Setting the stage for war …

Pres. T. Roosevelt, courtesy of Saturday Evening Post

Pres. T. Roosevelt, courtesy of Saturday Evening Post

For centuries Asian products were desired, but one of the most profitable trade routes operated from India to China, introducing opium into that country.  This market accounted for 20% of the British Empire’s revenue and was the basis of the Roosevelt family wealth.

Teddy Roosevelt, a frail and sickly aristocrat, was taught thru his youth and at Harvard of Aryan supremacy in government and intellect.  Columbia University professor John Burgess impressed him with white American world domination.  With this ideology, he followed the European nations in absorbing colonies.  He pushed for control of the Philippines where the American behavior was deplorable, but overlooked.  The U.S. Minister to Japan, DeLong, encouraged “General” Charles LeGendre to go to Japan and instruct them on invasion tactics and instigate his “Monroe Doctrine” for Asia. (Three decades later it would be known as the Greater East Asia Co-prosperity Sphere of WWII).  When Japan invaded Manchuria, Roosevelt said, “I was thoroughly pleased with the Japanese victory for Japan is playing our game.”  Although U.S. advisors assured Korea that America was their “Elder Brother,” in 1905 Roosevelt closed the embassy and said, “I should like to see Japan have Korea.”  The Nobel prize committee did not know of his secret meetings with Japan during the Russo-Japanese War and gave him the Peace prize anyway.

Roosevelt had not only opened the door for Japan to conquer neighboring nations, he gave them the ideal instructor and plans to do it with.  For detailed information see: The Imperial Cruise, by James Bradley

Franklin Delano Roosevelt

Being that Japan found it necessary to import food, fuel and American planes parts, here was the edge that FDR needed to coax the U.S. public into war.  When Germany failed to declare war, he froze Japan’s assets on July 26, 1941.  The ABCD powers (American, British, Chinese & Dutch) followed suit and this became a choke chain around Japan’s neck which FDR jerked as he saw fit until Pearl Harbor exploded into a scene of destruction.  This action not only got the U.S. into the war, but FDR made certain that the major effort would be to assist his friend Winston Churchill – not the Pacific.

About GP

Everett Smith served with the Headquarters Company, 187th Regiment, 11th A/B Division during WWII. This site is in tribute to my father, "Smitty." GP is a member of the 11th Airborne Association. Member # 4511 and extremely proud of that fact!

Posted on September 14, 2012, in Uncategorized, WWII. Bookmark the permalink. 64 Comments.

  1. Very interesting article Sir, I am going to reblog this one for me.

    Liked by 1 person

  2. I read Honor in the Dust by Gregg Jones a few years ago and to my horror, I found out the role TR played in the Philippine War. That changed my attitude toward TR. Having lived in Oyster Bay for 40 years where residents worshipped the ground the Roosevelts walked on, that means a lot. FDR with his abandonment of the Pacific Theatre in WWII gets me really angry. I hate them both.

    Liked by 1 person

  3. These stories never make the history books

    Liked by 1 person

  4. Wanted to see your earliest posts- got another reminder of some history I’d forgotten.
    Jeremiah 17:9
    The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?

    Liked by 1 person

    • There is always data I’ve forgotten myself. I often go into other blog archives, I should do so on my own as well. Thank you for taking a look. The “Setting the stage…” post I believe I did try too hard to keep the info short and got into more of an explanation after I went into the Korean War and About post….

      East and West (1)

      Added the link in case you wanted further details.

      Like

  5. I didn’t realise at first that my reblog on Lest We Forget would be my 1000th post.

    Like

  6. Reblogged this on Lest We Forget and commented:
    Are we forgetting something when we read about wars? Back then and now?

    Like

  7. Reading it two years later, and reading all the comments made, proves how important blogging has become an essential part of knowledge sharing.

