Hitler Attacks Pearl Harbor: Why the United States Declared War on Germany

Rating:
Summary: dismantling propagandistic history
Review: It is amazing how Hill's small book overwhelmingly and convincingly marshalls massive evidence to debunk the myths surrounding Pearl Harbor yet receives almost no recognition so far from the history professions. By enlisting FDR's speeches, the Congressional Record, a large number of important newspapers as well as various polls, etc. he proves that between 60 to 70 percent of all Americans believed that Hitler and the Germans were behind the attack on Pearl Harbor, that the Nazis planned it, financed it and partially carried it out. This myth, if not giant lie, foisted upon America was believed by most until May 8, l945 when captured German documents proved no connection whatsoever. So, what to do now. Well, historians then reformulated America's war declaration against Germany to be the result of Hitler's Dec. ll war declaration against the U.S. This diplomatic historian, for the first time, read Hitler's presumed war declaration, found it surprisingly informative and more of a defensive declaration against the undeclared war FDR initiated against Hitler and against the assault FDR planned against Europe according to Plan Rainbow Five which envisioned a l0 million member armed forces for America by '43 of which 5 million would invade Europe to get Hitler. This secret plan was leaked on Dec. 4, '41 to the Chicago Tribune and Hitler made reference to it in his presumed war declaration on Dec. ll. After America's war declaration against Germany, the German Foreign Office clarified the fact that H's speech was not a war declaration at all. It was merely a clarification of facts, but it was to no avail. FDR was able, a according to Hill, to transform a pre-Dec.7 limited naval war against Germany into a TOTAL WAR.
Hill's book was favorably reviewed in the American Historial Associaten Review, yet it still has not received much recognition in spite of its objective and apolitical approach to assess and evaluate correctly a crucial event of the 20th century.
Historians interested in analyzing the causes and background of major wars might want to compare the fact that 60 to 70 percent of all Americans believed Hitler to be behind the attack on Pearl Harbor with the fact that about the same percentage recently believed Saddam Hussein was connected with 9-ll--a myth that is being dismantled more rapidly than the post-Pearl Harbor myth.