It may be asked: Could the United States have stayed out of war in the Far East by appeasing Japan and abandoning China to enslavement?
Most authorities agree that such a step would merely have postponed the day of reckoning, when our own Pacific territories would have been chosen as the next victims. To back down in 1941 would not only have been dishonorable, it would have been very unsound policy on the part of the United States. We could not have afforded to abandon the long-established principles governing our policy in the Pacific.
For over a century America has occupied a unique position in the Far East. The United States has no territorial ambitions in China. For many years our basic foreign policy has been to safeguard China from aggression. In 1899 and 1900 the United States took the lead in international agreements to observe the “Open Door” (equality of trading rights in China) and to preserve the independence and territorial integrity of China. Both, these principles were reaffirmed by the United States, Japan, and other nations in the Nine Power Pact of 1922.
Uncle Sam stands firm
For many years Japan looked upon Russia as her chief potential enemy. But after 1931 the Japanese began to see in the United States the foremost antagonist to their program of expansion. After Japan’s seizure of Manchuria in 1931 the United States repeatedly protested the violation of international law and of treaties which both nations had signed and ratified.
In our doctrine of nonrecognition, announced by Secretary of State Henry L. Stimson in 1932, we refused to recognize transfers of territory brought about through violation of the Paris Peace Pact or any other international agreement. In 1937, after the outbreak of the undeclared war with China, President Roosevelt and Secretary of State Cordell Hull expressed American disapproval of Japan’s acts of aggression.
These protests would not have caused the militarists much anxiety if we had not backed them with mounting restrictions on the export of war materials to Japan during 1939–41. When the United States terminated its trade treaty with Japan in 1939 and followed this up in 1940 by advising American citizens to leave the Far East, the Japanese realized that we were not bluffing.
In July 1941, President Roosevelt issued an executive order freezing Japanese assets in the United States. This move brought all financial and -commercial transactions in which Japanese interests were involved under the control of our government.
Just before the battle
In April 1941, the Japanese opened negotiations, apparently as a method of stalling for time. The proceedings dragged on for eight months. Even though the prospects of a just and peaceable conclusion appeared slight, the American representatives made every effort to find the basis for such a settlement.
On November 26, 1941, Secretary Hull proposed a program that offered Japan free access to needed raw materials, freer access to world markets, financial cooperation and support, withdrawal of our freezing orders, and an opportunity to negotiate a new trade treaty with us. In return, Japan was to abandon its aggressive policies and practices. These proposals were coldly received by the Japanese. It was clearly evident that nothing could avert a showdown except a change in Japanese policy. Japan would not give up its program of swallowing Asia piecemeal, and the United States would of condone it.
On December 7, 1941, the Japanese representatives in Washington presented Secretary Hull with Tokyo’s final answer. It was a document accusing us of “scheming for the extension of the war” and conspiring with Great Britain and other countries against Japan’s efforts to establish peace in Asia. Secretary Hull told the Japanese representatives, “In all my fifty years of public service I have never seen a document that was more crowded with infamous falsehoods and distortions.”
But the real Japanese answer had been delivered more than an hour earlier at Hickam Field and Pearl Harbor.
From EM 15: What Shall Be Done about Japan after Victory? (1945)
FAQs
The answer to the first question is easy: of course. The U.S. could easily have avoided the war, if it chose to. That brings up the second question: why did the U.S. choose to enter the war, and did it matter? This is somewhat more complicated.
How could the US have avoided ww2? ›
If the countries had agreed to signing the fourteen points instead of the Treaty of Versailles, we could have avoided World War 2. Led to less resentment in Germany. It would have helped lessen the devastation of the great depression.
Did the Japanese think they could beat the US? ›
And although the Japanese government never believed it could defeat the United States, it did intend to negotiate an end to the war on favorable terms.
Could Pearl Harbor have been prevented? ›
It was clearly evident that nothing could avert a showdown except a change in Japanese policy. Japan would not give up its program of swallowing Asia piecemeal, and the United States would of condone it.
