More than a decade earlier, the economic crisis had pushed the United States' economy to the brink of collapse. Unemployment had soared, and the nation had suffered a crushing blow. To rescue the country from the economic crisis, President Roosevelt had chosen to expand armaments production, using government procurement orders to stimulate economic growth. This had allowed the United States to gain formidable military strength while escaping the economic crisis.
However, the consequence was that the US government had taken on an enormous debt burden. It had even reached the brink of bankruptcy. For this reason, President Roosevelt had no choice but to set his sights on foreign war.
If the United States could emerge victorious in a foreign war, the gains it obtained would allow it to swiftly shake off those debts and become the world's hegemon in one stroke.
That was precisely why American government and military officials had ambitiously wanted to join this war. Although they all knew their enemies were exceptionally formidable, and that the possibility of defeat was very high, they still wanted to give it a try. They hoped a miracle would occur and allow them to win the war in one fell swoop.
But now, the war had begun. Yet the American military's performance had clearly fallen short of their expectations. The powerful American Navy had actually been defeated by the German Navy in its very first naval battle—and defeated so thoroughly that it was a complete rout. Without question, this meant that although the United States had only just entered the war, it was already in an extremely disadvantageous position.
"Your Excellency President, I am truly very sorry!" Admiral Harold Stark said once again. His face was filled with guilt. If he could, he would even have wanted to die to atone