Who is to Blame? As a result of the US government wanting to remain focused on the war-effort and not wanting to get side tracked, the US chose not to prevent the Holocaust. In my opinion, The US government is to blame; clear evidence from pbs.org point to this conclusion. For example, the government is to blame for not preventing the Holocaust because the US State Department heard about the German plan to completely wipe out the Jews that inhabit Europe. The State Department decided the information was just a rumor and chose not to pass it on to the Jewish Leaders. 1 In the telegram the State Department received, the State Department was made aware that “14,000 Jews have already been deported from occupied France and 10,000 more are to be handed over from occupied France in the course of the next few days. Similarly from German sources 56,000 Jews have already been deported from the Protectorate together with unspecified numbers from Germany and other occupied countries.” And yet the State Department continued to believe that it was a mere rumor and chose to take no action. The government did not want to spread back to the citizens of the United States of the happenings to the Jews because they did not want people to pressure the government into taking action. In the telegram from the State Department to the American Legislation in Bern, 2 the State Department informed the Legislation that “In the future we would suggest that you do not accept reports submitted to you to be transmitted to private persons in the United States unless such action is advisable because of extraordinary circumstances. Such private messages circumvent neutral countries’ censorship and it is felt that by sending them we risk the possibility that steps would necessarily be taken by the neutral countries to curtail or forbid our means of communication for confidential official matter.” This proves that the State Department were trying their very best to keep the actions of Germany a secret from the citizens so that the US would not look bad not taking a stand. Furthermore, FDR was aware of the horrible things happening to the Jews. It became known to others that he was aware when he took part in a meeting with Rabbi Wise. In a report written by Adolf Held, the president of the Jewish Labor Committee recounting FDR’s 29 minute meeting on December 8, 1942 3 “At this meeting, the only one FDR had with Jewish Leaders, the following was said: 4 “The President replied: “The government of the United States is very well acquainted with most of the facts you are now bringing to our attention. Unfortunately we have received confirmation from many sources. Representatives of the United States government in Switzerland and other neutral countries have given up proof that confirms the horrors discussed with you.” The government was well aware of the situation at hand they just decided that they were not going to fight for these victims. A group of rabbis tried to set up a meeting with FDR to have him review a petition. The