"The United States ... England and France ... sent a note to Japan last week demanding that she cut down on her navies – and yesterday the note came back with an answer – 'Go to it – let's have a naval race' or to the point. And then Thursday night they had a program on the radio discussing the next war in confident tones. Somehow everything seems to point to 1940 as the turning point – as the time when climax is reached. Everyone seems sure that there will be a war soon.... All the boys I know will be old enough to die in a war in 1940.... But think 1940 – death – war – oh, why must it be?"

General Douglas MacArthur (l.) and Emperor Hirohito (r.)
AP