Major General Smedley Butler predicted a war with the Japanese in his book &quot;War is a Racket&quot;:<p><i>Then they begin to cry for a larger navy. For what? To fight the enemy? Oh my, no. Oh, no. For defense purposes only.<p>Then, incidentally, they announce maneuvers in the Pacific. For defense. Uh, huh.<p>The Pacific is a great big ocean. We have a tremendous coastline on the Pacific. Will the maneuvers be off the coast, two or three hundred miles? Oh, no. The maneuvers will be two thousand, yes, perhaps even thirty-five hundred miles, off the coast.<p>The Japanese, a proud people, of course will be pleased beyond expression to see the united States fleet so close to Nippon&#x27;s shores. Even as pleased as would be the residents of California were they to dimly discern through the morning mist, the Japanese fleet playing at war games off Los Angeles.</i>