"Report: Britain has sent a telegram. The reconnaissance aircraft they dispatched discovered the German fleet—a fleet of enormous scale. However, before the telegram could be completed, it was shot down by German fighters. Britain has already lost more than a dozen reconnaissance aircraft because of this," President Roosevelt's secretary said as he entered the office and reported to everyone.
This news made the faces of the American military's top brass turn even uglier.
"Mr. President, it is obvious that the German Navy has deployed on a very large scale. Furthermore, their air-defense preparations are extremely tight. It will undoubtedly be very difficult for Britain to use reconnaissance aircraft to ascertain the German fleet's situation," Admiral Harold Stark said.
"Then can we determine whether the force currently in the waters southeast of Greenland is the main force of the German Navy?" President Roosevelt asked.
"Mr. President, I'm afraid that will be difficult. Each of the German Navy's three fleets in the Atlantic Ocean is enormous. Unless a reconnaissance aircraft flies over the entire German fleet, it will be impossible to determine their true scale," Admiral Harold Stark replied.
President Roosevelt nodded. He knew that this was an extremely difficult matter.
"Gentlemen, the Germans have already moved. That is already a tremendous threat to us. We cannot sit and wait for death any longer, wasting time. If we take no action, we can only watch helplessly as the Germans deal with the British Navy. By then, it will undoubtedly be even more difficult for us to confront the German Navy," Frank Knox said.
"Mr. Secretary, but what if this is a German plot? What if our Navy's main force heads north to reinforce the British Navy, while the Germans use their main force to launch a surprise attack on our East Coast?