[Marxism] Socialist Policy in World War Two

[G K Milner]

Dear Shane,
                  I agree with you about the conflict between Japan and the 
USA over oil supplies being a primary motive for the Japanese attack on 
Pearl Harbour.   But I'm pretty sure that the Japanese ruling circle had, 
before the attack on Pearl, at least contemplated an assault on the USSR, 
then embroiled in a mighty struggle with the Nazi Wehrmacht.   The Soviet 
intelligence agent Richard Sorge, who was stationed in Japan at this time 
and had access to the highest circles of the Japanese High Command, was able 
to convey to his superiors in Moscow the information in early December 1941 
that the Japanese would attack the USA, and not the USSR.   This piece of 
intelligence enabled the Soviet Union to transfer crucial divisions of crack 
troops with winter clothing and equipment from Eastern Siberia to the front 
in Europe, and these troops contributed to the successful defence of Moscow 
that winter.

In solidarity,

Graham Milner


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Shane Mage" <shmage at pipeline.com>
To: "Graham Milner" <gkmilner at eftel.net.au>
Sent: Thursday, July 02, 2009 11:06 PM
Subject: Re: [Marxism] Socialist Policy in World War Two


>
> On Jul 2, 2009, at 5:41 AM, G K Milner wrote:
>> ...the Japanese ruling circle had seriously weighed up the option
>> of attacking the USSR from the east in 1941, after the Nazi invasion.
>> Probably the factor that deterred the Japanese was the memory of the
>> brief
>> military struggle, in  the late 1930s...
>
>
> Japan went to war because it was being strangled by the oil boycott.
> It had no reason to invade Siberia where there were no oil fields and
> a nonaggression treaty was in effect.
>
>
> Shane Mage
>
>>
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