There are several factors involved in the answer to this. It is mind blowing to say the least.
1. Imagine yourself listening to the news. Would you be interested in this one press release. If you say yes, then you have to consider Vietnam very carefully. Vietnam was on the news night after night. People were glued to their TVs to see what atrocities were being dug up. Not only that, but American body bags arrive in every state in the Union. Still there was a massive split in the country for the war and against it. Young people refused to go to there because they knew their chances of being unscathed was small. Now here's the question. Yes FDR made his position very clear, but who read it? Why would they care, when mother's wept openly about their sons dying in the Pacific and in Europe. That's what people were concerned about. And avenging Pearl Harbor was upmost in their mind.
2. I only have time for one more point. Think about anti Semitism. Do you think America and any part of Europe was free of it? I propose not. Sir Martin Gilbert was the master historian of the Holocaust. He wrote a book entirely about those who helped the Jewish people. He knew of 10000 different cases including 2 dogs one of whom was shot because he would not attack Jewish refugees. Many of the 10000 refused to talk about their experiences during the war because they said openly that they would be attacked for helping helping Jews. Many books have been written about the Holocaust and its aftermath and even into this century we have people that have denied it ever happened. I don't know what to tell you to read. If you are a college student, prowl around in your library or search for the Holocaust on the internet. It's a very depressing subject. You'll likely come across other Holocausts. It's hard to believe sometimes, that we are human, and not beasts.
