During WWII millions of people died, it is known to be mankind’s greatest catastrophe. Hitler was responsible for this, but did he do it all on his own? Ever since WWI Germany was handed the duty to pay 33 billion dollars in reparations to the war. This caused Germany to fall into the hands of Hitler. Then the rise of communism came, and the rich in the United States, such as Rockefeller, and Henry Ford feared the idea of communism because it would mean that their money would be in jeopardy. So, in order to prevent the rise of communism they decided to help the Germans so they could defeat the Soviets.   

 According to libcom.org Rockefeller who controlled Chase National Bank at the time made it easy for him to do business with Nazi soldiers who were highly ranked. According to Historynewsnetwork.org Rockefeller also helped with the making of German eugenics program. According to the Washingtonpost.com Companies like General Motors and Ford also kept on doing business with the Nazis even after the war ended and their excuse for doing business with the Nazis was protecting their investments or in other words, money. According to thenation.com, there was an army report in 1945 prepared by Henry Schneider Ford began producing vehicles of military nature for the Third Reich even before the war began. Although Ford and Rockefeller were doing business with the Nazis somebody who might have had a greater impact was George W Bush’s grandfather, Prescott Bush. According to theguardian.com, his business assets were seized in 1942 under the Trading with the Enemy Act, it also led to civil action for damages being brought in Germany against the Bush family by two former slave laborers at Auschwitz. Prescott Bush also worked for and profited off the companies that financed Hitler’s rise to power. According to USAToday.com in 1945 the Joint Intelligence Objectives Agency was tasked with retrieving German scientists who were identified as vital to the Third Reich in an operation called Operation Paperclip, and they were assigned to making biological, chemical, and atomic weapons. In a survey of 50 people, 30% thought the US played a part in Hitler’s rise to power. 

 The Treaty of Versailles after WW1 required Germany to pay 132 billion gold marks, $400 billion in today’s money. 

 “Yes, to a small extent in that we didn’t work harder to make the Treaty of Versailles, which ended World War I, less punishing on Germany. The unfair terms of the treaty, and Hitler’s desire to seek revenge for those terms, helped garner him support throughout Germany,” said history teacher Brian White. 

 Germany had around 6,549 armored vehicles during WW2.  

 “The fact that Henry Ford willingly built vehicles for the Nazis disgusts me, and all of that for some money,” said Evergreen Park Community Highschool Senior Diana Bucio. 

 1.1 million people (about the population of Montana) died in Auschwitz with one million of them being Jews. 

 “The Bush family has always been sus(picious)and I don’t like them,” said Edgar Morales.