Geez, Amos....go easy on me, willya? Since our last go-round of promised duels, selecting seconds, and listing each other's numerous egregious character faults, I was under the impression that we had negotiated a nonagression pact that would hold for, well, at least 6 months, hopefully. ;-) I am disappointed sir, deeply disappointed, and not a little bit hurt as well. You will realize how much so in about five minutes from now when my aerial squadrons sink most of your pathetic fleet at their moorings. Banzai!!! Yes, and then you will say to yourself, "I should have been kinder to Little Hawk when I had the chance."

Now, let me pontificate a little bit more about world history. Ahem!

The way I see it, Hitler did have a treaty of (economic) alliance with Japan, yes...but that alliance in no way compelled the Germans to declare war on the USA after FDR's declaration of war on Japan. Hell no! Had the Japanese declared war on France and England in 1939 after their declarations of war on Germany? No. Had the Japanese joined the Germans in an attack on Russia in 1941? No. The Japanese proved capable of easily resisting the foolish temptation to honor their "Pact of Steel" with Italy and Germany, and had entirely stayed out of WWII until December '41 when they launched what was, in fact, a new and separate war. They entered into conflict with the USA, the UK, and Holland in December '41...NOT to support their economic alliance with Germany and Italy, but on account of their own vital strategic interests in the Pacific which had been cut off by FDR's trade embargo earlier in 1941.

Why on Earth should the Germans have declared war on the USA over Japan's problems in 1941 when Japan had declared war on no one whatsoever over Germany's problems in 1939, 1940 and 1941?????

It was an act of madness for Hitler to declare war on the USA when he did, and it astonished many, if not most of his own military staff that he did so. He did so out of sheer emotion, and he was not obliged to do so at all. He should not have, from the German point of view. He should have waited and delayed the outbreak of a war with the USA as long as possible.

FDR would have found it rather difficult to convince Congress and the American public to engage in a war against Germany if Germany had not given the USA any direct cause to. What would have been his justification for doing so when the USA had not been attacked by Germany?

My guess is that it would have taken FDR several months, maybe 6 months or more to maneuver his public and his Congress into declaring war on Germany and Italy if the Germans and Italians had stood aside. This would have been much to the advantage of the Axis.

In retrospect, it is simply incredible that Hitler would have immediately declared war on the USA in 1941 when the Japanese had never done such a thing on Germany's behalf all through the earlier phase of WWII. It indicates Hitler's lack of rationality about as clearly as anything else he ever did, in my opinion.

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Now, wasn't that a marvelous bit of pontification, Amos? Ah yes...I delight in delivering these lofty sermons, shedding light on the dark confusion of history, clearing away the cobwebs of fossilized tradition, and bringing the blazing light of truth to the masses. ;-) If I were paid in a manner fully befitting my contributions, sir, I expect I could buy that wretched metropolis you live in outright and turn it into a theme park for dachshunds or a shrine to Winona Ryder. Ummm-hmmm. Yessiree. It would be a major improvement.