The United States and Japan Before, During, and After World War Two

Events Leading to the War in the Pacific and Pearl Harbor

Pearl Harbor would begin as a thought in January of 1941 when Adm. Yamamoto begins talks with Japanese officers about a possible naval attack. Not many are aware that American officials were aware of a possible attack of Pearl Harbor later that January. Joseph C. Grew, U.S ambassador to Japan, contacts Washington about the possible threat but no one in Washington takes it seriously. They believed an attack would happen across the pacific rather than at home. Despite their lack of belief, the U.S still monitors Japan’s secret messages to combat possible threats. By mid-November of 1941 Submarines depart from Japan and aircrafts are preparing for flight. From the night of December 6th to the morning of December 7th the Japanese begin their attack on Hawaii. A message was forwarded to the ones in high command in Washington before 9am which was 4 hours before the attack however that message is not further translated to commanders at Pearl Harbor until almost an hour after the attack. The attack lasted for over two hours and resulted in 2,400 American dead and 1,200 wounded. The following Journal by John T Flynn is called The Truth About Pearl Harbor and was written in 1945. This text describes the authors thoughts on Pearl Harbor and the events leading up to the event. The text also goes into depth about the Roosevelt administration and how they actively provoked the Japanese before Pearl Harbor. Flynn makes questions about who holds responsibility for the attacks. This source is interesting because it provides an alternative look at the origins of pearl harbor.
 

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