The Lusitania

by Colin Simpson

Book Overview

Lusitania, The, by Simpson, Colin This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0345240502
• ISBN13: 9780345240507
• Release Date: June 1974
• Publisher: Ballantine Books
• Length: 280 Pages
• Weight: 0.40 lbs.

Customer Reviews

A Solid Account About a Sordid Tragedy

The late James Burnham remarked that among Great Britian's major exports, hypocricy was the formost of their exports. Colin Simpson's book titled THE LUSITANIA is yet one more classic example of such hypocricy. This is a well written and thoroughly documented account of the actual status of THE LUSITANIA and the background to the attack with took place in 1915. Simpson gave his readers a solid background of the behind-the-scenes efforts of what some call The Eastern Establishment to prod Americans into war with the Germans during World War I. The Hate Germany rhetoric in this country was incited by Eastern Establishment Anglophiles in their efforts to elicit support for the British while creating lies and distortions about alleged German atrocities which never took place. As an aside Posonby's book undermines these myths and folklore nonsense. Simpson documented how bankers and the plutocratic rich used every means fair or foul to arm the British during the early phases of World War I. While the Americans were supposedly neutral, these men used their financial connections to support the British when the supposedly easy victory of the "allies" over their German rivals proved to be anything but easy. While President Wilson and some in his administration preached neutrality in 1914 and 1915, Wilson and some of his advisers were actively planning to enlist U.S. support and military intervention against the Germans as early as 1915 in violation of both U.S. law and international law. Simson was very comprehensive and clear about the status of THE LUSITANIA and other British vessels operated by the Cunard line. Under international law, merchant ships ( civilian vessels) were not to armed. If a civilian vessel were armed, that ship was subject to attack by enemy naval commanders as though the ship was a naval military vessel. THE LUSITANIA and many other British civilian vessels were indeed armed. Simpson is clear that THE LUSITANIA was not only armed, the ship was registered in the British navy as an auxillary battle cruiser which made the ship a legal military target under international law. When the British lied about THE LUSITANIA being armed, British officials were embarrassed when Cunard officials who owned the vessel boasted about THE LUSITANIA's restructuring for armament. Simpson detailed the construction of the ship to contain gun placements, and THE LUSITANIA's crew ordered passangers away from where the guns were. Readers will discover that British sea captains who were in charge of ships such as THE LUSITANIA often hoisted the American flag on the high seas. When German U Boat commanders would surface to warn what they thought was an American ship of possible danger, the British commanders would order the shooting of the German submarine or ramming the subermarine. An interesting anecdote is the fact that THE LUSITANIA would have been attacked sooner had some of the German U Boat commanders had a current manual indentifying TH

A very interesting book.

I've read this title several times, and it's one of those few that get better each time. This is NOT a human interest type of book for the casual reader. It also challenges the "East Coast Establishment" view, which has dominated our history books for so long. Simpson examines many topics in detail, including the political and naval background as well as cargo, manifesting and port clearance procedures, and comes up with a most fascinating and documented tale. Although I can't agree with all his arguments and inferences, I think his conclusions in the main are correct. I would recommend this book highly to any serious student of the event.