09-12-2017, 08:32 PM
montana Wrote:And this directly threatened the US how???? Nobody said those actions were a direct threat to the US.
montana Wrote:My point is during 1940 we were in the midst of a depression yet they started building the largest bomber factory in the world based on no direct threat to the U.S.?Hmm. Since you said "There were many crystal balls being used in the US before Pearl Harbor," it sounded to me like your point was that some people had sufficient foresight to build the largest bomber factory in the world, in anticipation of US involvement in the war that was then ongoing.
If they didn't think that the events I listed portended the distinct possibility of drawing the US into the conflict, why would they invest time and money building a bomber factory that wouldn't be needed due to the lack of a direct threat?
montana Wrote:The majority of US citizens and the administration "publicly" were in support of neutrality and did not want another replay of WW1. The powers that be had other ideas and like the 276 they probably already had their game plans in action.Undoubtedly, some "game plans" were already in action. For instance, the construction of aircraft carriers during the 1920s and mid-1930s almost certainly resulted from plans to implement new technologies, not as a reaction to events in other parts of the world.
Your bomber factory, however, was clearly a response to said events.
But, the .276 Pedersen decision, if we take MacArthur at his word, was strictly based on economics. Which is perfectly reasonable and plausible, given that the Great Depression was in full swing in 1932. To think that the minor incidents listed by Paul -- which posed no possibility of threats to the US -- would have been the basis for the decision, is illogical. Shoot, in 1873 the Army adopted a new caliber for rifles and Gatling guns, along with a new caliber for revolvers, all while fighting the Indian Wars. Yet we're supposed to think that a few coups and rebellions in other countries was reasonable cause to stop .276 adoption? Puhleez.
montana Wrote:I know this subject can go down the rabbit hole which I don't care to go but to dismiss 52's observation is subjective at best.Meh. Isn't everyone's opinion subjective?