Do we REALLY have an indefinate debt to America?

[max_tranmere]

Someone said to me this week that Blair had no real option but to support the Americans in the War On Terror, following the 9/11 attacks, because we still owe them for World War 2. Do people think this is reasonable, should we keep getting behind the USA because of their help in WW2, and will this debt exist forever - meaning we will have to back them everytime they get involved in a conflict?

[Guilbert]

We paid off the last of our WW2 debt on 31st December 2006

[Guilbert]

more here

[max_tranmere]

I dont mean financial debt, I mean the favour they did us by helping us win the war by sending huge numbers of troops to Europe which helped enourmously on D-Day which was the turning point in the war. People have said that if it wasnt for the Americans we would all now be speaking German. This may well be true, and because of that we still, in the eyes of some, 'owe them'. That is why, according to this person I was chatting to this week, Blair felt compelled to assist them following the 9/11 attacks in their War On Terror. Will we 'owe them', morally, forever?

[max_tranmere]

They certainly helped us win WW2 and assisted us financially, subsequent to the war. We are very grateful to them for those things, but will we have to be their poodle forever because of it?

[DavidS]

Many people believe that the USA came into the Second World War to free Europe from Nazi domination. The truth is that they had little choice because Hitler, foolishly, declared war on the USA. However once in the war their commitment could not be faulted. If there is a criticism to be made of the USA after the declaration of war by Hitler, it is that both wartime Presidents, Roosevelt and particularly Truman, failed to appreciate, as Churchill did, the nature of Joe Stalin. This led to 45 years of the Cold War.

[justincyder]

If we are going to be forever in debt to the US, does that mean the French are going to be forever in debt to us forever, twice, I hardly think so, zee frenchies gave us the 2 fingers long ago and I quite like and respect them for it, although De Gaulle was an obnoxious twat.

God knows why this country can't just wrest itself from bowing and scraping to everyone in sundry and turning into an apologist soicety.

Governments should have to apologise/make amends for things they actually fucked up, fair enough, but this nonsense of stuff happening in other generations with other people in power is ridiculous. Christ whatever happened to the Brits being made of sterner stuff.

Take the recent focus on Thalidomide babies, shocking, bloody awful yes, compensation, certainly why not, but this Government apologising for a decision made decades ago by someone else. No.

[Deano!]

I don't think the U.S. is trying to use WW2 forever as a lever for asking favours. One reason they like to involve other countries is because they always get accused of imperialism if they go it alone.If you're going to fuck things up, it's better to have done it with a couple of mates so you can at least spread the guilt evenly.

[JBA]

Well... if we don't want to be a victim of a "friendly" fire attack.

Seriously though, if the theory that we have to support America in whatever it does in the future because of what America did in WW2 is true, then why didn't we go into 'Nam?

Its BS really. Officially, we went into Iraq for Regime change and because Iraq had nukes. Which was bollocks.