tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2012179240296572398.post9107250060143397916..comments2024-03-28T07:27:31.714+00:00Comments on Retro-Forteana: The Lusitania ConspiracyAndrew Mayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17073306343984931484noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2012179240296572398.post-34073480933125456012015-05-17T21:42:11.809+01:002015-05-17T21:42:11.809+01:00I said note the 'apparent' contradiction -...I said note the 'apparent' contradiction - but there not being one is entirely dependent on your speculation that Roosevelt wanted to go to war being correct, and you can't prove that. And why would Roosevelt want to enter a war that the American people were against? (IF they were against it.) And I'd have to dispute your assertion - America would still have been seen as the victim of blatant aggression even if they had successfully repelled a Japanese attack - the attack would've provided reason enough. <br /><br />As for George Bush - I believe that he would've had cause (or believed that he did) if the 9/11 attacks had been repelled at the last minute. However, regardless of whether that's the case or not, both instances are hardly comparable. The second world war was resonating around the globe back then; it was only a matter of time before the U.S. became involved - attack on Pearl Harbour or not. Kidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07224781868125924337noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2012179240296572398.post-91498830489159085382015-05-16T22:28:21.077+01:002015-05-16T22:28:21.077+01:00Kid, there was no contradiction in what I said - R...Kid, there was no contradiction in what I said - Roosevelt was re-elected in 1940 saying he would keep America out of the war but that doesn't mean he believed it himself. He was just saying what the public wanted to hear. If the U.S. public wanted to remain isolationist then just repelling a Japanese attack wouldn't have been enough to make them want to join the war - America had to be seen as the victim of blatant aggression. If the 9/11 attacks had been thwarted would George W. Bush have been able to invade Iraq ?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2012179240296572398.post-65087880031330021932015-05-15T11:45:53.592+01:002015-05-15T11:45:53.592+01:00Oh, meant to say - he wouldn't have had to let...Oh, meant to say - he wouldn't have had to let the attack on Pearl Harbour happen (if he'd known about it in advance) to have an excuse to enter the war; had the attackers been successfully repelled, with no loss of American life, the mere attempt of the attack would've been all the excuse Roosevelt needed. Kidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07224781868125924337noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2012179240296572398.post-87024378087956822972015-05-15T11:18:08.574+01:002015-05-15T11:18:08.574+01:00Well, CJ, I'm the same as you - I can only go ...Well, CJ, I'm the same as you - I can only go by what I've read or heard, but notice I said 'MAYBE even wanted to'. However, there did seem to be an expectation that America would eventually join the war - it was almost practically inevitable as their allies (the Brits) were involved. Of course there were those who didn't want it to happen, to protect business interests and the like, so they would've been the loudest protestors against it. Doesn't necessarily mean, 'though, that they represented the largest sector of public opinion. Roosevelt could've been elected for other reasons that his anti-war stance. And note the apparent contradiction in what you're suggesting - if he was so against the war, why would he then allow Pearl Harbour to be attacked so that he could join the war?<br /><br />As for Captain America being mostly read by kids, kids would've thought pretty much what their parents thought, so Simon and Kirby would've tapped into what seemed to be the popular opinion. I doubt that their publishers would've allowed anything that went against the grain at the time.Kidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07224781868125924337noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2012179240296572398.post-62043158079768283562015-05-12T15:06:26.198+01:002015-05-12T15:06:26.198+01:00Well, I can only go on what I've heard about i...Well, I can only go on what I've heard about it and as far as I know most Americans definitely didn't want to get involved in another European conflict. The popularity of Captain America doesn't mean anything - he was mostly read by kids and his Jewish creators had a reason for wanting America to join the war against Hitler.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2012179240296572398.post-15179879252222219632015-05-11T15:19:26.934+01:002015-05-11T15:19:26.934+01:00The huge popularity of comics like Captain America...The huge popularity of comics like Captain America in the period after WW2 broke out but before the US officially took sides suggests that "ordinary people" in the States were itching to get involved. So maybe it was just the politicians who were dragging their heels.Andrew Mayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17073306343984931484noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2012179240296572398.post-36501093892703842202015-05-11T15:00:43.053+01:002015-05-11T15:00:43.053+01:00Kid, actually there was a big popular campaign at ...Kid, actually there was a big popular campaign at the time to keep America out of the war in Europe - Roosevelt was re-elected in 1940 promising not to get involved so I doubt most Americans wanted to join the war or expected to. Maybe that's why a huge event like Pearl Harbour would have been needed because only a blatant attack against America would have been enough to make Americans accept they had to join the war.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2012179240296572398.post-6245147559061370692015-05-10T19:33:27.829+01:002015-05-10T19:33:27.829+01:00Thanks Kid - hope you enjoy the book if you do buy...Thanks Kid - hope you enjoy the book if you do buy it!Andrew Mayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17073306343984931484noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2012179240296572398.post-74784639710647339662015-05-10T18:57:09.706+01:002015-05-10T18:57:09.706+01:00I get the impression that, back then, most America...I get the impression that, back then, most Americans expected to join the war and maybe even wanted to. So America really didn't need an excuse to do so, but I'm sure they could have invented one less drastic if they had wanted.<br /><br />Looks like an interesting book, Andrew. I'm committed to a few other books already, but once they're bought, I may well treat myself to this.Kidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07224781868125924337noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2012179240296572398.post-62512628089109218322015-05-10T16:43:42.212+01:002015-05-10T16:43:42.212+01:00Thanks Colin - I hadn't heard that theory in t...Thanks Colin - I hadn't heard that theory in the specific case of Pearl Harbor, but the general principle, that governments will turn a blind eye to an attack because they want an excuse for a war, is a common pattern in conspiracy theories. It makes a lot of sense and I'm sure it's happened many times throughout history.Andrew Mayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17073306343984931484noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2012179240296572398.post-62757864636406327332015-05-10T13:16:41.364+01:002015-05-10T13:16:41.364+01:00I don't know if anybody has ever considered th...I don't know if anybody has ever considered the following as a "conspiracy theory" but my father always believed that President Roosevelt knew in advance that the Japanese were planning to attack Pearl Harbour and did nothing to prevent it because he wanted a reason to get America into World War II.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com