Late 1940 to early 1941. The battle of Britain was being waged. The German U-boats were sinking an ever increasing number of supply ships in the Atlantic. Rommel was rampaging from Tunis and nearing Cairo. The French has turned sides as did the Italians. Russia was still neutral. Almost all of Europe was in German control. Britain was fighting for survival. In Asia, Japan has been was also spreading its imperialistic claws threatening British interests in China and Malaya and even Australia. There is no way Britain could face Japan on its own in the Far East. Its biggest friend, the USA, wont join the fray unless its interests are directly attacked. American interests lay mostly in the Pacific - Hawaii, Alaska, the Philippine Islands. So, from the British perspective, they MUST get the USA involved in order to contain Japanese expansion and directly participate in the war with the Axis in Europe. But how? In 1940, Britain gave its Far East command to AVOID war with Japan. Understandable, priority was given to the Home Country and the European theater. British inaction or unwillingness to fight did not pass Japanese eyes. In fact, it emboldened Japan to make further expansionist moves. Thus, even as late as November - December 1941 when the Japanese were building garrisons and airfields in Vichy French Indo-China, stationing planes on Portuguese Timor and moving troop transports on the Gulf of Siam, the British held their fire. It was like allowing an intruder to move further inside one's yard until it steps on a trip-wire. Question is - how much did Britain know of Japanese war plans? Recall that in the 1920's, Japanese military was particularly close to the British. Being both island nations, there was similarity in defensive/offensive strategy. It would not be far-fetched to think that there were British intelligence assets in the Japanese military. Could it be possible that the British was more privy to Japanese tactics than it would let the USA know? Was British High Command actually praying that the Japanese attack American interests so as to get USA to join the war? This is stuff for conspiracy novel/s. I just wish am a good enough writer to flesh this out.
