December 11, 1941 - Berlin, Germany In an unexpected, almost stunning move, Reich Chancellor Hitler orders that Germany to declare war on the United States. Hitler had previously made an oral agreement with his “Axis” partner, Japan, to join any future war with the US. The day after the attack on Peal Harbor, Japanese Ambassador Oshima asked German Foreign Minister von Ribbentrop for his countrys formal declaration of war. Von Ribbentrop diplomatically stalled for time, knowing Germany was under no legal obligation to declare war unless it was Japan that had been attacked, rather than initiating the attacks itself. He also greatly feared the potential of America as an adversary. But, as was his habit, Hitler overruled his Foreign Minister. He was convinced the US would soon declare war on Germany and wanted to beat them to the punch. The US Navy was already involved in searching for and attacking German U-boats in the North Atlantic, and he personally despised Franklin Roosevelt for his obvious support of Britain and his repeated attacks against Nazi (National Socialist) ideology. Hitler, convinced of his own great strategic acumen, believed that (militarily at least) Japan was so much stronger than the US that it would soon defeat the Americans and then be able to turn around and help Germany defeat the Soviets. Thus, at 3:30 PM Washington time, the German charge d’affaires delivered the Declaration of War to US Secretary of State Cordell Hull. In a rousing speech to the Reichstag that same day, “Der Fuhrer”, says of Roosevelt, First he incites war, then falsifies the causes, then odiously wraps himself in a cloak of Christian hypocrisy and slowly but surely leads mankind to war. As of one man, the entire Reichstag leapt to their feat in thunderous applause.
Posted on: Thu, 11 Dec 2014 17:29:44 +0000