Pearl Harbor: The Seeds and Fruits of Infamy - Ludwig von Mises ...

4 Pearl Harbor: The Seeds and Fruits of Infamy
market crash, had deepened between Roosevelt’s election and his
inauguration. Cooperation between the outgoing and incoming
presidents during the interregnum would have been in order, but
considerable antagonism existed between the two men: Th ey had
one inconclusive meeting. Roosevelt was apparently unable or
unwilling to cooperate any further. He didn’t want to share the
credit with anyone for what he was going to do.
For a time the new president’s energies were devoted largely
to domestic economic problems. All banks in the country were
closed down on March 6, two days after Roosevelt took offi ce.
It was a low point in the country’s history. However, it wasn’t
long before the international situation would claim Roosevelt’s
attention. Th e idealism that had produced the League of Nations
and the Kellogg-Briand Pact intended to outlaw war was eroding.
Adolf Hitler had come to power in Germany, assuming dictatorial
powers and beginning to undo the terms of the Versailles
Treaty.
On November 16, 1933, the United States recognized the
government of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (U.S.S.R).
Th e professed purpose of recognition was so “that our nations
henceforth may cooperate for their mutual benefi t and for
the preservation of the peace of the world.” 1 Roosevelt named
William C. Bullitt to be the fi rst U.S. ambassador to the U.S.S.R.
Bullitt considered communism a harbinger for the world and was
an enthusiastic proponent of the Soviet system.
U.S.–Far East Relations
Th e Asian situation was of concern. Japan had occupied
Chinese territory, Manchuria. Many Japanese farmers and businessmen
had moved there to settle and make it their home.
1 Franklin D. Roosevelt, Th e Public Papers and Addresses of Franklin Delano
Roosevelt, vol. 1: Th e Genesis of the New Deal, 1928–1932 (New York: Random
House, 1938), p. 472.