Postby Qarl » Fri Dec 09, 2011 4:32 pm
Even in information that has been available to the public for many years, there is indication that we could have been more alert, even if we couldn't fully have prevented the attack or known exactly when it was coming. For instance, it's my understanding that very few (if any) American planes were able to scramble to meet the Japanese attack. The way the airplanes were arranged on the runways at the Hawaii air bases made them easy targets for the attackers. Even if no one thought it was possible or likely that Japan would attack us in Hawaii, there were signs that should have heightened our military alert levels. There were threats coming out of Japan and Germany, the suspicious behavior of the Japanese diplomats in Washington, the unknown whereabouts of the Japanese fleet, the arrival of a squadron of unidentified planes early Sunday in Hawaii (thought to be US bombers coming from the mainland), and perhaps other warning indicators.
I realize it's all hindsight, but it appears that multiple instances of complacency by the US had to be combined for the Japanese to catch us so fully off guard. If there were no warning signs, then complacency might seem more excusable. But in the face of the various indicators that something was up, why didn't our commanders heighten our alert status, put some planes in the air, get pilots ready for the planes on the ground, move the parked planes to make them more difficult targets, move the ships out of the harbor, verify communications and alert statuses of all the Pacific installations, etc?
I personally don't think it was a conspiracy by Roosevelt or the military high command to bring us into the war, but rather I think it was terrible and costly negligence. However, there are certainly enough questions that make questions about a conspiracy worth considering.
Having said all that, I echo the others here and honor the many in the military and civilian life that died in the attack on Pearl Harbor, and I honor those that performed their duty in the face of the attack. Thanks to brave and devoted people like that, the leaders who misused the pride, power, and loyalty of the citizens of Japan, Germany, and Italy were eventually thwarted.