[BroJoeK]

Vermont Lt: "I understand the attack on PH WAS a surprise, but was the general idea of war with Japan that out of the realm of belief?"

I've always assumed that the NY Times, then as now, was usually just a mouthpiece for the Democrat president, FDR.
So, we note the attitudes expressed by the two cartoons here referencing Japan -- by today's standards utterly politically incorrect, but expressing widely shared feelings of the time.

Note the Japanese are portrayed as inferior people, and in naval power, to the point of extreme mockery.
From the cartoonists perspective the Japanese would be easy to defeat, and ridiculous to challenge us.

Of course, you never can tell what they might do...

[dfwgator]

So, we note the attitudes expressed by the two cartoons here referencing Japan -- by today's standards utterly politically incorrect, but expressing widely shared feelings of the time.

If you thought those cartoons were politically incorrect, they had nothing on the Dr. Seuss cartoons that were being published in the leftist rag, PM, at that time.