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

The Morning of the Fateful Day 309
the Admiral went over to Knox’s offi ce. Captain (later Admiral)
Turner came too and the three men met for about an hour. 108
After Dr. Hu’s departure at 1:10 p.m., FDR retired for lunch
and to prepare for the 3:00 p.m. meeting with his advisers.
* * * *
To the outside observer, peace and normality appeared to reign.
Yet beneath the outer calm, offi cial Washington was uneasy. It
was obvious that a blow was coming, but they didn’t know where.
If it fell on British, Dutch, or Th ai territory, as seemed likely, what
should the United States do? Should it implement the administration’s
secret and unconstitutional agreement to furnish the
British and Dutch with “armed support,” as it seemed FDR was
planning to do? Would the people of this country be willing to
support such a venture? Or would they reject the idea of U.S.
involvement in a Japanese confl ict with the British, Dutch, or
Th ai in southeast Asia, thousands of miles from our shores?
108 Ibid., part 8, p. 3828. Testimony of Maj. John H. Dillon, aide to Knox.