However, the U.S. still maintaining a neutral position during WWI, they enter into the agreement with Russia and the Allied nations in June 1941, seems rather perplexing. Why would a neutral nation join in an agreement with Russia and the other Allied nations? This could be construed that the U.S. had intentions of joining them. Yet they didn't join them until Pearl Harbor was attacked by the Japanese. Leading up to that FDR and his administration certainly provoked Japan diplomatically & economically. Was the purpose to get them to attack? If so it assuredly had the impact they were seeking, that being garnering support of the citizens to join in the war.
In terms of Pearl Harbor, our carrier admirals could have seen the base as a target, but only by a raid of a couple carriers attacking from the Southeast where they could quickly retreat under the cover of the islands the Japanese picked up from the Germans after WWI. When our Navy pursued it could then be overwhelmed by attacks of land-based aircraft.
My bibliography includes two questions the admiral should have answered. “Admiral, provide an explanation of how you traveled undetected to position north of the Hawaiian Islands to launch the attack beginning from the Japanese Home Islands or Mandates to the south and east? Also, why would you launch an attack from a position where it was impossible to retreat under the protection of land-based aircraft”
Baron Hiranuma was part of a faction that had fiercely disapproved the Pearl Harbor attack, believing the United States could not be provoked into war by Japanese conquests of British, French, and Dutch colonies. He pointed to the fact there was no treaty requiring the U.S. to respond militarily. He was probably right, because FDR told his advisors that as a Democracy, the country could not be perceived as an aggressor.