US Marine Corps - The Black Vault

162 Amphibians Came To Cozquer
gave its authors, as well as their military superiors, confidence in undertaking
their important negotiations with the British.1’
RAINBOW WAR PLANS
When Captain Turner reported to the CNO for duty in the War Plans
Division in October 1940, there were five major United States War Plans,
known as Rainbow One, Two, Three, Four, and Fite, in various stages of
completion.
A brief description of their character follows.
Rainbow One sought to prevent violation of the letter or spirit of the Monroe
Doctrine by guarding closely the Western Hemisphere, while at the same
time protecting the vital interests of the United States, its possessions and
its seaborne trade, wherever these might be.
Rainbow Two had as its basic purpose the accomplishment of Rainbow Oue,
and additionally, while not providing “maximum participation in continental
Europe,” defeating enemy forces in the Pacific and sustaining the interests
of the Democratic Powers in the Pacific.
Rainbow Three aimed to carry out the mission of Rainbow One and to pro-
tect the United States’ vital interests in the Western Pacific by securing
control in the Western Pacific.
Rainbow Four proposed to accomplish Rainbow One without allies or help-
ful neutrals by occupying allied areas in the Western Hemisphere, and by
defending the Western Hemisphere only as far south as the Brazilian bulge,
and if necessary falling back in the Pacific as far as Hawaii.
Rainbow Five’~ initial basic purpose was to project the Armed Forces of the
United States to the Eastern Atlantic and to either or both of the African
or European continents as rapidly as possible, consistent with the mission of
Rainbow One in order to effect the decisive defeat of Germany or Italy or
both. Later drafts oriented the purpose, in effect, to winning World War II
with Europe the primary theater of effort.’s
Events occurring in Europe during the 1939–1941 period of actual drafting
of these plans caused certain basic assumptions to vary and to fluctuate, and
similarly, but to a lesser extent, the detailed purposes.
The initial Joint Board directive to the Joint Planning Committee to
develop these five war plans was dated 30 June 1939, just two months and
‘4Turner.
‘JB No. 325, Ser 642 of 30 Jun. 1939.