9/11 conspiracy theories and who killed JFK pale in comparison to the Mother of all Conspiracy Theories: Did the US (or England) have advance knowledge of the attack?
Churchill was desperate for the US to enter the war in Europe. It does make for an interesting theory that perhaps Great Britain did know of the attack and failed to warn the Americans in hopes of drawing us into the war.
That's a good question, motorhead. Roosevelt definitely wanted in the war, and it is strange how the US had all the Japanese code broken except for this convenient little stretch that allowed the Pearl Harbor attack. Roosevelt's embargo on Japan was definitely provocative as well.
Moto-During my Confirmation, we would help out at the VFW. We did that for a year. Now, I don't help out every December 7th. I was mocking someone in good jest.
I donated my 72' Dodge Dart to the VFW last year. When the Moving Wall came to Fontana,CA, I helped find names on the wall . It was a mournful experience, to say the least.
Here's a funny Familia Slick story-My Uncle Carlos fought in the Pacific Theater. When he enlisted, he wasn't a citizen yet. One day, while watching Scarface for the umpteenth time, my Uncle Carlos blurted out, "Fuck Tony Montana and him killing one commie for a green card. You know how many Japs I had to kill to become a Citizen?" My cousins and I died from laughter.
Just finished watching "From Here to Eternity," a movie, from the novel, that shows how the attack at Pearl Harbor pushed everything else aside. All of of the personal dramas before the attack became insignificant when faced with defending the country.
Some younger folks might not realize that US Troops were segregated in World World II. There were black units and white units. I've read that "light skinned" Hispanics were assigned to the white units but sometimes "darker skinned" Hispanics were assigned to the black units.
A most uneviable job for the guy making that decision.
Yep. They fought in Italy. The most decorated outfit in the army - and the highest casualty rate.
They felt that they were as much Americans as any other group. Our treatment of Japanese-Americans was just despicable. I hope we have learned to be better.
Have we? When I look at the posturing in Congress right now, I truly wonder how hard it would be to tip us back into, well, some new abyss, with some new group as the target. Plus, the tools (ie - closed circuit TV cameras) that can be used to spy on us wherever we go, or more and more powerful computers monitoring our cell phone combos are pretty scary. Do we need these things? Sure, and they have prevented a lot of terrorist plots. However, it would only take a minor readjustment of priorities to bring about Orwell's 1984 nightmare.
People are no less fallible now than they were in the 1950s (Joe McCarthy), or WWii, or the war to end all wars, or our own very un-Civil War. Our means of making war have vastly "improved" and entire populations are targeted.
I work in the defense industry, and I don't think I would trust many countries with that power. If a nation has the hubris to think that they have achieved enlightenment, they are headed for a fall.
Eternal vigilance IS the price of freedom, and that vigililance does not apply only to our enemies but to each and every one of us.
@ motorhead. I have never heard of that suggestion/theory that GB knew of the impending attack and did not let the U.S. know. Quite frankly I think that sort of suggestion has no foundation whatsoever and is shameful. The probity of British politics during 1939-1945 is a world away from the GB politics of today.
As long as I have breath in my body I will always remember, be grateful for, and never forget the sacrifices by the U.S. in their help in freeing Europe and the rest of the world of tyranny.
This is how TheTard trolls. He makes a statement of his opinion to which he gets three responses. One stating the opinion that it may not be the most important day in the history of this country, another expanding on Tard's thought, and still another, from Slick, stating a philosophical opinion that he lives in the day. Then we have the Attack of the NerdTurd in which he makes a judgement call about Slick. If that isn't trolling I don't know what is.
Here in the USA, Pearl Harbor conspiracy theories have been around for a very long time. I didn't realize they were lesser known in GB. The more common theory was that the US had advance knowledge of the attack but did nothing. Most feel that President Roosevelt wanted badly to enter the war in Europe but most Americans, had an isolationist viewpoint after World War I, and were still feeling the effects from The Great Depression, so had no desire for another war. Roosevelt felt the only way for Americans to rally behind a war effort was if we were provoked - though presumably it would have been Germany.
The other theory, less common, was the one I stated earlier. Probably the most famous book on the idea is "Pearl Harbor: How Churchill Lured Roosevelt Into World War II," which was published in the United States in the 1980's I believe. It was co-authored by James Rusbridger and Eric Nave. Nave was an Australian cryptographer in the Royal Nave that had broken the Jspanese Naval codes.
Both of theories have been debunked by most serious historians. And I didn't mean to imply I believed either one. But it sells books and make interesting speculation. I didn't mean to offend anyone, I was just pointing out, that these theories are rather famous in the US and numerous television documentaries have talked about them.
SlicSpic--It was the 442 Batallion, nicknamed "Go For Broke," made up of Japanese-Americans. The late Senator Daniel Inohoue (sp?) from Hawaii was a member. He lost one arm in combat, serving this country while he had relatives in internment camps in California.
I used to play a game called Axis And Allies a lot at one time. I do believe the war could have gone either way.
I was thinking in another 10 to twenty years or so after all the WWII vets die off, I'm wondering if the day will even be mentioned on the national news. That would be a sad turn of events.
