America Takes Truman's Advice in 1941

Anaxagoras

Banned
(I know this is *slightly* ASB, but as it does not involve the intervention of aliens or magic spirits, I figured I'd post it here.)

The day after Germany invaded the Soviet Union in 1941, then-Senator Truman said, "If we see that Germany is winning we ought to help Russia, and if we see that Russia is winning we ought to help Germany, and that way let them kill as many as possible." The obvious idea was that since both fascism and communism were dangerous enemies of the United States, the best interest of the United States would have been to let them destroy each other.

Suspend disbelief for a moment and speculate as to what form such a policy might have taken and how it might have unfolded.
 
In OTL, didn't Americans find out about the Final Solution after the war? So that's not really a crimp in the proposal.

The real problem is that its too cynical and too realpolitik for the mass mobilization of modern war. At most you'd get a situation where the US was very wary about the supplies and support and trust it gave to the Soviets, but no way they'd actually switch back and forth from supplying the Soviets to supplying the Nazis.
 
In 1941 and well into 1942 Germany appeared to be winning, US policy would be as in OTL.

In December 1941 Germany declared war on the US

By the fall of 1942 the West did know about the Final Solution. It was reported in that year by Ed Murrow. (Of course there were not the newsreels of the camps at that time but the fact was known and reported.)
 
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