The political alternative to absorbing the first blow is an emergency White House meeting before the Japanese launch. Roosevelt could present senators with tracking reports showing a carrier force inside striking range and announce that the Navy intends to attack first. Bringing newspaper editors into the information chain would make legislators answer publicly for any refusal that left American lives exposed. It would be a dirty political trick, and secretly assembling so many people would be difficult, but it offers a path between presidential inaction and a formal declaration of war.
Notable Point · 58:18-1:01:17
Roosevelt's congressional hardball option
Roosevelt could confront senators and newspaper editors with evidence of an imminent strike, making refusal to support action politically costly.