Walter Lippmann and the American Century — 26 Treading Water

1. 1. Lippmann lost faith in disarmament and the League of Nations by the mid-1930s due to the rise of Hitler, Japanese militarism, and the League's failure to curb fascist aggression.
2. 2. Lippmann proposed the nonrecognition policy, later known as the Stimson Doctrine, as a way to pressure Japan without resorting to sanctions or military force.
3. 3. Lippmann believed that the US should not intervene in Europe or Asia, as American security lay in a strong navy and neutrality.
4. 4. In 1933, Lippmann controversially described Hitler's speech as 'the authentic voice of a genuinely civilized people' and compared Nazi persecution of Jews to Jewish 'parvenus.'
5. 5. Lippmann argued that the US should withdraw from the Far East, including the Philippines, to focus on European threats, as Asia was not a vital American interest.
6. 6. Lippmann recognized that the British fleet was the guarantor of American neutrality and that if Britain lost control of the Atlantic, the US would be forced to intervene.
7. 7. By late 1937, Lippmann understood that Hitler could not be placated by concessions and that the democracies had to be willing to fight, yet he still shrank from advocating a military alliance.