The Atlas Gentleman's Social Club 1945

[The Mikado]

President Roosevelt's margin shocked even me, I must say.  The people's distaste for Mr. Hoover clearly exceeded all expectations.  And yet I'm not sure how I feel about President Roosevelt.  Surely, I approve of his efforts to repeal the Volstead Act (after what happened to my portfolio the last few years, I could use a stiff drink), but I'm skeptical of his ability to fight this monstrous crisis.  I hear that Lord Keynes, my new hero, referred to the man as an "economic illiterate."  Lord Keynes' writings have influenced me on a number of issues, and the man's brilliance shines through in his elegant, lengthy-yet-concise prose.   If President Roosevelt merely follows through with his plans for government-funded pensions and the like, we will never exit the Depression.  We must follow Lord Keynes' brilliant strategy of massive public-sector spending.

Speaking of Lord Keynes, I do tend to agree with his assessment of the Treaty of Versailles as being a Carthaginian Peace and an injustice to the German people, and I can understand Herr Hitler's campaign to have it overturned...and yet.  And yet.  Herr Hitler is untrustworthy, I feel.  There is a gap between wanting to undo the injustices against the German people that left them with a rump state with a ruined economy and the rampant irredentism he suggests.  While I, for one, have no objection to a German unification with Austria or a retaking of Danzig and the Sudetenland, I do have a problem with National Socialist Germany obtaining these strategic and resource-rich zones.  Herr Hitler's irredentism is far more ominous than Signor Mussolini's ramblings about Trieste or Albania (honestly, who would want to conquer Albania?).  I hope to see Mr. Roosevelt work alongside the British and French to pacify Herr Hitler's more legitimate complaints while at the same time not giving in completely to a German rearmament.

Speaking of mad dogs, Mr. Trotsky is in the news again.  I hear he's alleging more atrocities by the collectivist tyrannical regime in Moscow.  To be honest, Mr. Stalin's Soviet Union is undergoing an economic miracle, thanks in no small part to his Five Year Plans.  I am no Bolshevik, but I must admit to admiring the man's ability to take a backwards nation and drag it kicking and screaming into the 20th century through sheer iron force of will.  Speaking of not being a Bolshevik, apparently nearly all of Lenin's comrades were!  With the fall of Mr. Bukharin a few years ago and the freezing out of Mr. Zinoviev (and, of course, Mr. Trotsky's exile), Stalin seems to have established an uncontested stranglehold on the Soviet Union.

While I respect the Empire of the Rising Sun, I am fearful of the humanitarian consequences of the imperial ambitions of the Japanese government.  I have several relatives doing missionary work in China at the moment.  It is a dreadful, dreadful place.  Though M. Chiang Kai-Shek is a good man who welcomes our religious brethren and their efforts to educate and uplift the people of that benighted land, he only controls a fraction of China, with warlords and gangsters running rampant (and the ever-present threat of the Chinese Communists).  I fear that the Japanese would not be anywhere near as inclined to accept an American missionary (and business) presence.

So, a friend of a friend of mine is a friend of Cole Porter's!  A few weeks ago, I had the privilege to have dinner at Cole and Linda's home.  They are a charming couple, and the light of society.  Mr. Fred Astaire was there: Cole does his best writing for that fantastic man.  Have you ever seen him dance?  Soon, everyone will!  Fred Astaire's ending of his stage career is a tragedy, but the stage's loss in the silver screen's gain.  I guarantee that Mr. Goldwyn and Mr. Meyer will not regret the day they heard the name Fred Astaire.  

Anyway, Cole (if I may so call him), played us a number he's in the process of writing.  As you all know, I am an avid follower of last century's great wordsmith, Sir. W. S. Gilbert, and I believe this song is a tribute to Sir Gilbert's "patter songs."  It repeats the phrase, "You're the top" and lists a variety of things that are the "top" (best) of their fields.  He says he needs a fair bit more of them to finish the song (he wants to write five full verses!), but I heard the line, "You're Mickey Mouse," and thought, "what a uniquely 20th century tribute!"  The Greeks had Achilles, the Germans had Siegfried, we have Mickey Mouse, who I'm sure will be a symbol of America long after Huckleberry Finn is forgotten.

