General Patton: War Diary Recovery Sends Shockwaves Across America

The recovery of a private war diary of General George S. Patton is sending shock waves throughout both the veteran and civilian communities.

Written in the months preceding the invasion of Normandy, the words penned by the man who commanded the U.S. Seventh Army in the Mediterranean and European theaters of operation in World War II remain inexplicable and difficult to comprehend.

General Patton takes off the uniform which served him well and delves into the domestic front and the effects of the war on the average citizen.  He worries about the inflammatory political discourse against the Nazi ideology, including what he calls “proposals from various quarters” for blanket discrimination against the Germans. He ponders that the ramifications of such rhetoric “could be very harmful – and lasting”. He considers that such discussions against the Nazi threat do not make us safer, rather compound a greater danger to the citizens of the United States.

While pegging these discussions as “toxic, and indeed, non-biodegradable – a kind of poison”  the warrior seems incapable of grasping the toxicology of an ideology  for which he has sent men to their very deaths.

General Patton fears that demonizing and denigrating Nazi ideology will strengthen Nazism grip and radicalization of our own youth; that we must be careful to realize that what we are fighting is NOT Nazi Germany, but a twisted version of Nazi Germany.

Finally, General Patton shoulders the distinct fear that the continued national conversation regarding the effects of Germany’s ideology will prove “corrosive to our vital national security issues, and ultimately, to the United States success in this war.”

History has already judged General Patton regarding his contribution to the war. He served with honor.  But then again, there is the journal.

Private Journal Entries