/jp/ - Otaku Culture

>>11247702

>It is not believed that in the present state of political opinion the United States government is capable of declaring war against Japan without more ado; and it is barely possible that vigorous action on our part might lead the Japanese to modify their attitude. Therefore, the following course of action is suggested:

>A. Make an arrangement with Britain for the use of British bases in the Pacific, particularly Singapore.
>B. Make an arrangement with Holland for the use of base facilities and acquisition of supplies in the Dutch East Indies.
>C. Give all possible aid to the Chinese government of Chiang-Kai-Shek.
>D. Send a division of long range heavy cruisers to the Orient, Philippines, or Singapore.
>E. Send two divisions of submarines to the Orient.
>F. Keep the main strength of the U.S. fleet now in the Pacific in the vicinity of the Hawaiian Islands.
>G. Insist that the Dutch refuse to grant Japanese demands for undue economic concessions, particularly oil.
>H. Completely embargo all U.S. trade with Japan, in collaboration with a similar embargo imposed by the British Empire.

>If by these means Japan could be led to commit an overt act of war, so much the better. At all events we must be fully prepared to accept the threat of war.

>- H. McCollum

America instigated the war. FDR wanted to get into the fight from the start, but he was having trouble with cooking up enough propaganda to convince the American public to go along with it. The U.S intentionally baited Japan into an attack and allowed Pearl Harbor to get hit so that they could use it to convince the American people to support their entry into the war.