I must admit, I was a bit surprised when Cole cornered me and asked me if I wanted a private tour of the house.  I had had a few glasses of champagne, and was thoroughly surprised to see Cole looking at me in a manner that made me slightly uncomfortable.  Nevertheless, I went along, and their place is absolutely lovely.  The incident...I mustn't think the worst of Cole.  I'm sure he's perfectly happy in his marriage.

I have to go, I'm going to the cinema to see some nonsense about three stooges.

[JohnnyLongtorso]

President Roosevelt's margin shocked even me, I must say.  The people's distaste for Mr. Hoover clearly exceeded all expectations.  And yet I'm not sure how I feel about President Roosevelt.  Surely, I approve of his efforts to repeal the Volstead Act (after what happened to my portfolio the last few years, I could use a stiff drink), but I'm skeptical of his ability to fight this monstrous crisis.  I hear that Lord Keynes, my new hero, referred to the man as an "economic illiterate."  Lord Keynes' writings have influenced me on a number of issues, and the man's brilliance shines through in his elegant, lengthy-yet-concise prose.   If President Roosevelt merely follows through with his plans for government-funded pensions and the like, we will never exit the Depression.  We must follow Lord Keynes' brilliant strategy of massive public-sector spending.

Mr. Roosevelt was the first Democrat to ever earn my vote. (I had considered voting for Governor Smith back in '28, but I was skeptical of his Catholicism. I do not want the Pope to be dictating policy here in the U.S. of A.) I normally cannot stand the parade of neo-Confederate dunderheads that the Democratic Party puts up for election, so I was pleasantly surprised when they chose him over their usual cronies. Mr. Roosevelt, I believe, has given our country hope for a better tomorrow, something which we have been in desperate need since this accursed Depression started. I am optimistic that he will be able to lead us out of the Depression.

However, if Mr. Roosevelt is unsuccessful, I believe he may see a strong challenge from the populist Senator Huey Long of Louisiana. I have had the pleasure to see the man speak publicly: he is a skilled orator, a fire-brand whose passion for helping the disadvantaged and the poor is moving. Even if you disagree with him, and I believe he is a bit of a simpleton when it comes to the complex economics of our 20th century, to hear him speak is captivating. In addition to that, his "Share Our Wealth" campaign is striking a chord among millions of Americans who desperately need relief from the Depression. There is even a "Share Our Wealth" club here in Princess Anne County! (For whites only, of course.) I am sure Mr. Long is not free of the taint of corruption -- it seems almost a prerequisite for election to office in the South -- but if our economic troubles do not abate, I believe people will be willing to overlook that in favor of Mr. Long's populist rhetoric.

[afleitch]

So, a friend of a friend of mine is a friend of Cole Porter's!  A few weeks ago, I had the privilege to have dinner at Cole and Linda's home.  They are a charming couple, and the light of society.

I adore Mr Porter! I'm lucky to have some of his musical numbers for my grammophone spirited away after my last sojourn to New York.  Linda's first husband I heard was such a beast. I sympathise with Mr Porter very much...

I can't say I have any admiration for Mr Stalin. Brutish, as they say is 'not British'; I understand that Russia for it's interest (though perhaps not ours) should be dragged into the 20th century (bypassing the 19th as it seems) but that will surely mean a confrontation with the West. The Poles, though little is said about it pushed them back from Warsaw in the 1920's. Should it happen again no doubt Germany will come to Poland's aid and we will have another war. The Russians will attack, mark my words. I'll be damned if Germany carries the torch of European civilisation.

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

I cannot avoid a feeling that after Mr. Stressman's death, the Weimar Republic was already destined to collapse, and the only question was, which force will do it: Nazis, Nationalists or even Communists. The system side was just lacking people with an experience, position and courage to defend it.

