George Herter, the sporting goods and
firearms dealer of yesteryear was always
adamant about carefully watching china
and editorialized in his catalogs about
being prepared for emergencies.
Many criticized him for that, and called
him a kook, an alarmist, etc.
People back then were comfortable and
apathetic about the evil people of the
world and they felt that there wasn't any
need for concern because they didn't think
anything miles away affected them, so
let the other guy worry about it.
Pretty much like today