An event is not the cause of a war until the other side wants it to be. The US Navy, while running convoy protection in WWII was under orders to destroy U-boats if the opportunity afforded itself. They dropped depth charges and they took torpedoes. One American ship was sunk. This is why Hitler declared war after Pearl Harbor. He figured we were already at war, and he could strike first and do enough damage to knock Britain out of the war.
The Japanese bombed the USS Panay in China. They apologized but there was no doubt it was on purpose. The US is not beyond provoking or even faking an attack as a cause of war, the Tonkin Gulf incident comes to mind. But no war will be declared until the other side decides it is to its advantage to do so.
I’d say we are playing a dangerous game and the guy leading us is not up to playing it without tipping his hand.
Actually the German military advised against it, but Hitler decided he had to show that the alliance with Japan meant something.
Ford trucks were produced in German plants from 1939-41 and were preferred by the Wehrmacht for their reliability, even over German companies' production.