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a matter of great distress to the Germans and a matter of very great anguish to the Germans. It seemed most unfair. There were a good many American citizens sailing the seas in these convoys of goods for Britian. The zoning arrangement seemed right and natural and it was taken for granted by the Cabinet.
There was also a good deal of talk in Cabinet meeting about keeping the Japanese from attacking the Russians in the Far East. That seemed like a good deal of hooey to me, although I knew nothing about the potential. But there was a good deal of arguing about the animosity of the Russo- Japanese War which had never fully died down. That always seemed like hooey to me because I don't believe that nations have their feelings hurt and remember for years like dogs who have been kicked. That was so far back. However, I dare- say there were ambitious groups in Japan that might have promoted the idea.
Roosevelt made it clear through this whole period, and I think we all agreed with him, that we were more and more involved in assistance to the British, and intended to be. There was always a great deal of talk about the hazard the British were in the Pacific, in Singapore. This was when Roosevelt commented about “Ernie King's ocean.” Ernie King wanted the British to get out of the Pacific cimpletely and let him to do it all. Roosevelt said, “That's Ernie King's
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