Special Providence_ American Foreign Policy and How It Changed World - Walter Russell Mead

206 SPECIALPROVIDENCE

Humansufferingandthesacrificeofhumanlifearenecessary,butWall
Streetconsidersonlythedollarsandcents,"saidNorris.Asa resultof
thispropaganda,hepassionatelywarned,"Millionsofourbrethrenmust
shed theirlifeblood, millionsofbroken-hearted womenmustweep,
millionsofchildrenmustsufferwithcold,andmillionsofbabesmust
diefromhunger,andall becausewewanttopreservethecommercial
rightofAmericancitizenstodelivermunitionsofwartobelligerent
nations."49
Norrisfailedtoswayhiscolleagues,whovotedby 82 to 650 forthe
declarationofwaragainstGermany,buttheaftermathofthewarcon-
vincedmanyAmericansthathehadbeenrightallalong.TheBolshevik
publicationofthesecrettreatiesamongtheAlliesrevealedthe selfish
purposesthatlay behindBritishandFrenchprofessionsofdemocratic
idealism. The naked display ofBritish imperialismafter the war-
includingtheviolentsuppressionofindependenceprotestsinIndiaand
thebloodyextensionofBritishruleintheMiddleEastandoverthefor-
merGermancoloniesinAfrica-furthersouredAmericanopinionofthe
postwarAllies,asdidtheharsh, shortsighted, andvindictiveFrench
policytowardGermanyintheimmediatepostwarera.
ThefinalblowcameafterthedepressiongravelyunderminedAmeri-
can respectforbusinessleadersandthefamous 1934 Nyehearingsin
Congress,conductedbySenatorGeraldNyeofNorthDakota,substanti-
atedmanyofNorris'sclaimsaboutthecorruptandhiddeninfluenceof
NewYorkbanksinbuildingpoliticalsupportforU.S. entryintothe
war.WithBritainandFrancedefaultingontheirwardebtstotheUnited
Stateswhilefindingplentyofmoneytooppresstheircolonialsubjects,
Americanopinionturnedagainstfurthercooperationwithitswartime
allies.
ThisfeelingresultedintheNeutralityActsof 1935 and1936,which
preventedAmericanbanksfromlendingmoneytobelligerentnations
andtookotherstepstocurtailHamiltonianeffortstoinvolvetheUnited
Statesin future EuropeanwarsY Behindthe acts stood a powerful
AmericanconsensusthattheUnitedStateshadbeensnookeredintopar-
ticipationinWorldWarI bya combinationofHamiltonianbankersand
Europeanimperialists.Thelessonsofhistory,Americansbelieved,coun-
seledagainstparticipationinfutureconflictsofthiskind.
Theriseoffascism didnot,atfirst, disturbthisconsensus.Inas-
sessingtheeventsofthoseyears,however,itisimportanttounderstand
that, atleast in the beginning, itwas historical sophistication and
knowledgeoftheworldthatinformedtheJeffersonianreluctancetotake