[Culturechat] "What has Iraq done to me?" & A Bit of History
WesTexas@aol.com
WesTexas@aol.com
Sat, 1 Feb 2003 09:35:06 EST
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Susan Sarandon appeared in TV ads a few days ago asking the following
rhetorical question: "what has Iraq done to me?"
One could have easily made the same point in the Thirties regarding
Hitler--and numerous Americans, from Charles Lindbergh to Joseph Kennedy,
made exactly that point.
In fact, Joseph Kennedy, the American Ambassador to Great Britain, was
described--by the Germans--as "Germany's best friend in London." Joseph
Kennedy was basically working on behalf of the Nazis to defeat FDR in the
1940 elections--when the US was Great Britain's only hope. It is also
rather interesting that Joseph Kennedy's youngest son--Edward Kennedy--is
actively opposing President Bush in regard to Iraq. It is an interesting
historical footnote that father and son--Joseph and Edward--actively opposed
actions against virulently anti-Semitic totalitarian dictators--Hitler and
Hussein respectively. Among their other goals, Hitler and Hussein were and
are committed to the extermination of the Jewish people.
(I should point out that Joseph Kennedy, Jr., while also an admirer of Hitler
in the Thirties, was killed in action while serving in the Army Air Force in
WWII).
Following is a fascinating excerpt from the FDR Library of a 1940 newspaper
column.
--J. Brown
The Way of the War- (continued from page 139)
Hitler, the great dictator of Europe, finds it necessary to go on tour; to
visit Paris and to request a conversation with M. Laval. Even more
remarkable, perhaps, he makes the long journey to the Spanish frontier in
order to meet General Franco. General Franco has always admired Germany as a
military machine. Yet it is hard to escape the conclusion that Hitler
requested the meeting because of his own urgent necessity. It will not be
surprising to find that the main object was to present to the world a picture
of Europe well able to settle down happily under the new Nazi-Fascist Order
that only selfish Britain bars the path; that the United States will be
prolonging bloodshed if they continue to back Britain; and a vote for
Roosevelt is a vote for continued misery in Europe.
Mr. Kennedy and the President
All this by-play becomes more easily understandable when we know that Mr.
Kennedy made up his mind some time ago to "get even" with Mr. Roosevelt. The
ambassador feels that the State Department and the White House have slighted
him. Instead of accepting without question Mr. Kennedy's reports on the way
of the war Mr. Roosevelt has thought it prudent to send independent
investigators to London. One of the most important was Colonel "Bill"
Donovan, of whom I wrote in these notes at the time. Whereas Mr. Kennedy's
reports had been blankly pessimistic about Britain's chances, Colonel Donovan
thought we were "doing fine." Unfortunately, it now appears that Mr. Kennedy
feels so keenly on the subject that he has insisted on returning to the
States in time to cast his weight into the scales of the election against Mr.
Roosevelt. Before he left England he had drafted the newspaper articles
whereby he will justify this step and seek to secure Mr. Roosevelt's defeat.
On the day Mr. Kennedy left England a shrewd old judge of American
electioneering said the betting had now shortened to even money in the race
for the Presidency. Can Mr. Roosevelt, with his keen political sense and
admirable radio personality stop the rot that has obviously set in? Can
Germany pull another trick at the last minute to make his fight more
difficult? If Hitler can do so he will; and it looks as though it would be a
"peace in Europe if only selfish Britain would stop" move. We shall know the
answers to these questions almost at once.
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<HTML><FONT FACE=arial,helvetica><FONT SIZE=2 FAMILY="SERIF" FACE="TIMES NEW ROMAN" LANG="0">Susan Sarandon appeared in TV ads a few days ago asking the following rhetorical question: "what has Iraq done to me?" <BR>
<BR>
One could have easily made the same point in the Thirties regarding Hitler--and numerous Americans, from Charles Lindbergh to Joseph Kennedy, made exactly that point. <BR>
<BR>
In fact, Joseph Kennedy, the American Ambassador to Great Britain, was described--by the Germans--as "Germany's best friend in London." Joseph Kennedy was basically working on behalf of the Nazis to defeat FDR in the 1940 elections--when the US was Great Britain's only hope. It is also rather interesting that Joseph Kennedy's youngest son--Edward Kennedy--is actively opposing President Bush in regard to Iraq. It is an interesting historical footnote that father and son--Joseph and Edward--actively opposed actions against virulently anti-Semitic totalitarian dictators--Hitler and Hussein respectively. Among their other goals, Hitler and Hussein were and are committed to the extermination of the Jewish people. <BR>
<BR>
(I should point out that Joseph Kennedy, Jr., while also an admirer of Hitler in the Thirties, was killed in action while serving in the Army Air Force in WWII). <BR>
</FONT><FONT COLOR="#000000" style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff" SIZE=2 FAMILY="SANSSERIF" FACE="Arial" LANG="0"><BR>
</FONT><FONT COLOR="#000000" style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff" SIZE=2 FAMILY="SERIF" FACE="TIMES NEW ROMAN" LANG="0">Following is a fascinating excerpt from the FDR Library of a 1940 newspaper column. <BR>
--J. Brown<BR>
</FONT><FONT COLOR="#000000" style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff" SIZE=2 FAMILY="SANSSERIF" FACE="Arial" LANG="0"><BR>
The Way of the War- (continued from page 139) <BR>
Hitler, the great dictator of Europe, finds it necessary to go on tour; to visit Paris and to request a conversation with M. Laval. Even more remarkable, perhaps, he makes the long journey to the Spanish frontier in order to meet General Franco. General Franco has always admired Germany as a military machine. Yet it is hard to escape the conclusion that Hitler requested the meeting because of his own urgent necessity. It will not be surprising to find that the main object was to present to the world a picture of Europe well able to settle down happily under the new Nazi-Fascist Order that only selfish Britain bars the path; that the United States will be prolonging bloodshed if they continue to back Britain; and a vote for Roosevelt is a vote for continued misery in Europe.<BR>
<BR>
Mr. Kennedy and the President<BR>
All this by-play becomes more easily understandable when we know that Mr. Kennedy made up his mind some time ago to "get even" with Mr. Roosevelt. The ambassador feels that the State Department and the White House have slighted him. Instead of accepting without question Mr. Kennedy's reports on the way of the war Mr. Roosevelt has thought it prudent to send independent investigators to London. One of the most important was Colonel "Bill" Donovan, of whom I wrote in these notes at the time. Whereas Mr. Kennedy's reports had been blankly pessimistic about Britain's chances, Colonel Donovan thought we were "doing fine." Unfortunately, it now appears that Mr. Kennedy feels so keenly on the subject that he has insisted on returning to the States in time to cast his weight into the scales of the election against Mr. Roosevelt. Before he left England he had drafted the newspaper articles whereby he will justify this step and seek to secure Mr. Roosevelt's defeat.<BR>
<BR>
On the day Mr. Kennedy left England a shrewd old judge of American electioneering said the betting had now shortened to even money in the race for the Presidency. Can Mr. Roosevelt, with his keen political sense and admirable radio personality stop the rot that has obviously set in? Can Germany pull another trick at the last minute to make his fight more difficult? If Hitler can do so he will; and it looks as though it would be a "peace in Europe if only selfish Britain would stop" move. We shall know the answers to these questions almost at once. <BR>
<BR>
<BR>
<BR>
<BR>
</FONT></HTML>
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