Eighty Years Ago: Asia Pacific, July 4 – 10, 1940

July 4, 1940: Admiral James O. Richardson, Commander in Chief, United States Fleet, in Washington for discussions on keeping US Pacific Fleet in Hawaiian waters. Richardson opposes the idea, believing … Continue Reading →


Eighty Years Ago: Asia Pacific, June 27 – July 3, 1940

June 27, 1940: US President Franklin D. Roosevelt invokes 1917 Espionage Act in order to monitor ship movements near Panama Canal June 28, 1940: As French General Charles de Gaulle … Continue Reading →


Eighty Years Ago: Asia Pacific, June 20 – 26, 1940

June 20, 1940: Light cruiser USS Phoenix leaves Hawaiian waters for goodwill tour of Pacific coast of South America. Photo: Naval History and Heritage Command June 21, 1940: As France … Continue Reading →


Eighty Years Ago: Asia Pacific, June 13 – 19, 1940

June 13, 1940: As France faces collapse in war with Germany, Japan applies pressure to French authorities in Indochina, warning them against providing aid to beleaguered Chinese government June 14, … Continue Reading →


Eighty Years Ago: Asia Pacific, June 6 – 12, 1940

  June 6, 1940: Japanese passenger liner Nitta Matu arrives in Los Angeles for the first time, heralding new age in transport across the Pacific. (Two years on, it is … Continue Reading →


Eighty Years Ago: Asia Pacific, May 30 – June 5, 1940

May 30, 1940: Possibility of German victory in Europe prompt US Senate Naval Affairs Committee to discuss likelihood that US Navy will have to fight war in Pacific and Atlantic … Continue Reading →


Eighty Years Ago: Asia Pacific, May 23 – 29, 1940

  May 23, 1940: Japanese press, citing ‘reliable sources’, says Chinese communist leader Mao Zedong, right, has died from tuberculosis May 24, 1940: Japanese forces renew offensive in China’s Hubei … Continue Reading →


Eighty Years Ago: Asia Pacific, May 16 – 22, 1940

May 16, 1940: As war seems to draw closer to the US, President Franklin D. Roosevelt calls for 50,000 planes to be built annually May 17, 1940: US President Franklin … Continue Reading →


Eighty Years Ago: Asia Pacific, May 9 – 15, 1940

May 9, 1940: Japanese Army allocates hundreds of tanks to offensive in China’s Henan and Hubei province May 10, 1940: Just hours after Germany invades the Netherlands, martial law is … Continue Reading →


Eighty Years Ago: Asia Pacific, May 2 – 8, 1940

May 2, 1940: Japan says it pursues a policy of ‘non-involvement’ in the European war May 3, 1940: Japanese forces advancing in China’s Anhui province reportedly met by counteroffensive May … Continue Reading →