bilby
Fair dinkum thinkum
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Roosevelt was supportive and admiring of the Japanese surprise attack, and their sinking of the Pacific Fleet before declaring war
... a fact I learned today to my considerable surprise.
Roosevelt's initial response to the Japanese surprise attack and their unexpected success against a much more highly regarded naval force was very positive; He hailed Japan as "a desirable addition" to the international order, and admired their use of a surprise attack without the formality of a declaration of war.
The Japanese later reached out in secret to Roosevelt to ask for his assistance in brokering a peace deal.
This led to the 1906 Treaty of Portsmouth, which brought the Russo-Japanese war to a close; In addition to their sinking of the Russian Pacific Fleet, Japan also sank the Baltic Fleet which had sailed around the world to relieve the beseiged Russian outposts in Manchuria.
Despite their crushing victories, the Japanese wanted peace, but to save face they asked US President, Theodore Roosevelt, to propose peace talks, so that the Russians wouldn't know it was a Japanese initiative.
A later President also called Roosevelt was to have a very different response to another Japanese surprise sinking of a Pacific Fleet - but it's always a bit different when you are on the receiving end.