As much as I respect Mr. von Hindenburg, who was a magnificent soldier, as Reich President he is a sad disappointment, being, perhaps due to his advanced age, easy to manipulate for such charlatans as Mr. von Papen or Mr. von Schleicher.


As of your statement, Lord Afleitch, I don't have any sympathy for what Mr. Stalin represents, but I cannot possibly deny that he is one of the most skilled politicial strategists of this century.

[The Mikado]

Senator Long is an enigma.  On one level, I feel that Huey Long has authentic compassion and a desire to alleviate the suffering of the poor and downtrodden nationwide.  Yet one hears rumors.  One hears rumors from Louisiana that are disquieting.  I have no doubt that Senator Long wants the best for this country, but his methods, his personality, his persona...he reminds me of a deep-fried Mussolini.  I pray that I'm wrong, but I do not want Long near the Presidency.

Speaking of fascists, have you seen the ratings of Father Coughlin's radio show?  It's a shock the Vatican hasn't excommunicated the man.  His idiosyncratic politics have drawn a huge following.  I'm amazed at the power of the radio.  People across the continent tune in simultaneously to listen to a demagogue rant.  While Alcibiades was restricted to an agora and Cataline to a Forum, Coughlin's "agora" is the public air and his "forum" is America's living rooms.

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

I can believe that, down in his heart, Mr. Long is a good man, dedicated for his country. But his methods worries me. Granted, general population of Louisiana is poorly educated so primitive rhetoric can be only useful tool. I agree one cannot be soft when it comes to fighting old, corrupt guard but the valid question is, can this man do more good or more harm with his methods?

As of Father Coughlin, I'm also amazed with an incredible amount of power he got via radio... funny thing, but I can imagine one day, people would be able to control the entire societies with radio, or some new device. Your thoughts, gentlemen?

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

<lost most of this the first time, and the most recent copying of it, had only half>

Most Distinguished Gentlemen,

Whatever Mr. Long's intentions are, he is a clearly a rube and one that should never be entrusted with high office. The type of tactics he employs and the people who follow him are clearly of a most dangerous sort and could do unspeakable damage to the country. Though its hard to forsee how the country could be thrown further of the trolley in these times. As for Coughlin, the man has clearly not been hitting on all sixes for some time now, probably drank too much coffin varnish at one of those juice joints. I am sure most will ignore his mad ravings, after a short spell of listening to his applesauce, that is.

As for Roosevelt, I feel is like any other big cheese, trying to pass off his bus as an orchid breezer, and making it all look like duck soup doing it. Certainly I suspect most will see it for the hayburner that it actually is. He is a respectable gentleman, to be sure. And he possesses a great deal of eloquence, however I fear he may not possess the qualities necessitated at these times.

Since China has been mentioned, I feel I should share my experiences with investing in the region over the last four years. Following the crash, I found I required a place to aggressively regain my lost capital. I was offered an enterprise that promised quick berries by this man from Shanghai, and odd sort of fellow. The type one would be wise to heed the saying, "Don't take any wooden nickels", when dealing with him. After a thorough investigation, I decided to put money into his steel and coal business up in Manchuria. It did quite well, actually. Being prudent, I had retained the services of a copacetic dick, a really reliable guy who may have once been a torpedo or a jack, for he certainly knew how to play sweet music with the chopper. Afterall, anybody can make mistakes in their lives, and I wasn't really that concerned about it. I had him locate himself in Seoul. Sure enough, he gave me the goods on the Japanese designs, and managed to salvage all of my investment. I was told however, that the poor sap was caught and executed for spying shortly afterwards as his services were afterwards retained by the Chinese.

[ilikeverin]

Speaking of fascists, have you seen the ratings of Father Coughlin's radio show?  It's a shock the Vatican hasn't excommunicated the man.  His idiosyncratic politics have drawn a huge following.  I'm amazed at the power of the radio.  People across the continent tune in simultaneously to listen to a demagogue rant.  While Alcibiades was restricted to an agora and Cataline to a Forum, Coughlin's "agora" is the public air and his "forum" is America's living rooms.

