December 7th, 1941: 65 years ago!

[Karl Heidenreich]

Bgile is right in several things, so RF. Many western allied military commanders since 1944 (WWII) disliked the commie vermin from Russia and were in favour that, after defeating the Germans, it was Ivan´s turn. Patton, Monty, Le May and many others were in favour not to stop at Berlin but to go to Moscow. And remember that at the begining of 1945 none of them knew about the bomb. In the Pacific McArthur didn´t want the commies around Japan neither.
I believe that many were responsible (including Ike, Bedell Smith and Omar Bradley) for the Cold War but the "buck stopped" at Harry Truman´s desk. When the US was the only one with the Bomb, with the B-29 strategic bomber and with veteran combat tested troops in Europe (including a lot of willing German troops) it was the moment to abort a forty four year Cold War (with all her evils as Korea, Hungary, Vietnam, Cuba, Central and South America, Middle East wars, hungers, famines, coups, etc. etc. etc as well with the nuclear holocaust fear) by putting a gun at Stalin´s head at telling him: "Surrender or see what is going to happen to you." After all, Stalin was a butcher that was seizing any opportunity to destroy the "allies" that help him fight the nazis.
As a matter of fact I have found ironical and a great hipocrecy from the western allies that they fought to "Free the nations conquered by the Nazi Tyranny" specially Poland (where everything began), the "Sudetendland", a lot other nations only to present them as a gift to the World Number One Genocide Stalin and his sexual disturbed pal Beria. Isn´t that a moral contradiction for those who have proclaimed to have fought and burned cities on moral grounds? Which moral grounds I ask? Leaving more than half of the "conquered" population of Europe in the hands of other conqueror didn´t sound nor moral nor practical for the best interests of the free and democratical nations of the world.
And that´s Harry Truman´s legacy to the world. Well, that and his decision to fire the best General the US ever had since Robert E. Lee, only because that General knew what to do while he didn´t.
Just a thought.

[Karl Heidenreich]

Well, it´s not 65 years ago: now it´s 67 years ago but I found this and want to shared it with you people:

http://video.msn.com/?mkt=en-us&vid=909 ... &GT1=42003

Best regards,

[RF]

Yes, with the passage of time these anniversaries seem to come round faster and faster.