Henry Addington Quotes
We are pursuing a course not calculated to promote our real interests, and one that will make us detested in the world.
The English were at War with Napoleon and Denmark was neutral. British leaders feared that Denmark might either ally themselves with Napoleon or provide him with ships from their well equipped fleet. The English decided on a preemptive attack on Denmark and military forces were ordered to Denmark. When they arrived, they were ordered to bombard Copenhagen and force the Danes to surrender. When this happened, the British seized the Danish ships and simply took them as war prizes. The issues of the morality and wisdom of preemptive attacks, as with the Americans in the Iraq war, was thoroughly debated but the government view prevailed to the shame of most Englishmen. Addington was not PM at the time but a backbencher in Parliament.
Henry Addington, 1757-1844, Lord Sidmouth, Prime Minister of England (Tory), Comment on the English action in Denmark
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The English were at War with Napoleon and Denmark was neutral. British leaders feared that Denmark might either ally themselves with Napoleon or provide him with ships from their well equipped fleet. The English decided on a preemptive attack on Denmark and military forces were ordered to Denmark. When they arrived, they were ordered to bombard Copenhagen and force the Danes to surrender. When this happened, the British seized the Danish ships and simply took them as war prizes. The issues of the morality and wisdom of preemptive attacks, as with the Americans in the Iraq war, was thoroughly debated but the government view prevailed to the shame of most Englishmen.
The English were at War with Napoleon and Denmark was neutral. British leaders feared that Denmark might either ally themselves with Napoleon or provide him with ships from their well equipped fleet. The English decided on a preemptive attack on Denmark and Napier and other officers were ordered to Denmark. When they arrived, they were ordered to bombard Copenhagen and force the Danes to surrender. When this happened, the British seized the Danish ships and simply took them as war prizes. The issues of the morality and wisdom of preemptive attacks, as with the Americans in the Iraq war, was thoroughly debated but the government view prevailed to the shame of most Englishmen.
The English were at War with Napoleon and Denmark was neutral. British leaders feared that Denmark might either ally themselves with Napoleon or provide him with ships from their well equipped fleet. The English decided on a preemptive attack on Denmark and Paget and other Captains were ordered to Denmark. When they arrived they were ordered to bombard Copenhagen and force the Danes to surrender. When this happened, the British seized the Danish ships and simply took them as war prizes. The issues of the morality and wisdom of preemptive attacks, as with the Americans in the Iraq war, was thoroughly debated but the government view prevailed to the shame of most Englishmen.
Although he could not find justification in International law, many others recognize preemption as part of the right of self-defense.
The Prime Minister was viewing films of the effects on cities of Allied bombing of Germany.
At the time of this speech virtually the entire world believed that. However world attitude changed markedly after the administration of George W. Bush and the United States invasion of Afghanistan after September 11 and the Iraq War which was for regime change.
A few American soldiers working as prison guards and interrogators at the Abu Ghraib military prison in Iraq, with poor supervision and mixed signals from the generals and other officers, engaged in a variety of sordid, illegal abuse of Arab. Prisoners ranging from harassment to torture and murder. One activity involved putting a dog leash around the necks of Muslim naked prisoners who were forced to crawl around like a pet dog—hence the reference to a “leash”.
The “Defenders” were the Catholic terrorists who along with their Protestant Orange Order counterpart were in sporadic acts of violence and terrorism with no military objective. The French Army was not to sail for Ireland where they would link up with The Defenders and take Ireland from the English. The invasion failed when terrible weather forced the French troop ships carrying more than 45,000 invading soldiers to cut their anchor cables and return to France.
The Admiral had spent time in the United States. He strongly opposed Japanese warring against America. When his recommendations, were rejected and war was decided upon, Yamamoto planned and commanded the Attack on Pearl Harbor.
Henry Addington, 1st Viscount Sidmouth, PC was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1804.
