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was the US 'isolationist' or 'interventionist' prior to Dec. 7th, 1941?

Discussion in 'Information Requests' started by Mojobanungo, Aug 31, 2010.

  1. urqh

    urqh Tea drinking surrender monkey

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    You should also incude in your dissitation the thoughts of European leaders and to a lesser extent peoples on what they thought..I.E were they thinking the USA was isolationist and how did that affect their own planning.

    Churchill would be an obvious place to start but not the only place.
     
  2. Victor Gomez

    Victor Gomez Ace

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    Since you bring up reasons......it also means you must become aware of our "Manifest Destiny" phase by which our own borders were expanded....as these are a part of the root by which we were "interventionists" as well. Close scrutiny of Manifest Destiny may show we still have faults we could stand to improve upon as we never seem to get it perfect....when to intervene and when not to. These things lead to textbook size subject matter for study.
     
  3. phylo_roadking

    phylo_roadking Member

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    OP, I'm suprised noone has directed you to the old favourite on American defence policy abroad and how it was effected through the September 1939-December 1941 period -

    GUARDING THE UNITED STATES AND ITS OUTPOSTS
    by Stetson Conn, Rose C. Engelman and Byron Fairchild

    Guarding the United States and Its Outposts
     
  4. Carronade

    Carronade Ace

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    The navy was quite protective of its role in defending the oceans

    Indeed it was, and the air corps was determined to expand its role and create rationales for development of large, long-range aircraft. Airpower advocates like Mitchell and Seversky believed that land-based bombers were the way to defeat hostile navies. The famous interception of the Rex by B-17s illustrates both sides; the aviators claimed that meeting the liner on its scheduled passenger run proved they could find and attack potential invaders, but the incident resulted in the Air Corps being restricted to operating no more than 100 miles from our coastline.
     
  5. OpanaPointer

    OpanaPointer I Point at Opana Staff Member WW2|ORG Editor

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    Note the dates:

    Interviewing Date 10/9-14/41
    Survey #250-K Question #4
    Should the Neutrality Act be changed to permit American ships to be armed?
    Yes................................ 72%
    No................................ 21
    No opinion......................... 7


    Interviewing Date 10/24-29/41 Survey #251-K Question #4

    Should the Neutrality Act be changed to permit American merchant ships to be armed?
    Yes................................ 81%
    No................................ 14
    No opinion......................... 5
     
  6. Ken The Kanuck

    Ken The Kanuck Member

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    Pretty complex question and I doubt that a simple answer can be found. The US is a large and diverse country, I suspect that the German American population in the large eastern centres would not of wanted America to enter the war against the Axis, where in the west racism would of made going to war against Japan much more acceptable wheter or not Japan attacked Pearl Harbour. I know that here on the west coast of Canada the Japanese were basically robbed.

    The politicians probably knew that war with the Axis was inevitable but being politicians they wanted votes, hence were not really a good indicator. I don't know how the south felt but suspect that they viewed the whole thing as a Yankee problem.

    In general I doubt that any thinking person wanted another war after the horror of WWI but the Nazis and the Axis really didn't leave freedom loving nation a choice.

    KTK
     
  7. OpanaPointer

    OpanaPointer I Point at Opana Staff Member WW2|ORG Editor

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    This is as good an answer as we'll get, I think.

    SEPTEMBER 22
    NEUTRALITY
    Interviewing Date 8/21-26/41
    Survey #245-K Question #11b
    If Lindbergh, Wheeler, Nye, and others start a "Keep-Out-of-War" party and enter candidates in the next congressional elections, would you vote for the candidate of this party?
    Yes................................ 16%
    No................................ 84
     
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  8. urqh

    urqh Tea drinking surrender monkey

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    In general I doubt that any thinking person wanted another war after the horror of WWI but the Nazis and the Axis really didn't leave freedom loving nation a choice.

    About sums it up. And then look at South Africa and their quandary....
     
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  9. OpanaPointer

    OpanaPointer I Point at Opana Staff Member WW2|ORG Editor

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    That's the part that gets missed, dissed or dismissed in the pro-isolationist propaganda. The Anti-War Movement(tm) in the '60s and '70s did their best to make war a dirty thing under any circumstances, regardless of the situation. Wayne Cole's drum beating helped that by making it seem that "If they had only listened to us, the war would never have been fought!" This concept, of course, requires that most of the world situation be ignored. Luckily for the proponents, they were already pretty good at this.
     
  10. urqh

    urqh Tea drinking surrender monkey

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    I'd love to claim the quote mate but its in the post above by Ken not me..I just pinched it to agree with...
     
  11. OpanaPointer

    OpanaPointer I Point at Opana Staff Member WW2|ORG Editor

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    Curses, foiled again.
     
  12. Ken The Kanuck

    Ken The Kanuck Member

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    That's OK you still owe med for a smart ass crack I made a year or so ago. Now we are even.:D

    KTK
     

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