On this anniversary of Pearl Harbor, an anecdote from Max Hastings' "Overlord":
Before DDay, a US officer briefed a roomful of Poles on modern war tactics. The Poles, veterans of 5 years of combat, listened dutifully. 1/x
Before DDay, a US officer briefed a roomful of Poles on modern war tactics. The Poles, veterans of 5 years of combat, listened dutifully. 1/x
Afterward, a Pole with a healed gash across his face, approached the American lecturer. “You omitted the most important lesson of all."
“What’s that?” asked the American.
The Pole replied: “Be the stronger one.”
2/x
“What’s that?” asked the American.
The Pole replied: “Be the stronger one.”
2/x
Until this date, 80 years ago, there was uncertainty about how the Second World War would end. After this date, it was only a question of when - and how much suffering until the inevitable arrived. 3/x
But if the brute fact of US power decided the outcome of the war - it was much more than power that shaped the enduring peace that followed. It is American ideals and American generosity that turned former enemies into friends after war's end. 4/x
The victory won by power was secured by open trade, by collective security, by liberal institutions, and by democratic government. On this poignant anniversary, rededication to those peacetime ideals seems timelier than ever.
theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/…
theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/…
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