    Like

  8. The TPP, is just a continuation of this trend. However it is not America, or Americans, it is wall street, and the war mongers. It the 1960s we practically had to blow the country up and we threw out two presidents and ended the draft to end these wars. Unfortunately these forces of destruction are coming back. This new generation has quite a battle on its hands, not against ISIS, but against the forces of destruction right in the US.

    Like

  9. Reblogged this on Photo ni Ompong and commented:
    To my fellow Filipinos, this is one of the reasons why we had World War II in Asia…

    “Roosevelt had not only opened the door for Japan to conquer neighboring nations, he gave them the ideal instructor and plans to do it with. For detailed information see: The Imperial Cruise, by James Bradley.”

    Liked by 1 person

  10. By golly, I didn’t know this side of the story…! Geeez!

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  11. This sort of stuff scares the hell out of me. Where are the honourable men?

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  12. After reading your other post today (Korean Armistice) I had to come and read this. These are new ideas for sure. Now I think I have a book to read.

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  13. Wow! This wasn’t how it was explained to us by our teachers in the Philippines. You’re right in saying that things have been sugar-coated.

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    • Jake, wait till you see the upcoming posts when I edge back into WWII!! We never learned all this either and I’m afraid old heroes might crumble, because I don’t sugar-coat anything and I don’t include my own opinion (unless specified as such).

      Like

  14. Stumbled on your early posts. What a great way to start with the wealth of archives you have !!!

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    • Thank you, but now in the age of technology, much of the data is now on line or in books by historians. It’s a matter of getting it altogether and in chronological order. Thanks for going back into the archive, I wish more people would do that.

      Like

  15. Now I understand about you and your FDR! Fascinating stuff you have in your brain!!! ♥

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    • Even with the sparse info received in school on the subject, FDR openly was “Europe first” and allowing Churchill to override the Amer. advisers. Being that my father was sent to the Pacific – it’s only logical that I would not be FDR’s best supporter.

      Liked by 2 people

  16. Thanks for the link to this previous story. Learning a lot from you. I will check out Bradley’s book when I finish reading The Pacific War 1941-1945 by John Costello. The beginning chapters are much of what you said in this post.

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  17. Mostly news to me. Good work!

    Like

  18. Pierre Lagacé

    I read it again.
    More awesome post.
    Now I will read your post about Korea, the Forgotten War.

    Like

  19. Wow! This is information I was not familiar with at all. But people in power tend to pull strings to get the very reaction they are looking for…then and today. Times haven’t changed, just the puppeteer.

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  20. Good piece of writing. Blunt and truthful.

    Some of us in Asia, and certainly that includes me, knew of this and I am impressed that some in America also know – certainly you do.

    Thank you and keep doing this – you have a believer in me 🙂

    Like

    • I forgot you were in Asia, so of course you would know the story. I hope more people read this, but some find it hard to admit their heros (Teddy & FDR) had major faults.

      Like

  21. Sir — be careful. Be very careful … lest ye be deemed a damned Conspiracy Theorist.

    For shame, Sir—we all know that our Presidents and Prime Ministers and things are all as pure as the driven snow, and would never stoop so low as you are suggesting. Now go wash your keyboard out, apologise to all the nice folks you’ve slandered and we won’t mention it again …

    The hell we won’t: Go get ’em, Tiger!!!

    Like

  22. Thought provoking indeed.

    The world has not changed a bit…
    Mass destruction weapons in Irak?
    Oups sorry… Honest mistake Mister President…

    As you can tell, I don’t like wars and politicians. I don’t own guns, but I write blogs instead. I never give my opinion straight from the hip, but my readers can get the message.

    Awesome blog!

    Nice of you to have visited mine. I am glad you did. I will read all your post this Christmas time.

    Like

  23. I have learned that things are not always as they seem. This account is “news” to me but it is thought provoking and in my quest for all that is true it is worthy of investigation into the facts. Another interesting relationship between the US and post war Japan is that of W. Edwards Demmings, rejected by the US, he was sent to Japan and was a key component to Japan’s manufacturing success.

    Like

  24. I’m glad. That was my intention.

    Like

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