War Plan Orange
US Foreign Policy
War Plan Orange
War Plan Orange is an American strategy against Japan in case of war with Japan. War Plan Orange was started, by Theodore Roosevelt, in 1890 because Japanese warships started snooping around Hawaii after many Japanese laborers had emigrated to Hawaii, a US protectorate. War Plan Orange has changed as the threat from Japan changed. After Hawaii was annex in 1898, the fear of Japan laying a claim on Japan faded. However, there were suspicions that the Japanese wanted the Philippine Islands to resettle their growing population. There was evidence of a secret society that aided in a native insurrection against the US rule in the Philippines; however, only Japan’s covetousness of Blue possessions was mentioned in the Orange plan.
After thousands of Japanese immigrated to California between 1891 and 1906, white racists victimized the Orientals and Politicians passed laws that violated treaties between Japan and the United States. These actions caused the Japanese to become outraged. Fear that war with Japan was imminent, the Naval War College staff pondered on a Blue-Orange war scenario.
War Plan Orange had assigned color codes to different countries; Japan was named, Orange and US was named, Blue. War Plan Orange was never enacted by Congress or signed by the President until after 1941. This war policy was determined by varied and informal manner.
Due to the distance and geography, War Plan
Orange was stated in three phases.
Phase I: United
States expected that Japan would take over lightly defended
American
outposts to secure supply of oil and other raw materials.
These territories would involve the
American outposts to the south and west of Japan. The United
States would not be able to defend
these territories successfully due to the War Plan Orange War
Plan Orange concentration of the US
Navy at home ports. However, the US Navy could mobilize in the
Eastern Pacific.
Phase II: With superior
naval and air power, the United States would advance to the West.
Each intense
small-scale battle would procure Japanese Islands. Supply lines
would be secure with the
establishment of advanced naval and air bases. Resisting
with expendable forces, Japan would trade
distance for time and destruction of the attacking fleet. However,
due to the United States
greater production power, the United States would will the
attrition battles. The United States would
regain the base in the Philippines after two or three years.
Japan would be severed from ocean trade
by the tightening blockade. This will result in a battle
where both fleets would meet in a cataclysmic
engagement where the United States would be victorious.
Phase III: United States would
advance toward Japan using the islands parallel to the coast of
Asia. This will
allow the building of new bases for economic warfare. These
bases would allow the United States to
choke Japan of all trade and air bombardment on Japan’s
cities and industries until peace was
established with their army intact in Japan and in China.
Japan’s pride would prove fatal.
FDR Changes Foreign Policy
Although President Roosevelt close the case on the Japanese sinking of the USS Panay on December 25, 1937 due to Japan’s apology, promise to pay damages, and guaranteeing the safety of the rights and interests of the American nationals in China. Japanese continued to harass and abuse American citizens in China. This caused President Roosevelt to take a firmer stance against Japan. President Roosevelt supported British proposal to establish a naval blockade around Japan; however, the British changed their decision and only issued a verbal disagreement toward Japan’s actions in China. President Roosevelt did not go through with the naval blockade due to the lack of support by British government. President Roosevelt did move up the cruise for the American Fleet for a time earlier than mid-March.
Due to the strong isolationistic tendencies of the American
public and policies, President Roosevelt was unable to take a
firmer stand against Japanese aggression in China. The United
States wanted to avoided conflicted at all costs. Therefore, the
President’s hands were tied and he could not take further
action against Japan.
by Peter Bugler May 6, 2001