"After the merciless cleansing of the east will come the western phase that must end in the defeat of France and England either by military or by political means."
Let me preview an excerpt from Shirer I plan to post on Wednesday. This part comes from an interview Blumentritt gave to Liddell Hart after the war:
[Hitler, during a May 24 1940 meeting with Rundstedt] said that all he wanted from Britain was that she should acknowledge Germany's position on the continent. The return of Germany's colonies would be desirable but not essential . . . He concluded by saying that his aim was to make peace with Britain on a basis that she would regard as compatible with her honor to accept.
That sounds as though Hitler really preferred to use political means, rather than military, where Britain was concerned.
I agree: what Hitler really wanted from Britain was permission for a free hand in Eastern Europe, most especially against Hitler's then ally, Stalin.
In exchange for Britain's permission, Hitler was willing to leave the British empire untouched.
And that is the core of Pat Buchanan's argument, as well as our own PAR35 -- that Britain should have at least given Hitler what he wanted in the East, if not actually join him in defeating the "real enemy," Stalin.
I'd say one problem with this argument boils down to two words: Churchill and Roosevelt.
Both men had been high government officials during the First World War, and from that, both considered Germany their natural enemy and Russia an ally.
That Russia was now Communist disturbed Churchill greatly, but Roosevelt not in the least.
Roosevelt didn't know about, or didn't consider Stalin's mass murders an important fact in the global geo-strategic environment.
In Roosevelt's mind, Stalin was a potential ally to be won over to our side, not an enemy to be feared more than Hitler.
Churchill was for years conflicted over which was the greater threat -- Hitler or Stalin.
But in the end, Germany was by far the closer enemy, and the more aggressive, while Stalin represented an absolutely necessary ally to defeat Hitler.
Therefore, Hitler's attitude and approach towards Britain was nothing short of delusional.
And it was neither the first nor the last delusion to afflict Hitler's brilliant mind.
And "delusional" is also my description of Pat Buchanan. ;-)