HITLER TELLS ALLIES IT IS HIS PEACE OR A FINISH FIGHT (9/20/39)

Microfiche-New York Times archives, McHenry Library, U.C. Santa Cruz | 9/20/39 | Otto D. Tolischus

[Homer_J_Simpson]

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[GeronL]

Over 80% of both parties did not want to go to war for Poland it seems. Less than half would want to go to war over France and UK.

That is some poll.

I wanna stay at the fabulous Hotel St. George!

[BroJoeK]

"All my life I grew up hearing how Republicans were the opposition to US entry into WWII.

"READ THE SURVEY RESULTS ON PAGE 4"

I am also surprised to see so little difference between Democrat and Republican VOTERS concerning issues of war & peace.

But amongst their leaderships, only the Republicans had an active non-Interventionist -- aka Isolationist -- wing, with two leading candidates in the 1940 election: Senators Taft of Ohio and Vandenberg of Michigan.

One wonders who were those non-Interventionist Democrat voters, and to whom did they look for leadership? Possibly they believed FDR's promises?

Here is some more interesting reporting on that 1940 election:

"Willkie was a fearless campaigner; he often visited industrial areas where Republicans were still blamed for causing the Great Depression and where FDR was highly popular. In these areas Willkie frequently had rotten fruit and produce thrown at him, and was heckled by crowds, yet was unfazed.

"Willkie also accused Roosevelt of leaving the nation unprepared for war, but Roosevelt preempted the military issue by expanding military contracts and establishing the lend-lease program to supply the British with badly-needed weapons and warships.

"Willkie then reversed his approach and charged Roosevelt with secretly planning to take the nation into World War II. The accusation did cut into Roosevelt's support; in response FDR, in a pledge that he would later regret, promised that he would:

"not send American boys into any foreign wars." "

[Homer_J_Simpson]

If you haven’t heard it already I recommend the Kaltenborn recording Cougar posted on the 9/22 thread. (Reply #14) Kaltenborn had interviewed Vandenberg and other senators earlier and was reporting on what they had said. Good stuff.

[BroJoeK]

nkycincinnatikid: "Against the wishes of both Republicans and Democrats shown in the poling results here, Rosevelts Lend -Lease, Arsenal of Democracy, convoying, etc had led by April of 1941 to an active naval war between us and Germany. The German declaration of war merely acknowledged reality."

mainepatsfan: "True. The US navy was for all practicable purposes already fighting the U-boats in the Atlantic."

I'd say, not really. Americans did not oppose helping the Brits, especially to the extent of selling them stuff. And Congress did not stop Roosevelt's actions. But Americans also did not want war with Germany. So, both Roosevelt and Republican non-interventionists promised they would:

"not send American boys into any foreign wars."

For his part, Hitler ordered U-boat commanders not to sink American ships -- no doubt in hopes of preventing the US becoming more directly involved.

Still, in 1941 a series of sinkings or incidents between German U-boats and US ships -- including the merchantman Robin Moore, destroyers USS Greer, Kearny and Reubin James -- caused Roosevelt to make firey speeches condemning Germany, but these never produced a public "war fever." Even as Americans grew angrier at Germany, they still did not want to go to war.

By December 1941, Hitler's reasons for declaring war on the US included supporting his Japanese allies, and his intention to unleash long-range U-boats on the US Atlantic coast shipping. Which he soon did, to great effect.