Swing (Jan-Dec 1945)

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54 Si* The relative proximity to Japan of the people in the Western States of California, Oregon and Washington makes them more interested in the Pacific war, but in the Middle West and on the Atlantic seaboard, the enmity for the Japs is quite as strong. The difference is one of interest in the war. Isolationism is far from vanquished in the United States; hence a unified sense of international responsibility is far from developed. Many John Smiths who said they were fighting the men, women and children of Germany impressed me as determined that the German people must be held responsible for the deeds of their rulers. In fact, I occasionally heard the cliche', "People get the government they deserve." "The Germans always are making wars," and "Hitler wouldn't have lasted if the people didn't want him," and "we should have learned our lesson last time," — said these John Smiths. But these, even those who limited their condemnation of Germans to "the Nazis and the Prussian militarists" were in the minority among the thousands of John Smiths who expressed their views to me. January, 1945 The John Smiths who said they are fighting every Hans Schmidt and his frau expressed their view with an obvious air of daring. Frequently they gave me the impression that they were a little bit shocked at their own words. That shock came, I think, partly because Americans essentially are a good-hearted people and don't Uke to attribute to others any greater viciousness or brutality than they themselves possess. The German record of brutalization and atrocities is pretty well known. I have reported some of the factors which make up John Smith's prejudices. Stories of Japanese atrocities he, for the most part, believes; stories of German atrocities are greeted with a sharp skepticism. John Smith is three thousand miles away from the "foreigner" who is being tortured or murdered. It is difficult for him to visualize the scene, the person or the anguish. But the wrathful reaction in this country to the verified accounts of the American soldiers' "death march" on Bataan is evidence that when an American is the victim, the stories become believable. ♦ THE HAZARDS DF WAR ne of the boys from the "Winged Victory" cast told us this. He was in the movie version of the show, and while it was in filming, several of the soldier-actors had to dispense with shaving so their beards would approximate the McCoy. All went well until the beards began to reach that unsightly, unheroic scraggly stage. Then the M.P.'s began picking the boys up. Their honest explanation was pure fantasy to the M.P.'s. Finally the boys behind the beards had to be given a letter by the Commanding Officer to prove they actually were under orders NOT to shave.