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16. Reading – USA Isolation and Pearl Harbour
Mark Callagher
Focus Questions
1. What steps did the USA take to move out of isolation and
neutrality?
2. Why was Roosevelt so opposed to the Fascist Dictators?
3. How did Japan come to the decision to go to war against the
USA?
4. How did the wars in Europe and Asia expand into a global war?
Policy of Isolation
The USA avoided commitments to other powers where possible.
The American public felt that they had been duped into WWI by Wilson’s false promises. The
American Congress had not signed off on the Versailles Treaty and had prevented the US from
joining the League of Nations.
When dictators took control in Italy, Germany and Japan and began conquering weaker neighbours
Americans decided to ignore the danger and wanted no part of the action.
President Roosevelt
Franklin Roosevelt (FDR) became US President in 1932 at the
height of the depression in America. He was a popular
President who had provided a lot of relief to the poor and
unemployed.
Roosevelt saw the growing dangers of the 1930s but could not
act against public opinion
<caption>President Franklin Delano
Roosevelt (FDR)</caption>
Neutrality Acts
Neutrality Acts were passed by Congress from 1935-37
Between 1935 and 1937 Congress passed three "Neutrality Acts" that tried to keep the United
States out of war, by making it illegal for Americans to sell or transport arms, or other war materials
to belligerent nations (states at war).
Isolationists vs Internationalists
Supporters of neutrality, called "isolationists" by their critics, argued that America should avoid
entangling itself in European wars.
"Internationalists" rejected the idea that the United States could remain detached from Europe and
held that the nation should aid countries threatened with aggression.
Appeal to the Dictators
After Germany broke the Munich
Agreement in March 1939
Roosevelt appealed to Hitler and
Mussolini.
Roosevelt asked for a reciprocal
exchange of pledges of nonaggression for ten years between
them and 27 named states, to be
followed by a conference on
disarmament, raw materials and
trade.
In Italy and Germany Roosevelt
was denounced as a “warmonger”
for suggesting that the Fuhrer and
the Duce contemplated war.
<caption>“Warmonger” by Low, 18th April 1939</caption>
American Confidence
With Poland near defeat there
was real confidence in the
USA that Britain and France
would defeat the Nazi
aggressors.
<caption> “One for me, one for you, one for me….” by Lees, Sunday Graphic
(USA), 17 Sept 1939</caption>
Cash and Carry
Isolation ends
When war broke out in Europe public opinion began to change.
President Roosevelt tried to persuade Congress to change their attitude.
One Senator argued:
“If we repeal it, we are helping England and France. If we fail to repeal it, we will be
helping Hitler and his allies. Absolute neutrality is an impossibility.”
Disguised Neutrality
The 1939 Neutrality Act set up a “cash and carry” basis.
This allowed the cash sale of arms and equipment to any nation at war while forbidding US vessels
and nationals from travelling in combat zones.
Though sounding neutral the “cash and carry” law clearly favoured the allies. Any allied ship that
could make the risky trip across the North Atlantic to US coastal ports could get war materials for
cash. German ships could not make it past the British Navy.
Fall of France
The Fall of France led to growing
concern in the United States.
Roosevelt believed that Hitler
threatened democracy.
<caption> “So this is Isolation” by Low, 4 July 1940</caption>
50 Destroyers
Control of the Atlantic was essential for the
policy of Cash and Carry. Britain was now
fighting a desperate was in the Atlantic
against the German U-Boats (submarines).
US assistance to Britain was of little help
unless these vital trade routes were
protected.
The US gave 50 old destroyers to Britain to
protect its Atlantic convoys.
At the same time Roosevelt continued to
reassure the American people that he was
committed to keeping the US out of the
European war.
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1940 Election Campaign
<caption>“Mutual Benefit” by Low, 5 Sept 1940</caption>
By 1940 Roosevelt had been President for 8 years. It had
been traditional that the President serves for only two terms
but Roosevelt had managed to convince his Democratic
Party that the grave war situation in Europe was an important
reason for him to seek re-election.
While campaigning Roosevelt’s opponents often criticised
him for breaking neutrality and warned that he was leading
