http://www.onwar.com/chrono/1940/jul40/f09jul40.htm
British damage Italian battleship
Tuesday, July 9, 1940 www.onwar.com
In the Mediterranean... The Royal Navy’s Force H (with 3 battleships and 1 carrier), under the command of Admiral Somerville, is attacked by high-altitude bombers without loss. Admiral Cunningham’s Mediterranean Fleet and an Italian squadron under the command of Admiral Campioni (with 2 battleships, 8 heavy cruisers and 12 light cruisers) are involved in a brief surface action in which the battleship Guilio Cesare is damaged by a hit from the Warspite after which the Italians break off.
In Vichy France... Marshal Petain is granted powers to make and alter the constitution by vote of the French parliament. He is opposed by only four votes, three in the Chamber and one in the Senate.
This news article tells us nothing about the meeting, but other sources say:
"Richardson protested this redeployment to President Franklin D. Roosevelt and to other politicians in Washington, arguing that the burden of defending a perimeter so far removed was not possible, despite Japan's attack on China and whatever promises had been made to the British to come to their aid if attacked."On October 26, 1940, a White House leak to the Washington-based Kiplinger Newsletter predicted that Richardson would be removed as Commander in Chief.
"He was replaced by Admiral Husband E. Kimmel in February 1941.
"Richardson is consequently a main focus of historical fact seekers, who claim pre-war intelligence that heavily suggested Pearl Harbor was going to be attacked by the Imperial Japanese Navy in early December was deliberately withheld from the military commanders at Pearl Harbor by the Roosevelt administration.[1]
"As of 2010, the CIA refuses to release many of the JN-25 codes deciphered before December 7, 1941."
Richardson argued the US fleet should not be stationed so far forward at Pearl Harbor, but if it were stationed there, then the fleet must be in a constant state of alert for surprise Japanese attack.
Roosevelt wanted the fleet kept in Pearl Harbor, on a decidedly non-alerted status.
The two could not agree and Richardson was fired.