Here you are, enjoy.
With Britain busy fighting the war with Hitler, it was clear that the only country capable of stopping the japanese expansion in the pacific was the United states. Animosity intensified between the two nations when Japan was forced to seize resources in China due to the ever tightening US embargo which denied japan of vital materials.
In September 1940 Japan became partners with Germany and Italy in the Tripartite Pact, which pledged mutual assistance should the US enter the war.
President Roosevelt reacted by halting Japan`s importation of American petroleum which had provided 90% of Japan`s needs. On July 2, 1941 Japan entered Indochina, the nearest alternative source of fuel. Roosevelt reacted by freezing all Japanese assets in the United States. US participation in the war was inevitable.
Roosevelt had campaigned for a third term of office on the pretext of keeping the US out of the European war. In 1940 a gallop pole indicated that American public opinion was 83% against intervention.
There is an accepted idea amongst WW2 researchers that Roosevelt knew that Pearl Harbour was going to be attacked, these are the suspicious facts to which they point to:
During Pacific exercises in 1932 and 1938, and with Japanese military attaches closely observing. US Navy officers theoretically destroyed the Pacific fleet at Pearl Harbour both times.
Roosevelt ordered the Pacific Fleet moved to the exposed position at Pearl Harbour over the vigorous objections of Admiral James O. Richardson, who was replaced for refusing to issue the order.
Roosevelt, Secretary of State Cordell Hull, and opther high level officials knew war was inevitable and that negotiations with Japan`s Kichiburo Nomura were hopeless since the broken Japanese code revealed that Nomura was instructed not to yeild to Hull`s harsh demands.
They also knew that a large Japanese task force, including Six aircraft carriers had dropped from sight after moving towards America.
This prompted US Army Chief of Staff George C. Marshall. to send this oddly worded message to Pearl Harbour commanders on November 27, 1941," Hostile action possible at any moment. If hostilities cannot, repeat CANNOT, be avoided, the United States desires that Japan commit the first overt act. This policy should not, repeat NOT, be construed as restricting you to a course of action that might jeapordize your defence " Despite this clear warning, with it`s accompanying suggestion not to attack any attackers, Pacific fleet ships remained at anchor and aircraft were bunched into clusters of " Sitting ducks" as "security" against saboteurs.
During the first week of December, Americans intercepted the Japanese diplomatic " Purple" code ordering their embassy in Washington to destroy all secret papers and prepare to evacuate.
On December 4 australian intelligence reported sighting the missing Japanese task force moving toward Pearl Harbour. Roopsevelt dismissed this as rumor begun by pro-war Republicans.
A British agent named Dusko Popov learned of Japan`s plans from German sources but his warnings to Washington were ignored.
Seperate warnings regarding a pending attack on Pearl Harbour, though varying as to a specific time came from Us ambassador to japan Joseph Grew; FBI director J. Edgar Hoover, senator Guy Gillete, Congressman Martin Dies, Brigadier general Elliot Thorpe in Java, and Colonel F.G.L. Weijerman, the Dutch military attache in Washington. Later, dutch naval officer, Captain Johan Ranneft, said sources in US intelligence told him on December 6 that the Japanese carriers were 400 miles northwest of Hawaii.
During investigations after the attack, Mashall and Navy Secretary Frank Knox both testified they could not recall their whereabouts the night of December 6. It was later revealed that they were both in the White House with Roosevelt.
Not one single US aircraft carrier was present when Pearl harbour was attacked.
On November 25, 1941, Secretary of War, Henry Stimson had a conversation with roosevelt, after which he wrote in his diary, " The question was how we should maneuver them into a position of firing the first shot without too much danger to ourselves. . . . It was desirable to make sure the Japanese be the ones to do this so that there should remain no doubt in anyone`s mind as to who were the aggressors."
The most damning indication yet of Roosevelt`s foreknowledge of an attack on Pearl Harbour came from the 1948 interrogation of Germany`s Gestapo chief, Heinrich Mueller. Mueller stated that on November 26, 1941, the Germans in holland intercepted a trans-atlantic telephone conversation between Roosevelt and Winston Churchill.
Churchill informed Roosevelt of the movements of the Japanese fleet and stated " i can assure you that their goal is the ( conversation broken) fleet at Pearl Harbour."
" This is monstrous," exclaimed Roosevelt. " Can you tell me. . . indicate. . . the nature of your intelligence?"
" reliable" answered Churchill, who mentioned agents within the Japanese military, as well as the broken code.
"The obvious implication is that the Japs are going to do a Port Arthur on us at Pearl Harbour. Do you concur?" asked Roosevelt. Churchill replied " I do indeed unless they add an attack on the Panama Canal to this vile business."
Roosevelt then said " I will have to consider the entire problem. . . A Japanese attack on us, which would result in war between-and certainly you as well-would certainly fulfill two of the most important requirements of our policy." Roosevelt speaks of absenting himself from the White house on some pretext, adding " What i don`t know, can`t hurt me and i cannot understand messages at a distance."
addressing the unlikely proposition that US Military officers would have knowingly allowed American units to be attacked, author Douglas explained, " The warning did not come to Roosevelt from below but on a parallel level and from a foreign intelligence source which was far better equiped to decode and translate the Japanese transmissions"
Foreknowledge of the Decmber 7 attack gives new meaning to Roosevelts words concerning " A date that will live on in infamy."
As you said 2400 killed, 1200 wounded, four battle ships sunk, three badly damaged and many other smaller vessels and hundreds of aircraft destroyed.
A special commission was appointed by Roosevelt to determine responsibility for the attack. The Roberts commission blamed dereliction of duty on Pearl Harbour commanders, Admiral Husband Kimmel and General Walter C. short, for the tragedy and then disbanded.
Incensed, the two officers sought a court martial to clear their names, which was mandated by congress in 1944. During the proceedings, internal investigations by both the Army and the Navy were shown to have fixed blame on the attack on marshall and other Washington chiefs. Kimmel was exonerated and Short recieved a light reprimand. Like the future warren Commission, the Roberts commission had operated under the presumption of guilt and had selectively chosen evidence to fit this bias. Furthermore, investigators concluded that if decoded messages had been forewarded to Kimmel in Hawaii they may have provided " the probable exact hour and date of the attack "
There is a 40 volume government report on the attack on Pearl Harbour, few Americans have heard of it, let alone viewed it`s contents.
Disturbing. In 60 years you will read the same about 9/11.
People who lost loved ones have my deepest sympathy.