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January 19, 2005

Reasons For American Entry Into World War I Not "High Fallutin'"

I am completely stunned at Jonah Golberg's assertion about President Woodrow Wilson and the American entry into World War I. Golberg writes today at The Corner that Wilson "got us into an idiotic war for high-fallutin' reasons."

There was nothing "high fallutin'" about the sinking of the Lusitania in May of 1915 (128 Americans among the dead). This was the result of German unrestricted submarine warfare, in which the Germans declared a war zone around the British Isles where any Allied merchant vessel would be sunk on sight. The Germans backed off temporarily, because of outrage over the Lusitania, fearing that America would enter the war.

The German intention to "assist" Mexico - as outlined in the Zimmerman telegram - regain her "lost" territories of New Mexico, Texas and Arizona - further outraged the American public. Nothing "high fallutin'" about that, either.

At the end of 1916 the Germans again declared a policy of unrestricted submarine warfare. Now, not only Allied ships, but ANY neutral ships (U.S. included) approaching Great Britain would be sunk ON SIGHT. The Germans hoped to be able to starve England before the U.S. either entered the war or could effectively bring its forces to the fight.

At this point the United States had no choice whatsoever but to enter the war. America was directly and intentionally imperiled with this new German policy. Indeed, a plausible argument could be made that the United States waited far too long, in the face of blatant provocation, to enter the war.

I am just dumbfounded and completely amazed that Goldberg could so casually - despite these historical facts - dismiss the reasons for the American entry into World War I as "high fallutin'"

Posted at 04:14 PM Pacific