What percentage of Americans thought we should not go to war with Germany?

Question

Shortly before Pearl Harbor raid.

Answer 1

What??? You know it was the Japanese who attacked Pearl Harobor, right? Not the Germans.

Answer 2

I do not remember reading about how many thought of going to war with Germany but as I recall there was a rather large presence of the American Nazi party at the beginning of the war.

The republican party and affiliates were definitely against the war.
There was profit to be made selling to and buying from Germany.

I am not sure which companies (Bayer was one of many) or how many but I know there were more than one or two major companies that had either outlets or factories in Germany at the beginning of the war.

We did not declare war on Germany first. Germany had an agreement with Japan as an Axis power and when the USA declared war on Japan Germany declared war on the USA.

There was a rather large segment of the immigrant population that was from Germany or Italy. As I recall reading there were several that were arrested as spy's. Note the German & Itallian immigrants were not rounded up and placed in internmant camps like those of Japanees decent.

There was a isolationist section of the population (it might have been rather large also) that wanted nothing to do with the war in Europe.

I would likely guess that before the bombing of Pearl Harbor less than 50% of the population 'wanted' to go to war with Germany and there weresome who even after JApan declared war on the USA did not want to go to war with Germany.

Keep in mind that many of these people had lived through the last war in Europe and with the weapons trade creating jobs the economy in the USA was starting to look better and war would mean a likely draft (conscription) and who really wants to risk their life for someone they don't know in another country on the other side of the planet.

Answer 3

The government and the military knew that it was a forgone conclusion that we would be drawn into the war in Europe long before Perl Harbor. The American public however was against going to war with Germany at about 7 to 3.
It was not until Japan joined the Axis that war with Germany became a certainty.

Answer 4

Americans were beginning to get the picture because we were supporting the Allies long before declaring war, and our cargo ships were being torpedoed. German U-boats operated freely right off our coast, from within sight of New York City clear south to the Venezuelan oil refineries. Still FDR avoided declaring war on Germany, mostly because he and many others thought that Russia was an even greater threat.

Nearly coincident with Pearl Harbor was the covert presentation, by British Intelligence to Roosevelt, of an encoded German diplomatic service message, intercepted by a British cable station at Lands End. This was being sent to Mexico on the AMERICAN-OWNED undersea cable, and it asked the Mexican government to declare war on the U.S. and invade the previously Mexican- held territories of New Mexico, Arizona, California, etc. clear north to Colorado.

Did you know? -- Some of the Japanese bombs that penetrated the decks of American ships were made from German artillery shells. This fact was established by the diameter (caliber) of the bombs. They had been sent to Japan by submarine.

Answer 5

If I recall it was about 70%. More people thought we wouldn't go to war with Japan! Also less than a year into the war many people didn't want to sacrifise gas and food for the troops I believe a poll showed that about half thought the war would end in a year in late 1942!

Answer 6

95% according to History Channel

Answer 7

13%

Answer 8

most people

Answer 9

95 %, they were then convinced to think otherwise. sound familiar?