Prelude: a decade of hostility, 1931-1941 -- The negotiations, initial phase: the pact in prominence -- The middle phase: the pact in limbo -- Final phase: the pact as a pretext -- Japan and Germany: the pact in the making -- The pact on the wane -- The pact and the outside world -- The American policy and public opinion -- An appraisal of the American policy -- Epilogue: the axis alliance and the Tokyo war crimes trials.