I don’t know how peace was possible given that Japan was committing crimes against humanity in China. FDR’s problem, however, was that he engaged in a series of provacative actions against Japan, yet did not prepare for war. As a result, the Japanese thought America was so weak, they felt confident enought to sail halfway across the Pacific and try to blow up our Navy. Had they gone back for a successful 3rd strike on Dec. 7, one wonders how the war would’ve turned out.
The third strike would be to take out the oil storage facilities at Pearl which speculation says would have extended the war by 2 years.
I have often wondered what would have happened if the Japanese had invaded only the Dutch East Indies--the source of the oil they wanted--and maybe Thailand, proclaiming the move a "peacekeeping operation," and not attacked the US or crossed into British territory. Would we have done anything? Or how about if they had invaded the Society Islands, which include Tahiti, New Caledonia, the Marquesas Islands and other French possessions? The French most likely would have surrendered without firing a shot, but would we have done anythng?
Similarly, what would have happened if Japan had attacked only the US and that the air, ground and naval forces used to attack British and Dutch possessions had been used to attack Hawaii, the western Aleutians or other US targets. Could they have knocked us out?
The issue for the US was control of the Philippines and Hawaii (and at the time the Japanese owned outright hundreds of Pacific islands. They'd been collecting them for centuries. We had to be vigilant lest they decided they needed more Pacific islands).
Nagumo did not have the fuel to stay for a third strike. Not with the US Navy’s carriers lurking about somewhere.
Even had he launched a third strike and successfully gotten through the now alert AA fire. He would have only bought Japan a few extra months, at best.
It does not take that long, using three shifts, to fabricate new oil storage tanks and pipes and rush them to Hawaii. Not when they are the number one priority for the US Navy.
I’ll put it this way, Japan could have sunk every US Navy ship in the Pacific and we would have come back three years later with a fleet four times as big.
Take a look at this page comparing shipbuilding and aircraft construction figures for 1941-1945:
http://www.combinedfleet.com/economic.htm
Japan lost the war the moment she decided to go to war.
The same way it did turn out, only a little longer. Japan couldn't hope to match U.S. industrial power as Yamamoto knew quite well. What they hoped for was a quick acquiescence by America. That wasn't in the cards. Any American pol who would have tried to make peace with Japan right after Pearl Harbor would probably been forced to leave the country.