Truth
...fing the world. Furthermore, “(Wilson) he had injected the government into American life in ways unlike any other in the nations history” (Barry 300). The increase in governmental involvement hindered American life. Increased governmental involvement contributed greatly to American involvement in the war, which hindered America militarily, medically, and politically. In order to fund for the war Americans were forced to provide aid to the soldiers, who lacked sufficient supplies to sustain the harsh living conditions and weather. The camps, such as Devens, lacked sufficient accommodation for soldiers and failed to efficiently use the facilities which they did possess: “Devens was built to hold a maximum of thirty-six thousand men. On September 6, Devens held just over forty-five thousand men” (Barry 186). The overcrowding issue contributed greatly to the rapid spread of the influenza epidemic. Another factor that hindered American life, which resulted from the increase of governmental involvement, was the government’s blatant disregard for the first Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. “The first casualty when war comes is truth.” (Barry 334). At the beginning of the war, the U.S. government was concerned with winning. This endeavor entailed keeping the moral of American citizens high in order to gain support, especially militarily, for America desperately needed draftees to form troops. “The preservation of moral itself became an aim. For if morale faltered, all else might as well. So free speech trembled” (206). Even if the government’s intent for withholding information from the public was to boost morale, “the government compelled conformity, and controlled speech in ways, frightening ways, not known to America before or since” (Barry 123). Barry, in his afterword, emphasized the need for the government to tell the truth. He claims that telling the truth and informing the public is “the biggest lesson of 1918, and it is a lesson not yet learned” (Barry 459). One of Barry’s recommendations for preparing for a pandemic in the future is surveillance (Barry 456). Along with surveillance, there is a need for communication. “Communication matters. If communication is open enough, surveillance good enough, and leadership decisive enough there is a slight but real chance a new pandemic virus could be snuffed out” (Barry 460). Without governmental guidance about the influenza epidemic of 1918, the public was unprepared to prevent the spread of influenza within the states and across the borders. The government’s lack of action towards addressing the pandemic perhaps in itself caused the downfall of the political treaty at Versailles. Ironically, Wilson’s failed attempt to address the epidemic resulted in his contraction of the disease. Barry makes the suggestion that influenza may have affected Wilson’s mental state during the negotiation period. “Influenza did visit the peace conference. Influenza did strike Wilson. Influenza did weaken him physically, and did at the least drain from him stamina and the ability to concentrate (Barry 387). Thus, the result was the unfortunate outcome of the negotiations at Versailles, “that fostered the rise of Adolf Hitler” (Barry 388). Surprisingly, despite government...