Derek Pullem said:However.......if Japan were to press home some of these attacks at the expense of its Chinese adventures then the US may not even consider an oil embargo. Bashing communists will always play well to the voters even if the Chinese get hurt too (especially if it can be shown that are Communist backed). It will depend on how the Neutrality Acts in the US (if they exist at all) are applied.
A Gallup poll taken in 1939 asked who would you rather win in a war between Germany and the Soviet Union. The results came back overwhelmingly in favour of a Soviet victory... don't try to cut and paste post Cold War ideals onto pre War USA.
The Japanese were far more unpopular than the Soviets because they were far more of an immediate risk. An attack on Russia may not have the same impact on US Foreign policy as an attack on China but it wouldn't be seen as a positive either.
The Neutrality Acts don't exist in a world without FDR. It may lead to some interesting equipment poping up all over Europe and Asia...
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