Eighty Years Ago: Asia Pacific, July 25 – 31, 1940

July 25, 1940: Japanese troop movements observed near China’s border with French Indochina July 26, 1940: US President Franklin D. Roosevelt halts the export to Japan, without license, of aviation … Continue Reading →

Eighty Years Ago: Asia Pacific, July 18 – 24, 1940

July 18, 1940: Britain bows to Japanese pressure and temporarily closes down Burma Road, essential lifeline to beleaguered Chinese forces July 19, 1940: President Franklin D. Roosevelt signs ‘Two Oceans … Continue Reading →

Eighty Years Ago: Asia Pacific, July 11 – 17, 1940

July 11, 1940: Frank Knox assumes office as US secretary of the navy July 12, 1940: Light cruiser USS Phoenix reaches Chile’s Pacific coast on goodwill tour to South American … Continue Reading →

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 →