Homer: "I'm certain that he did."
It is said that the Pope showed signs of depression or "nervous breakdown", and that is also said of President Roosevelt in 1941.
Indeed, this request from FDR clearly shows him working to establish a "moral high ground" justifying war.
That the Pope apparently refused to give FDR the moral justification he wanted, while at the same time acknowledging the President's concerns, can be seen as the Pope reminding FDR of something that no politician wants to hear: Roosevelt alone must take moral responsibility for his actions, and no Pope, no matter how clear-cut the circumstances, can remove that burden from him.
moral high ground.
an intersting concept. i have read roosevelts communique brutally critical of the japanese war in china, citing bombing civilians,etc., establishing the “moral” basis for opposing Japan.
by 1945, all that was out the window for USA, and winning, crushing Japan was all that mattered.
i dont disagree with that, but anyone planning on fighting a war “morally” could have problems.