On December 12, 1941 Hitler was about to address Nazi party leaders in Berlin. The day before, he had declared war on the United States in the German Reichstag. The terrible consequences of this decision would be felt not only by combatants and the civilian population the world over, but especially by European Jews. The Nazi dictator was convinced that the U.S. president, international “plutocratic” capitalism and “world Jewry” were together bent on his destruction. For three years, Hitler had explicitly held European Jewry hostage to secure the good behavior of the Americans. Now he would make good on his...