Description
By Charles Callan Tansill. One of the foremost American diplomatic historians of the twentieth century convincingly argues that Franklin Roosevelt wished to involve the United States in the European War that began in September 1939. When his efforts appeared to come to naught, Roosevelt determined to provoke Japan into an attack on American territory. Doing so would involve Japan’s Axis allies in war also, and so America would thus enter the war through the “back door”.
The strategy succeeded, and Tansill maintains that Roosevelt therefore welcomed Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor.
Tansill demonstrates quite convincingly his central theme: that FDR sought to include the United States in the Second World War on the side of the Soviet Union from the very beginning, and duped the Japanese into firing the first shot.
Tansill proves his premise by the usage of extensive primary material from US State Department files, current periodicals, and sound reasoning.
Contents
Preface
Historical Introduction
I: American Relations with the Weimar Republic
II: The Far East in Ferment
III: Continued Friction with Japan Points towards Inevitable War
V: Secretary Hull Spurns a Japanese Olive Branch
VI: Moscow Molds the Political Pattern in the Far East
VII: Mussolini Looks upon Ethiopia with Acquisitive Eyes
VIII: Britain and France Fear to Provoke War over the Issue of Ethiopia
IX: America Anticipates the League in Exerting Economic Pressure upon Italy
X: Mussolini Makes a Mockery out of Collective Security
XI: Ambassador Dodd Finds Berlin an Unpleasant Spot for a Wilsonian Democrat
XII: America Views the Hitler Regime with Increasing Dislike
XIII: Europe Fails to Find a Substitute for Locarno
XIV: The Shadow of Dictatorship Begins to Darken the American Landscape
lXV: Britain Blocks an Effort of Roosevelt to Find a Path to Peace
XVI: Hitler Takes over Austria as a Long-Delayed Step towards Anschluss
XVII: President Beneš Postpones Too Long a Policy of Appeasement
XVIII: Munich: Prelude to Prague
XIX: Hitler Takes Czechoslovakia under Protective Custody
XX: Russia Instigates War in the Far East; Roosevelt Blames Japan
XXI: Japan Proposes a Joint Search for World Peace but Hull Declines
XXII: Europe Moves towards War
XXIII: Stalin Lights the Fuse to World War II
XXIV: Roosevelt Adopts a More Positive Policy towards the War in Europe
XXV: Roosevelt Seeks a Pretext for War with Germany
XXVI: Japan Is Maneuvered into Firing the First Shot at Pearl Harbor
Bibliography
Index
712 pages. Paperback.
