How We Saw War in 1939

One of Muley's pastimes is looking through old copies of Life magazine at the library, especially issues from the 1940s and 1950s. By looking at what Americans were saying and doing then, as well as what magazine features seemed to interest readers, I can get a picture in my mind of just what our country must have been like, and how things have either changed or stayed the same.

Recently, I was looking through the issues of Life from September 1939. This was just after Hitler and the Nazis had invaded Poland, and in response, England and France had declared war on Germany, setting World War II into motion.

One of the Life articles mentioned a recent poll conducted by Fortune magazine on what Americans thought about entering the war. Here are the responses to the two questions asked in that September 1939 Fortune poll:

Who do you want to win the war?

Allies...................................83%
Germany................................1%
Neither side or don't know...........16%

What should the U.S. do?

Fight with Allies now......................................3%
Fight with Allies if they are losing...................13.5%
Send supplies to Allies but not Germany...............20%
Sell to both sides cash and carry........................29%
No aid to either...........................................25%
Help Germany............................................0.1%
Don't know and others.....................................9%

I wonder how the responses would have changed if this poll had been taken again on Dec. 8, 1941...

Quote of the day:

"If we are ever to enjoy life, now is the time -- not tomorrow, not next year, nor in some future life after we have died. The best preparation for a better life next year is a full, complete, harmonious, joyous life this year. Our beliefs in a rich future life are of little importance unless we coin them into a rich present life. Today should always be our most wonderful day."

--Thomas Dreier