Private statement by British admiralty official regarding the British responsibility in the "Lusitania" disaster, 1915.
The truth of the statement is being demonstrated with particular vividness in Washington currently. Unfortunately it's one of those catchy aphorisms that we think "sounds good" (like "taxation is theft") but then dissolve in the long-inculcated fiction that government, more accurately government officials and legislators, serve the people and uphold their interests and protect them from harm.
We need to remind ourselves every day of those words from the Winston Churchill admiralty of the First World War: "Government doesn't exist to protect the people. Government exists to protect the government."
Ironically, the German government made a greater attempt to prevent American and British civilians from meeting death on the luxury liner "Lusitania" than did the US and British governments. At the New York dock the British passenger ship's hold was clandestinely loaded with explosive armaments being smuggled unlawfully to England from supposedly "neutral" America. The passengers were unaware they would be sailing on a floating bomb; when the liner was later hit by a single torpedo in the war zone, there was a tremendous secondary explosion of the munitions which sank the ship in less than twenty minutes, with great loss of life.
Before the Lusitania sailed from New York the German government sent fifty anonymous telegrams addressed to prominent passengers, warning them not to sail on the liner. More importantly, the German government placed the following advertisement in the leading metropolitan newspapers next to Cunard Line ads.
'NOTICE !
'Travelers intending to embark on the Atlantic voyage are reminded that a state of war exists between Germany and her allies and Great Britain and her allies; that the zone of war includes the waters adjacent to the British Isles; that, in accordance with formal notice given by the Imperial German Government, vessels flying the flag of Great Britain or of any of her allies, are liable to destruction in those waters and that travelers sailing in the war zone on ships of Great Britain or her allies do so at their own risk.
'Imperial German Embassy,
'Washington, D. C., April 22, 1915.'
The German government had pre-paid for its ad to be placed in fifty US newspapers a number of days ahead of the liner's departure date. Of all the papers, only the Des Moines Register published the warning on the requested date. It is reported that the U.S. State Department frightened newspaper publishers by raising the possibility of libel suites if they published without prior clearance from State Department attorneys. The result was that despite the German early request, the advertisement was not published in New York until the morning before the Lusitania sailed.
"Government doesn't exist to protect the people. Government exists to protect the government."
9 comments:
This is a fantastic history dig, Fleming.
This reminds me of the story of a Navy Officer decoding the Japanese and telling the War Department that the Japanese were planning to hit Pearl Harbor. No one paid any attention to him.
Thanks, Naj. I think you may have read the post before I expanded it a little later. Have another look and see.
I'm enjoying the Iranian movies you recommended. I watched "Ten" last night.
Right, Zoey. There's a lot of similarity, and both attacks were manipulated with the purpose of getting the US into a war against Germany.
I've decided to write a post from that point of view. Thanks!
Fleming, your site is wonderful. I have, like you, also discovered Jayne Gardener's site. My book on the Lusitania disgrace is presumably one that you also have, the one by Colin Simpson (1972), an almost perfect template for John Toland's book on the Pearl Harbor swindle, 'Infamy', which again is a perfect template for the lies about Iraq's WMD. Pity so few Americans knew this history.
I can't find your email address. Could you send it to me at collettj at telkomsa.net. Thank you!
Jim Joyce the Irishman had this to say:
Repooplickns and Democraps both controlled by Aipac 6pak Disraeli Fairysea Ziony's
According to variose cademick studies, the polytickns mitszre-presentin the only two Capitolist mainlining partyfartys the Repooplickns! and Democraps! beneath the comptrol of the racyracist craziZionies. These make for inciting times. The (gunsof) august dignyfied Senatelligators and 'members' of 'congress' haggle for beeshness, gailydaily raisin there skirts and droppin there drawpers - in pooplick! all for the shekelshackles and bootlickyful khazaridignofecations. Dollardoulocrazy! AshkeNazi Schicklgrooba! Sixpointed-swasticker! Ethnocleansy Gazastrippy-tease! Onygoodpalli isa dedpalli! Izraily sneipassassin! Izraily Demolishocracy! Killemall! Boombang! Shootthestonykids! Take'm'out! The Constitutional Amendment of the Talmudd! BooshBliar! The effin Araq Irabs! Saddamn! Shock'n'awe or awefulshock! Mishon Complete! Snafusopheechistification! Libbylobbys! Neocoms! Hum V. Hillarymonika Billcigar Clintone! Lieberalistic anti-racist-racists! Google google! Jewliani! 'Dick' Chainy's Smelliburton! Babylononthehudson-tigris! Bombastic DU weppons of mastification! Wolfowits! Auschwits!The sex-pointed shtar-shpangled bandanna! Pressconinferences! Antitermitism! Oh the smell the smell of the neocon 'liberty' bell! Poof! poopSTINK! Ehhhhhrrrrrr!
Anonymous 1, I'm very pleased to meet you. Thanks for the kind words, which encourage me to write a post on the other lies that have been used to get the US into wars.
Since experiencing some Zionist terrorism a couple of months ago I've removed my email address from my blogs. Because you are "Anon" I'm hesitating to give you my address even though I expect that you are a friend. If you would tell me more about yourself by sending a comment to this blog which I will not publish, it will be like an email because no one but me will see it.
Thank you! I hope to be communicating further with you.
Anonymous 2, so James Joyce is alive and well and has updated "Finnegans Wake"! Your comment is by far the most original I've ever received. Extremely clever. Thank you!
Are Anon 1 and Anon 2 by any chance the same person?
Fleming, when I read this excellent post I got a sinking feeling, one that was not buoyed by any of the comments. Take a bow!
War is a business, a dirty business, a cruel business, an amoral business. That there are humans who happily make money out of the deaths of men, women and children is an indictment of our kind.
Cheers!
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