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To: BroJoeK
Where in any of these many articles is the President of the United States mentioned, either directly or indirectly? No quotes, no reports on what the US government has said or done.

Good observation. I can only surmise that back in 1939, the United States was not seen as the "world superpower" that it is today. To most of Europe at that time, the United States might as well have been Australia - some remote outpost on the other side of the world. In other words, what the United States government thought of European affairs was irrelevant.

Even though war was about to break out all over Europe back in 1939, the United States was still two full years away from being directly involved in the war.

That said, this series of posts by Homer has been fascinating. I look forward to reading these narratives over the next six years as the United States is slowly dragged into the war and is thus transformed from a backwater nation (emerging from the Great Depression) into the world's premier superpower.

Also, March 15, 1939 is probably the pivotal event that would lead to Nazi Germany's eventual downfall. With the shameless rape of Czechoslovakia, Hitler overreached, and while it wasn't evident at the time, events were irrevocably set in motion that would lead to his utter defeat six years later.

8 posted on 03/15/2009 9:02:16 AM PDT by SamAdams76 (I am 60 days from outliving Andre the Giant)
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To: SamAdams76
"To most of Europe at that time, the United States might as well have been Australia - some remote outpost on the other side of the world. In other words, what the United States government thought of European affairs was irrelevant."

I fully understand your point, but remember, this is the NEW YORK Times, most of whose readers were presumably Americans. Wouldn't you suppose that most Americans were curious to know what their government said and did about these events?

Answer: apparently not. And perhaps that's as good a measure as any of the depth of American isolationism at the time.

For what it's worth, my opinion: Hitler calculated that Germany could eventually defeat the combined forces of France, Britain and even Stalin's Russia. And he would have been right, but he completely discounted the isolationist Americans, and that proved his fatal mistake. Meanwhile, estimates say somewhere between 35 million and 50 million died as a result of his war in Europe.

11 posted on 03/15/2009 3:17:59 PM PDT by BroJoeK (a little historical perspective...)
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