On December 7, 1941, Pearl Harbor, a major naval base for the USA, was bombed by a strong Japanese aerial attack (Glick, D).  First, an attack by sea led to a complete failure by the Japanese in the early morning of December 7^th (The Independent Institute).  The aerial attack was broken up into two waves and was a complete surprise. The first wave came at about 7:53 AM with the second wave hitting at 8:55 AM (Unsolved History).  By 9:55 AM it was all over and the damage had been done (Unsolved History).  The conspiracy theory of Pearl Harbor states that FDR knew the Japs were coming, but allowed them so the USA could enter WWII.  The only problem is that no sane president would allow a foreign country to come into one of our main naval bases and leave 2,403 dead, 188 destroyed planes and 8 damaged or destroyed battleships (The Independent Institute).  Although, the events at Pearl Harbor is believable to be a conspiracy because the advancement in technology could have easily detected Japanese planes, FDR finally had a way to enter WWII, and it was a good way to get the USA on his side.

The wreckage of a naval station in Pearl Harbor

 Did FDR Know before Pearl Harbor was Bombed?

     Some historians proclaim that FDR knew the bombing of Pearl Harbor was coming, but allowed it to happen. This Pearl Harbor conspiracy has led many searchers cold in a dead end.  History shows that numerous signals were shown that were interpreted into heat with Japan.  On December 6, 1941, FDR read an intercept that told Japanese officials in DC to burn all records and stated “this means war” (Glick, D., and D. Pederson.).  Also, a few hours before the attack, a radar monitor, Joe Lockhart, saw a massive flight of aircraft flying toward Pearl Harbor (Unsolved History).  When he asked his superior, Kernel Tyler, what to do, Tyler told Lockhart that it was a schedule flight of B-17s landing in the harbor (Glick, D., and D. Pederson.).  FDR got the U.S. on his side to join WWII in his “Day of Infamy” speech where he stated, “I ask that the Congress declare that since the unprovoked and dastardly attack by Japan of Sunday December 7, a state of war has existed between the United States and the Japanese Empire.” (“Day of Infamy”, FDR).  This plan worked because on December 8, 1941, the next day, the U.S. declared war on Japan (The Independent Institute).

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What Happened On December 7, 1941?

    The Pearl Harbor bombing struck Americans in the heart.  The so called Day of Infamy by FDR is widely known for the two hour aerial bombing by the Japanese pilots (The Independent Institute).  A total of 1,777 U.S. soldiers were killed on that day, by a combination of Japanese naval and aerial attacks (Unsolved History).  Respected director of the recent movie “Pearl Harbor”, Jerry Bruckheimer, stated, “Our military thought that they couldn’t get to Pearl Harbor, that it was too long a journey from Japan to get there, and they proved us wrong.”  Civilians also added to the death total at Pearl Harbor to bring the total casualties to about 2,390 (Unsolved History).  Twenty one American warships also were destroyed by the powerful bombing on December 7, 1941 (Unsolved History).  This battle was the mark of the USA entering World War II in its entirety. 

FDR asking Congress to declare war on Japan 

Discrimination against Japanese

Americans soared after the attack

Why Would FDR Ignore Multiple Signals?  

     During the early years of WWII, Franklin Delanor Roosevelt believed that the US should join the fight, but the rest of America believed in isolationism (Day of Infamy ).  Isolationism is the separation of one nation from other nations.  In this case, isolationism is referring to the USA keeping out of WWII in Europe.  It is believed that FDR knew about Pearl Harbor but kept it a secret so the USA would give up isolationism.  Signs were present during the early 1940’s that showed heat between Japan with the US.  Pearl Harbor really inspired all citizens to join the war effort.  Of the 8 battleships that were either wounded or destroyed, one of the most famous is the USS Arizona (Unsolved History).  A memorial has been constructed over the remains of the USS Arizona to represent all the Pearl Harbor soldiers who lost their lives, and is still there today (Unsolved History).  In FDR’s Day of Infamy speech, he states, “With confidence in our armed forces - with the unbounding determination of our people - we will gain the inevitable triumph - so help us God.” (“Day of Infamy”, FDR).  FDR got his wish too, because on December 8, 1941 war was set between the USA and Japan/Germany (The Independent Institute).  Al in all, the Pearl Harbor attack, gave FDR just what he wanted, an entrance into WWII (The Independent Institute).

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References

“American Memory.” American Memory from the Library of Congress. Library of Congress, n.d. Web. 4 May 2010. <http://memory.loc.gov/‌ammem/‌index.html>. 3

“Day of Infamy Franklin D. Roosevelt - Dec. 7, 1941.” Franklin D. Roosevelt : Day of Infamy-12/‌08/‌1941. Radiochemistry.org, 2003. Web. 7 May 2010. <http://www.radiochemistry.org/‌history/‌nuclear_age/‌06_fdr_infamy.shtml>. 5

Doerr, Paul W. “Pearl Harbor.” World Book: P. 2003. Print. 6

Glick, D., and D. Pederson. “How much did FDR know?” Newsweek 25 Nov. 1991, natl. ed.: 36. Middle Search Plus. Web. 3 May 2010. <http://web.ebscohost.com/‌ehost>. 1

“I am an American” sign in a store window. 2005. Discovery Education. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 May 2010. <http://www.discoveryeducation.com/>.

Pearl Harbor during Japanese attack. 2005. Discovery Education. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 May 2010. <http://discoveryeducation.com/>.

Roosevelt asking Congress to declare war on Japan. N.d. Discovery Education. N.p., 2005. Web. 10 May 2010. <http://discoveryeducation.com/>.

Stinnett, Robert B., and Stephen Budiansky. “The Truth About Pearl Harbor: A Debate.” The Truth About Pearl Harbor: A Debate: Newsroom: Independent Institute. The Independent Institute, 30 Jan. 2003. Web. 4 May 2010. <http://www.independent.org/‌newsroom/‌article.asp?id=445>. 2

Unsolved History: The Myths of Pearl Harbor. Youtube. Web. 5 May 2010. <http://www.youtube.com/‌watch?v=79eIqBoe9x0>. 4

Workman reads about the Pearl Harbor attack. 2005. Discovery Education. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 May 2010. <http://www.discoveryeducation.com/>.

Wreckage of Naval Station, Pearl Harbor, Dec. 7th. 2005. Discovery Education. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 May 2010. <http://discoveryeducation.com/>.

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