Did Most Americans Feel Optimistic About the Threat Posed by Japan?

It was very difficult for americans to imagine that japan would seriously take on the united states. Most people were more concerned with events in asia, and how to contain it. The philippines had actually been promised independence for 19 forty five. So there was worry that if the us left the philippines as an independent state, it might be weak,. And so in that sense, a little bit of a concern about an american territory but certainly not American mainland concerns.