Would Britain have lost WW1 without America? ›
Answer and Explanation: Yes, it is probably true that without American assistance the Allies would have lost World War I. After the United States entered World War I on April 6, 1917, a large number of US troops appeared on the Western Front in order to aid the British and French.
What would have happened if America never joined WW1? ›
Without the backing of American weaponry, munitions and loans, the Allies would have been forced to abandon their goal of the knockout blow. The war might have ended in 1915 or 1916 with a negotiated peace based on the mutual admission that the conflict had become a stalemate.
What if Japan never attacked Pearl Harbor? ›
So even if the Japanese hadn't attacked Pearl Harbor, their imperial ambitions for Southeast Asia would eventually bring them into conflict with Uncle Sam. FDR had already persuaded Congress to pass the Lend-Lease Act in March 1941 to ensure military aid was being provided to those fighting the Axis Powers.
What would have happened if Germany won WWII? ›
The initial victory in Europe would have been followed by the direct annexation of countries Hitler deemed suitably Nordic: Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and Finland, as well as the German-speaking region of Switzerland.
Would Germany have won WWII if the US didn't enter? ›
Although U.S. involvement greatly contributed to the end of WW2, the assumption that Germany would have won if the U.S. didn't enter is debatable. Germany faced significant challenges, including a multi-front war and food shortages, which may have eventually led to their defeat even without U.S. intervention.
Does the US still defend Japan? ›
The United States pledged to defend Japan, which adopted a pacifist constitution. Recently, however, Japan has stepped up its contributions to the alliance. There are more than eighty U.S. military facilities in Japan. More U.S. service members are permanently stationed in Japan than in any other country.
In the Pacific, Pearl Harbor, Wake Island, the Philippines, the Battle of the Java Sea, the Battle of Savo Island, the Battle of Santa Cruz, there was one other naval battle off Guadalcanal the US lost. in Notth Africa, Kasserine Pass.
What was Japan's biggest mistake in ww2? ›
In the long term, the attack on Pearl Harbor was a grand strategic blunder for Japan. Indeed, Admiral Yamamoto, who conceived it, predicted even success here could not win a war with the United States, because the American industrial capacity was too large.
Did Japan warn the US before Pearl Harbor? ›
“Many of the Japanese wanted to give Americans a little warning,” Nelson said. “Their idea was that they would present this document – which was 14 parts long and took hours and hours to cable from Tokyo to Washington – and the diplomats would present this document 30 minutes before the attack on Hawaii.
What did "tora tora tora" mean? ›
“Tora Tora Tora” was the Japanese code expression for the signal to begin the attack on Pearl Harbor. “Tora” is a Japanese word that means “tiger,” but the full phrase is considered an abbreviation for totsugeki raigeki, which implies “lightning attack.” The movie Tora! Tora! Tora!
Could World War I WWI have been avoided? ›
Thus, one could argue that much of the war could have been avoided if Russia and Germany had simply kept out of the matter. On the other hand, real tensions existed among many of the principal nations prior to the war, and these conflicting ambitions contributed to the war's escalation.
Why was America hesitant to join WWI? ›
Americans were deeply divided about the European war, and involvement in the conflict would certainly disrupt Progressive reforms. In 1914, he had warned that entry into the conflict would bring an end to Progressive reform. "Every reform we have won will be lost if we go into this war," he said.
Why did the US avoid involvement in WW1? ›
When WWI began in Europe in 1914, many Americans wanted the United States to stay out of the conflict, supporting President Woodrow Wilson's policy of strict and impartial neutrality. “The United States must be neutral in fact as well as in name during these days that are to try men's souls.
What was a reason the US did not join WWI? ›
President Woodrow Wilson declared U.S. neutrality on August 4, 1914, and many Americans saw little reason to entangle themselves in what they viewed as European quarreling and intrigue. As the war persisted and the destruction spread, many Americans could not ignore the crisis.
