Douglas, remembering JFK’s opening lines in the 1940 thesis “Why England Slept”, the history – not to mention human nature – suggests that the more things change the more they stay the same.

“But it takes time to change men’s minds, and it takes violent shocks to change an entire nation’s psychology. The experience of the United States is ample evidence of this. In spite of the events of the last few years, and in spite of the war then waging in Europe, the Congress this winter cut our Naval appropriation 500 million dollars, from $1,300,000,000 to $800,000,000. Yet in May, due to the shock of the Blitzkrieg, Congress rushed through appropriations of $5,000,000,000 which were cheerfully supported by the entire nation.”