Comments by "Steve Valley" (@stevevalley7835) on "Context, Cordite and Perspective - Thoughts and Clarifications" video.

@Philistine47 I had not heard of the UK wanting out of the alliance with Japan, but, seems to me, the alliance outlived it's usefulness. iirc, the UK wanted to use the Japanese to keep an eye on Russian and German ambition in the Pacific. With Russia defanged by the revolution, and all the German colonies forfeited after the war, the only possible seaborne opponents for Japan were the UK and US.
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@patrickradcliffe3837 I would say, if, officially, Japan had stayed in the treaty system, the 1939 South Dakotas would be exactly the same as they were historically. For whatever reason, the UK wanted 14" on the KGVs, so pressed for a 14" limit in Second London. My sense is the US only agreed to the 14" limit, in conjunction with the escalator clause, designed to trip only four months after the treaty went into effect. The escalator clause was almost certain to trip, because Japan had given notice in 34 it was dropping out of the treaty. If Japan had not given notice, then there is no assurance the escalator clause would trip, so the US would not have done the kabuki dance of accepting 14" in the treaty. There was nothing that prevented the UK building below the 16" treaty limit. France, Italy, and Germany, were all building below the 16" limit. The only reason I can think of for the UK wanting the 14" limit in the treaty is political optics, they didn't want to be seen building an "undergunned" ship.
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