© 2010 Michael W. Pocock
MaritimeQuest.com

April 9, 2010
While reading a book published in 1947 I came across this remarkable passage, and due to recent events thought it was something that should be read by as many people as possible. As everyone is aware the President of the United States has just signed a nuclear arms reduction treaty with Russian President Dimitry Medvedev, it is the stated goal of the U.S. President to have a "a world free of nuclear weapons". It seems to be his position that the problem is the "weapons" themselves rather than the people who control them. One might remind the President that "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it" and that he might want to take a few minuets to realize that the cost of such monumental errors made by politicians will be paid by the men and women who have to fight our wars.

While reading this passage please remember that it was written just after the Second World War had ended, 54 million people were dead, the continent of Europe and many countries around the world lay in waste, economies were devastated and the Japanese civilian population had been devastated by two nuclear bombs. It was written about events that took place after the First World War, events that in part, but not in total, helped to create the conditions for the Second World War. It left the U.S.A. unprepared and weak, unable to match those who chose not to give up their weapons, this in turn caused untold thousands of deaths of service personnel for the Allied forces and thousands more civilian deaths.

I have highlighted the parts of the passage that I find particularly relevant to the current situation today. With unstable regimes in control of Iran, North Korea, Venezuela, Syria and other counties too numerous to mention, all with the goal of obtaining some kind of nuclear weapon, we now have modern day extremists/ pacifists making decisions that would in effect put the U.S.A. and other Allied nations in much the same position that we were in in the 1930's. However, at that time it was almost impossible for such nations to reach the U.S.A. with any real hope of success, the weapons of today make a land or sea based attack, which was required back then, obsolete, the enemies of today need only to press a button and millions could be dead in seconds. President Ronald W. Reagan once said "If we lose freedom here, there is no place to escape to. This is the last stand on Earth." In contrast the current President said on April 13, 2010 "Whether we like it or not we remain a dominant military superpower". I read this passage as a warning from the past, you may read it differently, be that as it may it is a very important passage that requires some thought and I hope that anyone who reads this finds some value in it.