Dan, it is amazing how little Amreicans know about their own history and culture. US relations with Japan started long before WWII. The one line summary is that we forced Japan to trade with us under gun point. A policy that has not really changed (what would be the motivation for change?)
Black Ships Arrive in Edo Bay
July 9, 1853
The United States has decided to take action on the Asian scene. Commodore Matthew Perry of the United States Navy and five black ships anchored in Edo Bay yesterday. They were greeted with shore-based cannon fire and a large force of guard boats. Perry, with his highly advanced naval technology, showed no willingness to engage in formalities, and allowed no one on board who was not of a rank equal to or higher than his own. He enforced his policy by force (1). Perry's arrival signals the United States' determination to trade with our great country.
Perry comes with a letter directly from the President of the United States, and the Commodore insists that it be delivered to the Emperor himself (2). President Fillmore has three main requests: the assured safety of American seamen stranded in Japan or in her territorial waters, permission to use one or more Japanese ports as a refueling station and coal depot, and the opening of trade between the United States and Japan. In addition to these demands, Commodore Perry added threats of his own, saying that if the letter is not accepted within three days he will go ashore "with a sufficient force" to deliver his message (3). Perry is a very driven man. He was overheard saying "I found no difficulty in conciliating the good will and confidence of the conquered people, by administering the unrestricted power I held rather to their comfort and protection and to their annoyance.. And so I believe that... If treated with strict justice and gentle kindness... the Japanese will learn to consider us their friends" (4). The fact that the US Navy sent such a commander on this mission suggests their desire for our trade.
...We cannot sacrifice our entire life style for this Western country. The United States has entered our territorial waters and our homeland only to bring threats and "proposals" to our government. They are attempting to change our social structure completely...We must fight for the continuation of our way of life. America's hostile attitude not only points to an end of our way of life but also shows the vulnerability of Mother Japan's defense. The black ships in the bay are equipped with new, more accurate cannons and faster, non wind powered engines (5). Because of this deficiency of our retaliatory force, the President's demands must be handled cautiously so as not to provoke the Americans.
Along with the opening of our ports to the United States, the Americans also demand that they be given most favored nation privileges (6). It is ironic that they express so much interest in our homeland despite their press calling us "the least interesting people in the world" (7). How can they come into our country, and force their ways upon us through military bullying, while at the same time supporting equality and free speech within their own borders? We cannot give in to these red-haired barbarians. If the Emperor agrees to the terms of the President's letter, he will open the door to the complete westernization of Japan, and a loss of national pride, just as happened to the Chinese...
Sources
1. Michael Montgomery, Imperialist Japan: The Yen to Dominate (New York: St. Martin's Press, 1987), 24-25
2. Ibid., 25.
3. Ibid., 25.
4. Rieko Shimizu, "Commodore Matthew Perry: American Black Ships in the Land of the Samurai," [http://www.colorado.edu/iec/SUMMER00RW/perry.htm], July 2000.
5. Montgomery, 23.
6. Japan: An Illustrated Encyclopedia (New York: Kodansha ltd., 1993), 1197.
7. Shimizu, "Commodore Matthew Perry,".
Now since we are on the topic of imperialism, I think it is only fair to point out to few other US actions over the history. For example that of US presence in the Philippines islands. The short version is this. United States "trades" with Spain and (not surprisingly) buys off the Philippines, Guam, and Puerto Rico for a "fair" price of $20M (under the gun point of course). Mark Twain called this payment an "entrance fee into society--the Society of Sceptred Theives". At the time of the Treaty of Paris the U.S. already controlled the city of Manila, but had not ventured into other parts of the Philippine Islands. Domestically the issue is sold to the people as America Defender of the Weak and Freedom is in Philippines to protect its people. The real motives however were better explained by , Senator Albert Beveridge who triumphaly declared:
“The Philippines are ours forever.... And just beyond the Philippines are China’s illimitable markets. We will not retreat from either. We will not repudiate our duty in the archipelago. We will not abandon our opportunity in the Orient. We will not renounce our part in the mission of our race, trustee under God, of the civilization of the world.”
