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bob's book shelf - more summer reading - day of deceit by robert stinnett

submitted by robertkamper on thu, 2006-08-03 20:37. terms: arts & letters

Day of Deceit cover Thanks to the Freedom of Information Act, many of the original documents regarding Naval Intelligence activities prior to the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941 have been released. And, Robert Stinnett tells us, they do not support the official story of US intelligence failures and a brilliant Imperial Japanese Navy military strategy culminating in a tragedy that no one could have anticipated. Instead, the documents provide the evidence that US cryptographers had cracked Japan's codes and not only intercepted messages throughout 1941, but that Pearl Harbor was known to be the target about two weeks in advance of the attack.The go ahead order for the attack was known in Washington about 15 hours in advance of the first wave of airplanes, yet no one picked up a phone to alert Admiral Kimmel or General Short at Pearl Harbor, so that the 3000 or so sailors and soldiers that died might have had a fighting chance.

Stinnett notes that FDR made a difficult choice to allow Japan to strike the first act of war, in order to unify a largely isolationist United States to support a global war effort against the fascists in Germany and Italy, allied by treaty with Japan. But it is clear that the President knew the attack on Pearl Harbor was coming, and knew it well in advance. Even today, some 50 original Japanese Navy messages are classified top secret by the National Security Agency and have not been released to the public.

A sobering and exhaustively documented book, Day of Deceit should be a must read for anyone interested in the history of the USA's entry into WWII. (Publisher: Free Press; 1 Touchsto edition (May 8, 2001) Paperback: 416 pages )

tags: books pearlharbor wwii

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i hope people read this book!!!
submitted by susanjillian on sat, 2006-08-05 13:04.

There are many reasons I hope people read this book. Clearly history repeats - many times over. And it is made into movies that reinvent history too often. For the record, I believe it.

Let me share another aspect of that war that has always bothered me. A company I worked for in 1994 had a team of know-it-alls who told me I was making it up when I said my mother's family fought the Japanese in WW2. They insisted that it was only the Americans that were in war with Japan. I told them to rent the movie Bridge Over the River Kwai with Alec Guinness. I am shocked at how many times I have this discussion. Then when I tell them that Canada fought they are completely convinced I am making it up!!! how is this possible? We interned Japanese people in Vancouver - Ask David Suzuki - he was one of them.

AS for the war with Japan, the British were protecting the Chinese long before Pearl Harbour ever happened. I have the dead relatives to prove it. Yet to this day it is seen as if only two countries were warring and no one talks about the horrors inflicted on China leading up the trouble in the first place.

My uncle Ronald Stephenson Coull joined the British Navy, did his tour of duty in Japan, and then signed up with the US Navy after Pearl Harbour. He is one of many British subjects that received 2 pensions for doing "double duty" for united service in a time of need. I saw his medal in his living room next to all the South Pacific memorabilia he owned. Please someone write a book to clear up this forgotten piece of history!!

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