On October 7, 1940, Lieutenant Commander Arthur McCollum of the Office of Naval Intelligence submitted a memo to Navy Captains Walter Anderson and
Dudley Knox (whose endorsement is included in the following scans). Captains Anderson and Knox were two of President Roosevelt's most trusted
military advisors. The memo, scanned below, detailed an 8 step plan to provoke Japan into attacking the United States. President Roosevelt, over the
course of 1941, implemented all 8 of the recommendations contained in the McCollum memo. Following the eighth provocation, Japan attacked. The public
was told that it was a complete surprise, an "intelligence failure", and America entered World War Two.
There is no evidence that the McCollum Memo was ever seen by FDR. Additionally, only two of the eight items were implemented, and they had been
planned before McCollum ever presented his memo.