FDR embargos all aviation fuel, and severely limits Japan’s access to most other petroleum products. The fuse is lit. FDR’s long sought after for war is on its way.
War was going to come sooner or later, good that the US didn’t wait until the enemy was on their border.
In Navy Commander Arthur McCollum's "Eight Action Proposal" of October 7, 1940, the complete embargo of all US trade with Japan is the eighth and final item.
The other seven have already been executed.
Quoting McCollum:
"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."
This is one aspect that really surprised me. I thought that all aviation fuel had been embargoed last year in July when the Japanese moved into north Indo-China. But apparently only the highest octane fuel was stopped. As it says in the article, the lower octane fuel was still being shipped and could be used or processed into higher octanes. This really does put the screws to the Japanese now since pretty much any petroleum products will no longer be sent.
Has anyone noticed the name of Harold Ickes in regard to all the oil mgt in WWII?