PEARL HARBOR AND THE END OF THE FIGHT

          In the months leading up to Pearl Harbor, Charles Lindbergh remained committed to fighting against intervention into WWII. He prevailed from attacks from his critics that labeled him a Nazi and an anti-Semite. The morning of December 7, forever changed the lives of millions of Americans including Charles Lindbergh. Lindbergh was not totally shocked by the attack but by the damage that was caused by the Japanese. Both interventionist and noninterventionist had focused most of their time on the battle in the Atlantic that Pearl Harbor had blind sided them. The attack on Pearl Harbor brought an end to the America First Committee. They urged their members to support a war effort against Japans and to reschedule meetings. Lindbergh accepted his defeat with grace and urged Americans to support a retaliation to defend our country. Lindbergh believed that America’s efforts needed to turn to building the strongest military that they could. Lindbergh was weary of the impending war and feared that it would be the end of “western civilization”. He tried to put his knowledge to use by serving in the armed forces but was blocked by the enemies that he had gained in the Roosevelt administration. Lindbergh put his services to use by helping in the production, development and testing of fighter planes. Lindbergh’s opposition to intervention was not forgotten and he remained a target of the press and the government throughout the war. He became stereotyped as a Nazi sympathizer with little or no proof to back up the arguments. Lindbergh preserved and continued to find ways to serve his country.