经济学人146:美国和二战 特殊的关系

　　America and the second world war
美国和二战
That special relationship
那种特殊的关系
Those Angry Days: Roosevelt, Lindbergh, and America's Fight Over World War II, 1939-1941. By Lynne Olson.
书名：《那些愤怒的日子：罗斯福、林白及美国对是否参加二战的争论，1939至1941年》作者：Lynne Olson
WHEN “the chips are down”, David Cameron declared on a visit to Washington last year, Britain and America know that they can always count on each other. Standing¹ beside Barack Obama on a sun-drenched White House lawn, Britain's prime minister invoked² the memory of their respective grandfathers, serving in the same campaign to drive Hitler's forces from France. The message was clear. Seven decades on, when the British need to claim a special relationship with America, nothing approaches the second world war's talismanic³ power.
去年，卡梅伦在访问华盛顿时说：在“危急时刻”，英美两国明白，双方总是可以互相信赖的。卡梅伦首相与奥巴马一同站在白宫洒满阳光的草坪上，卡梅伦唤起了双方对各自先辈的回忆：他们并肩作战，将希特勒的军队从法国驱赶出去。卡梅伦传达了一条明确的信息：七十年后的今天，当英国需要与美国保持一种特殊关系时，什么也比不了二战的特殊魔力。
美国和二战.jpg
In truth, for two terrifying years after it declared war on Germany, Britain did not know that America would come to its aid. Winston Churchill's government wavered between a conviction that President Franklin Roosevelt did not want Hitler to control the whole of Europe and so would send help, and a suspicion that many in his government dreamed of scavenging the assets of a doomed⁴ British empire. Britain made an extraordinary effort to bring America into the war before it was too late. With Roosevelt's tacit approval, hundreds of British agents flooded neutral America, secretly spying on isolationist politicians, Axis⁵ diplomats⁶ and Nazi⁷ sympathisers and more openly wooing public opinion with lectures, radio broadcasts and stories planted in friendly newspapers. Marrying a historian's thoroughness with a biographer's eye for human nature, Lynne Olson's magnificent new account shows what a close-run thing their campaign was.
实际上，在英国向德国宣战后可怕的两年中，英国不知道美国会对其提供帮助。丘吉尔政府摇摆不定，时而坚信罗斯福不会让希特勒控制整个欧洲，因此会向英国提供援助；时而又怀疑罗斯福政府中的一些人，认为他们梦想着大英帝国会毁灭，然后蚕食其资产。英国竭尽全力及时地拉动美国参战。在罗斯福的默许下，数百名英国间谍涌入中立的美国，秘密监视孤立派政治家、轴心国外交官和纳粹的同情者，他们还发表演讲、进行电台广播，同时在亲英的报纸上刊登故事，来更加公开地争取民心。在这部精彩绝伦的新书中，作者Lynne Olson结合历史学家的全面性和传记作家对人性的探寻，向读者展示了他们的行动是如何地惊险。
“Those Angry Days” describes a divided America that is little remembered now, amid praise for the greatest-generation years that followed. She depicts⁸ an anti-war country in which bars near army bases sported signs banning soldiers, and generals wore mufti to testify on Capitol Hill, lest their uniforms provoke isolationist members of Congress.
那些愤怒的日子》一书描述了一个现在鲜为人知的分裂的美国，字里行间也体现了对之后数年内最伟大一代的赞许。她描述了一个反战的国家，在那里，军事基地附近的酒吧挂着禁止士兵入内的标识，将军则在美国国会山身穿便服作证，以免他们的制服惹恼议会中不主张美国参战的人。
In defence of that pacifism, she explains how Americans felt that their country had been dragged into the first world war by clever British propaganda and promises that Americans killed in Europe's mud were making the world “safe for democracy”. Twenty years later, many Americans believed that Europe's squabbling powers once again seemed unwilling⁹ or unable to defend democracy. Less defensibly, a series of grandees—whether army officers, senators, press barons¹⁰, or students at Yale and Harvard—are shown questioning whether there was any great moral difference between Britain and Nazi Germany, a view that was often tinged¹¹ with anti-Semitism.
美国人感到正是英国人狡猾的宣传和保证才把美国卷入了第一次世界大战，这些感受还是有原因的。作者为反战主义辩护，解释了美国人为什么这样想。二十年后，许多美国人认为欧洲争吵不休的大国再次似乎不愿意或不能够保卫民主。作者还较客观地指出：一系列的大人物—不管是军官、议员、报业巨头或是耶鲁和哈佛大学的学生—都在质疑英国和纳粹德国之间是否存在任何道义上的不同，这种观点常常带有一丝反犹太主义色彩。
