[PW] ? Quotations from Bowdoin Alumni (Quotation Query #650)

[Peter Macinnis]

Because I have been enmeshed in the events of 1859 for the past several years, I
can advise that there was plenty of talk about the impending war in 1859, in
reflections on John Brown, on Lincoln, on armaments technology and the Piedmont
conflict, and even on the price of cotton and Britain's dependence on it.

I have seen one 1911 British work by a thoroughly modern majopr-general which
dealt with the planned use of aircraft against balloons in 1911, and proposed
mounting artillery in balloons to attack the planes, while the aircraft would fly
high and drop cutting implements on balloons.  It was clear to me that war was
anticipated in 1911.

I recall seeing a letter written by Robert Goddard in about 1936, where he spoke
of getting over to see Europe before war broke out.  I would need to check, but I
think that was when the British government began publishing booklets on the
various poison gases that the populace might encounter. It was certainly no later
than 1937.

I know that when Australia introduced conscription as a prelude to entering the
Vietnam conflict, speakers at the first anti-conscription rally assumed that the
intention was to engage in a war with Indonesia.  None of us (I was one of them)
even thought about Vietnam, though one speaker, now a prominent Green, amused her
listeners by talking about the exports of Australian barbed wire to Thigh-land.

My record on predicting the Gulf Wars was much the same.

Harking back to World war I, the plans for the Gallipoli invasion were actually
drawn up during the Crimean War, apparently on the basis that the plans would be
needed sooner or later -- but that is hardly anticipation.


Peter Macinnis
Ant lion wrangler to the stars



On Tue Apr 22  3:06 , Michael Hart <hart at pglaf.org> sent:

>
>
>I don't suppose anyone in 1860 could possibly have been talking
>about the upcoming US Civil War???
>
>Just when did people start talking about WWI or WWII???
>
>Did anyone see either of The Gulf Wars coming???
>
>
>mh
>
>
>On Mon, 21 Apr 2008, AllenAmet at aol.com wrote:
>
>>
>> In a message dated 4/21/2008 4:08:52 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time,
>> swguardian-wombat at yahoo.com writes:
>>
>> Pierce,  Franklin
>>
>> "I never justify, sustain, or in any way or to any extent  uphold this cruel,
>> heartless, aimless unnecessary war." Letter to Jane Pierce  3 March 1860
>>
>>
>> ------------
>> just curious -- what war was that, in 1860?
>>
>> Allen
>>
>>
>>
>>
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>>
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