Morris became the American '' Chargé d'affaires '' in Germany in October 1940 . Prior to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7 , 1941 , the United States was officially neutral and retained a diplomatic corps in Berlin . This included diplomat George Kennan . Morris , serving as '' Chargé d'Affaires '' , was the highest ranking American diplomat in Germany at the time ( the last United States Ambassador , Hugh R. Wilson , was recalled in 1938 in protest of Kristallnacht ) . After the Pearl Harbor attack , on December 11 , German Foreign Minister Joachim von Ribbentrop summoned Morris to his office and read to Morris Germany 's formal declaration of war and addressed him by accusing the United States of violations of neutrality and other acts of war . Upon handing Morris the declaration , Ribbentrop said , " Your President has wanted this war , now he has it . " Official diplomatic relations between the United States and Germany thus ended
Kristallnacht
Kristallnacht
Leland B. Morris