Many pages are devoted¹² to an isolationist leader whose clay feet are well known: the transatlantic air pioneer, Charles Lindbergh (pictured), who came grievously close to sympathising with the Nazis¹³. But the book's power lies in its finely shaded portraits of figures more usually remembered in poster-bright hues¹⁴ of heroism¹⁵.
作者还用了许多笔墨来描述一位孤立派领导人，他就是跨大西洋飞行员查尔斯-林白，他的致命弱点广为人知：他十分接近于同情纳粹。但是本书的妙处就在于作者擅于用委婉的手法对一些人物进行描述，这些人物在当今人们的眼中英雄色彩更浓一些。
George Marshall, who would later become a great war commander, is shown resisting help for embattled Britain until late in 1941. Marshall never quite rebelled openly, but he shielded aides as they leaked and schemed against government policy. Several senior officers were“essentially pro-German”. For his part Roosevelt is shown as perilously¹⁶ indecisive, poring over opinion polls and “waiting to be pushed into war”, as he told his treasury¹⁷ secretary. Even after the attack on Pearl Harbour, which was greeted with champagne¹⁸ by British officials in America, the president hesitated, detecting a “lingering distinction” in public opinion between war with Japan and a second front with Germany. In the end, Hitler made the decision for him by declaring war on America.
本书写道：后来成为战时指挥官的马歇尔一直拒绝向四面楚歌的英国提供帮助，这种情况一直持续到1941年年末。尽管马歇尔基本上从来没有公开反对向英国提供援助，但是当来自美国的援助一点点流向英国时，他对之进行了阻止；马歇尔还暗中反对政府的政策。几名美国高级军官“实际上是亲德的”。在本书中，罗斯福优柔寡断至极、埋头研究民意调查、“等着被推入战争”—罗斯福就是这么告诉他的财政部长的。珍珠港袭击发生后，在美的英国军官用香槟酒庆祝，甚至在那以后，罗斯福总统仍然犹豫不决，认为“向日本开战”和“在第二战线与德国开战”这两种民意“一直存在区别”。最后，希特勒率先向美国开战，从而为罗斯福做了决定。
The British are not let off scot-free. In addition to planting propaganda, British agents broke American laws with a will. The British tapped phones, opened letters and even forged a map given to Roosevelt, supposedly showing Nazi plans to take over Latin America. Snobbery¹⁹ played into Britain's hands. The book could be sub- titled “Wasps at War”, as east-coast anglophiles and Wall Street millionaires pushed their country towards engagement, against isolationist forces drawn²⁰ from the prairies and small towns of middle America.
英国人的所作所为我们可不能不追究。除了四处播撒言论，英国间谍还大肆破坏美国的法律。英方窃听电话、私拆信件、甚至虚造了一幅地图给了罗斯福，让他以为纳粹可能有占领拉丁美洲的计划。英国人正是利用某些美国人的势利眼而达到了自己的目的。该书的副标题可作“战时的VIP们”，因为那时美国东海岸的亲英派和华尔街百万富翁将美国推向了参战之路，尽管那些来自北美大牧场和美国中部小镇的孤立派反对这么做。
Among the heroes are Wendell Willkie, the Republican presidential candidate in 1940, who after his defeat backed Roosevelt and vitally campaigned for Americans to be conscripted and trained for war and for Britain to be sent aid. That enraged²¹ many in Willkie's party, but may have helped avert²² a Nazi victory.
温德尔?威尔基是众多英雄之一，他在1940年是共和党总统候选人，在总统竞选失败后他支持罗斯福，并积极动员美国人为战争应征入伍并接受训练、推动为英国送去援助。这激怒了很多共和党人，但这很可能扭转了战局，防止了纳粹的胜利。
In the end, the public was ahead of many in the elite²³. Even before Pearl Harbour, polls showed Americans preferring entry into the war to a German victory over Britain. Japan had hoped its bombs would demoralise Americans. Instead, America was united by the attack. Two years of savage²⁴ debate had already aired every argument for and against war, Ms Olson notes. Democracy was America's strength, as an anxious Britain had hoped it would be. It was a point despotic enemies could never have understood.
最后，民众反而走在了很多上层人士的前面。甚至在珍珠港事件发生以前，民意测验就显示美国人更倾向于美国参战，而不是德国战胜英国。日本原本希望在珍珠港投下的炸弹能使美国人人心涣散；然而，那场袭击让美国人团结一心。作者Olson指出，在两年的激烈辩论中，人们可以听到各种支持和反对美国参战的言论。民主是美国的力量所在，而这正是焦虑的英国所希望能做到的。而这一点是任何专制的敌人永远也不会明白的。

