[warsaw44]

Actually, Germany was in no way obligated to declare war on any country Japan was at war with. Nor was Japan obligated to declare war on countries Germany was fighting. The treaty was more of a mutual assistance agreement.

Numerous German generals were baffled by Hitler's declaration of war on the US. One wrote that they figured his grandchildren’s generation would be the ones that took out the United States.

[KevinDavis]

Hitler was fooled into declaring war on us.. From what I heard Japan promised Hitler they would invade the Soviet Union..

[Pelham]

Thomas Fleming’s “The New Dealer’s War” argues that Hitler was goaded into declaring war by a major controversy that raged during the week before Pearl Harbor. An American invasion plan named ‘Rainbow Five’ had been leaked to the Chicago Tribune on December 4, 1941.

Rainbow Five detailed American plans for raising a 10 million man Army for the purpose of invading Europe and defeating Hitler. Congress erupted with the Republican isolationists denouncing FDR for betraying the American people with his secret war plans. FDR’s Democratic opponents in the Senate joined in the attack. But FDR remained silent, not affirming or denying the accuracy of Rainbow Five.

In England Rainbow Five headlined the newpapers. On December 5th the German Embassy cabled the entire Rainbow Five transcript to Berlin. Rainbow Five was in fact our plan for waging WWII. On December 11th Hitler took the bait.