Britain and the USA, 1945-46

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1. We only paid of a portion of the debts from WW2, we are still paying of debts from the Napoleonic wars people - HELLLO! As for the debts incurred from ww1, well they are in a curious state of 'limbo' that know body at the Treasury talks about. Since Maggie's reign of terror our nation debt has become digital/electronic/quantitative - meaning it's not even physical anymore.
   Please discuss below;
2. He didn't know about the loan payments and he was the ambassador! No wonder the political and diplomatic elite know so little about anything....
3. Britain was so fixated on repeatedly destroying Germany when it rose up as the European hegemon in the early 20th century that they finally destroyed themselves. All the grandstanding from the remains of the pillaging and invading British empire that was jealously guarding its world domination is black propaganda to blame Germany and keep up British morale.
4. John Maynard Keynes, although brilliant, was mostly viewed as an aloof elitist, a radical leftist freak, and thus; exceptionally well hated in the USA.
5. I've always found DeGaulle's axiom closest to the truth - "Nations do not have friends, they have interests."
   
   I found the (and find) the repeated "the Yanks are 'Johnny Come Latelies'" a bit disingenuous. From September of 1939 to April of 1940 (10 months) you have what's referred to as the "Phony War" where there are few casualties. There are naval engagements culminating in the loss of the HMS Courageous and smaller naval vessels. There is the "invasion" of Norway - and subsequent skedaddle. Then, there is the Battle of Britain for about 4 1/2 months. Total casualties around 24,000 Britons killed, 30,000 wounded, with the largest single-day death count at.....3,000 (what the US lost on 9/11). These are, without doubt, large numbers of dead and wounded. But, as in anything about World War II, it will get worse.
   
   How many Americans flew for RAF in the Battle of Britain? There were, I believe, 4 "Eagle Squadrons". Its not easy to figure out good numbers since it was a breach of neutrality laws - the Americans could've have their citizenship revoked - and many Americans pretended to be Canadian. Its believed the number could reach as high as 1000 (but that's doubtful, and is probably around half that).
   
   It might also be worthwhile to consider that for America to "enter" the war we were going to have to move ARMIES across 2,500 miles of open ocean. And, we did. Two oceans to be precise. We also equipped the Soviet Union and supplied the Chinese Nationalist Armies (of Flying Tigers fame and Gen. "Vinegar Joe" Stilwell).
   
   On top of all this, its my opinion that Britain's entanglement in World War II was predicted by none other than Lord Keynes, and could've been avoided entirely had the Americans not been so cavalierly sidelined at Versailles. The Wilson 14 Points Plan (yes, we all know Wilson was an American bigot of "colored" folks) would've gone a long way toward nipping the buds of World War II. It was afterall, your own First Lord of the Admiralty, Eric Campbell Geddes who summarized British, and the Continental allies' attitude toward Germany with the stump phrase: "We shall squeeze the German lemon until the pips squeak!"
   
   It was British mismanagement of its own foreign affairs that got it drawn into World War II - along with the France's, Germany's, the Soviet Union's, etc, etc, et. al. The same goes for World War I for that matter. Odd (and a bit unseemly, in my eyes) that Britons seem so upset at our reluctance to enter horrifying, global conflicts against Germany and her allies, and so reluctant to help the US in her smaller wars of Containment.
   
   We did afterall lend you money at 2% - not a bad rate of interest considering world rates over that 60 year period. Of course, we also GAVE you money - along with France, the Netherlands, Belgium, Austria, Italy, etc.
   
   But, we didn't OWE you a thing.
6. Mortgaged to America?
   
   How ironic! Now America is mortgaged to China!
   
