Marching Orders: The Untold Story of How the American Breaking of the Japanese Secret Codes Led to the Defeat of Nazi Germany and Japan

by Bruce Lee

German forces in Europe necessitating a rush forward to occupy Germany.6 From the outset it is obvious that Roosevelt is annoyed. One can almost feel the President’s seething as he tells the Chiefs that RANKIN makes certain suppositions without saying what they really are. Of course Russia will agree to breaking up Germany after the war, the President declares. Speaking practically, he says, there should be three, and possibly five, German states after the war. Yes, America might accept the southern part of Germany as proposed by RANKIN—Baden, Wurtenburg (sic), Bavaria and everything south of the Rhine. On the other hand, we could take everything north and west of that area, including Hamburg, Hannover and Berlin, as a second state. A third state, that is the northeastern part, would contain Prussia, Pomerania and on south. In Roosevelt’s view, these are the logical lines for splitting up Germany. There are certain factors that make this especially true. The first state is largely Roman Catholic. The second state is largely Protestant. The religion of the northern state might best be called Prussianism.