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To: SuperLuminal
""In closing, America also bears some of the blame in its clumsy handling of Japan in the forty years prior to the Pearl Harbor attack, and because it began rebuilding its military and navy far too late to thwart Japan's imperialist ambitions."

To a degree there is some truth in this. FDR cut the oil to Japan, along with other material embargos, threatening their economy. He had also shut the Panama Canal to Japanese shipping. The impact of the scrap iron, oil and copper embargos were very impactful in driving Japan's future actions.

He knew war was coming with Japan...and as I've stated previously, believe he wanted the US in the war.

Richardson asked the President if the United States was going to war. Roosevelt's view was: At least as early as October 8, 1940, ...affairs had reached such a state that the United States would become involved in a war with Japan. ... 'that if the Japanese attacked Thailand, or the Kra Peninsula, or the Dutch East Indies we would not enter the war, that if they even attacked the Philippines he doubted whether we would enter the war, but that they (the Japanese) could not always avoid making mistakes and that as the war continued and that area of operations expanded sooner or later they would make a mistake and we would enter the war.' ... .[6][7]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Events_leading_to_the_attack_on_Pearl_Harbor

The breaking of their diplomatic code should have been the key we were looking for.

I think a lot of historians are bending over backwards to protect FDR's legacy.

70 posted on 12/09/2020 8:01:57 AM PST by ealgeone
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To: ealgeone; SuperLuminal
eagleone: "The breaking of their diplomatic code should have been the key we were looking for."

Once again: Japan's diplomatic codes were broken years before 1941.
Japan's naval codes were not broken in time for Pear Harbor, but were partially broken in time for the Battle of Midway.
Breaking Japan's naval codes made a world of difference at Midway.

Nothing in Japan's diplomatic codes told Washington the time, place or nature of the coming Pear Harbor attack.

eagleone: " He [FDR] knew war was coming with Japan...and as I've stated previously, believe he wanted the US in the war. "

FRiend, we do not disagree on that particular point!
But you also claim FDR wanted war solely for economic reasons, and the facts show otherwise.
You also seem to suggest FDR knew specifically the attack on Pearl Harbor was coming, and again, the facts do not support such claims.

In the final weeks of November 1941, Washington sent out official "War Warnings" to ALL Pacific area commanders, telling them to expect and be prepared for a Japanese attack.
But when actual attacks came, none were prepared to defeat them.

I don't blame FDR for that.

85 posted on 12/11/2020 8:44:31 AM PST by BroJoeK ((a little historical perspective...) )
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