the USA towards war with Germany because of its
assistance of the British.
The election campaign became focused around the possible
future involvement of the USA in the European conflict.
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<caption> “No Third Term Tradition” by Illingworth<
Arsenal of Democracy
After his re-election Roosevelt called on a
national effort to aid Britain in its defence of
democracy against the dictators. Roosevelt said
that the US would become the “Arsenal of
Democracy”, the provider of weapons to the
democracies fighting the Fascist dictators.
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Lend-Lease Act
<caption>Roosevelt addressing the Nation in one of his “Fireside
chats”</caption>
Roosevelt’s “Arsenal of Democracy” became a reality
when on the 11th March 1941 the US Congress passed
the Lend-Lease Act. The legislation gave President
Franklin D. Roosevelt the powers to sell, transfer,
exchange, and lend equipment to any country to help it
defend itself against the Axis powers.
In effect the Act would give Britain unlimited US
assistance. Britain received American loans of $31 billion
to purchase military equipment under Lend-Lease.
<caption>“Lease and Lend Bill” by
Illingworth</caption>
.
Roosevelt’s Warning
In April 1941, with the German defeat of
Greece, Yugoslavia and Crete, Roosevelt
clearly expressed his belief that Nazism
must be defeated because it threatened not
only Europe but America itself.
FDR was clearly keen to go to war to help
Britain but was unable to without the support
of Congress.
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<caption>“Black-out Time” by Low, 12th March 1941</caption>
FDR “World
Domination” speech,
27th May 1941
False
Japanese Aggression Continues
The Japanese had worried the Americans with their expansion into China.
Japanese aircraft had sunk the American warship Panay during the
invasion up the Yangtze River of China in 1937.
Japan refused to listen to American concerns.
Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere
Japan had been interested
in setting up a Greater East
Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere.
In reality it was an attempt
to extend Japanese power
and acquire an empire
based on European
models.
French Indo-China
When France and the
Netherlands (Holland) fell
to Germany in mid 1940,
Japan saw an opportunity
to absorb their Asian
colonies into its empire.
Japan therefore invaded
French Indochina (later to
become Vietnam).
Tripartite Pact
Japan set about tightening its ties with
Germany and Italy in an obvious warning
to the USA not to interfere.
The Tripartite Pact was signed in Berlin
27 September 1940 by Imperial Japan,
Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy. The
agreement formalised the Axis Powers’
partnership, and can be read as a warning
to the United States to remain neutral in
World War II — or become involved in a
war on two fronts.
<caption>Hitler with Japanese and Italian representatives at the
signing of the Tripartite Pact</caption>
American Pressure
The USA had become more and more concerned over the Japanese expansion. In July 1940 they
had stopped exporting strategic goods to Japan.
In 1941 they froze Japanese funds in the USA and cut off oil exports. This meant that Japan no
longer had enough US dollars with which to buy oil and other vital materials from the USA.
American assistance to the Chinese forces fighting the Japanese was also significantly increased.
The American ‘freeze’ on Japanese assets encouraged the Japanese government to plan further
conquests in South-East Asia. For if the Japanese could not buy the oil and other materials which it
needed, it would have to take them by force from the European colonies which had them in plenty.
Japanese Options
With France and Holland beaten and Britain close to defeat, the only
country which could stop Japan from taking more colonies was the
USA. President Roosevelt had already moved the American Pacific
fleet to the naval base at Pearl Harbour in Hawaii, as a display to
Japan of American military power. The US government also
demanded that Japan withdraw from Indo-China and from China
itself.
Japan either had to stop fighting or take on the USA
The Japanese Prime Minister was prepared to agree to this American
demand, but he was opposed by many of the army chiefs, including
the Minister of War, General Tojo. In October 1941 the Prime Minister
resigned and was replaced by Tojo, nicknamed ‘The Razor’ because
he believed in the use of force rather than negotiation.
