David Rosenthal: belief

Transcript context

…And documenting the absolute crap out of it to use in their advertising. Robert Woodruff, 1941, comes right out and pledges that anywhere where an American soldier is fighting the war, they will be able to get a Coca-Cola and they’ll be able to get that for 5¢. There are these just unbelievable quotes from American GIs during the war that are in for God, Country, and Coca-Cola. There are two of them I picked out here. One, “I always thought Coca-Cola was a wonderful drink, but on an island where few Americans have ever set foot, it is a godsend. I can truthfully say that I haven’t seen smiles spread over a bunch of boys’ faces as they did when they saw Coca-Cola in this godforsaken place.” And then, “If anyone were to ask us what we are fighting for, we think half of us would answer the right to buy Coca-Cola again. ” These are actual quotes from letters from American GIs during the war. It’s unbelievable. And supply them they did. 1941 to 1945, 64 portable bottling plants were sent to Asia, Europe, and North Africa. The best estimates are that more than 5 billion bottles were distributed to troops during the war.…

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