“Germany is becoming too strong. We must crush her.”

[BuddaBell123]

[Split from "Britain provoked Germany into early war"]

“Germany is becoming too strong. We must crush her.” To American General Robert E. Wood, in November 1936.

Did Churchill really say this and if so what did he mean by it? (As this thread is discussing weather Britain provoked Germany).

He also apparently said this :“You must understand that this war is not against Hitler or National Socialism, but against the strength of the German people, which is to be smashed once and for all, regardless of whether it is in the hands of Hitler or a Jesuit priest.”

Are these faked quotes by Churchill or are they real? If so what did he mean - did he want another war with Germany to end its economical strength and growing influence in Europe?

[Orwell1984]

“Germany is becoming too strong. We must crush her.” To American General Robert E. Wood, in November 1936.

Did Churchill really say this and if so what did he mean by it? (As this thread is discussing weather Britain provoked Germany).

He also apparently said this :“You must understand that this war is not against Hitler or National Socialism, but against the strength of the German people, which is to be smashed once and for all, regardless of whether it is in the hands of Hitler or a Jesuit priest.”

Are these faked quotes by Churchill or are they real? If so what did he mean - did he want another war with Germany to end its economical strength and growing influence in Europe?

Care to give your source for these quotes? I ask because the only references I can find for them are on far right, revisionist sites like St***front and other sites linked to denial and conspiracy theory. The first one is repeatedly mentioned as coming from a work of revisionist Peter H Nicoll. No reputable site on Churchill or book lists them as far as I can see. Perhaps others will have better luck.
So where'd you come across them?

As a side note Robert E Wood wasn't even serving in the US military in 1936 but was a vice president at Sears Roebuck. In 1940 he helped form America First.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_E._Wood

This seems to be another in a series of dubious posts and facts you've posted. :roll:

[little grey rabbit]

Testifying before the Senate Committee in February, 1941,he claimed that Churchill had personally told him five years before, "Germany is getting too strong and we must crush her."

General Robert E Wood: Evolution of a Conservative
dig.lib.niu.edu/ISHS/ishs-1978aug/ishs-1978aug-162.pdf‎

Of course he was pushing the isolationist line at the time, but really this is no more than a cruder restatement of Vansittart's considered sentiment.

Both of whom were, in my opinion, completely correct in their assessment. It used to be commonplace that Britain had missed an opportunity to nip Germany in the bud over the Rhineland, the Saar and then the Sudentenland - this was the thrust of "The Guilty Men" thesis. So it would make sense to try and bring on the unavoidable conflict sooner rather than later, particularly before they ran out of potential Eastern European allies - aside from the Charybdis of the USSR.

Text
Viscount Halifax to Sir H. Kennard (Warsaw).
(Telegraphic.) Foreign Office, June 30, 1939

You should at once seek interview with Minister for Foreign Affairs and ask him how the Polish Government propose to deal with the situation which appears to be impending. It would seem that Hitler is laying his plans very astutely so as to present the Polish Government with a fait accompli in Danzig, to which it would be difficult for them to react without appearing in the role of aggressors. I feel that the moment has come where consultation between the Polish, British and French Governments is necessary in order that the plans of the three Governments may be co-ordinated in time. It is in the view of His Majesty's Government essential that these plans shall be so devised as to ensure that Hitler shall not be able so to manage matters as to manoeuvre the Polish Government into the position of aggressors.

[ljadw]

What Churchill and Vansittart were saying was totally irrelevant : they were persons without power and influence : policy was made by Baldwin and Chamberlain,not by Churchill and Vansittart (who was only a civil servant)

[BuddaBell123]

It's seems that Churchill's quote from 1936 on crushing Germany has little to no evidence to back up its reliability.

I discovered it ages ago when searching Churchill quotes, I then wanted to know whether he really said something like this. I have no motive for posting this quote I just wondered if it was a real on or not, nothing wrong about that.

[little grey rabbit]

It's seems that Churchill's quote from 1936 on crushing Germany has little to no evidence to back up its reliability.

It is a hearsay quote. We know Robert E Wood gave testimony to the Senate (under oath?) that Churchill said it, we also know such sentiments were commonly expressed in the circles Churchill moved in. There are plenty of hearsay quotes that enter the historical record, this one seems as plausible as any of them.

[Sid Guttridge]

Hi LGR,

You write, "we also know such sentiments were commonly expressed in the circles Churchill moved".

Do we?

And of what did these "circles" consist?

You need to back up this proposition with something more substantive, if it is to move from being your personal, unsubstantiated opinion to a hard fact.

Cheers,

Sid.

[Hawker]

It's seems that Churchill's quote from 1936 on crushing Germany has little to no evidence to back up its reliability.

I discovered it ages ago when searching Churchill quotes, I then wanted to know whether he really said something like this. I have no motive for posting this quote I just wondered if it was a real on or not, nothing wrong about that.

It doesn't matter. What was actually in Churchill's powers back in 1930ties? He came back to powers and become a prime minister after a disaster in France, when policy of not provoking Hitler prooved to be totally not effective.

[BuddaBell123]

It does matter Hawker as he could well have had the same feeling in the Summer of 1940. If he said it in 1936 what's to say he wouldn't want to implement it when he came to power. It could well be another reason why he refused to negotiate.

[phylo_roadking]

It could well be another reason why he refused to negotiate

IIRC you've been told many times in various threads why he did or didn't negotiate....

But as a P.S. - when the opportunity for doing so was there in June/July 1940...the need to CRUSH Germany was hardly going to be on his mind! Not being crushed by Germany would have been uppermost...

[Marcus]

I'm locking this thread as it is apparently just another attempt to restart the discussion belonging in already active threads in new ones.

/Marcus