Nobody Remembers Charles Lindbergh

Nobody Remembers

Once upon a time, one of America’s greatest hero’s Charles Lindbergh, spoke out against America getting involved in Europe. The reason? He didn’t think we were ready. Here is a speech he gave in New York on April 23, 1941, as a representative of America First Committee, a group that was trying to keep us out of the war.

Remember as you read this, after we did get involved, he worked hard for the American cause and was named a brigadier general in the Air Force Reserve by President Eisenhower in 1954.

Some of that speech:

There are many viewpoints from which the issues of this war can be argued. Some are primarily idealistic. Some are primarily practical. One should, I believe, strive for a balance of both. But, since the subjects that can be covered in a single address are limited, tonight I shall discuss the war from a viewpoint which is primarily practical. Is it not that I believe ideals are unimportant, even among the realities of war: but if a nation is to survive in a hostile world, its ideals must be backed by the hard logic of military practicability. If the outcome of war depended upon ideals alone, this would be a different world than it is today.

I know I will be severely criticized by the interventionist in America when I say we should not enter a war unless we have reasonable chance of winning.

I do not blame England for his hope or for asking for our assistance. But we now know that she declared a war under circumstances which led to the defeat of every nation that sided with her, from Poland to Greece. We know the in the desperation of war England promised to all those nations armed assistance that she could not send. We know that she misinformed them, as she has misinformed us, concerning her state of preparation, her military strength and the progress of the war.

(Is this not happening now in the Ukraine? Were they NOT promised help from Europe and America?)

He goes on in his speech to say that militarily we could not win this war:

Suppose we had an air force that we could send to Europe. Where could it operate? Some of our squadrons might be based in the British Isles, but it is physically impossible to base enough aircraft in the British Isles alone to equal in strength the aircraft that can be based on the continent of Europe.

(Boy, was HE wrong.)

“There is a policy open to this nation that will lead to success….a policy that leaves us free to follow our own way of life and to develop our own civilization.

It is based upon the belief that the security of a nation lies in the strength and character of its own people. It recommends the maintenance of armed forces sufficient to defend this hemisphere from attack by any combination of foreign powers. It demands faith in an independent American destiny. This is the policy of the America First Committee today. It is a policy not of isolation but of independence: not of defeat but of courage.

(Great stuff…keep going.)

We have weakened ourselves for many months, and, still worse, we have divided our own people by this dabbling in Europe’s wars. While we should have been concentrating on American defense we have been forced to argue over foreign quarrels. We must turn our eyes and our faith back to our own country before it is too late.

We have been led toward war by a minority of our people. This minority has power. It has influence. It has a loud voice. But it does not represent the American people.

(Gee, not much has changed, has it?)

During the last several years I have traveled over this country from one end to the other. I have talked to many hundreds of men and women, and I have letters from tens of thousands more who feel the same way and you and I. Most of these people have no influence or power. Most of them have no means of expressing their convictions except by their vote, which has always been against this war. They are the citizen who have had to work too hard at their daily jobs to organize political meetings. Hitherto, they have relied upon their vote to express their feelings: but now they find that it is hardly remembered except in the oratory of a political campaign.

And so, the good news? According to our last election, the America that Charles Lindbergh talked about is still out there.

The bad news? We STILL have no influence or power. If we had any say in any of the wars, Vietnam and Iraq would have been done shorter, with more force, and with finality.

If Charles were alive today, I’m sure he would say: We are not prepared to fight another war:

But…something tells me…we will.

February 19, 2015 - Posted by Joyanna Adams | History, Uncategorized, War | American History, Charles Limbergh