Book Review: G.i.'s and the Fight Against War

A Young Socialist pamphlet* Recent history would appear to show the U.S. ruling class as having moulded for itself a fighting machine’as powerful and disciplined as to be almost invincible. Fearsome and terrible as this military potential may be, yet, in so far as the U.S. ruling classes have to call upon the ordinary working man to operate this military monster, in so far does it reveal all the fatal weaknesses to which ruling classes before it, have succumber. The critical point comes, of course == seen always at certain decisive moments of history-- when the fighting men, for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is a heightening of political consciousness, see through this wargame, rebell against their officers causing a complete breakdown in discipline. Outrageous as this observation may appear to the colonial (and ex-colonial) guerrilla fighter it is an observation of crucial importance. Though the U.S. appears today to be able to strike with impunity, crippling blows against the Cclonial Revolution, her very increasing involvement does yet again pose questions of genuine internationalist: commitments. For those then who have become accustomed to see the U.S. Military as a compact ruthless fighting machine == to be contained rather than encountered -- this pamphlet will come as a great surprise. The G.I. is seen here, not only to have rebelled against his officers at various times, but also to have rebelled in such significant numbers after World War II as to effect a "change in a:very dangerous American military foreign policy", It is, of course now no longer concealed (notably by Churchill himself) that ‘soon after WWII the capitalist world was preparing for a show-down with the Soviet Union, In Mary-Alice Water's view, such was the opposition to this continued military involvement that the U.S. was in fact forced to demob- .ilize. Remarkably, the revolt appeared on all fronts -- from Paris to the Pacific. In the author's words, "The strength of the revolt, its ‘size and depth, md the massive support it received within the U.S. brought about a near disintesration of the American military machine." Adequately documented, this timely pamphlet brings to our attention facts which may not be so widely known. More important, the pamphlets successfully shown, with reference to the Vietnamese Revolution, that the U.S. Imperialist have only succeeded in setting up a train of events which it may well be in no positjon to control. * Available from Pioneer Book Service, 8, Toynbee St., London E, 1,