War

In 1937 Japan, a small island country, invaded China to get the raw materials they needed to survive. The US had to take a stand as the experts said if Japan gets away with this they will just invade other countries. In July of 1941 the US blocked oil shipments to Japan which meant the end of their economy. When a country is pushed far enough they will act like a cornered animal and strike out which Japan did on December 7, 1942 by attacking Pearl Harbor. Fast forward to 1991 and the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Gorbachev told Bush 41 that he would end the Warsaw Pact if the US promised not to expand NATO. James Baker, Secretary of State, assured Groby that would not happen. Declassified documents show security assurances against NATO expansion to Soviet leaders from Baker, Bush, Genscher, Kohl, Gates, Mitterrand, Thatcher, Hurd, Major, and Woerner Washington D.C., December 12, 2017 – U.S. Secretary of State James Baker’s famous “not one inch eastward” assurance about NATO expansion in his meeting with Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev on February 9, 1990 At that time there were 12 NATO members. Over the years 19 more countries joined and each time the Russian leaders warned against the expansion. In 2008 Putin told the world that if NATO admitted Ukraine that would be a red line that Russia could not abide with. Many historians say that FDR blocked oil to Japan because the knew they would have to respond and he wanted them to attack so he could say they started the war. Some historians are now saying that the US policy since the end of the cold war has been to push Russia into attacking Ukraine. Perhaps in another 20 years secret documents will reveal what was going on behind the scenes.