Hello, and thank you for listening to the history of World War II podcast, Episode

219, when diplomacy fails.

Last time, as Tokyo and Washington continued to go round and round in the summer of 1941,

in the forms of Ambassador Nomura and President Roosevelt or Secretary of State

whole, progress of any kind was not the result.

Indeed, in July, Japan pushed further into southern French Indochina to the consternation

of Washington, which let the Japanese shot by the American's reactions.

Whereas FDR not only froze all Japanese assets within the country, money badly needed to

buy American oil and gas, but he also made the entire process more cumbersome for Tokyo,

and gave himself the option of stomping such sales at any time.

But this was just an economic slap across the face, compared to what came next.

The woefully inadequate Philippine Army was nationalized into the service of the United States, then

the War Department set up a new far eastern command, and General Douglas MacArthur was brought

out of retirement and made ranking officer of this new command, to which Tokyo could only

assume that major resources would now be flowing into the island nation just southwest

of the Japanese home islands.

But then it was Japan's turn to overreact.

On July 30th, as the Japanese had sent their naval planes to Baum Chongqing, Chiang Kai

Shek's relatively new capital.

One bomber peeled off of the formation and went after the US gunboat Tatula, itself anchored

next to the American embassy.

Though the vessel was damaged, no lives were lost.

...