Slitherine

quote:

1. Italy had been kicked completely out of Africa, not just North
Africa. No German units had ever been sent to Africa.

2. No German naval units had intercepted a convoy from USA or Canada.

3. No German naval units had ever been near North, Central, or South
America.

4. No Japanese naval units had ever been near the USA zones in the Pacific.

5. Japan had captured a couple of cities in China, but had not made any
great territorial gains there. They did destroy a bunch of Chinese
units, but those were evidently quickly replaced.

6. Japan and Germany declared war on Russia in April, 1941. By
September, Japan had captured Vladivostok and a few other smaller
Russian cities. Germany had captured Kiev, Smolensk, and a bunch of
other cities consistent with what the Germans can do if they start in
April, 1941.

7. The Axis put no resources into diplomacy with USA.

Those were the factors that went into the USA's game decision to declare
war as far as I can tell.

...there is no way FDR could have gotten a
declaration of war out of Congress in September 1941, with the war
strictly confined outside of the Americas and outside of the USA's
Pacific interests, without a clear causus belli.