President Roosevelt announced the US is at war with the Axis Powers

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Germany and Italy have announced they are at war with the United States. America immediately responded by declaring war on the two Axis powers.

Three days ago, US President Franklin Roosevelt announced America was at war with Japan, the third Axis power, following the surprise attack on its naval base at Pearl Harbor.

Today Italian dictator, Benito Mussolini, made his declaration first - from the balcony over the Piazza Venezia in Rome - pledging the "powers of the pact of steel" were determined to win.

Then Adolf Hitler made his announcement at the Reichstag in Berlin saying he had tried to avoid direct conflict with the US but, under the Tripartite Agreement signed on 27 September 1940, Germany was obliged to join with Italy to defend its ally Japan.

"After victory has been achieved," he said. "Germany, Italy and Japan will continue in closest co-operation with a view to establishing a new and just order."

He accused President Roosevelt of waging a campaign against Germany since 1937, blamed him for the outbreak of war in 1939 and said he was planning to invade Germany in 1943.

Over in Washington, President Roosevelt told Congress the free world must act quickly and decisively against the enemy.

"The forces endeavouring to enslave the entire world now are moving towards this hemisphere.

"Delay invites danger. Rapid and united efforts by all peoples of the world who are determined to remain free will ensure world victory for the forces of justice and righteousness over the forces of savagery and barbarism."

Resolutions against Germany and Italy were passed without debate. The only person who did not vote for war was pacifist Congresswoman Jeannette Rankin who had also voted against war with Japan.

In the Senate the vote was unanimous.

Both Democrats and Republicans have agreed to "adjourn politics" for the duration of the war and focus on national defence.

They have passed a new law which allows US servicemen to fight anywhere in the world.

Following the shock of Pearl Harbor, American citizens are flocking to volunteer for the US Navy and Marine Corps which do not take conscripts.

The US Army has already grown tenfold since the draft was introduced last year.  

British vessels are undamaged

The violent clash left the Icelandic coastguard ship, Thor, badly damaged but the three British vessels involved appear to be unaffected.

The Thor is said to have tried to arrest the British Star Aquarius and her sister vessel the Star Polaris as they sheltered from a force nine gale within Iceland's 12 mile territorial waters.

They were taking water and supplies from the Lloydsman, an ocean going tug, and the practice is normal for a vessel in distress.

The Royal Navy said Thor moved alongside the British vessels and signalled the Star Aquarius, an oil rig supply vessel of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, should stop or she would shoot.

Reports are confused about which vessel then struck the other but as the Thor broke away the Lloydsman surged forward to protect the Star Aquarius.

Captain Albert MacKenzie of the Star Aquarius said the Thor approached from the stern and hit the support vessel, before it veered off and fired a shot from a range of about 100 yards.

But Niels Sigurdsson, the Icelandic Ambassador in London, said the Thor had been firing in self-defence after it had been rammed by British vessels.

The incident comes at a diplomatically sensitive time as foreign secretaries from both countries are attending a two-day Nato conference in Brussels.

Foreign Secretary James Callaghan has criticised the incident and Einar Agustsson, the Icelandic Foreign Minister, said it was a very grave matter.

Both men are due to meet and discuss the cod war which has been plunged into disarray following today's incident.

Iceland has said its decision to allow British fishermen an annual 65,000 ton catch in its territorial waters is non-negotiable.

But Britain is demanding an annual catch of 110,000 and is hoping to broker an agreement somewhere between the two figures.

unprecedented: having no precedent or example（空前的）