Peril in the East (Letters to NYT-3/19/39)

Microfiche-New York Times archives, McHenry Library, U.C. Santa Cruz | 3/19/39

[Homer_J_Simpson]

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[Homer_J_Simpson]

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[Homer_J_Simpson]

Ping.

[PGR88]

Congratulations to Charles Whiting Baker of Montclaire NJ for calling the correct situation 2 and a half years before it occurred.

[Huck]

Indeed. I googled him and found this:

http://books.google.com/books?id=vVQDAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA28&lpg=PA28&dq=Charles+Whiting+Baker++montclair&source=bl&ots=OXVIUrOIHZ&sig=08sN0QxMJLaq7DC94iIypJELO7c&hl=en&ei=MEDCSYqGM-OLtgfG7MjdCg&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=5&ct=result#PPA28,M1

[PGR88]

Interesting! seems he had no direct experience with Japan, but mastery of engineering, knowledge of “modern” manufacturing, and common sense provided all the insight he needed.

[Huck]

Good, clear thinker, that one. And also civicly minded. He was interested and involved in his community. Love these threads. Interesting to peek into the past.

[Homer_J_Simpson]

Good thinking. It didn’t occur to me to google his name.

[BroJoeK]

We should note here that nothing has really changed lately (1939) regarding Japan & Asia -- the situation there in 1939 was pretty much the same as it has been for many years.

By contrast, the situation in Europe was changing with surprising rapidity.

And yet Americans like this letter-writer from New Jersey clearly perceive a threat from Japan, but none yet from Europe. And so it will be, all the way to 12/7/1941, when only Hitler's declaration of war on the US forced Americans to take our eyes off the Japanese threat, and focus most attention on the even larger menace in Europe.