The Germans attempted to enlist Mexico as an ally, including “an understanding…that Mexico is to re-conquer the lost territories in Texas, New Mexico and Arizona.”

The German foreign minister, Arthur Zimmerman, incredibly sent the telegram to his ambassador in Mexico via the State Department’s own cable system, as well as two others. The Brits intercepted and decoded the cable, and passed it on to the United States. Some people opine that this telegram was the tipping point that made President Wilson abandon his policy of neutrality.

In sum: I said fascist with a small f. The terminology is flexible. Focus isn’t so much on the economics. Focus is more on the means of control—brownshirt style violence and intimidation. There is a historical connection between the Nazi movement and the violent political and religious ideologies of the modern threats both from Islamists proper and from the tyrannies that nuture them or give them reason to exist.

Why do people keep using the word ‘fascist’ to describe these terrorists? Fascism is a strong, nationalist police state closely allied with capitalist/industrialist cronies, it has absolutely nothing to do with Islamic terrorism. Just because they’re both very bad doesn’t mean people should go around confusing terminology.

Download a good freeware eText reader, I like Tom’s or yBook, and dig in …

http://pws.prserv.net/Fellner/Software/eTR.htm

http://www.spacejock.com/yBook.html

Buchan served in intelligence during WW I, though speculation is his service did not end with the war. Supposedly, Hannay’s character is drawn from the real life experiences of Edmund Ironside.

In spite of the discomfiture occasioned today by his perceived political correctness (some refer to Buchan as a propagandist) ... he’s enjoyed a resergence in popularity. Gosh, how curious …

Buchan was an interesting character who wrote great thrillers of his era, most notably “The 39 steps”, which became a Hitchock movie, perhaps his best…