The Morgenthau Plan 1944-1945 (2026 Edition)

In The Morgenthau Plan 1944–1945, bestselling historian David Irving uncovers one of the most controversial proposals of the Second World War — the American plan to destroy Germany’s ability to recover after defeat.

In the summer of 1944, U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry R. Morgenthau Jr., outraged by reports of Nazi atrocities, devised a radical scheme to dismantle Germany’s industry and reduce the nation to an agrarian state. Backed by Assistant Secretary Harry Dexter White, Morgenthau pushed his plan before President Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, and General Eisenhower. The proposal, had it been fully implemented, would have caused the starvation and death of millions of civilians.

Drawing on newly declassified archives, memoranda, and personal diaries, Irving traces the secret meetings in Washington, London, and Quebec, revealing how elements of the plan survived within Allied postwar policy — including the dismantling of heavy industry and forced “re-education” programs under Directive 1067.

Part investigative history, part moral reckoning, this volume lays bare how vengeance, politics, and fear shaped the early Cold War order. Essential reading for scholars, students, and readers interested in World War II, postwar reconstruction, and the moral dilemmas of victory.

Includes rare facsimile documents and Irving’s detailed commentary.