One reason most american troops (or americans in general) didnt understand what the nazis were about, is that the us rulers were downplaying the horrors. I read some about this in "in the garden of beasts". The diplomat was sending news to washington abt the unspeakable crimes going on, but washington didnt want to hear it. The us imperialists hoped hitler would destroy the Soviet Union.
Yes, indeed and this is a huge problem with the whole "global war against fascism" narrative that the CPUSA was so fond of. Yeah there were some US soldiers like CH George and US CP members thought of it that way, but the US masses outside such circles were not told they were fighting fascism, really. For US foreign policymakers, it was an inter-imperialist war from which they expected and strategized to emerge as the world system hegemon. Not getting this is a problem with the Oppenheimer movie. In William Shirer's epic Rise and Fall of the Third Reich and in his 1930s- and WWII memoir The Nightmare Years one reads chilling accounts of US refusal to process what Hitler was about. The US, French and British appeasement of Hitler --- who could have been easily crushed by the WWI allies as he broke Versailles rules in 1935-36 ---- was very much about anti-Marxism/anti-communism and the wish to see the Soviet Union weakened and even collapsed. The US concern for Russia's sustainable resistance in 1940-43 is about US recognition that Third Reich triumph on its main and eastern front would set Germany and not the US up as the (and a very different kind of) heir to Britain as the world's leading capitalist power. And of course Pearl Harbor, which gave FDR his pretext for entering WWII, was very much provoked by US imperial economic policies that were crippling the horrific Japanese regime.
Sure. "No shots will be fired, you can just slip those Prohibition era Great Lakes coast guard cutters right past Vichy warships with no problem, cuz nous sommes americain."
One reason most american troops (or americans in general) didnt understand what the nazis were about, is that the us rulers were downplaying the horrors. I read some about this in "in the garden of beasts". The diplomat was sending news to washington abt the unspeakable crimes going on, but washington didnt want to hear it. The us imperialists hoped hitler would destroy the Soviet Union.
Yes, indeed and this is a huge problem with the whole "global war against fascism" narrative that the CPUSA was so fond of. Yeah there were some US soldiers like CH George and US CP members thought of it that way, but the US masses outside such circles were not told they were fighting fascism, really. For US foreign policymakers, it was an inter-imperialist war from which they expected and strategized to emerge as the world system hegemon. Not getting this is a problem with the Oppenheimer movie. In William Shirer's epic Rise and Fall of the Third Reich and in his 1930s- and WWII memoir The Nightmare Years one reads chilling accounts of US refusal to process what Hitler was about. The US, French and British appeasement of Hitler --- who could have been easily crushed by the WWI allies as he broke Versailles rules in 1935-36 ---- was very much about anti-Marxism/anti-communism and the wish to see the Soviet Union weakened and even collapsed. The US concern for Russia's sustainable resistance in 1940-43 is about US recognition that Third Reich triumph on its main and eastern front would set Germany and not the US up as the (and a very different kind of) heir to Britain as the world's leading capitalist power. And of course Pearl Harbor, which gave FDR his pretext for entering WWII, was very much provoked by US imperial economic policies that were crippling the horrific Japanese regime.
Agreed!
https://www.amazon.com/Journey-Dachau-American-Soldiers-Odyssey/dp/053311845X
https://paulstreet.substack.com/p/when-connie-comes-marching-home-part-798
https://paulstreet.substack.com/p/when-connie-comes-marching-home-part
https://www.amazon.com/Englands-Last-War-Against-France-ebook/dp/B07B9SK74D/ref=sr_1_1?adgrpid=1341404755892538&hvadid=83838035981101&hvbmt=be&hvdev=c&hvlocint=4076&hvlocphy=48792&hvnetw=o&hvqmt=e&hvtargid=kwd-83838152180265%3Aloc-190&hydadcr=15334_13518528&keywords=england%27s+last+war+against+france&qid=1696344417&s=books&sr=1-1
And “We’re waist deep in the Big Muddy, the big fool says to push on”. Sadly
We have this macabre gene of instinctive barbarism. Most know how to surpress it but not our alpha leaders.
Cheers
Sure. "No shots will be fired, you can just slip those Prohibition era Great Lakes coast guard cutters right past Vichy warships with no problem, cuz nous sommes americain."