I respectfully disagree.  My mother has Papist tendencies (the marriage of my father, a Methodist, to my mother, a Catholic, caused quite the stir, as I'm sure you could imagine!), and she listens in to Coughlin on a regular basis.  Sure, sometimes he lets loose a little Durham; but, far as I'm concerned, if he likes Roosevelt, he's just ducky.

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

Sure, sometimes he lets loose a little Durham; but, far as I'm concerned, if he likes Roosevelt, he's just ducky.

Sir, I dislike both "guilty by association" and "innocent by association" attitudes. Your stance disappoints me.

[King]

Somebody call me when it's the sixties.  I have many a lysergic acid-fabricated conspiracy to share with the esteemed members of our club.

[ilikeverin]

Sure, sometimes he lets loose a little Durham; but, far as I'm concerned, if he likes Roosevelt, he's just ducky.

Sir, I dislike both "guilty by association" and "innocent by association" attitudes. Your stance disappoints me.

Friend Pole, I'm not sure I understand your allegations.  I believe in Franklin Delano Roosevelt; he can turn this nation around from the national crisis his predecessors created.  And I believe that Father Coughlin was no minor contributor to FDR's election.  "Roosevelt or Ruin", don't you think?

[afleitch]

The Atlas Gentleman's Social Club 1940

THIS MESSAGE MAY HAVE BEEN INTERCEPTED BY HIS MAJESTY'S GOVERNMENT.

Bugger.

It's over. If my American friends get this message intact and uncensored may I say one thing in the utmost desperation. Please help us. I am currently stationed in CENSORED on the coast of France. The evacuation is progressing well. I hope to be out in the next 24hours. For me, perhaps for the nation the war is over.

PARAGRAPH CENSORED

The CENSORED have been sunk after a sustained air attack by the Luftwaffe. Luckily most of the aerial assault has been aimed at the transport ships and weaponry than on the men. I can't wait to get back to Glasgow and as far away as this CENSORED beach and as far away from London as possible.

American's don't think it won't affect you. It will. Do you think the Germans will stop at the Atlantic? Do you not think that a world dominated by Germany and Japan will have no consequences for you? War will come, even if you don't invite it on yourselves. You had better be ready.

[JohnnyLongtorso]

I'm sure Mr. Roosevelt will have us in the thick of things before too long. He's been building up our armed forces under the guise of an "arsenal of democracy", but one rarely builds a bomb or a warship if one is not intending to use it. There is an economic benefit of going to war; it could be the shock that jolts the economy back to life. The Depression seems to be on the wane, but we thought the same thing back in '37.

How is everyone feeling about Mr. Roosevelt seeking a third term? It is unprecedented, but there is nothing in our Constitution that prohibits it, and his popularity is certainly not flagging. I am an ardent FDR supporter, but just the same, he could easily have retired and thrown his support to one of his backers in the Senate, such as Senator Barkley of Kentucky, who would easily be elected and carried on his legacy.

Talking of the election this year, it does seem to be another rout for Roosevelt. The Republican Party is still reeling from the legacy of Hoover; I doubt we will see them back in the White House for at least a couple of decades. At the same time, their likely candidate this year, Mr. Dewey of New York, is a respectable man. He's done good work rooting out the organized crime that is so rampant in Manhattan.

On a lighter note, has anyone heard the new tune from Glenn Miller, "In the Mood"? It's quite a hopping little number. I've enclosed a 78 of it for your listening pleasure.

[Kaine for Senate '18]

Regarding the intentions of Mr. Roosevelt, I am all in favor.  He has done a simply splendid job, and has earned a third term in office.  I shall be more than happy to go to the polls for him again.

[The Mikado]

That scumbag Hitler.  At every step of the way we've underestimated him.  That traitor to workers everywhere, Stalin, accepts his scraps (bits of Poland and the Baltics) and happily chews away at Finland while letting the butcher of the Polish and German workingman expand his reach into Denmark, Norway, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, and now France!  Stalin is a disgrace to everything the USSR professes to believe in.  I wonder what Comrade Lief, who has had his nose so far up Stalin's ass he smelled the end of the Popular Front weeks in advance, has to say about his hero's betrayal of Europe.

