had war broken out in 1938...

I am sure somebody in the American State Department had read Hitler's book

America could have made a fortune...

All documented facts eh, Teribus? Well, how about this.

War broke out in 1938.

The UK sends all its top scientists and leaders to a safe haven.

Europe, including the UK are overrun.

In 1940 the top scientists come up with a weapon so devastating that it can destroy the world

The top leaders negotiate with all the world powers, including the third Reich and convince them that unless the war ends the device will be used.

The war stops after 2 years instead of going on for the 6 it did.

Millions of lives are saved.

World peace is restored and lasts to this day.

You see, Teribus, your problem is that you are looking only at one tiny fraction of the picture. It is not your fault. As I have said for years you simply have no imagination. Have you any idea how many possible permutations there are in a game of chess? No, no one has ever really calculated it but the best estimate is around 10,000,000. Any single change in the the way a player has moved results in a different game. World war is far more complicated and the results are not always one side winds and one side looses.

Just above you say yourself, "Why would America HAVE TO become a superpower?" Well, your are now showing signs of thinking outside your fixed parameters. Keep it up and you may be surprised at the results.

DtG