That’s why an article that appeared in the February 2003 issue of Smithsonian magazine entitled "Marching on History" will be of interest to readers of the Militant. The article recounts the struggle of the so-called "Bonus Army," veterans of World War I who came from throughout the country to Washington in 1932, during the depths of the Great Depression, to demand compensation promised by the government in 1924 (already six years after the war) and still unpaid as the economic and social crisis of the 1930s dragged on. (The government offered to pay by 1945, but this only earned the name of the "Tombstone Bonus" in the minds of the veterans, who recognized many of them would be dead by then.)

The article exposes how the famous "heroes" of World War II, including Generals MacArthur, Eisenhower, and Patton, actually made names for themselves by leading a military assault in July 1932 against some 20,000 veterans and their families who had set up camp in the capital. Tanks, mounted cavalry with sabers drawn, and infantrymen with loaded rifles and fixed bayonets were used to drive the demonstrators off the streets. Tear gas grenades set the ramshackle shelters of the veterans ablaze.

The episode speaks volumes about who the real enemy of working people is. The article is also available on the web at www.smithsonianmag.com.

Ray Parsons
Gainesville, Florida  
 

"Anti-France" campaign
I am a French exchange student, currently living in Minneapolis-St. Paul, and I would like to commend you for your nuanced and insightful treatment of the "anti-French" campaign, as well as the diplomatic disputes between the French and American governments, a "falling out among thieves."

In your current issue, a letter-writer points out that the "Simpsons" TV show--a show that has a facade of progressivism--has promoted the "anti-French" hysteria. There was an earlier episode of the "Simpsons" in which Bart Simpson finds himself at the home of two French peasants. These peasants are depicted as greedy, wine-guzzling degenerates. The propaganda that presents all French as effete "surrender-monkeys" is bad enough, blurring class distinctions, but it was truly reactionary to deride the peasants (the backbone, along with the industrial workers, of the anti-Vichy/Nazi resistance) in this manner. Such "comedy" is an obstacle to internationalism.

Jacques Mioffe
Minneapolis, Minnesota  
 

Disagree on Iraq war
I do not agree with [the Militant’s] stance on the war with Iraq--military dictatorship vs. imperialist bourgeois-dominated, but will still be a step forward for the Iraqi people.

Don’t trust Bush for a second. I believe the real reason is the Euro vs. the dollar for oil sales. U.S. occupation will provide freedom to achieve freedom. Workers will be able to make more progress under U.S. domination than Saddam. The Iraqis will use our standards of democracy against the U.S. rulers.

Jonathan Borchardt
Mesquite, Texas  
 

Scientific analysis of war
The Militant’s clear scientific class analysis of the U.S. rulers’ drive to war has been truly excellent. The stark contrast between the Militant’s coverage and other sources came into sharp relief in my workplace discussions around the underlying causes of the war against Iraq. A number of co-workers gave the liberal answer to the question--its Bush, his father, etc. Another bought into the conspiracy theory outlined in The Final Call article by Robert Muhammed--Bush being a member of The Skull and Bones Society. While another brought in Patrick Buchanan’s article from the American Conservative outlining the "hijacking" of U.S. foreign policy by Israel. Buchanan points to policy makers of Jewish descent in the Bush administration, stressing "we need an American foreign policy." The Militant helps to clear away this muck--keep up the good work.

Robert Robertson
Bloomfield, New Jersey

The Militant receives many requests from readers behind bars. The Prisoners Fund makes it possible to send them reduced-rate subscriptions. A prisoner can buy a six-month subscription for $6 and a one-year subscription for $12.

The Spanish-language month-ly magazine Perspectiva Mundial offers a six-month subscription for $3 and a one-year subscription for $6. Please send a check or money order, earmarked "Prisoners Fund," to the Militant, 152 W. 36th St., #401, New York, NY 10018.

The letters column is an open forum for all viewpoints on subjects of interest to working people.

Please keep your letters brief. Where necessary they will be abridged. Please indicate if you prefer that your initials be used rather than your full name.  
 
 
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