> > >The US was also secretly involved supporting China against Japan 
long
> > >before Pearl Harbor.

That wasn't much of a secret.

<snip> 

> > Unfortunately, the US supported the wrong China, refusing to
> > recognize the other China as legitimate.  It took Jimmy Carter
> > to change that, many decades later.
> 
> Not back then.  They had been in a Civil War, but had set aside their
> differences to join together to fight the Japanese.  There was still 
only
> one China until later.
> 
> > In Japan's view, it was just a warning to the US to stay out of
> > the Pacific.  A limited strike by Japanese military on a US military
> > installation in a US territory, not on civilian targets or in the
> > mainland USA.  A pinprick, which the Japanese military leadership
> > calculated would be enough to convince FDR to stay out.
> 
> I have always found that odd, since we did not seem too keen on 
getting
> involved.  They really miscalculated there.

Roosevelt minor wanted the US to get involved in the European fracas - 
and in fact had the US Navy (unofficially) involved fighting the German 
Navy by 1940.

Roosevelt minor also expected Japan to attack US possessions in the Far 
East - primarily the Philippines, Guam, etc.  He'd been provoking Japan 
for years with embargoes and trade restrictions because of what Japan 
was doing in China.  He did *not* expect Japan to attack Pearl Harbor.

A minor point about Pearl Harbor ignored by most is that until January 
of 1941 the US Pacific Fleet was based at Seattle, San Francisco Bay 
and San Diego.  Roosevelt minor ordered the capital ships of the fleet 
moved to Pearl in January of 1941.  It would have been MUCH more 
difficult for Japan to simultaneously attack three well defended ports 
that all had fighter and long-range bomber bases nearby.

> > The outcry among the American public forced FDR and the Congress
> > to accept the reality that the US was in a war, started by the
> > Empire of Japan.  Leaving no choice for FDR and the Congress but
> > to do what none of them were brave enough to do themselves.
> 
> No disagreement there.
> 
> Mike
> 
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