Screen shot:  Oven at Auschwitz
 
JOHN BATCHELOR SHOW
Co-hosts:  Monica Crowley, London Center for Policy Research; and Malcolm Hoenlein, Conference of Presidents
 
Hour One
Thursday 12 April 2018 / Hour 1, Block A:  John Batchelor, Monica Crowley and Malcolm Hoenlein in Cracow, on the day of the March of the Living on Holocaust Remembrance Day; in re: What has the world learned in the seventy-five years?  “Never again” means that we cannot turn a blind eye to anyone’s being murdered, tortured, gassed. And people are ignoring tragedy today, and we see a lot of global indifference.  On second visit, the depth of sentiment does not diminish. Processing it the first time – the wide-open field with barracks as far as the eye can see; but the second time. I’ve been more present in the moment.  Today, I see hordes of young people, which is very encouraging.  JB: I didn't like the hairbrushes. Don't want to talk about it. Didn't like it.
Many UN ambassadors are attending the march today, and they’ll go to Israel of the seventy-fifth anniversary.  When you look back behind you and see fifteen thousand people, in blue and white jackets, some wrapped in the Israeli flag, singing, “We will make the world a better place.”
Today we walked in the first crematorium: the most active one; I think 600,000 souls walked down that narrow staircase to a changing room, then into a gas chamber.  The first time I was paralyzed; the second time, just as much.
Thursday 12 April 2018 / Hour 1, Block B: Prof David Machlis, co-founder of the March of the Living; in re: Marchers from North America: 3,000   Austria: 650. Mexico: 200 adults. Recruitment, extensive trainings.   Twenty-two percent of millennials are not aware that Nazis killed six million Jews. In another poll, 50% had never heard of he Holocaust; about that same number said it was bogus and never happened. Next year, I brought WWII veterans to speak of what they saw when the opened the camps.
Intl March of the Living Fellows Program:  reach out to college deans, say we’d like to teach a course on the Holocaust; please nominate a professor, whom we’ll train (one-year program). 
Thursday 12 April 2018 / Hour 1, Block C: Captain Jerry Hendrix (USN ret.) & CNAS; in re: Navy assets in Eastern Med as Pres Trump, PM Theresa May, and Pres Macron confer on the matter of apparent chlorine gassing of civilians by Assad. Hideous sight.  The USS Donald C Cook, a Navy destroyer, based in Rota, Spain, has a load of Tomahawk missiles. Also an Ohio-class nuclear-deterrent sub, USS Georgia, can carry up to 155 Tomahawks. Unlocated, but rumored to be somewhere in the Atlantic or Med. Also aircraft in various parts—land-based aircraft out of central Med, or some out of Missouri.   Because of the Russian S300, it’ll probably be missiles or stealth aircraft if an attack is launched.
Last year, recall the 59 missiles sent to a Syrian military base; this time, expect greater severity, perhaps directly on Assad and his coterie. Do not exclude decapitation at the upper end, as Assad has demonstrated that he’s a [grave] war criminal.  There are Russian Adm Grigorovich-class subs in the area. [The Admiral Grigorovich class {Фрегаты проекта 11356Р/М} is the latest class of frigates ordered by the Russian navy for the Black Sea fleet. Six ships have been ordered so far to be built by the Yantar shipyard in Kaliningrad.] Should there be a move against Assad, the Russians will need either to stand down or prepare for casualties.
The fact that we’ve taken so long to move tells me that this will be [larger-scale].  When US cut down the Qaddafi regime, I think we had a guided-missile sub, we shot 118 Tomahawks in minutes to take down the command and control [C2] networks.  Anti-access aerial-denial technology.  Advanced Russian SAMs: we’ll want to exhaust their missiles.  Can you explain World War II in the next thirty seconds? Russians have threatened a retaliatory strike, but I don't anticipate that.  Putin would have either to risk having his forces suffer humiliation, or else stand down and   get his people out of the way and underground.
Thursday 12 April 2018 / Hour 1, Block D:  Tyler Rogoway, The WarZone at The Drive, in re: Ability of Russians to defends against US Cruise missiles, from a sub or B2 bombers? Yes, Latakia and Tartus. Problem: has to locate, them as they travel very low over the Earth’s surface. Have deployed a specialized aircraft to fly very high and see incoming missiles.
Assad has the Pantsir S1 defense system [phased array radars]: will shoot down missile as it makes a terminal attack; he and Russians would have to figure out where in advance.  Russia has been saying for six months that it would respond directly if the US [attacked] inside Syria.  US has air dominance in Western Syria; but Russians can [prevail] there [?]. Alternative: could sink a US ship and kill 300 sailors; that would be a massive act of war. Russian land-attack Cruise missile technology: analogous to Tomahawks in early 1990s; reliability not even that good. In 2015, Russians dumped a lot of missiles in the desert of Iran. They have capability —not advanced, but a major threat, esp in numbers.
Could Russians militarily counterstrike US+France+UK? France wd use Mirage; UK same capability; Franc, out of Cyprus.  Russian response?  I’d bet that Putin would reply militarily to the US primarily.  Russian have powerful cyber capabilities that we can't even quantify. Might be a cyberattack, something nonkinetic in nature. Might turn off electricity in Washington for 24 hours.  —Yike; Chapter 1 of the end of the world.
Israeli AF struck in Syria; eight missiles took out Iran’s unmanned aircraft ability.  Probably Pantsir S1 system.  See: http://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/20037/if-the-u-s-attacks-syria-here...
 
