How tactical bargaining success can undermine strategy

The discussion asks whether the negotiators were thinking as naval strategists or simply pressing every advantage available at the conference. Tactical and professional competence differ from the ability to connect peacetime policy with the conditions of a future war. Restricting both Japan's fleet and its island defenses resembles terms imposed on a defeated enemy. Because Japan had fought with the victorious coalition, that apparent triumph in bargaining risked creating a more hostile strategic environment.