Still Göring whiled away the hours in France, visiting
Emmy’s Paris couturier, raiding Cartier (with General Hanesse’s
adjutant clutching the necessary funds), and taking Ilse to see
her son Peter’s fresh grave. His only official duties were a visit
with Galland to Fighter Wing, where he was shown the new
Focke-Wulf fighter plane. On the sixth he turned up with
Loerzer among the Jewish bazaars of Amsterdam the Jews
were noticeably fewer and noted “visits to art dealers and
shopping” in his diary before boarding Asia for the overnight
trip back to Berlin. Just after noon the next day he telephoned
Hitler from a wayside halt in the Rhineland.
It was probably only now that he learned that the Japanese
had attacked Pearl Harbor. At the Reichstag session on Decem-
ber , Hitler declared war on the United States. Once again he
had not consulted Göring. Three years later, addressing the air
staff in November , Göring would imply that he had always
taken the risk of war with America seriously.
The Americans had years to observe the war and to
recognize that victory depends first and foremost on
having a powerful air force. It was clear to me and
to you gentlemen as well that here was a country
with consummate technical skills, with immense mate-
rial wealth and manpower at their fingertips, and able
to work unmolested day and night without having to
unscrew a single lightbulb.... The moment that this
power factor America came in I recognized that it was
now a matter of “all hands on deck” for us.At San Remo in March he had gone so far as to assure
Beppo Schmid, “The only thing they are good at is making
automobiles but not planes!” Even in January he would
emptily assure Mussolini, “America is all talk and no action.” But