They Asked Göring Why Germany Attacked America. He Was Astonished.

On July 25, 1945, a 30-year-old U.S. Army historian, Major Kenneth Hechler, sat across from Hermann Göring in the Ashcan prison camp in Bad Mondorf, Luxembourg, and asked him: why did Germany declare war on the United States? Göring answered: "I was astonished." In this video we check his story against the record: the North Atlantic incidents of autumn 1941 (USS Greer, USS Kearny, USS Reuben James), Pearl Harbor, Hitler's decision of December 11, 1941, and what Göring himself had to do with it. CHAPTERS 0:00 A question in a prison cell 0:52 Ashcan: the camp and the interviewer 1:34 What Göring said about America 3:54 The North Atlantic, autumn 1941 5:01 Pearl Harbor and the declaration of war 6:16 Göring explains that day 7:24 Three claims, tested 8:49 A man who blamed others 9:26 How America answered 10:00 Nuremberg, and what became of Hechler Sources: Interrogation of Hermann Göring by Maj. Kenneth Hechler, July 25, 1945 (U.S. Army historical division material, reprinted by HistoryNet) Ian Kershaw's biography of Hitler U.S. National Archives (NARA) archival footage and photographs Archival footage and photographs: U.S. National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) and other U.S. government collections, used here for historical and educational purposes. This video is an educational documentary about World War II. It examines the statements of historical figures critically and does not endorse Nazi ideology or its symbols. If someone in your family served in the Navy in the Atlantic during the war, tell us about it in the comments. Subscribe to World War 2 Desk for the next interrogation story. #WorldWar2 #Goering #WW2History #PearlHarbor #Hechler