While working on a post for Ordinary Times intended to re-acquaint some commenters (and perhaps for the first time acquaint some others) with theories of neo-imperialism and American grand strategy, I thought that, instead of using my favorite map of the World Around the United States, I might try something lighter. My thoughts went to the above cartoon, which is actually a double excerpt both of the longer cartoon and of the hit song by Dick Robertson and the American Four. The song was originally produced and released, or so it is said, in the days immediately following the attack on Pearl Harbor.
For I believe the first time, I just watched the entirety of the 7 minute, 35 second cartoon, “Fifth Column Mouse,” from which the song sequence is taken. The cartoon is structured as a lesson on the absurdity of mice seeking to placate or “appease” (the word is used explicitly) a cat. I particularly enjoy the action finale, however, which strikes me as highly prescient, from the vantage point of 1943, regarding an American reliance on technological solutions to political and military challenges. I’ve cued the full-length video to the point that follows the song:
