Welcome to Keith Knight. Don't tread on Anyone in the
Libertarian Institute. This is a section of a book
titled Freedom Betrayed by Former President Herbert Hoover.
He was president of America from 1929 to 1933.
In this book, he makes the case that the US should not have
gotten involved in the Second Great War, both with the
information you had going into the war and even in retrospect.
Originally the book was titled Lost Statesmanship, and at the
end of this 1000 page book he summarizes his entire thesis in
19 points. I wanted to go through those.
Here is a review of Lost Statesmanship 19 times in seven
years, written in 1953. This introduction is by George
Nash, who is the editor of this volume.
These are the final climactic pages of the last chapter of the
1953 version of Hoover's magnum opus, which for a time he
entitled Lost Statesmanship. These pages were probably
written very early in 1953, not long after the presidential
election of 1952. In this chapter, Hoover summed
up with remarkable candor and intensity his revisionist
indictment of the Roosevelt, Truman foreign policy.
I was opposed to the war and every step of policies in it, he
wrote. I have no apologies, no regrets.
A review of law statesmanship 19 times in seven years.
There are those who still defend Roosevelt and Truman by blaming
Hitler and Stalin for all the calamities which have come upon
the world. That they were malignant and
malign figures in human history needs no demonstration.
Any review of American and British law, statesmanship in
dealing with them, however, has no excuse in history.
Without these gigantic errors, these calamities could not have
come to the Western world. I shall list those major
occasions here, lest the reader in his maze of actions has
forgotten who was responsible for what and when.
I refer the reader to those chapters in this memoir where
the facts and reasons for their convictions are given.
The World Economic Conference of 1933 first The first time of
importance that Roosevelt became lost in international
statesmanship was his destruction of the 1933 World
Economic Conference the. This conference was arranged by
British Prime Minister McDonald and myself to take place in
January 1933. Owing to the election of Mr.
Roosevelt, it was postponed until June.
At that time, the world was just beginning to recover from the
worldwide depression, but was engaged in bitter currency wars
and multiplying Trade barriers. Hoover doesn't mention that one
of the major trade barriers was the Smoot Hawley tariff that he
enacted and signed into law. The preliminary work had been
done by experts. Roosevelt called 10 prime
ministers to Washington, with whom he agreed to restore the
gold standard in international transactions.
Suddenly, during the conference, he repudiated the bombshell
these undertakings, and the conference cracked and died
without accomplishment. His own Secretary of State Hull
explicitly denounced this action as the roots of war.
World War 2IN short, if countries are not trading with
each other, it is not in their economic interest to make sure
the other doesn't get bombed to smithereens.
The recognition of Communist Russia in 1933.
Second Roosevelt's second law statesmanship was in recognition
of Communist Russia in November 1933.
Four presidents and five secretaries of state, Democrats
as well as Republicans, had, with knowledge of the whole
purpose and methods of international communism, refused
such action. They knew and said the
Communists would be able to penetrate the United States
carrying their germs of destruction of religious faith,
freedom of men and independence of nations.
They considered our recognition of Soviet Russia would give it
prestige and force among other nations.
All of Roosevelt's puerile agreements with them that they
would not deal in their wickedness within our borders
were on the record repudiated. In less than 48 hours, a long
train of communists and fellow travelers were taken into the
highest levels of administration. 5th Column
action spread over the country with a long series of traitorous
acts during his remaining 12 years in the presidency.
So this was after the Soviets committed all the atrocities in
Ukraine, referred to as the Holodomor.
Remember, we can't talk to Vladimir Putin because he did
bad things in Ukraine, but Joseph Stalin, who killed far
more people in Ukraine in a much more unprovoked manner, Well,
that's someone we can recognize as legitimate, have
conversations with, and have a formal alliance with.
It's also worth noting international communism referred
to world domination under a dictatorship of a proletariat.
There was an explicit plan to take over the world.
Because remember, the reason we had to go to war with the
National Socialists of Germany and bomb their civilian
population into oblivion is because they were trying to take
over the world. Well, their government was, but
it's OK to hold people responsible for what their
government does in their name. Next, Munich. 3rd.
I am not disposed to condemn the agreement at Munich in September
1938 for transfer of Sudeten Germans to the Reich, because it
was a hideous heritage from Versailles which made such
action inevitable. However, by Munich Hitler opened
the gates for consummation of his repeated determinations to
invade Russia. Having gone that far in
providing for the inevitable war between the dictators, the lost
statesmanship was then trying to stop these monsters from mutual
destruction. So in 1938 people were saying
Chamberlain should have declared war against the National
Socialists because they took the Sudetenland, 1/5 of
Czechoslovakia's area. After the war, the Bolshevik
regime occupied all of Czechoslovakia, not just the
Sudetenland, and there was no declaration of war.
