US Marine Corps - The Black Vault

176 Anzpbibians Came To Conquer
to continue working under an agreement for coordination of effort by the
system of mutual cooperation. . . .
As a matter of fact, the military situation out there has changed considerably
since last Spring, and will change more after the United States reinforcements,
now planned, arrive in the Philippines. The Army has a rather large
plan of reinforcements, and the Navy expects, in January, to send out there
six more submarines, one more patrol plane squadron, and two squadrons of
observation-scout planes.
*****
I think you have no need for fears that the Pacific Fleet will remain inactive
on the outbreak of war in the Pacific. You can reassure the Australians on this
point. I regret, however, that in the interests of secrecy, I shall be unable to
show you the U. S. Pacific Fleet Operating Plan—Rainbow No. 5 (Navy
Plan O–1 ). Naturally, we would expect to exchange appropriate information
of this nature were we both at war in the Pacific, but the Chief of Naval
Operations believes, at present, that knowledge of the details of the Operation
Plans should be held by a very small number of persons—a view which the
British Chiefs of Staff apparently share, as we are never informed concerning
the details of proj~ed British operations.50
ADVICE DISREGARDED OR SOFTENED
The Director of War Plans, back on 19 July 1941, in a long memorandum
to the Chief of Naval Operations had recommended that “trade with Japan
not be embargoed at this time. ” 51But, on 26 July 1941, just seven days later,
the President announced an embargo on the export of petroleum and cotton
products to Japan.
After the President had done what Rear Admiral Turner thoroughly
believed would cause Japan to see war as the only solution open to her
continued development of the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere, he
continued to advise his military senior to try to persuade the President not to
take steps which would bring on that war in the near future. As late as
5 November 1941, in drafting a memorandum to the President for Admiral
Stark to sign, commenting on a State Department proposal to send United
States troops to China, he warned that:
undertaking Military operations with U. S. forces against Japan to prevent
her from severing the Burma Road . . . would Iead to war.
~ Rear Admiral Turner to Rear Admiral V. H, Danckwerts, RN, letter, Al&l/EPB/Ser
011>12072 of Oct. 1941, Strategic Plans, ABDA-ANZAC File 1941–1942.
n (a) DWP to CNO, memorandum, 19 Jul. 1941; (b) U.S. Department of State, Foreign
Rekiofl$ of #he Uni~ed Sta?e$, 1941 (publication No. 6325), Vol. IV, pp. 839-40.