THe Holocaust Decesion: Declration of War on America


Figure 1.--

Hitler stunned the German people and military when 4 days after Pearl Harbor by declaring war on the United States (Secember 11, 1941). Most older Germans remembered that it was the American entry into World War I that had turned the tide on the Western Front. Hitler himself viewed America as an ememy that would have to be dealt with. His concept when theWar began was that his mission was to secure German supremecy in Europe. It would be for another generation of Germans to deal with America. Roosevelt's undeclared naval waer in the North Atlantic and his desire to support his Japanese ally appears to have changed his mind. This was the stragest of his War inintiatives. His general approach was to surprise a country by invading. But America was beyond his reach and he could only declare war and not attacj except for unleasing his U-boats. The failure to seize Moscow may have been another factor. His decesion seems to have had a major impact on his thinking toward the Jews. He seems to have convinced himself that the continuing hostility of President Roosevelt was due to the entirely eroneous concept that Jews dominated the American economy and controlled President Roosevelt. (While this may seem absurd to modern readers, HBC received eMails from the Muslim world which continue to repeat this belief.) Based on this belief, Hitler apparently saw some value in the Jews as hostages against American intervention. Now with America in the War, the Jews lost all value in his mind. This is of course conjecture. But there is strong reasons for believing this. The day after declaring War on America, Hitler assembled NAZI Party leaders in the Reich Chancellery (December 12). There is no recording of his comments or transcript. Propaganda Minister Goebbels took notes and we thus have a record. With regard to the Jewish Question, the Führer is determined to make a clean sweep."

Declaration of War (December 11)

Hitler stunned the German people and military when 4 days after Pearl Harbor by declaring war on the United States (December 11, 1941). Most older Germans remembered that it was the American entry into World War I that had turned the tide on the Western Front. Hitler himself viewed America as an ememy that would have to be dealt with. His concept when theWar began was that his mission was to secure German supremecy in Europe. It would be for another generation of Germans to deal with America. Roosevelt's undeclared naval waer in the North Atlantic and his desire to support his Japanese ally appears to have changed his mind. This was the stragest of his War inintiatives. His general approach was to surprise a country by invading. But America was beyond his reach and he could only declare war and not attacj except for unleasing his U-boats. The failure to seize Moscow may have been another factor.

Impact on the Jews

Hitler's decesion seems to have had a major impact on his thinking toward the Jews. He seems to have convinced himself that the continuing hostility of President Roosevelt was due to the entirely eroneous concept that Jews dominated the American economy and controlled President Roosevelt. (While this may seem absurd to modern readers, HBC received eMails from the Muslim world which continue to repeat this belief.) Based on this belief, Hitler apparently saw some value in the Jews as hostages against American intervention. Now with America in the War, the Jews lost all value in his mind. This is of course conjecture. But there is strong reasons for believing this.

Meeting with NAZI Pary Leaders (December 12)

The day after declaring War on America, Hitler assembled NAZI Party leaders in the Reich Chancellery (December 12). It was here in the private room that he announced that European Jews were to be killed. The killkng in fact had already begun, primarily un the Soviet Union. This was not the decesion to kill. It was the announcement to the leading NAZI officials that the official state policy was to kill. As the meeting was held in the private room, there is nonofficial records. Participants have left reports on what was said. Propaganda Minister Goebbels took notes and we thus have a record. Goebells wrote, "With regard to the Jewish Question, the Führer is determined to make a clean sweep. He prophesided that if they brought about another war , they would experience their annihilation. This was no empty talk. The world war is here. The annihilation of the Jews must be the necessary consequence. This question is to be viewed without sentimentality. We're not to have sympathy with the Jews, but only sympathy with our German people. If the German has again now scarrificed around 160,000 dead in the eastern campaign, the instigators of this bloody conflictwill have to pay for it with their own lives." [Fröhlich, pp. 498-99.] And some horific follow up meetings were held. Two days later, Himmler met the man who in Chancellery officisls responsible for the T-4 killings of the mentally ill (December 14). This was overseen by Victor Brack. This was not conducted by the SS. The mentally ill and handicapped were killed in gas chambers. This had become knon as the 'Brack remedy'. Himmler noted the speaking points as 'course in east ministry, euthanasia'. Brack's surpervisor, Reichsleiter Phillip Bouhler, met with Hitler twice. The issue in these meetings were the transfer of the "well practiced personnel" that had run the T-4 gas chambers to the death camps that to be built and built in occupied Poland for murdering Jews. Bouhler described it as the transfer of his people 'to a definitive solution of the Jewish question'.

Hitler's Thinking

It is difficult to understand Hitler's thinking here. We believe this represent two important threads. First was the hatred of Jews as a primary factor in his war goals. Decond it was a way of shifting responsibility for the War from hilself to the Jews which the audience was more than willing to accept. Hitler had conceived the invasion of the Soviet Union as a short military campaign. News from the front now made it clear that the "Eastern campaign" would be neither short or of limited cost. Hitler was was more than willinging to accept responsibility for the German victories, sought to disassociate himself from the War in general and the Eastern campaign in particular.

Sources

Fröhlich, Eike. ed. Die Tagebücher von Joseph Goebbels part 2, Vol. II (Munich: 1996).






HBC







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Created: 12:52 AM 3/12/2009
Last updated: 6:57 AM 1/1/2012