1 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

2 invoked   

v.援引( invoke的过去式和过去分词 )；行使（权利等）；祈求救助；恳求

参考例句：

• It is unlikely that libel laws will be invoked. 不大可能诉诸诽谤法。
• She had invoked the law in her own defence. 她援引法律为自己辩护。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 talismanic   

adj.护身符的，避邪的

参考例句：

• In fact, however, there is no talismanic significance to the word \"proposal\". 然而，事实上，“提案”一词本身并不具备护身符般的特殊意义。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法
• The talismanic captain scored twice yesterday afternoon as Roma beat Parma 3-0 at the Stadio Tardini. 罗马队长在昨天下午进行的罗马3：0战胜帕尔玛的比赛中梅开二度。 来自互联网

4 doomed   

命定的

参考例句：

• The court doomed the accused to a long term of imprisonment. 法庭判处被告长期监禁。
• A country ruled by an iron hand is doomed to suffer. 被铁腕人物统治的国家定会遭受不幸的。

5 axis   

n.轴，轴线，中心线；坐标轴，基准线

参考例句：

• The earth's axis is the line between the North and South Poles.地轴是南北极之间的线。
• The axis of a circle is its diameter.圆的轴线是其直径。

6 diplomats   

n.外交官( diplomat的名词复数 )；有手腕的人，善于交际的人

参考例句：

• These events led to the expulsion of senior diplomats from the country. 这些事件导致一些高级外交官被驱逐出境。
• The court has no jurisdiction over foreign diplomats living in this country. 法院对驻本国的外交官无裁判权。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 Nazi   

n.纳粹分子，adj.纳粹党的，纳粹的

参考例句：

• They declare the Nazi regime overthrown and sue for peace.他们宣布纳粹政权已被推翻，并出面求和。
• Nazi closes those war criminals inside their concentration camp.纳粹把那些战犯关在他们的集中营里。

8 depicts   

描绘，描画( depict的第三人称单数 )； 描述

参考例句：

• The book vividly depicts French society of the 1930s. 这本书生动地描绘了20 世纪30 年代的法国社会。
• He depicts the sordid and vulgar sides of life exclusively. 他只描写人生肮脏和庸俗的一面。

9 unwilling   

adj.不情愿的

参考例句：

• The natives were unwilling to be bent by colonial power.土著居民不愿受殖民势力的摆布。
• His tightfisted employer was unwilling to give him a raise.他那吝啬的雇主不肯给他加薪。

