"Gentlemen, if the German Navy launched an attack on us, could we hold back the German assault and then defeat the German Navy in one stroke, turning the tide?" President Roosevelt asked.
A flicker of hope flashed through President Roosevelt's eyes. Even at such a moment, he had not entirely given up hope. Though he knew the chances of defeating the German Navy were slim, he did not want the flames of war to spread to American soil. If they could defeat the German Navy, perhaps they could push the war onto the European continent. In that case, even if the United States could not completely defeat Germany, it could at least ensure that it held the advantage. That was far better than having war erupt on American soil and hoping to defeat the German Army with a powerful land force.
General Marshall and Admiral Harold Stark both saw the hope in President Roosevelt's eyes and understood what he meant. But they could not disregard the actual situation and deceive President Roosevelt with lies.
Admiral Harold Stark thought for a moment, then said, "Mr. President, if the German Navy enters the East Coast, then with the assistance of the Army Air Corps, our chances of defeating the German Navy are still quite high."
But President Roosevelt was clearly an old fox as well. Of course, he understood Admiral Harold Stark's unspoken meaning. If the German Navy did not enter the East Coast, then it would be extremely difficult—perhaps even impossible—for the American Navy to defeat it. But would the German Navy be foolish enough to enter the combat radius of US Army Air Corps aircraft? That was clearly unlikely. The German Navy's most likely course of action would be to launch surprise attacks, then withdraw immediately after succeeding. In that