I don't think there is anyway that the war in the Pacific could have gone to Japan. I used to think that the war in Europe was a certainty for the Allies once Hitler invaded Russia. Now I'm starting to think it might have been possible for Germany to win here, but not sure.
What I am thinking is that if, in 1941, Finland had been more dedicated to taking Leningrad and the Germans had also focused on Moscow, it's possible that Russia would have lost both Leningrad and Moscow. With the loss of both I think they definitely would have had to sue for peace. (Another possibility is having Japan act in the East. It was only when Russia learned this would not happen that it felt free to free up Siberian troops to help with the defense of Moscow.)
It would then be Germany versus Britain, but, in this hypothetical, Germany would gain economic resources from Russia. Now it gets a bit dicey, could Germany focus on U-boats, air-power (remember German got jets first) especially via jets and V series rockets to knock Britain out before the US and Britain could develop an atomic bomb? Would Hitler even have been in a rush to do so? (Seeming to have a fondness for Britain to begin with.)
Even then, if Britain is taken out, once the US enters the war, is protected by the oceans on either it's just a matter of time before they win the race for the bomb, and their much strong economy is eventually enough to recapture Europe.
Bottom line - hard to see German and Japan knock out all three of Russia, Britain, and, especially, the US.
Interesting what ifs Doug. Of course Adolph "one huge blunder after another" Hitler is the reason the Nazis lost all of their advantages. Besides, we had the bomb. With or without any help we would have nuked Germany into submission. And we should have dropped a few on Stalin to stop his land grab.
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Yamamoto understood the breadth of our industries and knew that despite the early success there was no knockout punch delivered.
Churchill was desperate for the US to enter the war in Europe. It does make for an interesting theory that perhaps Great Britain did know of the attack and failed to warn the Americans in hopes of drawing us into the war.
I donated my 72' Dodge Dart to the VFW last year. When the Moving Wall came to Fontana,CA, I helped find names on the wall . It was a mournful experience, to say the least.
Some younger folks might not realize that US Troops were segregated in World World II. There were black units and white units. I've read that "light skinned" Hispanics were assigned to the white units but sometimes "darker skinned" Hispanics were assigned to the black units.
A most uneviable job for the guy making that decision.
They felt that they were as much Americans as any other group. Our treatment of Japanese-Americans was just despicable. I hope we have learned to be better.
People are no less fallible now than they were in the 1950s (Joe McCarthy), or WWii, or the war to end all wars, or our own very un-Civil War. Our means of making war have vastly "improved" and entire populations are targeted.
I work in the defense industry, and I don't think I would trust many countries with that power. If a nation has the hubris to think that they have achieved enlightenment, they are headed for a fall.
Eternal vigilance IS the price of freedom, and that vigililance does not apply only to our enemies but to each and every one of us.
Sorry about hogging the soapbox here!
As long as I have breath in my body I will always remember, be grateful for, and never forget the sacrifices by the U.S. in their help in freeing Europe and the rest of the world of tyranny.
Here in the USA, Pearl Harbor conspiracy theories have been around for a very long time. I didn't realize they were lesser known in GB. The more common theory was that the US had advance knowledge of the attack but did nothing. Most feel that President Roosevelt wanted badly to enter the war in Europe but most Americans, had an isolationist viewpoint after World War I, and were still feeling the effects from The Great Depression, so had no desire for another war. Roosevelt felt the only way for Americans to rally behind a war effort was if we were provoked - though presumably it would have been Germany.
The other theory, less common, was the one I stated earlier. Probably the most famous book on the idea is "Pearl Harbor: How Churchill Lured Roosevelt Into World War II," which was published in the United States in the 1980's I believe. It was co-authored by James Rusbridger and Eric Nave. Nave was an Australian cryptographer in the Royal Nave that had broken the Jspanese Naval codes.
Both of theories have been debunked by most serious historians. And I didn't mean to imply I believed either one. But it sells books and make interesting speculation. I didn't mean to offend anyone, I was just pointing out, that these theories are rather famous in the US and numerous television documentaries have talked about them.
I was thinking in another 10 to twenty years or so after all the WWII vets die off, I'm wondering if the day will even be mentioned on the national news. That would be a sad turn of events.
What I am thinking is that if, in 1941, Finland had been more dedicated to taking Leningrad and the Germans had also focused on Moscow, it's possible that Russia would have lost both Leningrad and Moscow. With the loss of both I think they definitely would have had to sue for peace. (Another possibility is having Japan act in the East. It was only when Russia learned this would not happen that it felt free to free up Siberian troops to help with the defense of Moscow.)
It would then be Germany versus Britain, but, in this hypothetical, Germany would gain economic resources from Russia. Now it gets a bit dicey, could Germany focus on U-boats, air-power (remember German got jets first) especially via jets and V series rockets to knock Britain out before the US and Britain could develop an atomic bomb? Would Hitler even have been in a rush to do so? (Seeming to have a fondness for Britain to begin with.)
Even then, if Britain is taken out, once the US enters the war, is protected by the oceans on either it's just a matter of time before they win the race for the bomb, and their much strong economy is eventually enough to recapture Europe.
Bottom line - hard to see German and Japan knock out all three of Russia, Britain, and, especially, the US.