But WWII was going to happen. Japan wanted to be the big dog in the Pacific. There were three places left in 1941 they had to take out to do that, Australia, New Zealand and Hawaii.
Hawaii was the logical place to start. Take out the US Fleet and we would not be able to stop them from taking control of the entire Pacific. They had been planting colonies colonies in North America and South America for the past 50 years to facilitate their take over. We would have objected to their taking over the west coast of Canada or Peru and that was their goal.
FDR and his policies did a lot of damage to the country but acquit him of starting WWII. It was going long before he was in any position to push anything.
OK, you win. As long as you include Clinton in the top 4 worst presidents. In Wilson’s case, I know he was a progressive and after the League of Nations failed paved the way for the UN but we still don’t know how much damage his wife caused after his stroke. She may well have been our first two for one female president. I am supposed to forgive my enemies their trespasses but it is hard to do in FDR’s case, but I will try.
My point in my mind really was that FDR wanted the confrontation with Japan and he wanted to get involved in Europe. I agree it was bound to happen just that he moved it in that direction.