You know the difference between LIHOP and MIHOP, right?
LIHOP (Let It Happen On Purpose) takes a passive approach that encourages a path but does not insist upon it. It fertilizes the favored path and promotes a thing to occur.
MIHOP (Make It Happen On Purpose) takes a more hands-on approach, crafting the circumstances upon which others are forced to react to something you sparked - whether you do anything else or not.
With regard to FDR, I believe that he LIHOP. His intel told him of the massive buildup of the Japanese navy and the hardening of attitude towards the United States. His analysts told him that when the Japanese envoys suddenly turned gracious and conciliatory it was because they had internally decided that war was the only option - but did not wish to share that attitude with the Americans. FDR knew what was coming and did nothing because, as you said, “that was the only possible way to get the United States into WWII”.
The Lost Causers would have us believe that Lincoln LIHOP’ed the south - “suckered” them into attacking. That’s foolish on the face of it. Lincoln was overtaken by the events even before he could assume office. His response was methodically slow - hoping all along to draw the recalcitrant rebels back into the fold.
The enmity and hostility of the southern fire-eaters was well established. They had been agitating and creating discord among the states for a very long time. The notion of secession was not a spontaneous one. Rather, they looked for the right circumstances to make it happen on purpose - and then set it into motion.
Exactly right, though I never saw those terms LIHOP and MIHOP before.
Interesting and useful words to remember.
The key point about both Fort Sumter and Pearl Harbor is that US forces in their own bases were attacked in ruthless and long-planned assaults, which the enemy well knew were acts of war against the United States.
In Japan’s case they calculated that a knockout blow would take America out if the war.
They calculated wrong.
In the Confederacy’s case, they doubtless anticipated the resulting flip-flops from Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee & Arkansas, doubling the Confederacy’s population, economy & military manpower.
That they might lose the resulting war seems to have not been a major factor in the Confederacy’s calculations.