Asia First.

This is coolbert:

More as extracted from blog entries at isegoria.net with my commentary:

"Asia First"

"When the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, one might have naively assumed that the US would pursue an Asia First strategy"

. . . .

"Because of their visceral anti-communism and their concern for the Catholic populations of Eastern Europe, American Catholics were the most outspoken critics of the American-Soviet alliance.

. . . .

"The Soviet propaganda machine counter-attacked by manufacturing and spreading disinformation to the effect that the Catholic Church was in league with the Nazis and Fascists to exterminate the Jews. Isvestia published numerous articles alleging the Catholics and Fascists/Nazis had been in league since 1929 (the year of the Vatican’s concordat with Mussolini)."

. . . .

"It’s interesting to note that to the Asia Firsters, Nazism and Japanese militarism were seen as secondary to the real danger, Soviet Communism. They had no doubt Germany and Japan would be defeated one way or the other, sooner or later, but they seemed to truly fear that the West might not be able to defeat Soviet Russia."

That decision having been made [in the aftermath of the Battle of Midway] that 90 % of the American war effort in totality would be directed against Germany NOT SO unreasonable? Sentiments and anger of the American public with regard to Japan quite extreme but FDR and his military planners probably with a correct determination considering Germany to be the more dangerous opponent.

American Catholics predominately I would assume of Polish ethnicity their "visceral anti-communism" justifiable! Father Coughlin the controversial priest also quite prominent during that era prior to WW2 his influence widespread!

coolbert.