Could Ernest King obstruct coalition command?

Could Ernest King's dislike of close cooperation with the Royal Navy derail the combined command?

King could object, but he was not the senior Pacific commander in early 1939, and the officers above the theater arrangement plus President Roosevelt would determine American participation.

King cooperated with the Royal Navy when wartime necessity required it historically. More importantly, the counterfactual must use the American command structure of 1939 rather than King's later wartime prominence. Edward C. Kalbfus and then James O. Richardson are the relevant senior Pacific commanders, both with substantial professional naval experience. Roosevelt remains president and therefore has the final political authority over whether American forces join and how the coalition is organized.