1946. World War II was over; Europe was focused on rebuilding; and Nazi war criminals were on trial at Nuremberg. One of them was Hitler’s right-hand man, the monster Hermann Goering.

American psychologist Gustave Gilbert, together with psychiatrist Douglas Kelley, had been assigned to interview Goering and others in private sessions at the prison where they were being held. Gilbert’s later report stated that Goering — whose testing placed him at an IQ of 138 — showed no remorse for the millions of deaths and the vast devastation caused by the war; instead, he offered a clinical analysis of political power that explained how easy it had been — and always would be — to convince ordinary people that war was necessary and justifiable.

When Gilbert commented that most people would, to say the least, not feel grateful toward leaders who brought them to ruin, Goering shrugged contemptuously and said in part:

“Why, of course, the people don’t want war. Why would some poor slob on a farm want to risk his life in a war when the best that he can get out of it is to come back to his farm in one piece?”

But, he said, it was “always a simple matter to drag the people along . . . the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same way in any country.”

[Source: History After Dark, September 27, 2026.]

Was he right? Well, let’s think about the present time: Vladimir Putin convincing the Russian people that they were in peril from Ukraine and its NATO allies; Benjamin Netanyahu using one attack by Hamas — while unquestionably a horrific event — as an excuse to commit genocide in Gaza; Donald Trump justifying a war against Iran by claiming they were building nuclear weapons to use against us and our allies.

“It works the same way in any country.”

Indeed.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
9/29/26