rather than currencies or interests, ignoring America's omnipresent financial presence and role in a number of Europe's problems that were undeniably made worse by irresponsible spending on every level.

In fact, it was American firms and banks that shovelled many of the loans into European countries that they are struggling to pay back. It was they who encouraged Europe's banks to take on much of the very debt that they are now complaining about.

American companies also encouraged Europe's financial institutions to invest in fraudulent subprime loans and derivatives that cost them billions.

That's why some on the Continent were blaming the US for exporting a type of "financial AIDS", or likening the economic collapse to financial terrorism. Now that so many of these deals collapsed, plunging Europe into crisis, thebut also the powerful Federal Reserve Bank, which many Europeans think of as a government institution when it is actually run by privately-held US banks and operates in their interest. (It too operates secretly, but was just forced to reveal that it loaned a whopping $17.7tr in 2008 to save many banks, some of which were in Europe.)

The Post reveals:

"…top Federal Reserve officials, including Chairman Ben S Bernanke and New York Fed chief Bill Dudley, along with counterparts at the Bank of England, initiated talks over how to prevent Europe's debt problems from spiralling into a global banking crisis, the officials said. The discussions culminated in a Thanksgiving morning conference call among the world's leading central bankers during which they agreed to announce joint action to ensure that