BAYONETS DISPERSE GI'S IN FRANKFORT, GERMANY! What U.S. soldiers don't know about their history

[Better Believe It]

BAYONETS DISPERSE GI'S IN FRANKFORT; Armed Guards Break Up March on McNarney's Headquarters to Speed Return Home 20 Reported Arrested Vienna Soldiers Protest 1,800 in London Join Movement
By KATHLEEN McLAUGHLIN By Wireless to THE NEW YORK TIMES.
January 10, 1946

FRANKFORT ON THE MAIN, Germany, Jan. 9--Four thousand United States soldiers in a mutinous mood, who tried to rush headquarters of the United States Forces in the European Theatre here tonight, with the objective of forcing Gen. Joseph T. McNarney to confront them on their demand to be sent home, were stopped at bayonet point by a small group of guards.

http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F70F14F73F5E1B7B93C2A8178AD85F428485F9


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GIS YELL TAUNTS AT GENERAL OF EUROPEAN AREA
Threaten to Hold Protest Meetings Nightly
January 10, 1946

Thousands of irate GIs and WACs, protesting the redeployment slowdown, marched on Gen. McNarney's headquarters tonight, challenging the European theater commander to meet them and loudly criticizing "politicians" for delaying their return home.

http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/chicagotribune/access/462845442.html?dids=462845442:462845442&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:AI&type=historic&date=Jan+10%2C+1946&author=&pub=Chicago+Tribune&desc=GIS+YELL+TAUNTS+AT+GENERAL+OF+EUROPEAN+AREA&pqatl=google


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MANILA GI'S DRAFT PROTEST TO ARMY
By ROBERT TRUMBULL By Wireless to THE NEW YORK TIMES.
January 11, 1946

MANILA, Jan. 10--The Manila soldier sentiment against the reduced demobilization crystalized here tonight in a meeting of 156 soldier delegates elected by as many separate Army outfits in the Manila area. The delegates claim to represent 139,000 men, all interested in getting home.

http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=FB0B17FE3E5E1B7B93C3A8178AD85F428485F9


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U.S. PRESTIGE DROPS AFTER GI PROTESTS; High Officers Say Occupation of Germany Is Affected
By DREW MIDDLETON By Wireless to THE NEW YORK TIMES.
January 13, 1946

BERLIN, Jan. 12--The recent demonstrations in Frankfort on the Main, Berlin and elsewhere in Germany, in which United States troops clamored to be returned home, have done more than anything else to lower the prestige of the United States in the eyes of the German population and weaken ...

http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F10A1FF93C5B16738FDDAA0994D9405B8688F1D3


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1,000 GI'S IN SHANGHAI PETITION PATTERSON
January 15, 1946

SHANGHAI, Jan. 14 (AP)--A thousand United States Army enlisted men met Secretary of War Patterson at the airport today and petitioned an opportunity to discuss demands for a mere clear-cut policy on discharges.

http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F70617FC3E5E1B7B93C7A8178AD85F428485F9


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EISENHOWER CITES DANGER IN PROTESTS
January 13, 1946

TORONTO, Ont., Jan. 12 (AP)-- The wave of "bring them home" public opinion in the United States is blinding American occupation troops to the importance of the Allies' "unfinished task" in Germany and Japan, United States Chief of Staff Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower said at a news conference today.

http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F1091FF63C5B16738FDDAA0994D9405B8688F1D3


A HIDDEN HISTORY

WHEN GI'S MARCHED AND LED A "BRING THE GI'S HOME" MOVEMENT


January 4, 1946 (Friday)
The United States Department of War announced a slowdown in demobilization of U.S. Army soldiers in the Pacific theater, cutting army discharges by 60 percent, from 800,000 down to 300,000 per month. In the week that followed, American soldiers around the world protested, in the Philippines, France, Guam, Germany, India and the United States. The War Department reversed the decision as a result of pressure from the "'Bring Em Home' Movement".

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/January_1946

[Solly Mack]

1. K&R

[TreasonousBastard]

2. Imagine how the ones recalled for Korea felt. And, everyone alive at that time knew...

about the bonus soldier's march

[Jackpine Radical]

3. The really weird thing is that most of these stories

would not see the light of day in today's media. The Overlords would be displeased if the masses were to find out about such goings-on.

[Better Believe It]

4. With the internet, alternative media and international communications that exist today it

would be impossible to hide such a mass movement.

[Jackpine Radical]

5. The blogosphere can hum & glow with orphan stories, but unless M$M

picks them up, they didn't happen.

Gore v. Bush.
Colin Powell lied. No WMD.
Kerry lost.
Have a look at the list of top censored stories every year. If you're a leftist Netizen, you will have heard of most of them. The average American has heard of none of them.

[Better Believe It]

6. They would not be able to hide a mass movement of soldiers.

What mass movements in the United State has the mass media been able to censor and conceal in the past few years that the public is unaware of?

[Jackpine Radical]

7. Well, there was the military occupation of Burlington, VT in 2007...

[inna]

8. never heard of it. :(

[Jackpine Radical]

10. See? That kinda makes my point, donnit?

:evilgrin:

[Bucky]

12. Wow! Thanks for the reminder. I'd forgotten how bad things got in '07 (link)

The occupation of Burlington was an ugly affair. But don't forget those Vermonters have a history of political ties to Canada. Something had to be done. Surely you conceded that the United States has a right to exist.

[eridani]

9. Very interesting. I missed out on that,.

I was busy gestating at the time.

[Bucky]

11. My sympathies, but the people keeping them in Europe certainly *did* know their history

A massive demobilization of hundreds of thousands of troops is a recipe for economic disaster. It was not just the GI Bill's provisions for cheap housing loans and paid college tuitions, but also the slow demobbing of the military after WW2 that made for such a robust US economy without the usual falling wages like what happened after the Civil War and WW1. The troops may not have felt like they were doing much in Europe or the Pacific, but keeping them there in uniform also had a significant stablizing influence on the lands liberated from the Axis.

[Better Believe It]

14. But in fact the troops demonstrations did result in a massive demobilization of

hundreds of thousands of U.S. troops in 1946 and it hardly caused an economic disaster in the United States.

In 1946 a biggest strike wave in American history also took place. This not only stopped "falling wages" it resulted in the biggest wage and benefits gains ever made in the history of American workers, union and non-union alike!

[laughingliberal]

15. +1 nt

[Jankyn]

13. It was also one of the reasons...

...that the Soviets thought the U.S. would back down and get out of Berlin. They knew how unhappy the G.I.s were with being there and thought the American leadership would simply pull out rather than risk further revolt from the troops.

Instead, the Soviet efforts to push Allied forces out of Berlin seemed to have the opposite effect.

I've always thought that Americans are a lot like my family: We'll fight like cats and dogs among ourselves, but Heaven help you if you try to pick on us.