The Reichstag speech of December 11, 1941: Hitler's declaration of war against the United States

It has often been said that Hitler's greatest mistakes were his
decisions to go to war against the Soviet Union and the United States. Whatever
the truth may be, it's worth noting his own detailed justifications for these
grave decisions. On Thursday afternoon, 11 December 1941, four days after the
Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hitler spoke to the Reichstag in Berlin. The
88-minute address, which he had written himself, was broadcast to the nation. In
it the German leader recounted the reasons for the outbreak of war in September
1939, explained why he decided to strike against the Soviet Union in June 1941,
reviewed the dramatic course of the war thus far, and dealt at length with
President Franklin Roosevelt's hostile policies toward Germany. Hitler detailed
the increasingly belligerent actions of Roosevelt's government and then
dramatically announced that Germany was now joining Japan in war against the
United States. The day after it was delivered, a very inaccurate and misleading
translation of portions of the address appeared in the New York Times. But
although it should be of particular interest to Americans, a complete text of
this important historical document has apparently never before been made
available to the English-speaking world.
This translation is my own, as are
the brief clarifications given in brackets.
Following the speech, I have
included Germany's formal note to the U.S. government declaring war and a short
list of items for suggested further reading.

-- Mark Weber

Deputies! Men of the German Reichstag!

A year of world-historical events is coming to an end. A year of great decisions is approaching. In this grave period I speak to you, deputies of the Reichstag, as the representatives of the German nation. In addition, the entire German nation should also review what has happened and take note of the decisions required by the present and the future.

After the repeated rejection of my peace proposal in 1940 by the British Prime Minister [Churchill] and the clique that supports and controls him, it was clear by the fall of that year that this war would have to be fought through to the end, contrary to all logic and necessity. You, my old Party comrades, know that I have always detested half-hearted or weak decisions. If Providence has deemed that the German people are not to be spared this struggle, then I am thankful that She has entrusted me with the leadership in a historic conflict that will be decisive in determining the next five hundred or one thousand years, not only of our German history, but also of the history of Europe and even of the entire world.

The German people and its soldiers work and fight today not only for themselves and their own age, but also for many generations to come. A historical task of unique dimensions has been entrusted to us by the Creator which we are now obliged to carry out. More