Hour Two
Thursday 12 April 2018 / Hour 2, Block A:  Monica Crowley, Malcolm Hoenlein, in Cracow, in re:  How visiting Auschwitz affects one – unable to describe but affects one at all levels – emotionally, spiritually, intellectually.   . . . The new Polish law that’s being challenged in court that asserts that no Pole helped the Nazis in the Polish-territory Holocaust: this is patently not true and one hopes hat the court challenge clears this up.   . . .  Today was discordant because it's such a beautiful day in the countryside.  Millions were murdered under that sky, those trees, on that beautiful grass. Over a million died here. 
Thursday 12 April 2018 / Hour 2, Block B:  Prof Steven Katz, Boston University, in re:  In Hebrew, we use the word “Shoah” to name what happened here  in Cracow in the death camps.  Billions of people today have never heard of it.  UN convention on Genocide: included the word “intention.”  Can kill people unintentionally; or intend to kill some, not all. Also, Armenia: did the Turks  intend to kill all the Armenians under their control? Anti-Semitism – anti-Jewish sentiments: always present, usually latent until crisis occurs. In Sweden, the demographics are headed toward a predominantly Muslim population.  Crisis. The Holocaust and Muslims.
Special UN statute of the right to interfere; on gender; the Intl Court of Justice, and various trials.  Yes, nuclearization has changed the [situation]. 
Thursday 12 April 2018 / Hour 2, Block C:  Prof John Farmer,  Rutgers, in re: Academic study of various nasty biases, became focussed on anti-Jewish hatreds. Were doing research in Paris on the day of the raid against the Kosher food store; in Denmark during that killing.
Thursday 12 April 2018 / Hour 2, Block D:  Prof John Barrett, St John’s University, in re: Nuremberg; Justice Jackson.  First wave of prosecutions, most notorious Nazi high command: defiant or suicides, or more complicated for Albert Speer.  Maintained innocence as their having done only what their domestic law permitted; impunity of perpetrators, dictators, evil-doers.
Nuremberg did draw some makers: Rule of law and intl norms, basic human rights and moral commitments, esp against perpetration of atrocities. Also built a document-based historical record. No man, incl a head of state is above the law. This is all only as good as the intl consensus and activity. On some things we need a global consensus. 
In 2011 when I was here in Cracow, our program was interrupted at nine o’clock with news from the White House of the bin Laden raid. We executed him with no trial. . . . He was an enemy combattent who wore no uniform; different from the Hitlerites.   . . .  Germany commendably thought about  . . . 
 
Hour Three
Thursday 12 April 2018 / Hour 3, Block A: Black Earth: The Holocaust as History and Warning, by Timothy Snyder
Thursday 12 April 2018 / Hour 3, Block B: Black Earth: The Holocaust as History and Warning, by Timothy Snyder
Thursday 12 April 2018 / Hour 3, Block C:  Black Earth: The Holocaust as History and Warning, by Timothy Snyder
Thursday 12 April 2018 / Hour 3, Block D:  Black Earth: The Holocaust as History and Warning, by Timothy Snyder
 
Hour Four
Thursday 12 April 2018 / Hour 4, Block A:  1932: The Rise of Hitler and FDR―Two Tales of Politics, Betrayal, and Unlikely Destiny, by David Pietrusza
Thursday 12 April 2018 / Hour 4, Block B:  1932: The Rise of Hitler and FDR―Two Tales of Politics, Betrayal, and Unlikely Destiny, by David Pietrusza
Thursday 12 April 2018 / Hour 4, Block C:  1932: The Rise of Hitler and FDR―Two Tales of Politics, Betrayal, and Unlikely Destiny, by David Pietrusza
Thursday 12 April 2018 / Hour 4, Block D:  1932: The Rise of Hitler and FDR―Two Tales of Politics, Betrayal, and Unlikely Destiny, by David Pietrusza
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