But the bold action took the threat of the French fleet under Nazis out of the equation. And, it had one other positive effect - one that Israeli military historians are sure to have noted. The action shocked Roosevelt into acton. He changed his mind about what was at stake and England's will to fight. He was now convinced that, with or without US help, if the Brits went down to the Nazis, they'd go down fighting. Churchill had shown Roosevelt just how seriously he took the Nazi threat and that there would be no accommodating such a truly evil player on the world stage.
Within days US warships were on their way to Britian, and the US had pushed its first chips into the gamble that became World War II.
And so there you have it. How one country, 72 years ago, responded to what it was convinced represented an existential threat to its very survival as a people and a nation. Iran has repeated it's threat to "wipe Israel off the face of the map." Bluff, or genuine threat? I don't know. Neither do you. And neither do the Israelis. But, like Churchill 72 years ago, they will decide, one way or the other. And soon. And the US will learn of it only after it's a done deal.
Now, don't get me wrong. I am not arguing in favor of bombing anyone, even Iran. Nor am I saying that Israel would be right to do so. Not every situation in history is entirely analogous to similar ones today. But what I am saying is, that those in power, those whose job it is to make the right decision when their nation and people face a potentially deadly set of "facts," some accepted, some disputed - they sometimes decide that pulling the trigger is the only sane choice left to them.
History teaches us that sometimes the decision to pull the trigger and ask questions later is the right one. Sometimes it turns out to be the wrong decision.
Churchill's decision to destroy the French fleet at Mers-el-KÃ ©bir is still up for grabs in that regard. While England was able to round up most of the French fleet a large number of ships remained sheltered in the South of France, where the Nazis had not yet advanced. At that moment those French ships were still under French control. When the Nazis arrived in force a few days later, the French sailors followed orders and destroyed their ships right before the eyes of furious German troops. And many of those French sailors paid the ultimate price for doing so.
So, as Paul Harvey used to say, "Now you know the rest of the story."
Will Israel bomb Iran? Will the US step in and aid Israel if she does so against US wishes? Future Historians should have a field day with this one. All we can do is stay tuned.
(Editing compliments of Robert Duffey)
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