You can easily dig up some of the newspaper article and that era:
"The present war is no bloodless, fake, opera bouffé engagement. Our men have been relentless; have killed to exterminate men, women, children, prisoners and captives, active insurgents and suspected people, from lads of ten and up, an idea prevailing that the Filipino, as such, was little better than a dog, a noisome reptile in some instances, whose best disposition was the rubbish heap. Our soldiers have pumped salt water into men to "make them talk," have taken prisoner people who held up their hands and peacefully surrendered, and an hour later, without an atom of evidence to show that they were even insurrectos, stood them on a bridge and shot them down one by one, to drop into the water below and float down as an example to those who found their bullet riddled corpses. It is not civilized warfare, but we are not dealing with a civilized people. The only thing they know and fear is force, violence, and brutality, and we give it to them."
--Correspondent to the Philadelphia Ledger
The Filipinos had no interested in becoming a US protectorate and had been fighting off the Spanish for quite some time, which of course was of no interest to the US. President McKinley ordered the War Department to bring all of the islands under military control because the people of the Philippines were too "uncivilized" to govern themselves. It was not until the Philippines had changed into the hands of the Japanese and reconquered again by the US that they finally gained their independence from the U.S. under the provisions of the McDuffie-Tyding's Act of 1934. This was in no small part because at the end of WWII US forces had bigger fish to fry around the world. Just the same, American forces never left the Philippines and US continued to rule by proxy (remember Marcos?)
There are many photos of the mass graves of the Filipinos from that time (search for "Moro Massacre"). You can read more about the Philippine-American War, known as the "Philippine Insurrection" by doing a little googling. This is a good resource geocities.com
Mark Twain who had at first favored the US "protection" of the natives took a trip there and saw the results first hand. I encourage you to read this site geocities.com as it contains several eye accounts of American military personnel from that era. He wrote extensively about it, which again is readily available. I quote you this little bit:
I left these shores, at Vancouver, a red-hot imperialist. I wanted the American eagle to go screaming into the Pacific. It seemed tiresome and tame for it to content itself with the Rockies. Why not spread its wings over the Philippines, I asked myself? And I thought it would be a real good thing to do.
I said to myself, here are a people who have suffered for three centuries. We can make them as free as ourselves, give them a government and country of their own, put a miniature of the American constitution afloat in the Pacific, start a brand new republic to take its place among the free nations of the world. It seemed to me a great task to which we had addressed ourselves.
But I have thought some more, since then, and I have read carefully the treaty of Paris, and I have seen that we do not intend to free, but to subjugate the people of the Philippines. We have gone there to conquer, not to redeem.
We have also pledged the power of this country to maintain and protect the abominable system established in the Philippines by the Friars.
It should, it seems to me, be our pleasure and duty to make those people free, and let them deal with their own domestic questions in their own way. And so I am an anti-imperialist. I am opposed to having the eagle put its talons on any other land.
-- Mark Twain Home, An Anti-Imperialist, New York Herald [New York, 10/15/1900]
If you want to form an objective opinion, then I have given you enough to at least get you started into digging the relationship between "Trade" and "Imperialism" as advocated by our foreign policy. If you are a true believer, then nothing I say can make you look into the ugly truth. But in that case, I will simply ask you to look at the end results of our "noble" intentions. As guardians of freedom and protectors of the weak around the globe we suck at it. Take a look at the brief list of US military interventions below and tell me in how many of these countries democracy and freedom reigns supreme? If you don't find any, then regardless of the motives, you have to support withdrawing out of this futile business of intervention. Note how early it started!
