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Pearl Harbor: The Seeds and Fruits of Infamy - Ludwig von Mises ...

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66 <strong>Pearl</strong> <strong>Harbor</strong>: <strong>The</strong> <strong>Seeds</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>Fruits</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Infamy</strong><br />

was allying the United States with the communist Soviet Union,<br />

he was also lending support to the communists on the opposite<br />

side <strong>of</strong> the world—in China. By cooling down the conversations<br />

the U.S. government had been holding with capitalistically oriented<br />

Japan, long engaged in a struggle against the Soviet Union<br />

in Asia, Roosevelt was taking the side <strong>of</strong> the communists <strong>and</strong><br />

thus placing the United States directly in opposition to Japan.<br />

On July 1 the Roosevelt administration exchanged letters<br />

with Icel<strong>and</strong>, pointing out that it was<br />

imperative that the integrity <strong>and</strong> independence <strong>of</strong> Icel<strong>and</strong><br />

should be preserved because <strong>of</strong> the fact that any occupation <strong>of</strong><br />

Icel<strong>and</strong> by a power whose only too clearly apparent plans for<br />

world conquest included the domination <strong>of</strong> the peoples <strong>of</strong> the<br />

New World would at once directly menace the security <strong>of</strong> the<br />

entire Western Hemisphere.<br />

On July 7, the United States occupied Icel<strong>and</strong>. 37 “Th e Icel<strong>and</strong>ers<br />

accepted the occupation fatalistically as a ‘necessary evil’.” 38<br />

<strong>The</strong> U.S. Begins Escorting British Ships<br />

Th e desirability <strong>of</strong> instigating escort operations to help safeguard<br />

U.S. <strong>and</strong> British ships plying the Atlantic was seriously<br />

discussed during the early months <strong>of</strong> 1941. Stark had pressed for<br />

escorts in June, so as “not to let Engl<strong>and</strong> fall.” He proposed at<br />

one time to coordinate the departure <strong>of</strong> U.S. ships <strong>and</strong> British<br />

convoys from the vicinity <strong>of</strong> Halifax. Th en on July 2 the president<br />

approved the Atlantic Fleet’s plan for escort operations. Th e<br />

occupation <strong>of</strong> Icel<strong>and</strong> <strong>and</strong> the need to assure the arrival there <strong>of</strong><br />

supplies <strong>and</strong> provisions provided the immediate excuse. By late<br />

37 Ibid., p. 288; Department <strong>of</strong> State, Peace <strong>and</strong> War, pp. 686–87.<br />

38 Abbazia, Mr. Roosevelt’s Navy, p. 201.

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