Why war plans do not prove an Anglo-American war was likely

Why does the idea of an Anglo-American war without the treaty system persist despite evidence against it?

Observers mistake planning and exercises against the strongest possible opponent for political intent, reinforced by junior officers and later historians who treated contingency work as evidence of likely war.

Britain and the United States exercised against one another because each offered the most demanding available fleet problem, not because leaders expected war. Navies prepare for both the greatest potential threat and the most likely threats. A large file of plans against allies, rivals, and minor powers demonstrates institutional contingency planning rather than inevitable conflict.