[GATOR NAVY]

They had a choice of running industry for two more months or invading Indonesia to obtain a new source.

Or withdrawing from China, the whole reason fro the embargo in the first place.

[jamaksin]

And what did Konoye signal?

And what did Grew confirm?

And what did Hull and FDR reject?

And why was that?

[muawiyah]

That was just a pretext. With the Nationalists allied with the fascists and the other guys well within the commie orbit, having the Japanese (only recently allies) pull out of China probably wasn't FDR's real aim.

I'd suggest far more modest ambitions on his part.

No idea what they might have been, but something short of a full Japanese pullout.

[muawiyah]

Correction: With the ChiComs not yet a threat and the Nationalists already within the Soviet orbit, FDR's ambitions must have been more modest AND focused on having the Japanese maintaining their position in Manchuria rather than expanding further into China at great cost to little advantage.

BTW, I was thinking Joe Stalin just as I said "fascists" ~ how silly.