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Pearl Harbor Revisionist Analysis

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The Bombing of Pearl Harbor on December 7th 1941 sparked a development of skepticism and conspiracy theories among traditionalist and revisionist historians on whether the attack was justified or not. Traditionalists and historical texts claim the attack was motivated by the imperialistic aspirations of the Japanese in the Pacific region. While the theories of past and current revisionists is that the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor was not a surprise and that it could have been prevented, if it were not for Roosevelt who used deceitful tactics to increase U.S. involvement gradually and to stir up pro-war sentiments in the American public. In order to assess the contestability and interpretations of Pearl Harbor, these various perspectives …show more content…

Despite Franklin D. Roosevelt’s professed neutrality, however, he was apparently already considering the possibility of conflict with Japan. The Office of Naval Intelligence whose duty it was to collect and analyze pertinent information for the Navy, was then assembling material about potential Japanese and communist espionage agents. Franklin D. Roosevelt voiced out his thoughts in an anti-war speeches during his stay in Chautauqua, New York, only four days after signing the August 10 memorandum about the possible incarceration of U.S. Japanese residents which states: “I wish I could keep war from all Nations; but that is beyond my power... I can at least make certain that no act of the United States helps to produce or to promote war.” It was agreed that if the Japanese got into the Isthmus of Kra, the British would fight. The consensus of the War Cabinet was that this should not be allowed to happen, and the members discussed ways to prevent it. They did not believe the United States should strike at the Japanese force without warning. But they didn’t think the United States should sit still either and allow the Japanese to proceed. They decided

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Primary Source Analysis: On December 8, 1941, U.S. Congress declared war on Japan. A wave of hysteria then flooded the nation. America was now immersed in a crisis. What were they to do with the Japanese?

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651 Words | 3 Pages

While the Imperial Navy’s Adm. Isoroku Yamamoto, who was also known as the “chief architect of the attack on Pearl Harbor, stated that he believed it was impossible for Japan to win such a war but Japan had to gain the upper hand at the very beginning so that the United States just might be enticed to the negotiating table” (Timms). Hotta revealed her own interpretation by reviewing relevant published primary sources and the reasons why Japan decided to attack the Pearl Harbor. In addition, everyone talked about going to war such as the “Japan’s top brass referring to the prime minister, the foreign minister, the army and navy ministers, and the chiefs of the army and navy general staff”

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1874 Words | 8 Pages

This event made President Roosevelt upset and fueled his concerns with Japan. It was not really known if this was an intentional attack or unintentional. The Japanese claimed that they did not know that this was an American ship. They did apologize for the attack and paid for the damage they did.

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787 Words | 4 Pages

In his Pearl Harbor address speech, Franklin Delano Roosevelt speaks about the events occurring on December 7, 1941. The Empire of Japan had recently attacked the United States naval base of Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. The Japanese also attacked other islands along the Pacific, which would soon result in the United States declaring war on Japan. Essentially, Roosevelt started a seven year war by simply using words to address the actions of the Japanese. Determined to make his points clear and valid, the President uses a number of logical facts and additional reappearance in words.

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In May 1940 President Roosevelt moved the US Pacific Fleet from California to Pearl Harbor. In July of the same year the US Congress passes the Naval Expansion Act which promised to triple the fleet size by 1944(Doc C). This gives evidence that the US did not stop at a simple embargo on aircraft. It demonstrates that the US was keeping a close watch on Japanese affairs so that they could be ready to attack if they needed to. The Japanese were aware of the actions being taken by the US.

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704 Words | 3 Pages

It was december 7th 1941, a day that japan ensured the world would never forget. Despite high risk japan decided to take the gamble and enact their terror on an american naval base by the name of pearl harbor. Hundred of japanese fighter planes descended onto the naval base taking a total of 2400 lives and wounding over 1000 people. There are three main that I believe lead japan to their decision those things being , oil embargo, us militarization, and the new world order and expansion. To begin with japan was upset about oil embargo.

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554 Words | 3 Pages

December 7, 1941 is considered one of the most impactful days in United States’ history: the day Japan bombed Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Despite their size, Japan left an incredible amount of damage with their 5 submarines and 408 planes. President Roosevelt had been avoiding scuffling with Japan since their pact with Germany and Italy; war with Germany was sure to erupt soon enough. However, soon after the ambuscade, the United States’ declared war on Japan and launched their involvement in World War II. Japan’s leaders recognized the risks of invading one of America’s naval bases; yet they persisted.

