Driven by their desire for resources and an Asian empire, Japan invades China. The US joins the global outcry as Japanese troops brutally destroy the Chinese capital of Nanking. FDR responds with a crippling oil embargo, but Japan refuses to back down, propelling them towards an attack on Pearl Harbor that will change the trajectory of WWII and the world.

This episode features interviews with (in order of appearance):

• Geoffrey Wawro, professor, University of North Texas
• Noriko Kawamura, professor, Washington State University
• Takima Melber, the University of Heidelberg
• Robert Citino, senior historian, National WWII Museum
• Dan Carlin, podcaster, Hardcore History
• Colonel Douglas Douds, professor, US Army War College
• Christopher Harding, cultural historian, University of Edinburgh
• Jon Meacham, presidential historian
• Leah Wright Rigueur, associate professor, Johns Hopkins University
• Jonathan Parshall, military historian, US Naval War College
• Max Brooks, fellow, Modern War Institute, West Point