It was also at Tekigaiso, at the end of September, 1941, that Commander in Chief of the Combined Fleet, Isoroku YAMAMOTO, who was asked by Konoe about the Navy's prospects in the fight against the U.S., worried Konoe with the famous words, 'If you say I must, I will show you how much damage we can inflict for the first half a year or a year. However, if it goes on for 2 to 3 years, I have absolutely no confidence.'
昭和16年9月末に近衛から対米戦に対する海軍の見通しを訊かれた連合艦隊司令長官の山本五十六が、「是非やれと言われれば初めの半年や一年は随分と暴れてご覧に入れます。しかし、二年、三年となれば、全く確信は持てません」という有名な回答で近衛を悩ませたのも、この荻外荘においてであった。