Victor Davis Hanson: In the Eye of the Beholder. Imagine if we’d reported on WWII the way we do now

NRO ^ | May 12, 2006 | Victor Davis Hanson

[maica]

Yet even this government’s propaganda efforts ring hallow, as we noticed with the recently released film footage purportedly showing Adolph Hitler incompetently handling a Colt .45 revolver. In fact, such a weapon, little known in Germany, is hard to load and shoot, especially the early model that the Fuhrer was shown trying to fire. To be fair, his apparent unease is not necessarily proof that Mr. Hitler was unfamiliar with firearms, much less fraudulent in his demonstration of military experience.

"Most" people would have no interest in reading such a "long" article. For those who do read it, the paragraph above is a reference to a very recent event. Let's hope that lots of readers do take the time for this excellent article. Of course, they would also have to have seen the film footage of Zarqawi with his weapon in order to understand the reference.

One more quote:

Indeed, what little we know comes to light only due to the brave efforts of a few unnamed operatives in the Office of Strategic Services who have in secret provided such information concerning patently illegal activities to the responsible news organizations.

[mainepatsfan]

The sad thing is that no young person today would get the comedy in that line.

[frankiep]

save for later reading

[Coop]

Powerful stuff.

[Fairview]

Post of the day (even though it's still early here).

[Jim Noble]

Imagine if we’d reported on WWII the way we do now

Well, then you would have to imagine that Roosevelt, Stimson, Marshall and King were as clueless as the Bush administration.

You would have to imagine that they did NOT have the Office of Censorship up and running by Pearl Harbor Day +12. You would have to imagine that they did NOT create a Federal propaganda agency to spread "good news" and to supress bad news within six months of Pearl Harbor.

You would have to imagine that they did not shoot out-of-uniform enemy soldiers captured on our territory without trial, but instead voluntarily turned them over to the US civil courts.

You would have to imagine that they did not intern enemy aliens who had managed to attain US nationality.

You would have to imagine that instead of celebrating the Carson Robinson Orchestra's version of "We're Gonna Have to Slap the Dirty Little Jap" that President Roosevelt had them arrested for hate speech.

You would have to imagine Shinto priests at the White House.

In short, you would have to imagine a lot besides changes in the behavior of reporters.

[7thson]

True story - back in 1991, while stationed on a ship in Pearl Harbor, I rented the movie THE NAKED AND THE DEAD. I watched it one night onboard when hardly anyone was there. At the beginning, they showed naval battle scenes. One young guy came down and started watching. He asked me what war. WW II I answered. Where, he asked. Pacific theater, I answered. So far, so good. Wanted to know which war and the location. Then he asked the question that has stayed with me ever since - who were we fighting. I turned to him and said, "you mean to tell me, we are sitting in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii and you don't know who we fought in World War II?" His answer - hey, I don't know that history stuff. Sad, but true.

[sono]

WWII had Frank Capra ... OIF had Michael Moore ... nuff said.

[mainepatsfan]

He probably wondered why this thing was stuck out into the harbor.

[GreyFriar]

Ping.

[7thson]

On a side note, have you been to Pearl recently. When stationed there in the early 90's, the Memorial was just okay. Now, they have really jazzed it up. They now have a small sub you can tour as well as the Battleship Missouri on Ford Island. Way, way better than before. Still gives you a chills when they take you out to the Memorial.

[mainepatsfan]

I have not been there but I do certainly plan on doing so someday.

[dighton]

“Next look for Coop’s recently completed and powerful American Gestapo this fall.”

Et tu, Coope?

;-)

[Coop]

I'm already hard at work on my new novel called What about the Illegals?!?

[Valin]

I was just thinking the same thing. (Great minds think alike)
On the other hand think of it as a teachable moment.

[OESY]

Imagine if we couldn't listen for "chatter," one of the most important pattern indicators of an impending attack.

[Valin]

The Germans did try to influence American public opinion and sentiment before the war. There was some famous people that jumped on the bandwagon like the flyer Charles Lindbergh.


The German American Bund

The Bund
http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/us_history_1929_1945/114285

GERMAN AMERICAN BUND!
http://rexcurry.net/pledgebund.html

German-American Bund
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German-American_Bund

[aculeus]

Brilliant.

[larryjohnson]

save

[<1/1,000,000th%]

I didn't know about the submarine order.

Great post!