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America Police
orld?
from World War II undevastated by
war. Comparatively few of her citizens
- in comparison with nations like the
USSR, Germany, Great Britain, China
or Japan - had died in that global
struggle.
In tooling up for armaments, the
U. S. grew in industrial might and pros–
perity, and appeared to thrive during
that period of worldwidc turmoil.
Before World War 11, the U. S. and
Great Britain shared in the control of
the seven seas. Most of the major "sea
gates," like the Suez Canal, Singapore,
the Cape of Good Hope, the Panama
Canal and Gibraltar beJonged to them.
Great Britain and her far-Rung
Empire ruled over one quarter of the
earth's peoples and land surface.
Great Britain, together with the Com–
monwcalth and the U. S., dominated
world banking and finance.
But during World War II, Great Brit–
ain was hurt badly. Many of her cities
were bombed. She lost many of her best
young mcn. Most significant of all, she
had to convert many of her income–
producing assets into badly needed
armaments for war.
At the conclusion of the war, she was
in a very weakened economic condition,
and she has never fully recovered. Only
now - 25 years later - has her
economy begun to improve. Britain's
post-World-War-II economic malaise has
caused her to be referred to as "The
Sick Man of Europe."
Mantle of World Leadership
Falls on U.S.
Great Britain, realizing her weakened
position, relinquished the mantle of
world leadership in favor of the
U.
S.
America was somewhat reluctant to
accept it. Britain began retreating from
her former responsibilitíes - closing
down her foreign outposts, giving away
her vast globe-girdling Empire. She now
plans to
withdraw from east of Sr1ez
by
1972, leaving a power vacuum in that
area.
Sorne believe the world today would
be a much safer, happier, more pros–
perous place in which to live had Brit–
ain retained her stable rule - even as
her great leader, Sir Winston Churchill,
wanted his nation to do.
What About the USSR ?
During World War II, the USSR was
hurt more than any European nation
except Germany. Over 15 million Soviet
citizens were killed. Much of her coun–
try was devastated, her cities destroyed,
her economy impoverished.
Only massive infusions of Lend-Lease
from the U. S. preventcd Soviet Russia
from totaJly collapsing under the full
weight of Hitler's
blitzkrieg.
Tbe U. S. sent to Soviet Russia many
thousands of planes, tanks, heavy guns,
plus innumerable other weapons and a
never-ending supply of badly needed
foodstuffs. Soviet Russia's heroic soldiers
would have succumbcd to the German
war machín<: had not her Western allies
immediately come to her material res–
cue. It was primarily U. S. aid which
helped thc Soviet Union hold its own
until the nation could begin mobilizing
its potential.
And rcmember, the U. S. and Great
Britain gave Soviet Russia this massive
aid in spite of the fact that Joseph Sta–
lin and Adolf Hitler had previously
signcd a non-aggression pact just prior
to World War II.
By mid-1945 Germany lay in smol·
dering ruins. By August of that year
Japan !ay prostrate in the wake of
nuclear holocaust. Italy, beaten, had
become an ally before the war's end.
Cold War Begins
This left the AJlies in full control of
the enti re globe. Their will became law.
They could carve up the world as they
saw fit. That is what they did.
It
soon became evident that Soviet
Russia was determined to plant thc
heavy Communist boot firmly on as
much of Eastern Europe as she could.
Thc Communists were moving fast to
take over Greece when a fast-acting
Churchill and the British Army saved a
prostrate Greece from slipping into the
Soviet orbit.
Soon, it became apparent that a real
cold war was on. The Communists
launched a program of worldwide sub·
version and intrigue.
Only one nation had the economic