oct 7, 1940 - The Arthur McCollum Memorandum: Naval Intelligence in Washington and the communications routing officer for President Roosevelt, wrote a plan designed to overcome public opposition to entering the war by provoking Japan to strike the United States first

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In 1940, Lieutenant Commander Arthur McCollum, a U.S. Naval officer in the Office of Naval Intelligence in Washington and the communications routing officer for President Roosevelt, wrote a plan designed to overcome public opposition to entering the war by provoking Japan to strike the United States first. The document was obtained through a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request by Robert B. Stinnett, author of "Day of Deceit: The Truth About FDR and Pearl Harbor".
In this document, McCollum notes that,
"It is not believed that in the present state of political opinion the United States government is capable of declaring war against Japan without more ado", followed by 8 suggested courses of action. McCollum explains his proposal in no uncertain terms:
"If by these means Japan could be led to commit an overt act of war, so much the better."

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