10 barons   

男爵( baron的名词复数 )； 巨头； 大王； 大亨

参考例句：

• The barons of Normandy had refused to countenance the enterprise officially. 诺曼底的贵族们拒绝正式赞助这桩买卖。
• The barons took the oath which Stephen Langton prescribed. 男爵们照斯蒂芬？兰顿的指导宣了誓。

11 tinged   

v.（使）发丁丁声( ting的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• memories tinged with sadness 略带悲伤的往事
• white petals tinged with blue 略带蓝色的白花瓣

12 devoted   

adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的

参考例句：

• He devoted his life to the educational cause of the motherland.他为祖国的教育事业贡献了一生。
• We devoted a lengthy and full discussion to this topic.我们对这个题目进行了长时间的充分讨论。

13 Nazis   

n.（德国的）纳粹党员( Nazi的名词复数 )；纳粹主义

参考例句：

• The Nazis worked them over with gun butts. 纳粹分子用枪托毒打他们。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The Nazis were responsible for the mass murder of Jews during World War Ⅱ. 纳粹必须为第二次世界大战中对犹太人的大屠杀负责。 来自《简明英汉词典》

14 hues   

色彩( hue的名词复数 )； 色调； 信仰； 观点

参考例句：

• When the sun rose a hundred prismatic hues were reflected from it. 太阳一出，更把它映得千变万化、异彩缤纷。
• Where maple trees grow, the leaves are often several brilliant hues of red. 在枫树生长的地方，枫叶常常呈现出数种光彩夺目的红色。

15 heroism   

n.大无畏精神，英勇

参考例句：

• He received a medal for his heroism.他由于英勇而获得一枚奖章。
• Stories of his heroism resounded through the country.他的英雄故事传遍全国。

16 perilously   

adv.充满危险地，危机四伏地

参考例句：

• They were perilously close to the edge of the precipice. 他们离悬崖边很近，十分危险。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• It'seemed to me that we had come perilously close to failure already. 对我来说，好像失败和我只有一步之遥，岌岌可危。 来自互联网

17 treasury   

n.宝库；国库，金库；文库

参考例句：

• The Treasury was opposed in principle to the proposals.财政部原则上反对这些提案。
• This book is a treasury of useful information.这本书是有价值的信息宝库。

18 champagne   

n.香槟酒；微黄色

参考例句：

• There were two glasses of champagne on the tray.托盘里有两杯香槟酒。
• They sat there swilling champagne.他们坐在那里大喝香槟酒。

19 snobbery   

n. 充绅士气派, 俗不可耐的性格

参考例句：

• Jocelyn accused Dexter of snobbery. 乔斯琳指责德克斯特势力。
• Snobbery is not so common in English today as it was said fifty years ago. 如今＂Snobbery＂在英语中已不象50年前那么普遍使用。

20 drawn   

v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的

参考例句：

• All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
• Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。

21 enraged   

使暴怒( enrage的过去式和过去分词 )； 歜； 激愤

参考例句：

• I was enraged to find they had disobeyed my orders. 发现他们违抗了我的命令，我极为恼火。
• The judge was enraged and stroke the table for several times. 大法官被气得连连拍案。

22 avert   

v.防止，避免；转移(目光、注意力等)

参考例句：

• He managed to avert suspicion.他设法避嫌。
• I would do what I could to avert it.我会尽力去避免发生这种情况。

23 elite   

n.精英阶层；实力集团；adj.杰出的，卓越的

参考例句：

• The power elite inside the government is controlling foreign policy.政府内部的一群握有实权的精英控制着对外政策。
• We have a political elite in this country.我们国家有一群政治精英。

24 savage   

adj.野蛮的；凶恶的，残暴的；n.未开化的人

参考例句：

• The poor man received a savage beating from the thugs.那可怜的人遭到暴徒的痛打。
• He has a savage temper.他脾气粗暴。