Lecture notes on
Paul Johnson’s
history of the
Second World War


The U.S. was
a reluctant
participant in
W.W.II
It is a myth
that FDR
wanted the
U.S. to enter
the war.
FDR was
shocked by
Pearl Harbor
Attack.
Isolationism
is far more a
part of the
character
of other
nations;



the U.S.
has been
historically internationalist
Parts of the
period
between wars
were
an aberration.
Throughout
the 19th
century
U.S.interest
in Asia had
grown.
Only Japan
resisted
Americanization.


The U.S.
did nothing
to prevent the
development
of hostile
relations with
Japan.
Woodrow
Wilson
antagonized the Japanese.





He refused to
write a condemnation
of racism into
the covenant
of
the League of
Nations.

The U.S.
wanted the
Anglo-
Japanese
Treaty
scrapped.



The U.S. was supported by the Canadians
and
South
Africans.



The treaty was scrapped
in 1922. In
1930 America
persuaded
the British
to adopt the
London Naval
Treaty.
This was a
blow to
British naval
power
and made
Japanese
aggression
more likely.

In 1931 the
Japanese
invaded
Manchuria
and
in 1933 Japan
left the
League of
nations.
Between
1935-39 the
U.S.
passed the
Neutrality
Acts.



These laws
severely
restricted
U.S.
aid to
belligerent
states.


They made no
moral
distinction
between
aggressor
and non- aggressor in a
conflict.

The Neutrality Act of 11/4/39
allowed
belligerent
nations
to purchase
American war
supplies.

They
had to pay
cash and
transport
the goods
in their own
ships.


The legacy of
World War
One
war debts
served to
harm U.S.
interests.


It was illegal
for the
government to loan money to
any nation delinquent in
payments
to the United
States. It was in U.S. interests to loan money to Britain, but it
couldn’t
be done.



The Lend-
Lease Act
was able to
circumvent
this law
( March,1941).



When Lend-
Lease was
terminated
in August,
1945, over $50.6 billion of
aid had been sent to Britain
and Russia.
Japanese
commanders knew that they couldn’t win
an all-out war
against
America
and Britain.

U.S.
production
outstripped
Japanese
by an overall
ratio of ten to
one.


The Attack on
Pearl Harbor was the most
bold and
complex
scheme of
its kind in
history.

The Oahu
fortress
complex
was
thought to be
the
strongest in
the world.



The Pearl
Harbor
assault
achieved
complete
tactical
surprise.
Half of
America’s
airpower
in the Pacific
was gone and two battleships
were
totally
destroyed.
2,323 U.S.
servicemen
were killed.






U.S. aircraft carriers, along with naval oil storage tanks
and
submarines,
survived the
attack.

The U.S. was instantly
united and
committed to
wage total
war.



Japan
annexed
Southeast
Asia and
occupied the
Philippines.



On June 3,
1942 Japan
lost
four aircraft
carriers at
the
Battle of
Midway.

The tide had
turned.







After America
had been in
the
war one year,
its arms
production
was equal to
that of all 3
Axis powers.
American
production doubled again
in 1944. The U.S. produced
the
best supplies
in the world.

Henry J.
Kaiser
was the man
most
responsible
for the
tremendous
American war
production.


Anglo-
American
codebreaking
was extemely
important in
winning the
war.
In the autumn
of 1940, the
British brought
all of the
secrets of
their atomic
program
to
Washington.
Roosevelt and
Churchill
felt that the bomb must be
developed by
the allies
before the
Nazis
developed it.
Doctor
J. Robert
Oppenheimer
is the man
most
responsible for developing
the bomb.

The A-bomb
was very much a part of
immigrant
input into
American
society.


Victory in
World War II
was achieved
with industrial
muscle, brain-power and a
brilliant group
of American
Commanders.
George C.
Marshall
was the most
important of
these men.
He was the
Army Chief of
Staff during
World War II.
Marshall
picked
Dwight D.
Eisenhower
to lead
Operation
Overlord
in June, 1944.

Marshall and
Eisenhower
had
tremendous
diplomatic
and political
skills which
helped people
to get along.
George S.
Patton
commanded
the U.S. 2nd
Corps in North
Africa, the 7th
Army in Italy,
and the 3rd Army in France
The counterpart to
Marshall in the
naval war was
Admiral
Ernest
Joseph
King.

He expanded
naval aviation.
Under King
was Chester Nimitz.
Nimitz ran a
trio
of able
commanders:
“Bull” Halsey,
Raymond
Spruance
and Holland
Smith.




The Battle of
Leyte Gulf was the most
extensive sea
engagement
in history.
October,25
1944.

General
Douglas
MacArthur
vowed to
return
to the
Philippines
when U.S. was defeated.
He
governed
Japan
after the war.





In Europe the
D-Day
landings of
Operation
Overlord
led to an 11
mo. campaign
ending the
European war.
Franklin D.
Roosevelt
misjudged
Josef Stalin.
Roosevelt was
“unsuspicious”
and “naive”.


FDR thought
Churchill was
an incorrigible
old imperialist,
but Churchill
had a realistic
view of Stalin.


At theYalta
Conference
Roosevelt
gave into the
demands of
Stalin, giving
him the Kuril
Islands& other
territories.
F. D.
Roosevelt
took Stalin at
his word to
hold free
elections in
Eastern
Europe.

Churchill knew
this wouldn’t
happen.






Jewish
Americans
were
convinced
by Roosevelt’s
insistance that
resources
should be used to defeat Axis.
Resources
were not
used for the
direct
purpose
of stopping
the Holocaust.



On April 12,
1945 FDR
died of a
massive
cerebral
hemorrhage.


Harry S.
Truman
became the
U.S.
President.




Harry Truman
authorized the
use of the
atomic bomb
against Japan.




When the Axis
powers had
first bombed
civilians, the
United States
condemned
them, but we did the same
thing later on.
Horrifying raid
on Dresden
Feb. 13-14
1945.
Firestorm
killed 25,000
people and
destroyed
4,200 acres.