Summary and Reviews of The Nazi Conspiracy by Brad Meltzer

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TWO YEARS EARLIER …
The Pacific Ocean
December 7, 1941

The ships have been traveling—secretly—for ten days.

Now, on this quiet Sunday morning, as the first light of dawn winks from the Pacific Ocean, the fleet prepares to change course.

There's no land in sight. Measured against the vast scale of the Pacific, this collection of warships is a tiny blip. But on a human scale, the fleet is enormous: six massive aircraft carriers, two battleships, nine destroyers, three cruisers, eight fuel tankers, and several small support ships. Below the waves are twenty-three accompanying submarines. On each carrier, the flight decks are lined with dozens of planes. In total, tens of thousands of crewmembers are aboard and mobilized.

For most of their ten-day journey, these ships have traveled eastward. Astonishingly, their movement across more than 3,500 miles of water—from a secluded bay on East Asian shores to here in the Central Pacific—has remained undetected by radar ...

Please be aware that this discussion guide will contain spoilers!

1. What characteristics do you feel a leader should demonstrate during a time of war? Do you think Roosevelt, Churchill and Stalin displayed those characteristics? Which traits did each possess that hindered their ability to be an effective leader, in your opinion?
2. Do you see similarities between the present political or cultural climate in the United States and those of the years leading up to World War II in Germany? If so, what are they? Can we keep history from repeating itself, and if so, how?
3. The United States and Russia were at one point very close allies, yet a few years later the countries were embroiled in the Cold War. What do you think led to this shift?
4. Toward the end of the book, the author explores the possibility ...

Please be aware that this discussion may contain spoilers!

Here are some of the comments posted about The Nazi Conspiracy in our legacy forum.
You can see the full discussion here.


Can we keep history from repeating itself, and if so, how?
According to historians Will and Ariel Durant, history only repeats itself in outline and in the large. This occurs because "human nature changes with geological leisureliness, and people are equipped to respond in stereotyped ways to ... - emilyc

Churchill used the words "storm and ruin" to describe the state of the world at the start of 1943. What word or two would you choose for this time period? What about today?
I would use the words division and tribal righteousness. It is unnerving that Congress doesn't want to find solutions but wishes to "dig in" to obstruct Biden's agenda. Nothing is being done to HELP people who have great needs. ... - helenp

Did your opinion of any of the three leaders change as a result of reading this book?
Yes and no. My father, a lifelong Democrat, who served in WWII in North Africa, Sicily, Italy, and Austria had tremendous regard for Roosevelt, not only because of his leadership during the war, but also because of what he did to preserve our ... - BuffaloGirl

Do you believe the conspiracy was real? Why or why not?
Paulagb: spoilers are fine in all threads except the “What did you think” one. And I’m curious! Please post more! 😊 - kimk

Do you think the level of secrecy required to pull off an attack as large as Pearl Harbor would be possible today?
This type of attack would be very difficult today with all the imaging we have and all the spying that is done, even on friends, as we just saw from the leaks in the past few weeks. - tamih