt Jr. Henry Ford and a number of senators and congressmen.

 

[catherine]

ETA:And another few facts you might want to check, the US started a draft in 1940-the first time ever when this country was at 'peace' and over a year before Pearl Harbor and we were building up our Navy and Air Force. There were no 20 years of negelect before Pearl Harbor. We were getting ready, and FDR was doing everything he could.[/QUOTE]

I don't need to check this fact I lrady know about this and I'm not disputing it. I don't know whether you've read the rest of this thread or not, but my original post was in response to this statement by another poster " I shudder to think what would have happened to the world if the USA hadn't been around when Hitler began his blood thirsty quest of world domination." As far as the statement about 20 years of neglect this comes from a brochure that was prepared at the U.S. Army Center of Military History. In fact the introduction is written by MPV Stone the secretary of the army.

Anyhow I have said what I have to say, so I'm outta here!

 

[Teejay32]

I don't care who he was, or what they teach these days in the UK. The statement that we were "suddenly pushed into the struggle" in 1941 by Japan is demonstrably false, as it completely ignores the vital partnership between Britain and the US existent in 1940. Officially we were neutral; unofficially we were in a state of war with everything but ground troops. Declaring war is a formality.

It's true that we weren't around when Hitler began his conquests, but hardly anyone was.

 

[catherine]

I don't care who he was, or what they teach these days in the UK. The statement that we were "suddenly pushed into the struggle" in 1941 by Japan is demonstrably false, as it completely ignores the vital partnership between Britain and the US existent in 1940. Officially we were neutral; unofficially we were in a state of war with everything but ground troops. Declaring war is a formality.

It's true that we weren't around when Hitler began his conquests, but hardly anyone was.

I know that I said that I was done with this thread, but I just needed to put one thing straight. I did NOT learn this stuff in the UK I learned in American history college classes that I took when I lived in CA!

Now I'm done!

 

[Teejay32]

I learned in American history college classes that I took when I lived in CA!

Oh, well. That figures.