let me backtrack to the swastika. i personally own a collection of works of kipling and every book on the binding has a swastika for the indy and good looks fine but in the political age it was the swastika. sewed george who wrote to so many on subjects was nicknamed 40 pages george. [laughter] hero and analysis a series of observations about the hitler salute because this was such a novel thing. this is the only thing i will read. >> the salute had no modern precedent for the more nearly required salute of soldiers and the presence of superior officers. it made a unique everybody was expected to salute even the mundane of encounters. shopkeepers come a children salute teacher several times a day. at the close of the theatrical performances a newly established custom demand that audiences stand and salute seen the german national anthem and the storm trooper and some. the german public has of the embrace this to make the ask -- act saluting almost comical especially in court or buildings especially everybody hailed on

for a young southern man to fight under the yankee flag was like a jew wanting to fight under a swastikain 1968. it was that much of a stretch, but they got a bunch of union and confederate generals out of mothballs and gave them positions of authority and, yes, those southern young men came and fought under the yankee flag and, eventually, that turned into a tradition of southerners proudly fighting under that flag even though it was really tough at first. um, and the stuff about john, i actually am a very badly-read person, and i read only the -- in the usa trilogy there's those parts that are almost in italics about battling lafayette or whatever, and when i read the book, i only read those parts. [laughter] so i have some influence, but i can't claim him as important influence. yes. >> i believe future president taft was in the philippines, and i wondered the he appeared in your book. and also, is there much discussion or many characters that are japanese or spanish in your book? >> yeah. taft actually came just after this bookends. he was the -- book ends. he was the first civilian

personally owned a collection of the words of robert kipling, and every work on his binding as a swastika because it is the indian good luck sign. as a political symbol. it back to the hitler salute. so so long on so many subjects. big name to 40 pages. he wrote an analysis, a series of observations about the hitter a salute because this was such a novel thing. now read it briefly. the salute, he wrote, had no modern presidency for the more narrowly required solution of soldiers in the presence of superior officers. everyone was expected to salute, even in the most mundane of encounters. shopkeepers to lose customers. so there are required to salute their teachers several times a day. the close of theatrical performances a newly established custom demand that audiences stand and salute as they sang the german national anthem and the storm trooper and them. the german public so avidly embraced the salute as to make the active in sicily saluting almost comical, especially in the corridors of public buildings or everyone from low lowliest official to the loftiest to grill wok to the men's ro