Speaking of disgraces, Marshal Petain just won himself a special place in hell.  I hear a French general made it out of there alive and has pledged continued resistance, and I hope this fellow can stir up resistance in the French colonies (how long will Gibraltar last if the Germans take North Africa?  Who will keep the Japanese out of Indochina if not the French?), but I have my doubts.  The French defeat was too sudden, too total, to be anything but completely demoralizing.

Afleitch, we in the States are mostly praying for you and our Anglo-Saxon (and Celtic!) cousins.  I hope you make it out of there alive, wherever "there" is.  (Could it be CENSORED?  or CENSORED?)  I fear, for the first time since Culloden, the British Isles face foreign invasion.  I honestly don't see how Great Britain can win against the Nazi war machine, and I fear His Majesty's government might be moving a lot closer to the US...a government in exile in Canada seems depressingly likely.

Why not a government in exile in India, you ask?  The damn Japs.  If it's not one thing, it's another.  The endless list of abominable atrocities against the civilians of China is enough to sicken even the hardest of souls.  His Imperial Majesty's government would be the biggest band of sociopaths and criminals of the 20th century so far, were that title not already taken by Berlin.  What's next, Japan?  The Philippines?  Do you want America's Philippines?  We will fight to protect them. 

[The Mikado]

I just heard of the miraculous amphibian rescue operation at Dunkirk on the newsreels.  300,000 soldiers of the Expeditionary Force rescued!  Does anyone know if our Andrew was one of the ones saved?

This brief moment of sunlight might soon be eclipsed, though.  I hear the Italians are making their move in North Africa and that the Germans may be preparing for what Mr. Churchill termed a "Battle of Britain." 

By the way, I'm almost scared to hear the answer, but whatever happened to our friend Lewis Trondheim?  I thought he got out of Germany a few years back (those KPD ties are fatal), but did he go far enough?  Given all the Germans that fled to Holland or Denmark only to find themselves back in Hitler's grasp, I fear for Lewis.

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

Greetings Gentleman,


I currently am transmitting this message from a radio tower in Iceland. I am here for a very "important" reason, though if anyone asks, I am here to purchase herring for transport back to New York. Needless to say, certain undesirable people with more Germanic than Danish accents are snooping around my operations. Appearently they find it suspicious that the ships coming in and out are both large and not all of them are filled with fish while in port, in fact very few of them are. Maybe even some rumors of ships heading east rather than west.

Absolutely splendid, the recent extraction of British troops from France. If only the British Army had shown such brilliance on the battlefield, than maybe they wouldn't need to be escaping like rats from a sinking ship...err.... I am sorry, France. This Churchill fellow seems to have a good head on his shoulders and perhaps he can reverse Britain's bad fortunes thus far.

As for the United States getting involved, well don't hold your breath. There is general opposition to such an involvement of American boys in such a war, and our military is about the size of the Czech military, and we all know what happened to them. These recent preparations by FDR are just cover in my opinion of his hereto lack of preparations that have left the US extremely vulnerable to these despicable foreign agents of death. He is more concerned with destroying the precedent set by Washington himself and that is after he worked so hard to tear assunder the Supreme Court. His lack of success on the economy has weakened him and he is vulnerable to right man. Dewey is too damn young and inexperienced on too many fronts. Hitler isn't Lucky Luciano. Taft is a fool, Vandenburg is too lazy and Hoover is a has been. This Wilkie guy might be the right fit, he understands business, was a Democrat all his life and he served in the Great War.

Well I have to be going now, there is this weird fellow with a German accent knocking on my door. Opens drawer and pulls out a loaded revolver then heads for the door

[Filuwaúrdjan]

News from Dunkirk astonishing - proof that we can hold out against the Nazi menace now that Chamberlain has fallen and the Nation has united. The United States must join with us to defeat Hitler. We have much in common - a shared language, a shared tradition of democratic government and many cultural similarities - and it would be tragic if the government and people of America allow short-term folly to distract them from this urgent task. The eternal theatre of domestic politics should not distract you: all political will must now be directed at bringing your government into the War, much as all political effort on this island is now directed at winning it.

