Scott interviews author and peace activist David Swanson in honor of Veterans’ Day, or Armistice Day, as it was originally known. Swanson begins by describing the way World War II has become the justification for just about every use of military force by the United States since then. This particular part of American history has made an impression on many people that war can be necessary and good, and that America can be the world’s police force. In a new book, Swanson tries to shift that conversation, both taking his readers back to the circumstances that gave rise to World War II, and also dispelling many of the myths about the war. In particular, he tells the little-known history of U.S. indifference toward—and, even worse, cooperation with—the worst of the Nazi regime, arguing that the real reasons for fighting the war were much less noble. Finally, even if the unique evil of Hitler and the Nazis could justify World War II (an argument Swanson doesn’t buy), that still wouldn’t validate the arguments for why America has to join in any other wars, which clearly fall short of the unique circumstances of Nazi Germany.

Discussed on the show:

Leaving World War II Behind

Wilson’s War: How Woodrow Wilson’s Great Blunder Led to Hitler, Lenin, Stalin, and World War II

Tomorrow, the World: The Birth of U.S. Global Supremacy

Slavery by Another Name: The Re-Enslavement of Black Americans from the Civil War to World War II

Day Of Deceit: The Truth About FDR and Pearl Harbor

Catch-22

The Sovereign State of ITT

IBM and the Holocaust: The Strategic Alliance Between Nazi Germany and America’s Most Powerful Corporation-Expanded Edition

Wall Street and the Rise of Hitler

American Swastika: The Shocking Story of Nazi Collaborators in Our Midst from 1933 to the Present Day

Trading With the Enemy

Human Smoke: The Beginnings of World War II, the End of Civilization

The Devil’s Chessboard: Allen Dulles, the CIA, and the Rise of America’s Secret Government

I Paid Hitler

David Swanson is an author, activist, journalist, radio host, and Nobel Peace Prize Nominee. He is the author of War is a Lie, When the World Outlawed War and Leaving World War II Behind. Find him on Twitter @davidcnswanson.

This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: The War State, by Mike Swanson; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; Photo IQ; Green Mill Supercritical; and Listen and Think Audio.

Donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal, or Bitcoin: 1Ct2FmcGrAGX56RnDtN9HncYghXfvF2GAh.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QRVI1RLeUQ8