In what ways was FDR preparing for war even before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor?

Question

Isn't one way that he moved some of our Naval forces to the Pacific? I'm not too sure.... but I'm looking for some more examples. Thanks for your help!

Answer 1

Lend lease act with the British and convoys. Gearing up industry to supply the British, selling destroyers to the british, having americans on the convoys helped create sentiment if the ships were sunk. The Flying Tigers in China, though officially and in reality a volunteer group. It is said, that Chennault was assigned this mission. The Americans had broken the Japanese main code and had not disclosed it publicly. The government was aware something was coming. The British on the other hand had gotten a hold of a german enigma decoding box and was holding the sailors from the German sub that was capture in America. So, for months the government or the military was aware that war was coming, they did not know when. And they were aware the most likely place would have been Pearl Harbor but, again they did not warn the commander of the information. There has been speculation that when the US reduced trade to Japan that it forced Japan economically to start the war. That is probably true. The US had cutoff oil and steel to Japan.

The second reference below, it is actually very true what he wrote. All that has been written is true.

Good luck.

Answer 2

The US imposed an embargo on the Japanese in protest of their invasion of Manchuria, and this so choked the industrial capacity of the Japanese that they began to rely more on the raw materials they were able to derive from their Manchurian operations. The refusal of the US (FDR and his advisors) to resume trade with Japan was probably a factor in their declaration of war against the US, as this was a main point of contention and, after a diplomatic deadline, the Japanese instituted the Pearl Harbor strategy, which could have been avoided by diplomatic means. It is hard to determine whether a diplomatic solution here would have induced the Japanese to withdraw from Manchuria or not, but it would have eased the material constraints that eventually forced Japan to declare full-scale war. There are some who believe that FDR and his staff deliberately provoked the Japanese to declare war on the US in this manner, so that the US would have a good excuse not only to enter the war in Asia but also in Europe. (The US had a large isolationist contingent at the start of WWII and didn't enter either arena until the terrible events of Dec. 7, 1941.)

Answer 3

Stinson and the boys in the War Department (now the Department of Defense) were attempting to keep a close eye on the happenings in the far east. They were well aware of a strong military build up and a pro-expansion government in Japan. The Japanese had already moved into China and surrounding regions. Roosevelt had quietly allowed the formation of the American Volunteer Group -- AVG (The Flying Tigers), whereby, American military pilots would "Resign" their commisions as officers in the U.S military, sail to China and fly U.S. built and resupplied aircraft. The military had "advisors/observers" working with the British and were working in the region tyring to stop the Japanese advancement. The code breakers at the various out posts and in Washington were trying desperately to break the Japanese' encoded transmissions. And in Washington, the goernment was still trying to avert war through diplomacy with the Japanese. Sanctions had already been instituted cutting off Japan from resources like steel and oil. This may or may not have been fuel to their already burning fire, pushing them to expand even further. Worried by what appeared an impass and a large population of non-caucasians in Hawaii, The heads of the Pacific Fleet and Army in the Pacific ordered a restructuring of materiel. McArthur was in the Philippines, was ordered to Australia, leaving Wainright in charge. And the rest, is as they say, history. Hope this helps. Look up Tex Hill, Greg Boyington or Claire Chennault with the AVG.

Answer 4

Most people and nations will do anything to avoid a fight. Nations always need some emotional trigger to get people provoked into backing a war if they are not attacked or invaded. This is especially true of major powers who can defend themselves. Usually we only know about such mocked events if the country loses the war, much as war crimes are almost always charged to the losing side.

Example

History has shown that Hitler's party burned the reichstag and blamed it on the other parties so he could invoke martial laws and take power. The Germans faked an attack on a german radio station on the polish border to then broadcast the propaganda as an excuse to invade Poland.

When enough time has passed,History will someday show that FDR and the U.S. government set up the attack on Pearl harbor to get America in the war. That was preparation

It begs to question what history will show 300 years from now.