Tojo and the military chiefs had no intention of giving in to the
American demands, and instead put into action plans for the takeover of all South-East Asia.
They had to act soon as Japan was fast running out of oil reserves.
<caption>General Tojo,
Japanese Prime Minister,
October 1941</caption>
Pearl Harbour
Tojo prepared to conquer all South East Asia and thus
capture the oil supplies in the region of Sumatra in the
Dutch East Indies. To do this properly the sea lanes had to
be under Japanese control which meant getting rid of the
American and British fleets in the Pacific and their bases in
the Philippines and Singapore.
Admiral Yamamoto’s Plan
If the US went to war with Japan they expected an attack
on the US controlled Philippines. Instead the Japanese
Naval Leader, Admiral Yamamoto, came up with a risky
plan that involved a sneak attack on Pearl Harbour. The
aim would be to wipe out the American Pacific Fleet long
enough to take the objectives in Southeast Asia. The
difficulty would be to keep the large Japanese Fleet
undetected until the attack was in progress.
<caption>Admiral Yamamoto</caption>
Pearl Harbour
The focus of the attack was
to wipe out Battleships and
Aircraft Carriers which
posed a threat to
immediate Japanese fleet
operations.
<caption>Pearl Harbour Anchorage on the morning of the attack</caption>
Sneak Attack
The Japanese managed to sail their Carrier
Fleet north of the Hawaiian Islands
undetected. The attack occurred from 8am
on Sunday 7th December and lasted for
nearly two hours.
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<caption>Flight path of planes attacking Pearl Harbour and Air Bases<
Photos of the attack
<include>
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<width>620</width>
<height>425</height>
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Casualties
Within a short time five of eight battleships at Pearl
Harbour were sunk or sinking, with the rest
damaged. Several other ships and most Hawaiibased combat planes were also knocked out and
over 2400 Americans were dead.
The one stroke of luck for the US was that the
whole Carrier Fleet was at sea and saved from
destruction. They had been the main target of the
Japanese attack.
Shortly after the attack on Pearl Harbour Japanese
planes eliminated much of the American air force in
the Philippines, and a Japanese Army was ashore
in Malaya.
<caption>Battleship USS Arizona</caption>
USA Enters the War
A packed Congress met the following day
and was addressed by President Roosevelt
who asked for a declaration of war on
Japan.
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Global War
On 11th December
1941 Germany and
Italy supported
Japan, their Tripartite
Pact partner, and
declared war on the
USA.
Hitler’s Fears:
“We are
fighting
the wrong
people.
We ought
to have
the British
and
Americans
as our
allies. We
have been
forced to
make a
mistake
that will
affect the
history of
the whole
world”.
The war which had
<caption>Map showing Global War in 1942 – Allies=Red, Axis=Black</caption>
started in Europe two
years earlier had
thus become the first
truly global war.
Japanese Gains
By mid 1942 the
Japanese had
experience huge
military success and
expansion of their
empire.
British defeats
Japan drove the
British out of Malaya
and proceeded to
attack their naval
fortress in Singapore
from the land. Britain
had intended to use
the naval base to
protect her colonies.
Singapore fell in
February 1942 with
more than 80,000
British, Australian and
Indian soldiers taken
prisoner.
American defeats
The Americans
feared little better.
They lost the
Philippine islands and
other Pacific bases
were over-run and
Japan pushed its
Empire right out into
the Pacific.
In 1942 the Axis
Powers were to
reach their peak in
Europe, Asia and
the Pacific
Summary

In the 1920’s and early 1930’s the USA adopted a policy of Isolation from European affairs.

From 1935-37 Congress passed a series of Neutrality Acts which confirmed US isolation and
its commitment to not assist nations at war.

President Roosevelt, worried by the threat to worldwide democracy, from 1939-41 gradually
moved the US away from isolation and into full support of Britain and its allies.

Japanese efforts to set up its own empire in east Asia led to increasing conflict and pressure
from the US.

Military leaders took control of Japan and opted to go to war to help secure access to oil and
other raw materials.

Japanese carrier planes attacked Pearl Harbour which resulted in the US entering the war.

Global war came about when Hitler and Mussolini sided with Japan and declared war on the
United States.