Is Tomorrow Hitler's? 200 Questions on the Battle of MankindKnickerbocker, H. R. (Hubert Renfro)
History
Is Tomorrow Hitler's? 200 Questions on the Battle of Mankind
Knickerbocker, H. R. (Hubert Renfro)
Europe -- Politics and government -- 1918-1945; World War, 1939-1945; World War, 1939-1945 -- United States
A. I am sure he has a profound admiration for Mr. Roosevelt quite
aside from the help he wants from him. Churchill and Roosevelt are
both aristocrats, both expert politicians, both highly cultured men,
both believers in humanity, and in the destiny of the English-speaking
peoples. There are only two factors to make them differ. The first is
that they are rivals, friendly rivals, of course, and allied rivals for
the duration of the war, but rivals just the same, and when the time
comes to translate victory into peace terms it is going to be exciting
to see which of these powerful, determined men will do the leading. It
will be a struggle of titans. As one reviews the chief characteristics
of each man it seems as though each possesses to the ultimate possible
degree the qualities of courage, intelligence, imagination, and
stubbornness.
Churchill has called Roosevelt “this great man, this thrice chosen
head of a nation of 130,000,000.” Another time in 1934 he described
Roosevelt’s administration as a dictatorship, writing: “Although the
Dictatorship is veiled by constitutional forms it is none the less
effective.” Hastily he added: “To compare Roosevelt’s effort with that
of Hitler is not to insult Roosevelt but civilization.” Now both men
have become dictators in the classical sense of the word as it has
been so sapiently defined by Frederick L. Schuman. “‘Dictatorship’ is
a form of power which is resorted to voluntarily and temporarily by
democracies to meet dangers of invasion or revolution. It is a device
to save democracy, not to destroy it.... The disposition of democrats
to regard dictatorship in times of crisis as fatal to democracy rather
than as fundamental to its preservation reflects a tragic confusion
resting upon ignorance of history and misuse of labels.” Schuman points
out that Hitler, Stalin, and Mussolini are tyrants or despots, but not,
if one uses the word properly, “dictators.”
The reassuring fact is that both Roosevelt and Churchill believe that
a Pax Anglo-Americana is the key to the future. Churchill believes
that the British ought to take the leading role in such an arrangement
because they have borne the heat of battle to a greater degree than
we shall have done even with our troops in Europe. Roosevelt believes
America ought to be the leader since we are coming out of the war
considerably stronger than Great Britain and the younger nation is now
ready to take over guidance of world affairs from the parent country.
Out of this fundamental difference could come a massive dispute, but
since it will have been based on victory we can hope fervently that the
opportunity for the discussion be provided as quickly as possible.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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