Because sometimes it's just not worth engaging in a mass murder
campaign, even if there's a very bad government calling the shots
for the livelihoods of millions of people.
Next, the British, French guarantee of Poland and Romania
in 1939. Fourth, the 4th abysmal loss of
statesmanship was when the British and French guarantee the
independence of Poland and Romania at the end of March
1939. It was at this point that the
European democracies reversed their previous policies of
keeping hands off the inevitable war between Hitler and Stalin.
It was probably the greatest blunder in the whole history of
European power diplomacy. Britain and France were helpless
to save Poland from invasion. By this act, however, they threw
the bodies of democracy between Hitler and Stalin.
By their actions they not only protected Stalin from Hitler,
but they enabled him to sell his influence to the highest bidder.
The Allies did bid, but Stalin's price was annexation of the
defenseless people of the Baltic States and E Poland, a moral
price which the Allies could not meet.
Stalin got his price from Hitler.
Yet Hitler had no intention of abandoning his determination to
expand in Southeast Europe and to destroy the communist Vatican
in Moscow. But now he must of necessity
first neutralize the Western democracies, which he proceeded
to do. The long train of hideous World
War 2 started from the blunder of the Polish guarantees.
Roosevelt had some part in these power politics, but the record
is yet too incomplete to establish how much Churchill,
not yet in the government, had contributed something by Golding
Chamberlain to the desperate action after his appeasement at
Munich. It doesn't necessarily make you
a great person to say that the people of your country now have
an obligation to make sure this country is independent.
Much like if you write someone a blank check, they have no
incentive to spend money wisely. If you give a country the
kernels in a certain country a war guarantee, they have no
incentive to make sure they're acting peacefully and not
provoking conflicts with other countries.
When you have a blank check from the British Empire, who at this
time I think controlled 25% of land on the planet Earth, well
you're going to act in a more aggressive manner in the city of
Danzig against the German minority there then you
otherwise likely would if you didn't have such a blank check.
This just puts massive obligations on your domestic
population. It's hard enough to defend your
own country, let alone countries thousands of miles away.
So the war for Polish independence, which according to
Neville Chamberlain was the reason he declared war against
Britain and France, declared war against Germany on September
3rd, 1939. The war for Polish independence
led to the death of 7 million Poles and ended with Poland
under Bolshevik occupation. Next United States Undeclared
war 5th The fifth major blunder in statesmanship was when
Roosevelt, in the winter of 1941, threw the United States
into undeclared war with Germany and Japan, in total violation of
promises upon which he had been elected a few weeks before.
This is in reference to the Greer incident of September
1941. Failure in watchful waiting 6th
In the weeks before Lend Lease and its war powers were forced
upon the American people, Roosevelt knew definitely of
Hitler's determination to attack Russia, and he informed the
Russians of it. He should have turned away from
the undeclared war on Germany, confined Lend Lease to simple
aid to Britain by way of finances to buy munitions,
supplies and ships, thus keeping within international law.
Statesmanship at that moment demanded imperialistly a policy
of watchful waiting. Next alliance with Stalin 7th.
Indeed, the greatest loss of statesmanship in all American
history was the tacit American alliance and support of
Communist Russia when Hitler made his attack in June 1941.
This again is referring to the Lend Lease package.
Even the false theory that American military strength was
needed to save Britain had now visibly vanished by diversion of
Nazi furies into the swamps of Russia.
No one could any longer doubt the safety of Britain and all
the western world. These monstrous dictators were
bound to exhaust themselves no matter who won.
Even if Hitler won military victory, he would be a Mensch
for years trying to hold these people in subjugation.
And he was bound, even in victory to exhaust his military
strength. And the Russians were bound to
destroy any sources of supplies he might have hoped for.
His own generals opposed his action.
This is why there is such a correlation between expanding
empires, the time they expand, and when they end up falling.
The Ottoman Empire fell from over expansion and involvement
in the First World War. The Japanese Empire expanded and
was spread too thin. The first German Reich under
Kaiser Wilhelm expanded. Well that was arguably the
second, but the German Empire of Kaiser Wilhelm expanded and
fell. The British Empire in the Second
World War over expanded itself and fell.
Tsar Nicholas getting involved in the First World War spread
his troops too thin and couldn't defend his own capital against
the Bolshevik revolutionaries. So it doesn't necessarily make
you pro America if you want America to constantly get
involved in wars and spread ourselves too thin.
