American diplomats caught in Germany, Austria, Italy and other occupied lands at the time of FDR's declaration of war were subject to five months of incarceration before they were repatriated. The attached article tells of the hardships and hunger experienced by the citizens of those nations as the war entered its third year. Also seen was the tremendous distrust that was developing between the Italians and the Germans.
"In the occupied countries, starvation and killings have reached such a peak that a Swedish newspaper said: 'The Hitlerite New Order has created a Hell on Earth for European people. Hatred for the invader grows with every day.' And this was the picture American diplomats brought home after five months under Gestapo guns."
Click here to read about food shortages in pre-war Germany...