Sun Tzu
_________________________________________________________________
History of U.S. Interventions in Latin America
Location. . Period Type of Force Comments on U.S. Role
Argentina. . 1890. . Troops. . Buenos Aires interests protected
Chile. . . . 1891. . Troops. . Marines clash with nationalist rebels
Haiti. . . . 1891. . Troops. . Black workers revolt on U.S.-claimed Navassa Island defeated
Nicaragua. . 1894. . Troops. . Month-long occupation of Bluefields
Panama. . . 1895. . Naval, Troops. . Marines land in Colombian province
Nicaragua. . 1896. . Troops. . . . . . Marines land in port of Corinto
Cuba. . . . 1898-. . Naval, Troops. . Seized from Spain, U.S. still holds Navy base at Guantanamo
Puerto Rico. 1898-. . Naval, Toops. . Seized from Spain, occupation continues
Nicaragua. . 1898. . Troops. . Marines land at port of San Juan del Sur
Nicaragua. . 1899. . Troops. . Marines land at port of Bluefields
Honduras. . 1903. . Troops. . Marines intervene in revolution
Dominican Republic. 1903-04 Troops. . U.S. interests protected in Revolution
Cuba. . . . 1906-09. Troops. . Marines land in democratic election
Nicaragua. . 1907. . Troops. . "Dollar Diplomacy" protectorate set up
Honduras. . 1907. . Troops. . Marines land during war with Nicaragua
Panama. . . 1908. . Troops. . Marines intervene in election contest
Nicaragua. . 1910. . Troops. . Marines land in Bluefields and Corinto
Honduras. . 1911. . Troops. . U.S. interests protected in civil war
Cuba. . . . 1912. . Troops. . U.S. interests protected in Havana
Panama. . . 1912. . Troops. . Marines land during heated election
Honduras. . 1912. . Troops. . Marines protect U.S. economic interests
Nicaragua. . 1912-33. Troops. . bombing20-year occupation, fought guerrillas
Mexico. . . 1913. . Naval. . . Americans evacuated during revolution
Dominican Republic. 1914. Naval. Fight with rebels over Santo Domingo
Mexico. . . . 1914-18Naval, Troops. Series of interventions against nationalists
Haiti. . . . 1914-34. . Troops. . , bombing. . . . 19-year occupation after revolts
Dominican Republic 1916-24 Troops. . 8-year Marine occupation
Cuba. . . . 1917-33. Troops. . . Military occupation, economic protectorate
Panama. . . 1918-20 Troops. . . "Police duty" during unrest after elections
Honduras. . 1919. . Troops. . . Marines land during election campaign
Guatemala. . 1920. . Troops. . . 2-week intervention against unionists
Costa Rica. 1921. . Troops. .
Panama. . . 1921. . Troops. .
Honduras. . 1924-25 Troops. . Landed twice during election strife
Panama. . . 1925. . Troops. . Marines suppress general strike
El Salvador. 1932Naval. . . . . Warships sent during Faribundo Marti revolt
Uruguay. . . 1947. Nuclear threat Bombers deployed as show of strength
Puerto Rico. 1950. Command operation Independence rebellion crushed in Ponce
Guatemala. . 1954-? Command operation, bombing, nuclear threatCIA directs exile invasion and coup d'Etat after newly elected government nationalizes unused U.S.'s United Fruit Company lands; bombers based in Nicaragua; long-term result: 200,000 murdered
Panama. . . 1958. . Troops. . Flag protests erupt into confrontation
Cuba. . . . 1961. Command operation. CIA-directed exile invasion fails
Cuba. . . . 1962. Nuclear threat, navalBlockade during missile crisis; near-war with Soviet Union
Panama. . . 1964. . Troops. . Panamanians shot for urging canal's return
Dominican Republic. . . . 1965-66. . Troops. . , bombingMarines land during election campaign
Guatemala. . 1966-67 Command operationGreen Berets intervene against rebels
Chile. . . . 1973. . Command operationCIA-backed coup ousts democratically elected Marxist president
El Salvador. 1981-92 Command operation,. . . Troops. . Advisors, overflights aid anti-rebel war, soldiers briefly involved in hostage clash; long-term result: 75,000 murdered and destruction of popular movement
Nicaragua. . 1981-90 Command operation, navalCIA directs exile (Contra) invasions, plants harbor mines against revolution; result: 50,000 murdered
Honduras. . 1982-90. Troops. . Maneuvers help build bases near borders
Grenada. . . 1983-84. Troops. . , bombingInvasion four years after revolution
Bolivia. . . 1987. . Troops. . Army assists raids on cocaine region
Panama. . . 1989. . Troops. . , bombingNationalist government ousted by 27,000 soldiers, leaders arrested, 2000+ killed
Haiti. . . . 1994-95. Troops. . , navalBlockade against military government;. . . Troops. . . restore President Aristide to office three years after coup
Venezuela. . 2002. Command operation. Failed coup attempt to remove left-populist president Hugo Chavez
Haiti. . . . 2004-. . Troops. . Removal of democratically elected President Aristide;
_________________________________________________________________
American Military Interventions
of the 20th Century excluding WWII, nuclear threats, and where not the "major" influence
PHILIPPINES/l898-1910(-?)/Naval, troops/Seized from Spain, U.S. troops kill 600,000 Filipinos.
