The United States of Amnesia

301: A Christian Nation? - The Founding Intent

Was America founded as a Christian nation? Some say yes, some say no, and the real answer is more complex than you might think. Blake takes the reins as the leader of this series, discussing the role (or in some cases, perhaps, the lack thereof) of Christianity in the establishment of the colonies, the founding of the nation, and the early evolution of the United States. In this premiere episode, Blake, Marshall, and Mike start with the First Amendment to the United States Constitution, and from there go on to discuss what the Founding Fathers, who wished to avoid the religious strife that had plagued Europe, seemed to have intended for religion in American public life. Did the Founders "design" America as a Christian country? If the United States had an official church, which denominations would qualify as "Christian"? How would the official church function within civic life in matters of law, public policy, voting, and taxation? Would non-Christians be suppressed? The discussion also covers deism and its influence on the Founders, whose beliefs ranged from borderline atheism through deism and "Christian rationalism" to devout Christianity.

211: Tea, Drugs, and Jesus - Another Day, Another Country, Another Misunderstanding

Marshall, Blake, and Mike wrap up the "Tea, Drugs, and Jesus" series with a review of how the United States misunderstood China in various ways at various times during the history of relations between the two countries between the late 18th century and 1972, as well as what broader themes of misunderstanding recurred throughout that history. They then discuss how the United States continues to misunderstand China today, and how it similarly misjudges the motivations, behaviors, and actions of many other countries, leading to mistakes and failure — all because of America's incuriosity about the world, its resulting lack of cultural literacy, and its propensity to ignore or fire experts who tell American leaders things they — and often the American public — do not want to hear about the world around them.

210: Tea, Drugs, and Jesus - Only Nixon Can Go to China

When Chinese "volunteers" intervened in the Korean War in 1950, American relations with the People's Republic of China fell into an icy abyss from which they did not emerge until President Richard Nixon made his momentous decision to transform world politics by visiting Beijing in 1972. In the United States, the "loss" of China to what Americans thought of as monolithic "world communism" led during the intervening two decades to the "Red Scare," the "Lavender Scare," blacklisting, and growing U.S. involvement in conflict in Southeast Asia — all while American policymakers ignored, fired, and even ruined the reputations and careers of experts who tried to give them advice on the realities of China, Vietnam, communism, and international relations during the Cold War.

209: Tea, Drugs, and Jesus - White Paper to Red Scare

Marshall, Blake, and Mike engage in a wide-ranging discussion of American policy disputes over what to do about China after World War II. President Truman, Secretaries of State George C. Marshall and Dean Acheson, Madame Chiang and her family, General Claire Chennault, Joseph Stalin, Mao Zedong, the CIA, the domino theory, the American idea of monolithic “international communism,” and anti-colonial nationalist movements in Southeast Asia all play roles as Marshall lays out three options U.S. policymakers debated between 1945 and 1950: Should the United States follow the advice of the “China hands” by turning its back on the corrupt Nationalist government of the Republic of China under Chiang Kai-shek and instead recognize the Communist government of the People’s Republic of China as China’s legitimate government? Or should America take the view of policy realists that China had little strategic value to the United States and was a sociopolitical mess not worth being involved in? Or should America do what the “China lobby” — the supporters of Chiang Kai-shek — wanted and go all in with continued support to Chiang? When Communist Chinese “volunteers” intervene in the Korean War in 1950, the American idea that Communism is monolithic solidifies, leading to consequences in the United States that, ironically, give events in China far more influence over the United States than America ever had in China.

208: Tea, Drugs, and Jesus - Cash My Check

Mike walks us through the complex situation in China in the aftermath of World War II, with armed Japanese operating in the country, Soviet forces occupying Manchuria, and the Nationalist and Communist Chinese resuming their civil war with one another. The decisive phase of the civil war ensues, culminating in the Communist takeover of mainland China and the Nationalist retreat to Taiwan. Marshall then leads our discussion of the efforts of American leaders, including President Truman and Secretaries of State George C. Marshall and Dean Acheson, to determine a way forward in their China policy while Madame Chiang and General Claire Chennault lobby for continued support to the corrupt Nationalist regime of Chiang Kai-shek, whose constant demands for more American aid earn him the derisive nickname “Cash My Check.”