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In 1945 I really believed that by the year 1952 no American could hear the name of Roosevelt without a shudder or utter it without a curse. You see; I was wrong. I was right about the inevitability of exposure. Like the bodies of the Polish officers who were butchered in Katyn Forest by the Bolsheviks (as we knew at the time), many of the Roosevelt regime's secret crimes were exposed to the light of day. The exposures were neither so rapid or so complete as I anticipated, but their aggregate is far more than should have been needed for the anticipated reaction. Only about 80 per cent. of the secret of Pearl Harbor has thus far become known, but that 80 per cent. should in itself be enough to nauseate a healthy man. Of course I do not know, and I may not even suspect, the full extent of the treason of that incredible administration. But I should guess that at least half of it has been disclosed in print somewhere: not necessarily in well-known sources, but in books and articles in various languages, including publications that the international conspiracy tries to keep from the public, and not necessarily in the form of direct testimony, but at least in the form of evidence from which any thinking man can draw the proper and inescapable deductions. The information is there for those who will seek it, and enough of it is fairly well known, fairly widely known, especially the Pearl Harbor story, to suggest to anyone seriously interested in the preservation of his country that he should learn more. But the reaction never occurred. And even today the commonly used six-cent postage stamp bears the bloated and sneering visage of the Great War Criminal, and one hears little protest from the public.

Revilo P. Oliver#28

HistoryPoliticsJudgmentScandalTrust

About this quote

What does it mean?
The author expected widespread condemnation of Roosevelt by 1952 due to exposed secret crimes like Katyn and Pearl Harbor. He notes that while exposures were incomplete, they were significant enough to disgust a healthy person.
In plain terms
Not everyone turned against Roosevelt after scandals came out, but the truth was still damaging.
What can you take from it?
Partial exposure of corruption can still be damning.

Where it applies

  • political analysis
  • historical review
  • presidential criticism

Putting it to work

  • researching political scandals
  • evaluating historical records

Questions to consider

  • How much evidence is needed to change public opinion?
  • Do partial revelations matter?

Another view

The claim about Pearl Harbor secrets is presented as fact without evidence.

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