In this interpretation, some people within the American government system saw war with Japan as an opportunity to expand US influence and weaken European colonial powers. Their language of liberation included Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and South Africa. The criticism distinguishes those dominions from India and parts of Africa, where the case against colonial rule is treated differently. These competing American aims form another domestic constraint on the negotiations with Japan.
Notable Point · 1:40:50-1:43:29
American interventionism and anti-colonial aims
The historical interpretation links some American support for war with Japan to wider ambitions for US influence and the weakening of European empires.