But WWII had already started.
In fact you could say that for Japan WWII began in 1905 when they began the forced annexation of Korea but certainly it began with the conquest of Manchuria in 1931.
So no matter how much people wish to blame FDR he did not start WWII when he was Governor of New York.
Yes, the Japanese were kicking butt all over Asia, I think FDR hurried the war along with his actions. I doubt we could have stayed out of it and let everyone slug it out. Now we best learn Chinese instead of Japanese or German, or we may need to learn Russian.
I don’t like FDR mainly for his social policies here in the US and I believe without him this country would never have accepted creeping socialism. You may well be right and I wrong but it is sorta like global warming, no matter how much evidence to the contrary I will hold on to my beliefs about FDR. One other thing, I have often felt the real start of Big Government was based on the regimentation of Americans by the military of both soldiers and civilians. That generation that served accepted the idea that the government always had the best interests of the common man at heart. My father was one of them and he could not believe the government would, as he said it, ‘take bread off a man’s table.’ He believed it until a few short years before his death. It was a hard lesson for him.
If FDR could have started the war as Governor or Sec. of the Navy he would probably have to help out Uncle Joe.