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October 7, 2004
Roosevelt Lied, People Died!
October 7, 1946
United States Senate
"Fellow members of the Senate, I have the duty to report to you that Franklin Delano Roosevelt lied to us about his reasons for initiating the Manhattan Project. Yes, the project that developed the atomic bomb was all based on a lie.
Millions of dollars were wasted on this hugely expensive program. Money that could have been spent here at home on health care, job programs, and education. Instead, it was spent on producing two tiny devices that caused the deaths of hundreds of thousands of good Japanese citizens.
We were told by the president that Nazi Germany was developing this new type of weapon. He assured us that the evidence was infallible. All throughout the war, he assured us that this secret project of his was necessary because he and his advisors were "certain" that Hitler was developing an atomic device, a device that he would use against us unless we acted quickly.
It now turns out that most of the "evidence" he used to justify this wasteful and harmful project was based on a few letters sent by a scientist to Roosevelt!
Look at the headlines. We are now the laughingstock of the world. An article in the eminent New York Times tells the story:
GERMANS DECLARED FAR BEHIND ON BOMBTruman was part of the Roosevelt administration, so he cannot deny responsibility for the Manhattan Project. How can we regain the respect of the rest of the world when our own president has no credibility?
The New York Times, 1945
New York Times; Dec 7, 1945; pg. 4
Operation Alsos has reported to us that Nazi Germany in fact did not have a credible atomic weapon program. They were nowhere near completion of an atomic device. In fact, we know now that Hitler was never even serious about developing such a weapon. His program was underfunded. They had no reactor. No quantities of fissile material. Not even a blueprint for a bomb.
And so we are now in a situation where Harry Truman demands more and more money to fix the problems that he helped to cause. Can anyone doubt that occupied Germany, for example, is nothing but chaos? The evidence is printed for us day after day in our newspapers! The German people hate us. We have botched the occupation. . There is much doubt as to whether Germany can develop into a democracy.
This administration has also failed to adequately consult our allies. I trust that you have all seen the New York Times article telling of Russian success in their sector? About the revival of industry, agriculture, and education under their wise tutelage? But, sadly, our president is too arrogant to hold the summit meeting necessary for a frank exchange of ideas.
Despite all this, they have not announced any plan for the reconstruction of Europe. Secretary of State Marshall has hinted at something that he is developing, but he has presented us with no plan.
Fellow Senators, there is only one conclusion: Roosevelt lied, and people died!"
Posted by Tom at October 7, 2004 3:45 PM
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Comments
By 1940 Germany had invaded Austria, Czechoslovakia, Poland, France, Belgium, and Holland. They were engaged in a Holocaust against European Jews and were bombing London.
American forces, under Roosevelt's leadership lived up to your ideals of allowing people to sleep peaceably because rough men stood up and were willing to do violence on their behalf.
Who wrote this senate letter? They were as wrong about developing German democracy as they were about interpreting their own history.
Posted by: dirk 
at July 9, 2008 1:40 PM
Um, the letter was a parody on the "Bush lied people died" meme.
Posted by: The Redhunter 
at July 9, 2008 7:51 PM
