Americas Answer

[skeptic 992]

Just received the propaganda piece, "America's Answer", that I found on eBay. What a truly amazing piece of scouting history. Not only is it a response to a difficult time in our history, but it exposes you to how BSA was being attacked directly by certain elements, and Scouting being subverted or driven underground in many parts of the world. Are some interesting historical notes regarding this with a Google search. Here is a link should you be interested.

 

http://xroads.virginia.edu/~ma04/wood/mot/html/neutrality.htm

 

Scroll down to 1939. Note the photo on the right, #9, which actually shows the item I just purchased.

[sailingpj 18]

That is very interesting.

[packsaddle 753]

Hey, I thought you ALREADY had a copy of Lenin's autobiography...

Just kidding. This is a GREAT link and video. I'm going to show it to the troop. Thanks

[skeptic 992]

Pack; You have me confused with someone else, though I actually did read condensed bio's of Lenin, Hitler, Mussolini, Tito, and a few others when I was studying that period of history. It is interesting to realize how far the AXIS propaganda arm reached, and also a reflection of our country's freedom that they were able to actually publish such material, as well as hold rallies. Fortunately, that same freedom likely made their success pretty limited, as even then their actions in Europe and Indo-China were becoming fairly well publicized here.

 

Related is the story of the underground scouting in the countries directly effected by the war. I had the privilege in the late 70's of knowing a Polish gentleman and his wife who were both involved in the Polish underground through scouting. He became a pilot flying out of Britain, and she was captured and survived one of the camps. But he was the Polish equivalent of an Eagle prior to the upheaval. They were involved in a group at the time that kept the Iron Curtain scouting programs alive in free countries. Here they had to be members of BSA, but then joined the unit from their cultural background. They learned the language, customs, and reproduced the uniforms from that lost scouting tradition. Went to a gathering in the San Fernando Valley they held which included Polish, White Russians, Czechs, and two or three other Slavic groups. It was a great experience; and the dedication and focus of the youth surprised me, I have to admit. Do not know if the group still exists since he supposed end of the Cold War.

[Eagle92 110]

Yep the Axis did have their adherents here in the USA, and their propaganda was shown.

 

What I like was that we took THEIR propaganda and used it against them when one of the great Hollywood directors, sorry mind drawing blanks now, took their film, and spliced it with US activities and had John Wayne, or maybe another HW star of the time I believe narrate it.

 

I believe it was called WHY WE FIGHT