Treaty ratios, Japanese insecurity and British readiness

The argument is that treaty ratios encouraged Japanese planners to view a long war against the United States as unwinnable and to interpret events through insecurity. At the same time, Britain rested on paper strength that knowledgeable officers could distinguish from real operational capability. Nelson and Rodney were powerful but too slow to supply all the fleet's needs, leaving the Queen Elizabeth class as much of its practical battle-line muscle. The apparent stability therefore concealed weakness on one side and fear on another. Arms-control arrangements could worsen strategic perceptions through this mechanism, although it is not offered as a complete explanation for war in the Pacific.