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

8 Pearl Harbor: The Seeds and Fruits of Infamy
Official U.S. Foreign Policy
During the 1930s, U.S. opinion opposed involvement in foreign
wars. Congress responded in 1935 by passing neutrality legislation
prohibiting trade in arms or implements of war with any
belligerent nation. As FDR signed this legislation (S.J. Resolution
173) on August 31, 1935, he explained that “it was intended as an
expression of the fi xed desire of the Government and the people
of the United States to avoid any action which might involve us
in war.” “Th e purpose,” he said, “is wholly excellent.” Emphasizing
U.S. neutrality in international confl icts still more emphatically,
Roosevelt added: “Th e policy of the Government is defi nitely
committed to the maintenance of peace and the avoidance of any
entanglements which would lead us into confl ict.” 3
In spite of FDR’s professed neutrality, however, he was apparently
already considering the possibility of confl ict with Japan.
Th e Offi ce of Naval Intelligence (ONI) whose duty it was to collect
and analyze pertinent information for the Navy, was then
assembling material about potential Japanese and communist
espionage agents. For instance, the ONI “carded” Japanese residents
in the New York area for use in “corralling the individuals
for internment or breaking down any system of espionage or sabotage”
in the event of a confl ict. 4 In an August 10, 1936, memorandum
to Chief of Naval Operations Admiral William D. Leahy,
FDR sanctioned this operation. He “expressed his support . . . for
locating all Japanese for possible incarceration in a ‘concentration
camp’ during a crisis.” 5
FDR was a charming, charismatic, and convincing speaker.
From 1935, when he signed the Neutrality Act, until the attack
3 Roosevelt, Th e Public Papers and Addresses, 1935, vol. 4, pp. 345–46.
4 Jeffrey M. Dorwart, Confl ict of Duty: The U.S. Navy’s Intelligence Dilemma,
1919–1945 (Annapolis, Md.: Naval Institute Press, 1983), p. 65.
5 Roosevelt, August 10, 1936 memorandum to Chief of Naval Operations,
Admiral William D. Leahy. Quoted in Dorwart, Confl ict of Duty, p. 65.