   Whats sad is that unlike Britain we never even fought a World War to get in this position.Just sold out our principles.
7. Repay your South Sea Company debt before making Americans the enemy of the crown's debt.
8. I think that in years to come - if we make it that far - revisionist historians might come to the conclusion that Britain was not so victorious.
9. Keynes' words would never fly in Trump's America. And that is OK with me. However, Obama would understand such an illogical, sad..... but moral plea. I am watching this Doc because I fear that Britain and America are careening down the path of ruin in this 21 st century. And I am looking for answers as well as historical information.
10. The United States waited until the British nation's were crippled, before they entered the war. That is why Australian's hate Americans. F.D.R was far more evil than Hitler.
11. It was only our men who were late. Our money and material were right on time. Same as in WWI. British debt to us wouldn't have been nearly as high in either war had it only started borrowing and buying in 1917 and late 1941, respectively. Indeed, had the United States actually left Britain "alone" from 1939-1941 the outcome of the war would've been far more doubtful.
12. Rather distasteful to have Karl Rove stand in as the representative of American sentiment.
13. Much of the debt was written off. Much of the military equipment was gifted. America is not your mum.
14. As a USAer and a confirmed Anglophile, I won't attempt to defend the self interested actions of my country. But considering what is in store for the U.S. as we decline, the U.K. experienced a relatively "soft" landing at the end of its decline; I wish I could see the same future for my country!
15. This Host really has some jealousy and hostility towards America.
16. i would say if the u.k. enjoys a "special relationship" with another country i'd say australia long before the u.s. the only "special relationship" i can see with the u.s. is one of total domination from one side to the other in government, military, pop culture, movies, television, and now even things like food and even british english is now completely littered with americanisms. still, if the british empire was inevitably gonna decline having the u.s. as a major ally certainly at least helped britain remain a major super power and without american movies, television and various other technologies it is doubtful english would be as globally dominant as it is today even if it's american rather than british english that's dominant at least it's not mandarin or spanish that's the international language. as much as they might not like american domination of their countries at the very least they get to enjoy having the international language of business, government, technology, the internet, etc. as their mother tongue which very well may not have happened had the u.s. not risen to dominance after the second world war.
17. Well  the Brits certainly shat on their old mates by firstly passing the Alien Act of 1947 stripping her loyal kin from New Zealand, Australia, Canada, India, South Africa etc of our British Citizenship and reclassifying us as Aliens. This was deeply insulting by the UK after the Commonwealth had shed so much of its blood defending good old Britain. Then the Brits shat on us again by joining the EEC in 1973 ripping up the Ottawa Agreement of 1932 which was the start of a Free Trade Agreement for all countries in the Commonwealth. And now we have Brexit? Now when our trade  with the UK is so small that it is virtually insignificant! We (NZ) now export more to Germany than we do to the UK. The UK takes about 2% of our exports in Dollar terms. I don't understand why the UK would want Brexit?
18. Very interesting documentary! Apparently, at least from what I can conclude from this documentary, is that Britain simply did not give American any convincing argument on how a grant or loan would be of much benefit to the USA. It's like asking your boss for a raise or a promotion. You have to convince the boss how it's in his or her best interest to pay you more. That is how it needed to be framed. Not how it will benefit the recipient or the employee. If you said to your boss, "Hey, I need a raise because I want a new car, or I need to send my kid to the best, most expensive college they can get accepted to," you would be laughed right out of his office. Someone else commented that the British did not understand what's in the American mind. Perhaps this is what they meant....
19. Pax Americana  - "Empires do not have friends, only interests" . Having spent centuries fixated on the British Empire as an evil global malevolence, actively engaged in secret wars, spying and promotion of hostile 3rd parties to attack its rivals bent as it was on enslaving the entire world, after WW2 it miraculously switched to Communists who were now deemed to up to the same perfidious games as Albion had. The US Empire though was now fully established, a more sophisticated entity than the Brit one had been, based on a looser though no less effective system of economic muscle, covert operations and the funding and training of disgruntled Army officers to overthrow elected slightly lefty governments. Exactly what they had accused the Brits. USSR/now Russians of.The exception comes when these normal tools don't work and a proxy war, usually involving the pretty much most beat up and weakest of the enemies clients states gets bombed to hell, killing an unknown number of civilians, unknown because the Land of the Free does not count the number of unarmed non combatants it has murdered during any of its "Freedom" exercisesThe USA will no admit that it has an Empire and only rarely that it was deliberate policy to dismantle the British as quickly as possible after WW2 so as to extend its own power, the power that it boasts of one minute than denies the obvious impact and effect of the nextALL Empires behave like this, the Yanks are no better than most but certainly not yet the worst, but then, they have a bit of time left, and the worst horrors are usually when the thing endsWE must get a grip, all of us. China is now basing its future on some kind of Empire modelScares the shit out of me
20. maybe the idea was pie in the sky new jerusalem who will pay for it??? the problem is sooner or later you run out of other peoples money! no you cant fire up the presses and climb out