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In the aftermath of the Vietnam War, Canadian radio commentator Gordon Sinclair broadcast a piece praising American generosity and ingenuity on June 5, 1973.
Understably, it proved to be popular in the United States. Sinclair's praise has been reprinted and rebroadcast in many different media many, many times since.
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After the terrible attacks of September 11, it is understandable that Americans should seek solace in whatever source they can find. Perhaps that sparked a revival of Gordon Sinclair's editorial.
Perhaps it is pedantic, but what the heck, the Urban Legend Zeitgeist lives for pedantry, but some points of Sinclair's praise don't ring quite so true today as they did in 1973.
Some of the comparisons, particularly between the economies of Japan and Germany and the United States, are no longer so compelling. Airbus, a consortium of European aircraft manufacturers, is an intense competitor with American companies. The 1970's and 1980's eroded much American confidence in the superiority of American industry over Japan's, if not Europe's. Both Europe and Japan have well developed space programs. Even NASA hasn't returned to the Moon since 1972. Maybe these are small points, but they do illustrate the distance between 1973 and today.
Still, comparing the sentiments voiced in 'The Good Neighbor' don't exactly square with the attacks on Washington and the World Trade Center, at least to the Urban Legend Zeitgeist's eye. Former allies didn't attack the U.S. At least for now there is no substantive evidence that anything other than a small band of determined, clandestine enemies engineered the attacks. While there may cause for complaint when allies forget past American generosity, one can hardly expect gratitude or even consideration from the enemies.
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Urban Legend Zeitgeist: The Good Neighbor