American aid to Russia meant victory for Stalin and the
spread of communism over the world.
Statesmanship again imperialistly cried to keep out,
be armed to the teeth and await their mutual destruction.
When that day came, there would have been opportunity for the
United States and Britain to use their strength to bring a real
peace and security to the free world.
No greater opportunity for lasting peace ever came to a
president, and he muffed it, referring to the spread of
communism over the world. You had the Cambridge 5A number
of communists that had infiltrated Britain.
The Venona papers confirmed that roughly 300 people in the State
Department or actively in support of the Soviets during
the Second World War, people in very high levels of a position.
Today roughly 17% of professors at universities in the social
sciences explicitly identify as Marxist.
There is basically no discussion of abolishing the income tax,
abolishing the welfare state. It's not that more people
identify as communism today, but more people today have embraced
the assumptions of communism. When you look at the scale from
total private property and voluntary exchanges capitalism
to complete communism, the abolition of private property,
people are continuously getting nudged in the anti voluntary
exchange end of the scale. Next, the economic sanctions on
Japan of July 1941 Eighth the 8th gigantic error in
Roosevelt's statesmanship was the total economic sanctions on
Japan one month later at the end of July 1941.
The sanctions were war in every essence except shooting.
Roosevelt had been warned time and time again by his own
officials that such provocation would sooner or later bring
reprisals of war. This is in reference to the the
Japanese Export Control Act, the US Export Control Act of 1940
against Japan, as well as the freezing of Japanese assets by
President Roosevelt. Wasn't too kind of the domestic
population either. Confiscating the nation's gold
with executive orders. Next, refusal to accept Konoye's
peace proposals, 9th. The 9th time statesmanship was
wholly lost was Roosevelt's contemptuous refusal of Prime
Minister Konoye's proposal for peace in the Pacific of
September 1941. The acceptance of these
proposals was prayerfully urged by both the American and British
ambassadors in Japan. The terms Konoye proposed would
have accomplished every American purpose except possibly the
return of Manchuria, and even this was thrown open to
discussion. The cynic will recall that
Roosevelt was willing to provoke a Great War on his flank over
this remote question and then gave Manchuria to Communist
Russia. Next, refusal to accept a three
month standstill agreement with Japan 10th.
The 10th loss of statesmanship was the refusal to accept the
proposals which his ambassador informed him came from the
Emperor of Japan for a three month standstill agreement in
November 1941. Our military officials strongly
urged it on Roosevelt. Japan was then alarmed that
Russia might defeat her ally Hitler. 90 days delay would have
taken all the starch out of Japan and kept war out of the
Pacific. As the Stimson Diary disclosed,
Roosevelt and his officials were searching for a method to
stimulate an overt act from the Japanese.
This is according this is in reference to Secretary of War
Henry Stimson, November 25th of 1941, he wrote in his diary That
was found in the 1946 Pearl Harbor investigation, he said.
We met with the President. Secretary Hull was there.
We discussed the likelihood that the Japanese could attack as
soon as next Monday. The question was how we should
maneuver them into making the first overt move.
Then Hull issued his foolish ultimatum and we were defeated
at Pearl Harbor. This was in Hawaii, which was
not a state in 1941. It wouldn't become a state until
1959. So this wasn't even on American
land. Well, it was American troops in
a colony. The trade of losses and this
Japanese victory in the Japanese occupation of all South Asia
were incalculable. Further, with the loss of sea
control, Hitler and Togo were able to destroy our shipping
insight of our own shores. So what he's saying in the
Japanese occupation of all South Asia were incalculable.
Japan at the time had been occupying Korea since 1910 and
had been occupying Vietnam since September of 1940.
When you withdraw the troops from a certain place, it doesn't
necessarily mean a Thomas Jefferson comes to the top of
the government and everyone embraces democracy or freedom or
anything else that is reflecting civilized society.
It tends to be rather chaotic and create the very power vacuum
status accuse, you know, libertarians of creating.
So when you had the withdrawal of troops from Korea and
Vietnam, it led to a proxy war in Korea for from 1950 to 1953,
killing roughly 2 to 3,000,000 Koreans. 10 years later you had
the US Soviet proxy war in Vietnam, killing millions of
people there along with 10s of thousands of American soldiers.
Next, the demand for unconditional surrender. 11th.
The 11th gigantic error in Roosevelt's statesmanship was
demand for unconditional surrender.
Casablanca in January 1943 where without our military or even
Churchill's advice, he was seeking a headline.
Here is a great lesson in public choice theory.
Human beings are self interested.
Every time you watch Netflix, instead of going and feeding the
homeless, you are engaged in a selfish action.
