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What was the “Back Door to War” theory about Franklin D. Roosevelt?

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Pearl Harbor attack A U.S. battleship sinking during the Pearl Harbor attack.

The “Back Door to War” theory is a revisionist historical perspective asserting that President Franklin D. Roosevelt intentionally manipulated events to provoke a Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.12

According to this theory, Roosevelt was determined to aid Great Britain against Nazi Germany but was constrained by strong American public opposition to entering World War II. Proponents, such as historians Charles A. Beard and Charles C. Tansill, argue that Roosevelt sought a "back door" to the European conflict by inciting Japan in the Pacific.12

The theory contends that the administration:
* Imposed economic embargoes on scrap metal and petroleum to increase tensions with Tokyo.2
* Anticipated a Japanese strike on the U.S. fleet in Hawaii.2
* Deliberately withheld intelligence regarding the imminent attack from military commanders to ensure a surprise that would create an overwhelming public consensus for war.2

While influential in certain historical debates, this theory remains a subject of significant scholarly contention regarding Roosevelt's motivations and actions leading up to December 1941.23