“It’s often been observed that the first casualty of war is the truth. But that’s a lie, too, in its way. The reality is that, for most wars to begin, the truth has to have been sacrificed a long time in advance.”
Lester Neil Smith
“Killing 50% to 90% of the people of 67 Japanese cities and then bombing them with two nuclear bombs is not proportional, in the minds of some people, to the objectives we were trying to achieve.”
Robert McNamara
“The war that is being prepared will be a battle between international capital and the ruling dynasties. Capital wishes to have no one over it, knows no God or Lord, and wishes to have all states ruled as a great banking business. Their profit shall become the sole guide of the rulers … Business … one and only.”
Kardinal John Murphy Farley
“The highest art of war is to avoid military engagements altogether and defeat the enemy by destroying his moral principles, his religion, his culture and his traditions. When a country has been demoralized in that way it can be taken over without a single shot being fired.”
Vladimir Iljitsch Lenin
“We didn’t want this war.
The enemy is responsible for this war.
The enemy’s leader is the devil.
We’re fighting for a good cause.
The enemy is using forbidden weapons.
Horrible acts committed by the enemy are intentional; ours are accidental.
Our casualties are minor; those of the enemy are significant.
Artists and intellectuals support our cause.
Our cause is holy/righteous.
If you question (1)-(9), you are a traitor.”
Baron Arthur Ponsonby
“Beautiful ideals were painted for our boys who were sent out to die. The was the “war to end wars.” This was the “war to make the world safe for democracy.” No one told them that dollars and cents were the real reason. No one mentioned to them, as they marched away, that their going and their dying would mean huge war profits. No one told these American soldiers that they might be shot down by bullets made by their own brothers here. No one told them that the ships on which they were going to cross might be torpedoed by submarines built with United State patents. They were just told it was to be a “glorious adventure”. Thus, having stuffed patriotism down their throats, it was decided to make them help pay for the war, too. So, we gave them the large salary of $30 a month! All that they had to do for this munificent sum was to leave their dear ones behind, give up their jobs, lie in swampy trenches, eat canned willy (when they could get it) and kill and kill and kill…and be killed””
Smedley Darlington Butler
“The power of radio can be compared only with the power of the atomic bomb.”
Paul Felix Lazarsfeld
“In order to rally people, governments need enemies. They want us to be afraid, to hate, so we will rally behind them. And if they do not have a real enemy, they will invent one in order to mobilize us.”
Thích Nhất Hạnh
“If you kill one person, you’re prosecuted. If you kill ten people, you’re famous; if you kill a quarter-of-a-million people, you’re invited to a peace conference.”
Haris Silajdžić