There's really nothing wrong with this overall.
The problem is when you're in a free market, in order to get
more power, money, social status, influence, you can't get
anyone's time or money unless they give it to you voluntarily
because there's the freedom of disassociation principle when it
comes to the political realm. People are able to get your time
and your money without your consent.
So people are selfish universally in both systems.
The political system makes it so you can benefit at the expense
of others. Roosevelt seeking a headline
meant. Even though it would cost
hundreds of thousands of civilian lives and thousands of
American lives, it was still worth him getting the headline
for so he could increase his social status at the expense of
so many other people. That's why politics is so
dangerous. It played into the hands of
every enemy, militarist and propagandist.
It prolonged the war with Germany, Japan and Italy.
And in the end, major concessions in surrender were
given to both Japan and Italy. It held out no hope of peace to
the Germans if they got rid of the Nazis.
The war to the bitter end left no semblance of structure in
Germany upon which to build again.
So without the Japanese Empire, you have no bulwark against the
Communists in China, and without any German Empire or strong
military, there's no bulwark against the Soviets expanding
into Europe. So there's always costs and
benefits that you have to look at with these things.
The sacrifice of the Baltic States and E Poland at Moscow,
October 1943, 12th. The 12th era of law
statesmanship was the sacrifice of free nations at the Foreign
Ministers meeting at Moscow in October 1943.
Here, amid the words of freedom and democracy, not a word of
protest was made against the known Russian intentions to
annex the Baltic States, E Poland, E Finland, Bessarabia
and Bukovina, which he had in his agreement with Hitler.
The acquiescence marked the abandonment of the last words of
the Four freedoms and the Atlantic Charter.
This is the great lesson of war. Not only are the costs
extraordinarily high monetarily and the number of people getting
killed, the opportunity cost wasted resources, but the
outcomes are extraordinarily uncertain.
Would the American people have supported declaring war if they
knew at the end of it they'd have to fight a proxy war in
Korea as a result, a proxy war in Vietnam as a result, And the
Bolsheviks would control Eastern Europe and the Chinese would end
up, the communists would end up controlling China.
The outcomes are extremely unforeseeable.
So you should be very, very, very hesitant to embrace such a
high death toll. Next, Tehran and its sacrifice
of seven more nations, 13th. The 13th, and possibly one of
the greatest of all confused wanderings in Roosevelt's and
Churchill statesmanship, was at Tehran in December 1943.
Here was confirmation of the acquiescence at the Moscow
Conference of the annexations. Here was the acceptance of
Stalin's doctrine of a periphery of friendly border states, the
puppet Communist governments over seven nations.
The seven nations he's referring to is the Bolsheviks occupying
Poland, Germany, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Yugoslavia
and Hungary. So again, a war that was
declared over a violation of independence led to massive
violations of the independence of many other countries.
Fidelity to international morals and their own promises of
independence of nations and free men demanded that Roosevelt and
Churchill at Tehran stand firm against Stalin once and for all.
There were by this time no such military perils of Stalin's
making a separate piece that could justify these agreements,
acquiescences and appeasements. Remember, if we ever don't like
what the domestic government is doing, we must appease them and
we must always be peaceful. We must try to persuade
voluntarily. But if any other foreign
government potentially violates the freedom of a different
country thousands of miles away, well then we must declare war
and start killing civilians immediately.
Yalta, the secret agreements on the downfall of nations, 14th.
The 14th fatal loss of statesmanship was by Roosevelt
and Churchill at Yalta in February 1945.
Not only were all Stalin's encroachments on the
independence of a dozen nations ratified, but with a long series
of secret agreements, other malign forces were set in motion
which will continue to plague the world with international
dangers for generations. Knowing that Stalin had already
created communist puppet governments over seven nations,
Roosevelt and Churchill sought to camouflage their lost
statesmanship with gadgets entitled Free and Unfettered
Elections, representation of all liberal elements.
Even the strongest defender on military grounds of appeasement
at Tehran could no longer defend it at Yalta.
Here at last a stand might have been made for decency and free
mankind, which would have left America with cleaner hands and
the moral respect of free men. Refusal of Japanese priests.
Proposals of May to July 1945. 15th the 15th time of law
Statesmanship was in respect to Japan in May, June and July
1945. Truman refused to take notice of
the Japanese white flags. Truman was not obligated to
Roosevelt's unconditional surrender folly.
It had been denounced by our own military leaders in Europe.
Peace could have been made with Japan with only one concession.
That was the preservation of the Mikado, who was the spiritual as
well as the secular head of state.
