Would a British company have received the same response at Magdalena Bay?

Would the United States have reacted the same way if the company seeking Magdalena Bay had been British rather than Japanese?

The lecture suggests a different response was likely, especially if the bidder included an American partner, while acknowledging that Washington could have reacted similarly.

The comparison follows an interpretation of early US-Japanese friction that connects the American opening of Japan with racial assumptions and surprise at Japan's rapid development. A British bidder is considered a possible case of different treatment, although an identical American reaction remains possible. The suggested British tactic is to include an American corporation in the venture, giving American commercial interests a stake in the purchase. A Japanese-American partnership is then considered on the same basis, including a hypothetical arrangement with 60 percent Japanese participation. These proposed partnerships are counterfactual examples of how ownership structure could affect political opposition.