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H Bruce Franklin was an US Air Force navigator and intelligence officer but then became an anti-war activist. He’s written nineteen books and hundreds of articles and we talk about his latest book about the wars of the United States in the 20th century.
1:01 – Bruce talks about how he got into studying and writing on war. He talks about his influences when he was young.
2:01 – Bruce talks about the book and his life experiences that led to writing this book starting with when he was eleven on the day of the end of WWII. When he got older he joined the Air Force as a navigator. He talks about his reconnaissance and provocation missions over the Soviet Union.
8:37 – Bruce talks about his time with the Strategic Air Command and their efficiency and proficiency.
10:21 – Bruce talks about his first mission as a combat ready navigator and being part of a four plane cell. The mission almost resulted in an air collision.
13:49 – Bruce talks about the military-industrial complex and how it’s affected the wars the US has been part of.
25:58 – Bruce talks about the events that switched his political thinking on war.
27: 29 – Bruce mentions the anti-napalm movement.
31:53 – Bruce talks about the Korean War.
40:17 – Bruce talks about the historical archival material that he used for the book.
46:01 – Bruce talks about an interesting episode associated with the Cuban Missile Crisis.
56:00 – Bruce talks about 1991, the disintegration of the Soviet Union, and the peace dividend.
1:01:56 – He has a website at HBRuceFranklin.com where people can find information on all his books. It also has an events page.
Links of interest
https://www.hbrucefranklin.com/
https://www.rutgersuniversitypress.org/crash-course/9781978800939
For more “Military History Inside Out” please follow me on Facebook at warscholar, on twitter at Warscholar, on youtube at warscholar1945 and on Instagram @crisalvarezswarscholar
Guests: H. Bruce Franklin
Host: Cris Alvarez
Tags: military, history, military history, conflict, war, interview, non-fiction book, Cold War, Soviet Union, anti-war, Air Force, Strategic Air Command, KC-97, Boeing, bombers, Vietnam War, Korean War, Cuban Missile Crisis, Iraq, peace dividend, Saddam Hussein