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588 Words | 3 Pages

There were many codes that revisionist claim should have pointed in every way possible towards an impending war with the US. However, based on what we know today, there is little that the US could have done to prevent the Japanese from

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A poll taken showed that less than twenty percent of American supported going into the war. Many people had opposed Roosevelt now for doing the acts to support the war and publicly stating that we need to help Britian.(Document H). The St. Louis Post-Dispatch compared him to a dictator and that he would cause the deaths of millions of Americans (Document F). Even as the public knew the Rape of Nanking, one of the most infamous war crimes committed by the Japanese, Americans were reluctant to intervene in foreign affairs (Document D). But one act of war would change thousands of Americans’ minds: the bombing of Pearl Harbor.

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Former United States Representative, Joe Baca, states, “Pearl Harbor caused our Nation to wholeheartedly commit to winning World War II, changing the course of our Nation’s history and the world’s future.” What this quote purposely left out was how the United States needed a way out of the Great Depression. The only way out of the depression was war. Even with all the acts and plans Franklin D. Roosevelt put forth, none would truly be able to turn the economy around. Pearl Harbor was an emotional time for America; however, it was also an extremely key time for the American Government.

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682 Words | 3 Pages

Prior to the attack on Pearl Harbor, there were a wide variety of opinions regarding the country’s involvement in the war. Furthermore, there was a large difference between the opinions of the American citizens that stayed home and were merely ‘witnesses’ to the war, verses the soldiers that fought in the war. Aside from this, there was generally a very similar attitude towards the war from most Americans. Within the southern states, there seemed to be an immense support and trust in the President’s actions.

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967 Words | 4 Pages

In fact, before the attack on Pearl Harbor, the American government was still in conversation with the Japanese government about peace in the Pacific. Roosevelt use of accusatory diction allows the public to understand why his inclination for war was justifiable. He proclaimed that America was “suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval forces and air forces of the Empire of Japan”. The unsuspecting inhabitants of Pearl Harbor and the rest of the nation were unaware of the surprise attack that would take place on December 7, 1941- “a date which will live in infamy”. The president himself felt that the government of Japan “deliberately sought to deceive the United States by false statements and expressions of hope for continued peace”.

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In the months leading up to the attack on Pearl Harbor, Roosevelt did everything he could to upset the Japanese, showing them as an aggressor (he stopped all oil exports to Japan, frozen all Japanese assets, gave loans to Chinese nationalists and supported the English - both nations were enemies of Japan). Pacific fleets long before December 7 informed Washington about the various anticipated threats. On September 4, Roosevelt received a 26-page document from the Naval Intelligence Bureau, containing a "confidential" clause describing in detail the spy actions of the Japanese. Before the attack, an Australian secret services told Roosevelt about the Japanese fleet sailing towards Pearl Harbor. Roosevelt ignored it.

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1063 Words | 5 Pages

A totalitarian government is a form of government in which all power lies in the hands of a single person or group who controls all aspects of society by eliminating those who oppose the political party. Both 1984 by George Orwell and Nothing to Envy by Barbara Demick explore, in depth, such a government. As 1984 is a fictional novel, it dives into the dystopian world of Oceania, more specifically Airstrip One, and focuses on the central character, Winston Smith and his journey towards the truth. Nothing to Envy, a realistic representation of this dystopia, searches for secrets regarding the highly centralized country of North Korea through the perspective of 15 different people; Chapter One is centered around Mi-ran. The novel 1984 and the non-fiction text Nothing to

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“If properly appreciated, this intelligence should have suggested a dispatch to all pacific out post commanders suppling this information” states the Joint Congressional Committee. They issued a report that puts blame on the secretary of was at the time Henry Stimson commander on scene. They also believe Washington officials failed to give notice to interacted massages from Tokyo they intercepted that could have prevented the attack, the message was sent On November 19, 1941, the Foreign Ministry in Tokyo sent out a 'Purple ' message to their consulates all around the world. It stated that they should listen to Japanese news bulletins. If they ended with a weather report saying 'east wind rain ' the attack would be on the US.

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