CUBA/l898-1902(-?)/Naval, troops/Seized from Spain, U.S. still illegally holds Navy base there over Cuban objections.
PANAMA/1901-03(-?)/Naval, troops/Broke off from Colombia in a U.S. organized 'rebellion', U.S. annexes Canal Zone.
HONDURAS/l903/Troops/U.S. Marines intervene in revolution.
DOMINICAN REP./1903-04/Troops/U.S. business interests protected in Revolution.
KOREA/1904-05/Troops/U.S. Marines land in Russo-Japanese War.
CUBA/1906-09/Troops/U.S. Marines land in democratic election.
NICARAGUA/1907/Troops/"Dollar Diplomacy" protectorate (psuedo- colony) set up.
HONDURAS/l907/Troops/U.S. Marines land during war with Nicaragua.
PANAMA/l908/Troops/U.S. Marines intervene in election contest.
NICARAGUA/l9l0/Troops/U.S. Marines land in Bluefields and Corinto.
HONDURAS/1911/Troops/U.S. business interests protected in civil war.
CHINA/1911-41/Naval, troops/Continuous occupation with flare-ups
CUBA/1912/Troops/U.S. business interests protected in Havana.
PANAMA/l9l2/Troops/U.S. Marines land during heated election.
HONDURAS/l9l2/Troops/Marines protect U.S. economic interests.
NICARAGUA/1912-33/Troops, bombing/20-year occupation, fought guerrillas.
MEXICO/l9l3/Naval/Americans evacuated during revolution.
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC/1914/Naval/Fight with rebels over Santo Domingo.
MEXICO/1914-18/Naval, troops/Series of interventions against Mexican nationalists.
HAITI/1914-34/Troops, bombing/19-year occupation after revolts.
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC/1916-24/Troops/8-year U.S. Marine occupation.
CUBA/1917-33/Troops/Military occupation, U.S. declares Cuba an economic protectorate (psuedo-colony).
USSR/1918-22/Naval, troops/Five landings to fight Bolsheviks in effort to overthrow the fledgling socialist government.
PANAMA/1918-20/Troops/"Police duty" during unrest after elections.
HONDURAS/l9l9/Troops/U.S. Marines land during election campaign.
GUATEMALA/1920/Troops/2-week intervention against unionists.
TURKEY/1922/Troops/U.S. fought nationalists in Smyrna.
CHINA/1922-27/Naval, troops/Deployment during nationalist revolt.
HONDURAS/1924-25/Troops/Landed twice during election strife.
PANAMA/1925/Troops/U.S. Marines suppress general strike.
CHINA/l928-34/Troops/U.S. Marines stationed throughout the country.
EL SALVADOR/l932/Naval/Warships sent during Marti revolt.
