Diary+1-+Dec+20,+1937

Dear Dairy,

Having been inaugurated for a 2nd term this year, I feel the great dependency this nation places upon my back to lead them out of their economic struggles and into prosperous times. The depression has left our country weak. Depression has left many countries around the world desperate for food and hope of a turn in fate.

Amidst the hunger and turmoil, a feud stirs in Europe. And though I feel the beginnings of an upswing in both spirits and economy here, I dare not risk the livelihoods of my people for a battle that is not our own. It was this precaution that led me to sign an act of neutrality a few month ago. I was hoping that signing the act would keep the U.S. out of war. At that time I was so sure of my decision to stay out of war, but now, admittedly, I have doubts. The Marco Polo Bridge incident earlier in July seems to have been the last straw for China. China can't stand Japan's unrelenting geographical advances. Japan's tactics in trying to take over China, I find both curious and revolting. They killed more than 200,000 Chinese civilians when conquering Nanking, very brutally I must add, and then proceeded to establish a puppet goverment in Peking earlier this month. Clearly, Japan's objective is to dominate China. When brute force was not enough, they moved on to a political approach. In retrospect, war between those two countries was inevitable. It appears that Japan and China are now beginning a full scale war with Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union aiding and abetting. I am very sympathetic toward China, but I must keep reminding myself that this is not our battle. Personally, I can't stand Japan. Last month they bombed a U.S. river gunboat, and though they apologized profusely, I hope this war puts an end to their reckless and violent behavior. Emperor Showa should know better than to waste his people's lives on such an ignoble mission. Surely, Prime Minister Konoe will guide the Japanese people in a wiser manner than his predecessors. The journey towards conquering China will be expensive, in both money and lives. Japan's economy will surely suffer a great deal in the years to come.

Meanwhile, Adolf Hitler creates trouble in Europe with his totalitarian single-party state led by the Nazis. With so much chaos around the world, I wonder if the U.S. involvement is necessary to keep peace.