His position was rooted in 1000 years of Japanese religious
faith and tradition, and we finally conceded this after
hundreds of thousands of human lives had been sacrificed.
Remember, it is really bad when someone dies in the free market
on the job. It means we need massive
regulation. We might even need to abolish
capitalism. But when governments kill 10s of
millions of people, well, nothing wrong with that.
Maybe just, you know, alter a few of the 10s of thousands of
laws no one has ever read. Maybe get a different psychopath
controlling the central bank and having the right to tax and the
right to conscript. Next.
Potsdam 16th, the 16th time of blind statesman was Truman At
Potsdam. Power had now passed to
inexperienced men on the democratic countries, and the
Communists had their way at every consequential point.
The whole Potsdam agreement was a series of ratifications and
amplifications of the previous surrenders to Stalin.
Not only were all the communist annexations and puppets further
cemented to Stalin, but the provisions as to government in
Germany and Austria were so set as to send parts of these states
into Stalin's bosom. Referring to the occupation of
East Germany for the next 5 decades and the occupation the
Bolshevik occupation of Austria until 1955.
The result of reparations policies was to load the
American taxpayers with billions of the cost for relief of idle
Germans and stifle the recovery of Germany and thus of Europe.
For years. The wickedness of slavery, of
war prisoners, the expelling of whole peoples from their homes
was ratified and amplified from Yalta.
This is in reference to what's referred to as Operation Keel
Hall. Beyond all this, against advice
from leading men, the ultimatum was issued to Japan of
unconditional surrender without the saving clause allowing them
to retain the Mikado recommended by a score of experienced
American voices. The Japanese in reply asked for
only this concession, which was met with the atomic bomb and
then conceded. In the end, dropping the atomic
bomb 17th, the 17th wandering of American statesmanship was
Truman's immoral order to drop the atomic bomb on the Japanese.
Not only had Japan been repeatedly suing for peace, but
it was the act of unparalleled brutality in all American
history. It will forever weigh heavily on
the American conscience, giving China to now say tongue. 18th.
The 18th series of steps in loss of statesmanship was by Truman,
Marshall, and Atchinson in respect to China, beginning with
Roosevelt's insistence to Chiang Kai Shek of the Communist
coalition government. There followed Roosevelt's
hideous secret agreement as to China at Yalta, which gave
Mongolia and in effect Manchuria to Russia.
Truman sacrificed all China to the Communists by insistence of
his left wing advisors and his appointment of General Marshall
to execute their will. He must be assessed with a
gigantic laws of statesmanship in those policies which in the
end made 450 million Asiatic peoples a Communist puppet state
under Moscow. The Dragon's teeth of World War
319th from the Moscow, the Tehran, Yalta and Potsdam
conferences, the policies as to China, the Dragon's teeth of a
Third World War were sown in every quarter of the world, and
we were to see the Cold War over years and finally the hideous
war in Korea and the feeble N Atlantic Alliance with all its
dangers of American defeat. Again, the end.
I do not need end these volumes with more than a few sentences.
I was opposed to the war and every step of policies in it.
I have no apologies, no regrets. I had warned the American people
time and again against becoming involved.
I stated repeatedly it's only end would be to promote
communism over the earth, that we would impoverish the United
States and the whole world. The situation of the world today
is my vindication. Despite these physical losses
and these moral political disasters and these
international follies, Americans can have faith that we will grow
strong again, that the March of progress will sometime be
renewed. Despite the drift to
collectivism, despite the degeneration in government,
despite the demagogic intellectuals, despite the
corruption in our government and the moral corruption of our
peoples, we still hold to Christianity.
We still have the old ingenuity of our scientific and industrial
progress. We have 35,000,000 children
marching through our schools and 2.5 million in our institutions
of higher learning. Sometime these forces will
triumph over the ills in American life.
The promise of a greater America abides in the millions of
cottages throughout the land where men and women are still
resolute in freedom in their hearts the spirit of America
still lives. The boys and girls from those
homes will someday throw off these disasters and
frustrations, and we'll recreate their America again.
The election of a Republican administration in 1952 is the
sign of this turning. Thanks to everyone for watching
Keith Knight, Don't Tread on Anyone, and the Libertarian
Institute. Of by the way, that people on my
side, I'll just say I'll just admit it on the right.
You know, I've spent the last 80 years defending dropping nuclear
weapons on civilians. Like, are you joking?
That's just like prima facie evil.
If you can't. Well, if we hadn't done that,
then this that the other thing that was actually a great
savings. Like no, it's wrong to drop
nuclear weapons on people. And if you find yourself arguing
that it's a good thing to drop nuclear weapons on people, then
you are evil.