FDR’s Knowledge Prior to Pearl Harbor The devastating surprise at Pearl Harbor shocked the nation, yet it did not come as a surprise to their president. The attack left Americans in a state of confusion leaving them desperate for answers overlooking the fact that their government could have prepared them for such a situation. Many believed that when the attack happened, the president at that time, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, had no prior knowledge of threats from the Pacific. However, evidence from the months before Pearl Harbor reveal that FDR knew about an attack. FDR received several hints and clues that should have alerted him of the future events that would take place at Pearl Harbor.
Pearl Harbor, a shocking attack by the Japanese …show more content…
In the article from Prologue Magazine, the author states that America received a telegram regarding an attack on Pearl Harbor, yet many overlooked the message because people believed that the Japanese demanded a Tokyo agent to condense his reports rather than threatening an attack on the U.S. The message stated that Tokyo placed a bombing grid for when they hit their next target. (Butow 1). FDR allowed vital information that could have possibly prevented the future events go unnoticed by authorities. The telegram that they received clearly stated the intent of the Japanese, yet they chose to dismiss it. The Japanese also began to take strange shipping routes as said by Robert Stinnett in The Day of Deceit. FDR had known that the Japanese were planning an attack due to messages in radio broadcasts and the changes in their shipping assignments (122). The U.S. took note of the Japanese’s strange and behavior before the events and the radio broadcasts that gave away their plans, yet the U.S. did not act upon any of these abnormalities. The sudden change predicted the future, but FDR did not see this. FDR and American officials received many early signs, but due to their lack of thoroughness they neglected important …show more content…
received many messages, yet they were not analyzed properly which allowed crucial hints to be neglected. Gillon states in his article that several messages that could have hinted the attack that took place on December 8, fell through the cracks and were unable to be analyzed by interpreters who could have foresaw Pearl Harbor’s fate (2). When they received these messages they were unable to uncover information because they failed to carry out the proper procedure. These messages were not taken seriously enough and were merely glanced at by officials. “They perceived Japan as a small weak adversary whose aggressive posture was a bluff. Even if Japan did harbor aggressive designs, it would still seek to avoid a direct confrontation with the United States. It was, therefore, their beliefs and images that were responsible for the failure of American decision makers to anticipate an attack on Pearl Harbor” (Vidyalankar 847). Officials completely underestimated the Pacific and did not make it their priority which led to this problem. FDR made assumptions about the Japanese’s plans which allowed for these horrific events to take place. FDR was not only neglectful, but was also a confusing
Pearl Harbor, a shocking attack by the Japanese …show more content…
In the article from Prologue Magazine, the author states that America received a telegram regarding an attack on Pearl Harbor, yet many overlooked the message because people believed that the Japanese demanded a Tokyo agent to condense his reports rather than threatening an attack on the U.S. The message stated that Tokyo placed a bombing grid for when they hit their next target. (Butow 1). FDR allowed vital information that could have possibly prevented the future events go unnoticed by authorities. The telegram that they received clearly stated the intent of the Japanese, yet they chose to dismiss it. The Japanese also began to take strange shipping routes as said by Robert Stinnett in The Day of Deceit. FDR had known that the Japanese were planning an attack due to messages in radio broadcasts and the changes in their shipping assignments (122). The U.S. took note of the Japanese’s strange and behavior before the events and the radio broadcasts that gave away their plans, yet the U.S. did not act upon any of these abnormalities. The sudden change predicted the future, but FDR did not see this. FDR and American officials received many early signs, but due to their lack of thoroughness they neglected important …show more content…
received many messages, yet they were not analyzed properly which allowed crucial hints to be neglected. Gillon states in his article that several messages that could have hinted the attack that took place on December 8, fell through the cracks and were unable to be analyzed by interpreters who could have foresaw Pearl Harbor’s fate (2). When they received these messages they were unable to uncover information because they failed to carry out the proper procedure. These messages were not taken seriously enough and were merely glanced at by officials. “They perceived Japan as a small weak adversary whose aggressive posture was a bluff. Even if Japan did harbor aggressive designs, it would still seek to avoid a direct confrontation with the United States. It was, therefore, their beliefs and images that were responsible for the failure of American decision makers to anticipate an attack on Pearl Harbor” (Vidyalankar 847). Officials completely underestimated the Pacific and did not make it their priority which led to this problem. FDR made assumptions about the Japanese’s plans which allowed for these horrific events to take place. FDR was not only neglectful, but was also a confusing