After the attack, FDR stated in a speech to the public.
Quote:
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Yesterday, December 7, 1941 - a date which will live in infamy - the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan.
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Infamy? Was it really, or did the US have something to do with it?
I am reading a very interesting book by George Morgenstern published in 1947, "Pearl Harbor-the story of the secret war". It carefully documents what was going on between the US and Japan leading up to the attack Dec 7, 1941.
Congressional investigations after the war and testimony of various military and civilian officials clearly point out that the US set up the Japanese to attack us so we could justify getting into WWII.
We had broken the Japanese secret code and we knew the attack was coming yet the commanders at Pearl Harbor were not warned. The worst navel disaster in US history was the result with 3000 lives lost.
The strategy worked however, a nation extremely reluctant to get into a war in Europe was now united to fight Germany and Japan.
After the attack, Washington made every effort to suppress any information suggesting they were complicent in the attack.
The myth still persists that this was a surprise attack on an innocent country.