Germany Is Our Problem facts for kids
Germany is Our Problem is a book written in 1945 by Henry Morgenthau Jr.. He was a very important government official, the U.S. Secretary of the Treasury, during Franklin D. Roosevelt's time as president. In this book, Morgenthau explained and promoted a special idea. This idea, called the Morgenthau Plan, was about how to manage Germany after World War II.
What Was the Plan?
In 1944, Henry Morgenthau Jr. worked with another official, Harry White. They created the Morgenthau Plan. The main goal of this plan was to make sure Germany could never start another war. It suggested big changes for Germany. These changes included splitting up parts of Germany and stopping its main industries. The plan aimed to turn Germany into a country focused on farming.
Important leaders like Prime Minister Winston Churchill and President Roosevelt agreed to discuss this plan. They talked about it at a meeting called the Second Quebec Conference. However, news about the plan got out to the public. Because of this, President Roosevelt said the plan didn't exist. Even so, the ideas from the Morgenthau Plan still affected how the United States treated Germany after the war. It also influenced how all the Allied countries managed Germany.
Publishing the Book
The book Germany is Our Problem was released in October 1945. It was published by a company called Harper and Brothers. In the book, Morgenthau explained his plan in great detail. He also shared why he thought it was a good idea. President Roosevelt gave permission for the book to be published just one evening before he passed away. They were having dinner together at Warm Springs.
In November 1945, a military leader named General Dwight D. Eisenhower approved something special. He was in charge of the U.S. area of Germany after the war. He allowed 1,000 free copies of the book to be given to American military officials there. A historian named Stephen Ambrose studied this. He believes that General Eisenhower supported the Morgenthau Plan. He even thinks Eisenhower might have given Morgenthau some ideas on how to treat Germany.
