MAK,
My point is that the trade embargo ( "deliberate egging on of Imperial Japan") was put in place because of Japanese aggregations as in arming far beyond agreements and the invasion and brutal occupation of China. To do nothing would have been to supply the Japanese with the materials to continue. Not a good choice either. So to say that the invasion of China had little to do with ww 2 but to blame the embargo for contributing to it makes the assumption that the embargo was put in place for no reason at all. Japan chose to invade China, Japan chose to respond to the embargo with an attack. It was not a "world war" in 1931 but the invasion of China was war, and it was the beginning of what would turn into "world war".
FDR was in a very bad position. Knowing we (the USA) had to get into the war but needing to get Russia in first (Stalin would have likely stood by on the sidelines waiting until the rest of the world was on its knees and then had his way) or the outcome might not have been good (for our side) and not wanting to be the bad guy that got us into the war (people tend to give credit for a save but not for prevention) FDR at least wanted if not needed something to galvanize American public opinion.
