america joined the war for other reasons than to promote freedom
Reader comment on: War Games

Submitted by B Eluma, Mar 15, 2008 08:03

america was compelled to join ww2 on the side of the allies only after japan attacked pearl harbor. it was not concerned to save freedom or quell the nazis' final solution of the jews, and the fighting in europe had been hot for more than 2 years or thereabout before roosevelt mobilized his forces. one of the factoids of ww2 history is that america saved the world. but the truth is that america, in its splendid isolation, was willing to let europe and the rest of the world burn. in a perverse sense then, the japanese did us all a lot of good by sending their kamikaze to wake the slumberous conscience of uncle sam who, from all indications, would have easily joined the axis powers, had they been victorious, in a conference on how to divide realms of influence.

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Other reader comments on this article

Comment	By	Date
Thank you for exposing Baker and his dangerous book. As I read your review, I kept thinking about Jonah Goldberg's... [MORE]	Paul Cruce	Mar 25, 2008 10:32
Surely there is a case to be made against Nicholson Baker's "Human Smoke," but Adam Kirsch has not made it... [MORE]	Max Greene	Mar 18, 2008 11:21
↔ Max Greene comments that since Baker defines Goebbels as an "anti-intellectual monster" he doesn't rehabilitate Goebbels character by using him... [MORE]	William Maron	Mar 25, 2008 10:00
↔ ↔ The reviewer makes it quite clear why this is a terrible book. He points out how the author has not... [MORE]	MClark	Mar 25, 2008 13:43
↔ ↔ Unfortunately, this viewpoint is all too common in history departments at colleges throughout the country. The influence of Chomsky and... [MORE]	NJB	Mar 17, 2008 18:10
↔ ↔ So often history is updated to serve a current trend or philosophy. People like Nicholson Baker seem to lack... [MORE]	Roger Strong	Mar 17, 2008 03:14
↔ ↔ Thank God there are people as sane, informed, and articulate as Adam Kirsch to put a damper on run-amoks like... [MORE]	Bill Parker	Mar 15, 2008 20:38
↔ ↔ america was compelled to join ww2 on the side of the allies only after japan attacked pearl harbor. it was...	B Eluma	Mar 15, 2008 08:03
↔ ↔ This revisionist history of WW2 is seriouse. Noam Chomsky named once a pacifist from WW2 as his hero. And he... [MORE]	Yosifon	Mar 15, 2008 02:11
↔ ↔ I thank the writer for the excellent review. I lambasted the Los Angeles Times in a letter for an inexcusable... [MORE]	Jonathan Eddison	Mar 14, 2008 21:33
↔ ↔ I know something about WW II and I take Human Smoke seriously . I am certain that I will not... [MORE]	Robert Birnbaum	Mar 14, 2008 10:21
↔ ↔ I applaud the author's debunking of Human Smoke. Nicholson Baker seems to have a poor grasp of history in that... [MORE]	Ken Dobler	Mar 14, 2008 08:43
↔ ↔ Sustainable peace is one of those ideals history has failed to deliver. War is a constant and regular feature of... [MORE]	Robert Landbeck	Mar 13, 2008 14:41
↔ ↔ 'Smoke' appears to be a shameless shower of venality. Sensationalism at all costs and The L.A. Times is interested only in... [MORE]	Patrick	Mar 13, 2008 13:44
↔ ↔ An excellent review: Mr. Kirsch has put trash in its proper place. The notion, however, that Allied bombing of Germany... [MORE]	Aaron Krishtalka	Mar 13, 2008 13:00
↔ ↔ ↔ Aaron, I think you're right about the importance of the strategic bombing campaign for destroying the Luftwaffe. In that sense,... [MORE]	Kent G. Budge	Mar 20, 2008 15:08
↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ >> I can't say I know the answer, though I wonder if directed attacks against the fuel infrastructure wouldn't have... [MORE]	Noisesome	Mar 25, 2008 09:55
↔ ↔ ↔ ↔	Michael Anderson	Mar 13, 2008 12:17
↔ ↔ ↔ ↔	Gray Rinehart	Mar 13, 2008 09:07
↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ What has happened to publishing? Books about the Nazis as well-meaning chaps; books about China sailing to America in the 15th... [MORE]	Scott Oxon	Mar 13, 2008 07:29
↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ Was you there? I have vivid memories of being thrown into the air raid shelter, of ducking behind gravestones to... [MORE]	Alan Lea	Mar 13, 2008 03:09
↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ This kind of 'book' - a mere sensationalist assemblage of disconnected oddments - can only appeal to those with no... [MORE]	Paul Perry	Mar 13, 2008 01:07
↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ My father volunteered for Army Service at the start of WWII. He served in all five European campaigns. Two bronze... [MORE]	Vance	Mar 13, 2008 13:14
↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔	gilbo	Mar 14, 2008 18:36
↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔	shriber	Mar 12, 2008 23:48
↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ The term "good war" was popularized by Chicago author Studs Terkel in his volume of that name, I believe. Of course,... [MORE]	Larry	Mar 13, 2008 01:29
↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔	tony o'brien	Mar 13, 2008 05:40
↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔	Russ Thayer	Mar 13, 2008 08:57
↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔	andrew	Mar 12, 2008 11:12
↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ I have just begun reading this book but I can already see that you have missed an important point in... [MORE]	rhbee	Mar 12, 2008 10:36
↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ Your review points out one of the fundamental problems, growing over the last 30 years or so, namely, that in... [MORE]	Brian Switzer	Mar 13, 2008 08:52
↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ "stories, quotes and dates" are useless without context. I could quote the president of Iran's assertion that there is not... [MORE]	MEB	Mar 13, 2008 11:57
↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ this one have only read the review. If you're are really going to question the value of someone's work then... [MORE]	rhbee	Mar 13, 2008 21:09