Prior to September 11, 2001, the most significant attack on United States soil was represented by the Japanese attack on the United States Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. Up until this time, the United States government and public were reluctant for America to involve itself in what was generally perceived as a ôEuropeanö conflict. Nevertheless, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt urged Congress to approve United States involvement in the war. The alleged ôsurpriseö attack on Pearl Harbor by the Japanese caught United States forces by complete surprise. Earlier that same day Winston Churchill had appealed to the United States to enter the war, while President Roosevelt had sent a warning to the Emperor of Japan underscoring the fact that war could not be averted unless the Japanese yielded to American sentiments. Because of this, a great deal of controversy revolves around the attack on Pearl Harbor and the response by United States forces under the leadership of President Roosevelt. As Conrad Crane (2001) argues, many felt that Roosevelt purposefully agitated Japan to attack the United States ôin order to galvanize a reluctant American public into supporting national participation in World War IIö (157). This analysis will reveal the reasons behind JapanÆs attack on Pearl Harbor and whether or not President Roosevelt was the right man at the right time for the job.
The attack on Pearl Harbor occurred during an era when terrorism and unannounced attacks were rare. The attack on Pearl Harbor unfolded at a time when Japanese negotiators were still involved in talks in Washington. The devastation of Pearl Harbor prompted a six-minute appeal to Congress for war by Roosevelt that was overwhelmingly approved by both Houses within an hour. From the White House, President Roosevelt delivered one of his most famous addresses among many, ôYesterday, December 7, 1941 û a date that will live in infamy û t...