I hope that this communication reaches its destination successfully.

[hawkeye59]

As an American, I think we should join the war, but the problem is the "isolationists" who make up a good portion of congress, are against the war. If something big happened, I.E. someone like the Germans attacking us, we would probably join the war.

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

Yes, it most likely will require an attack for the US to get involved. Though I don't see how an attack by the German's occurs, unless they somehow try for CENSORED, and its CENSORED garrison. Plus, they would have trouble with the British Navy, in that endeavour and my sources say the German's might as well not have a navy. As for the Japanese, they really don't have a reason to attack the US. And even if they did, I doubt they strike anywhere, except CENSORED.

I would say that such an attack would soon be regreted by whoever engaged in such an act of barbarity.

[Bacon King]

Pish posh. Unlike the last big European war, I highly doubt the United States will become involved in this one. What could we possibly have to gain in breaking our isolationism?

[memphis]

Pish posh. Unlike the last big European war, I highly doubt the United States will become involved in this one. What could we possibly have to gain in breaking our isolationism?

^^^^^
I'm so glad that Congress passed the neutrality acts. It's a guarantee that we will stay out. Let Europe fend for itself. We have our own problems. The US never need concern itself with the miseries of Poland.

[ilikeverin]

Pish posh. Unlike the last big European war, I highly doubt the United States will become involved in this one. What could we possibly have to gain in breaking our isolationism?

^^^^^
I'm so glad that Congress passed the neutrality acts. It's a guarantee that we will stay out. Let Europe fend for itself. We have our own problems. The US never need concern itself with the miseries of Poland.

Are you two blind?  Get a hold of yourself, men, and look at what is going on in Europe!  The fascists and communists will be at our throats before we know it!  We must rouse ourselves from our complacency.  I hope FDR realizes this before it's too late.

[Lief 🗽]

While in my more youthful days I supported Norman Thomas in 1932 (I was only 13 at the time!), as you all know, I've more than come around on Roosevelt, and adamantly believe him to be the best President in the history of this country. What he has done in not only rebuilding our economy but reforming it to prevent a return to either the poverty of the Depression or the widespread inequality and dangerous financial speculation of the 1920s cannot be celebrated enough. Now that we are building a truly democratic and prosperous society, why are we going to throw it all away to once again embrace militarism and imperialism, spending millions in enriching the weapons and munitions companies, and dooming so many young Americans to death in Europe? Let's follow Stalin's path: make peace with the Germans (and let them get a little bit of, frankly, somewhat justified revenge for how they were treated after the last war) and focus on our own domestic prosperity.

[Bacon King]

While in my more youthful days I supported Norman Thomas in 1932 (I was only 13 at the time!), as you all know, I've more than come around on Roosevelt, and adamantly believe him to be the best President in the history of this country. What he has done in not only rebuilding our economy but reforming it to prevent a return to either the poverty of the Depression or the widespread inequality and dangerous financial speculation of the 1920s cannot be celebrated enough. Now that we are building a truly democratic and prosperous society, why are we going to throw it all away to once again embrace militarism and imperialism, spending millions in enriching the weapons and munitions companies, and dooming so many young Americans to death in Europe? Let's follow Stalin's path: make peace with the Germans (and let them get a little bit of, frankly, somewhat justified revenge for how they were treated after the last war) and focus on our own domestic prosperity.

Hear, hear! You make an excellent point, good sir. While I have almost no kind words to say regarding either the Russian or German governments' deplorable ideologies, With the peace between those two diametrically opposed nations being so secure (and it shall doubtlessly remain so for the foreseeable future!), the United States has absolutely no cause for alarm. Surely our nation need not lapse into pointless militarism solely due to a conflict thousands of miles across the ocean! I say we should mind our own business.