KOREA/l951-53(-?)/Troops, naval, bombing, nuclear threats/U.S.& South Korea fight China & North Korea to stalemate;
A-bomb threat in l950, and against China in l953. China accuses U.S. of biological warfare. Still have bases.
IRAN/l953/Covert/CIA overthrows democratically elected socialist premier, installs Shah as dictator.
GUATEMALA/l954/Command operation, bombing, nuclear threat/CIA directs exile invasion after new gov't nationalizes U.S. companies' lands; bombers based in Nicaragua.
LEBANON/l958/Troops, naval/U.S. Marine occupation against rebels.
PANAMA/1958/Troops/Flag protests erupt into confrontation.
VIETNAM/l960-75/Troops, naval, bombing, nuclear threats/Fought South Vietnamese revolt & North Vietnam during the Vietnamese civil war; over two million Vietnamese casualties in longest U.S. war; atomic bomb threats in l968 and l969.
LAOS/1961/Covert/Military buildup during guerrilla war.
CUBA/l961/Covert/CIA-directed exile invasion fails.
PANAMA/l964/Troops/Panamanians shot for urging canal's return.
INDONESIA/l965/Covert/One million-plus killed in CIA-assisted army coup. CIA provides assassination lists to military, plus weapons.
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC/1965-66/Troops, bombing/U.S. Marines land during election campaign.
GUATEMALA/l966-67/Covert/Green Berets intervene against rebels.
CAMBODIA/l969-75/Bombing, troops, naval/Up to 2 million killed in decade during/after U.S. invasion of Cambodia and bombing, starvation, and political chaos.
OMAN/l970/Covert/U.S. directs Iranian marine invasion to intervene in Omani civil war.
LAOS/l971-73/Command operation, bombing/U.S. directs South Vietnamese invasion; "carpet-bombs" countryside.
CHILE/1973/Covert/CIA funds and backs coup ousts democratically-elected Marxist president and installs brutal military dictatorship.
CAMBODIA/l975/Troops, bombing/Intervenes to seize captured ship, 28 die in copter crash.
IRAN/l980/Troops, nuclear threat, aborted bombing/Raid to rescue Embassy hostages; 8 troops die in copter-plane crash. Soviets warned not to get involved in revolution.
LIBYA/l981/Naval jets/Two Libyan jets shot down in maneuvers.
EL SALVADOR/l981-?/Covert/U.S. mercenaries, military advisors, overflights aid anti-rebel war.
NICARAGUA/l981-90/Covert, naval/CIA funds, trains, equips and directs exile (Contra) invasions, plants harbor mines against revolution.
HONDURAS/l982-?/Troops/Maneuvers, help build bases near borders to intimidate Nicaragua.
LEBANON/l982-84/Naval, bombing, troops/Marines expel PLO and back Christian Phalangists, Navy bombs and shells Muslim positions.
GRENADA/l983-84/Troops, bombing/Invasion four years after socialist revolution. U.S. installs puppet government.
LIBYA/l986/Bombing, naval/Air strikes try to topple nationalist gov't.
BOLIVIA/1987/Troops/Coast Guard and Army assists raids on cocaine region.
IRAN/l987-88/Naval, bombing/US intervenes on side of Iraq in Gulf War.
LIBYA/1989/Naval jets/Two Libyan jets shot down.
PANAMA/1989-?/Troops, bombing/Nationalist government ousted by invasion. U.S. installs puppet government and refuses to hold new elections.
LIBERIA/1990-?/Troops/Foreigners evacuated during civil war; troops protect CIA communications/listening post.
SAUDI ARABIA/1990-?/Troops, jets/Iraq countered after invading Kuwait. Forces also in Oman, Qatar, Bahrain, UAE, Israel.
IRAQ/1990-?/Naval, bombing, troops/Blockade of Iraqi and Jordanian ports; large-scale destruction of Iraqi military.
KUWAIT/1991-?/Naval, bombing, troops/Attacks on Iraqi military; effort to return dictatorial royal family to throne.
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