The most commented on characteristic of the first draft selectees in 1940 was the diversity of ethnicities. The ignorance of US history is remarkable.

McCarthy-era congressmen accused foundations of being captured by Communists. coxcommitteereport.weebly.com/uploads/1/3/.... They tore into Carnegie for funding Gunnar Myrdal's *An American Dilemma* after the landmark study of race in the US was cited in Brown vs Board. Mellon is in good company.

I am speechless. "The National Park Service has removed visitor brochures from the Medgar & Myrlie Evers Home National Monument. Among the anticipated changes? No longer calling his murderer a 'racist.'" 🗃️ mississippitoday.org/2026/02/05/m...

I was looking forward to reading Shake's book. I find the history of civilian-military relations to be far more lively, overflowing with drama, conflict, politics, passion, and negotiation.

This is a bit rich, isn't it? Moyn and his crew chastised anyone who dared make a historical comparison of precisely this sort, simply with a different political figure.

"Observing human behavior confirms that for some among us, the perfidious lust for unbridled power and the imposition of cruelty in its quest know no bounds and are bereft of human decency. And the rule of law be damned."

Someone else might need to see this as much as I did.

Homan "in theatre." ... Can't say we weren't warned. "In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist."

“Freedom is not free. We have to work at it. Nurture it. Protect it. Even sacrifice for it.”

Agreed. I've argued that the "crisis" of the humanities is not about its "irrelevance." Historical memory & scholarship is a threat precisely because of their social & cultural power. That is why history must be suppressed, erased & replaced with politically useful myths: it's too dangerous.

From the stands yesterday. A new day with a new governor.

History rhymes in other ways. The author of the pamphlet was forced out of the War Department for having written it. "Fascism" was, by May 1945 already, too divisive. The War Department needed to steer clear of "ideology." And the author couldn't be trusted, as a Russian-born Jew.

What a dark day

Great essay. Sparked a spirited, thoughtful debate in a research seminar I taught last year.

"[T]he Margraten cemetery 'is not the appropriate venue for interpreting or debating broader societal issues, however real and significant those issues were and are.'" What is a more appropriate venue?

Another beautiful Shchedryk performance amidst ruins. It was set in what used to be a DTEK thermal power plant — now destroyed by russia. The contrast between russia’s destructive nature and the Ukrainian will to create beauty even in the darkest times is palpable.

I'd like to save you a few minutes. This op-ed is not worth your time.

A quick read worth your time.

NEWS: The Institute of Museum & Library Services has restored ALL previously canceled federal grants to libraries, following a ruling by a federal judge in Rhode Island last month. This is a massive win for libraries & communities in every state & territory! Learn more: www.ala.org/news/2025/12...

And what happened after WWII that made the military "politically correct"? Might it be Truman's executive order desegregating the armed forces? What else could it be? In any event, the "War Department" started to desegregate during the war as I wrote about in TIME. time.com/7329734/mili...

On Facebook, Black Liberators in the Netherlands posted pictures of panels the Heritage Foundation reportedly pressed the Trump administration to have removed from the American cemetery in Margraten. Black soldiers who volunteered for combat duty as riflemen are among the dead buried there.

Thank you, @americanstudier.bsky.social, for highlighting my essay.

All-volunteer Black rifle companies fought alongside White companies in 1945 in the race to Berlin. These men put their lives on the line in service to their country. White supremacists still can't accept that these Americans played essential roles in an Allied victory. time.com/7329734/mili....

I worked up the courage to put my current research out there. #SWW #WW2 time.com/7329734/mili...

I was gutted to hear of Alison's passing. She was on my dissertation committee. Her energy, kindness, and dedication will always stay with me. I was in awe of how she and her husband Keith juggled parenting and trailblazing careers. Just devastating news.

What a magnificent day for our democracy yesterday.

Brilliant

Willful ignorance or deliberate manipulation of recent military history? Convenient to pass over WWII when equal representation (racial quotas) in the armed forces served "the mission." Caldwell in @nytopinion.nytimes.com recycles the spurious arguments of the pro-segregationists.

"Equal opportunity of service and of recreation are the right of every American soldier regardless of branch, race, color or creed." Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower, 1 March 1944

Let's travel back further to March 6, 1942. The Senate Committee on Military Affairs was debating an armed forces reorg. Committee member Truman argued, "If we could just get the War Department and the Navy Department on speaking terms..., I don't think that we will ever have another Pearl Harbor."

Impressive

Tell that to the former Axis Powers of World War II. It appears our VP is unfamiliar with the concept of "unconditional surrender."

Foundations of modern academia are crumbling before our eyes.

"As I went through the papers of [the American grassroots movement], their private papers and their organizational papers both, what I found was this deep and abiding expression of anti-internationalism, which they then redefined as a defense of sovereignty." - @jenmittelstadt.bsky.social

Hear! Hear!

How do we pay respect this #MemorialDay? Consider one Black #WWII soldier's request. "Don't you think it would be a grand gesture and the beginning of great progress if the people (of the United States) as a whole would have their eyes opened ... " americansoldierww2.org/surveys/a/S1...

A sharp thread

"Dr. Carla Hayden was a leader in the digitization of libraries and a steadfast advocate for their public mission. Her dismissal signals more than a routine personnel shift—it reflects a deeper contest over who controls the curation and dissemination of knowledge in the digital age."

Virginia Tech is hiring an instructor in modern military history, I'm happy to announce. We're looking for a scholar who can teach operational history and also contribute to our thriving war & society program. @smh-historians.bsky.social @wwiimuseum.bsky.social

Our project was a labor of love, made possible by hundreds of students, scores of scholars & DH practitioners, & thousands of "citizen-archivists" from around the world. It would not exist without #NEH funding. A gutted NEH will mean that projects like ours will no longer be possible.

We won!! A nationwide preliminary injunction against McMahon's February Dear Colleague letter which tried to stop public schools & higher Ed from teaching honest history or enforcing student civil rights. It’s a win for students, families & educators. democracyforward.org/updates/harm...

More good news for public education, this time in the MD case. www.aft.org/press-releas...

This agency update from the post-takeover #NEH is so offensive.

Too bad this couldn't have come out a few days ago. But better late than in favor of the administration. www.wmur.com/article/conc...

This is true. The administration, though, is relying on Title VI's enforcement mechanisms to ban DEIA. E.g., the nationwide anti-DEI K-12 certification invokes 42 U.S.C. §2000d-1 to threaten federal funding. Yet this EO revokes §2000d-1 regs. The administration is, in effect, undercutting itself.

Yes!

A political fragging is unfolding. The secretary is so out of his depth.