What are the arguments that have to be considered when assessing the role of US policy prior to the outbreak of World War II?

I think
that a couple of arguments need to be addressed in order to fully assess the American actions in
light of the attitudes leading to the war.  The first would have to be that the modern
understanding of Hitler and the Holocaust might not be entirely applicable to the time period.
 The easiest critique of the American isolationism prior to the war is to wonder how America
could be silent to the threat of Hitler and the Holocaust.  The problem with this argument is
that it presumes a modern understanding of a historical and temporal reality. When we now use
"Hitler" and "The Holocaust," it is based on the historical understanding of
what the Holocaust actually was and what Hitler actually represented.  It might be a bit unfair
to be able to use the lens of historical reflection and apply it to the temporal context of what
was happening.  This is not to excuse isolationism in the face of pure terror, but rather to
understand the political calculations of the time.  Simply put,...