The Attack on Pearl Harbor

The attack on Pearl Harbor occurred on December 7, 1941. It was a surprise attack on the U.S. fleet moored in the harbor by the Japanese air force. Ever since, there has been speculation about the intentions of the Japanese in making this attack. The destruction of the fleet at Pearl Harbor could be no more than a temporary limitation on the ability of the United States to defend herself or to retaliate, as indeed proved to be the case. Prior to this attack, though, there was no reason to retaliate. The Japanese appeared to be casting a challenge in a way that was certain to bring about their destruction in a war they could not hope to win. The secrecy of the attack has been questioned in recent years as evidence has accumulated that the United Stats may have intercepted messages and monitored communications so that it was known that there would be an attack, though not necessarily precisely when and where. In any case, the issue remains as to what Japan wanted, why she attacked Pearl Harbor, and whether her intentions had any chance of success. An examination of the event and what led up to it will lead to a comparison of different views as to why Japan made this attack and declared war on the United States.

The attack on Pearl harbor should be seen first as a continuation of earlier Japanese policies. Japan had launched surprise attacks before, in the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895 and the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905. At the time,

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d often the result was that there was a lack of coordination of different information which left the policies vague and the different groups uncertain about what their data meant. She also finds that the American intelligence services and the Administration in Washington were often no more knowledgeable than public news sources and at times even less, such as when the government jumped to the erroneous conclusion that the Japanese Cabinet change of July 16 meant a breathing spell for the Vichy government. The fact that the Administration in Washington had many more signals to analyze than did the overseas command did not mean that Washington understood the meaning of all these signals or was able to come to the right conclusions: They were in fact bombarded with conflicting messages about Japan's next aggressive moves and with divergent interpretations of conversations with Nomura and public statements by Japanese officials. They were also tossed in a storm of policy discussion about what would and what would not effectively deter Japan. It was clear to Washington that relations between America and Japan were deteriorating during the eighteen months prior to the attack on Pearl Harbor, and the American oil embargo cont

Category: History - T