In this interpretation of prewar planning, the US Navy expects Britain to hold the Atlantic while American forces concentrate on the Pacific. A European war is something to avoid unless participation becomes necessary. A British or American war with Japan creates a different problem: remaining outside it would imperil the other power's position in the Far East. US isolationism is therefore described as chiefly Atlantic-facing, with the western Pacific treated as an area of direct strategic concern.
Notable Point · 1:00:05-1:01:21
US Pacific planning and Atlantic-facing isolationism
The strategic comparison distinguishes reluctance to enter a European war from the American commitment to its position in the Pacific.