You are correct, the conspiracy theory I'm referring to was the US government was deliberately doing such things in an effort to spur the Japanese to attack a U

You are correct, the conspiracy theory I'm referring to was the US government was deliberately doing such things in an effort to spur the Japanese to attack a US target for justification to enter the war. Up until Pearl Harbor the American people had little desire to enter the war, which obviously changed in a big way after the attack. I should have been clearer. The fun part of the conspiracy was the fact that the all-important aircraft carriers were not in port for the attack. Mind you, I don't necessarily agree with the theory, just mentioning it. But your what-if at the end there, that is one that would be interesting to consider the outcomes of that potential path of history.