Other Japanese War Crimes

The Attack on Pearl Harbor

 
      The Myths of Pearl Harbor, http://metalab.unc.edu/pha/myths/index.html takes a number of myths surrounding the attack on Pearl Harbor and disproves each in turn.  It points to the manner in which the Congressional Investigation Report, released on July 26, 1946 only served to exacerbate the rumors and myths due to its incredible length--40 parts contained in 23 volumes.  However, with computer research and some time, this site claims to have found the documents that debunk such rumors as "The US carriers were hustled out of port just before the attack, to 'save' them for a war FDR already knew would be dominated by the flattop" or "The Opana Point Radar reported the Japanese attack 1 hour before the planes arrived over the harbor, but Adm. Kimmel refused to do anything about it."  The arguments are well-formed and the documents do support the intended propositions.  In short, this site achieves what it was designed to do and is quite informative in doing so. The only disadvantage is its lack of illustations and/or color.
 

        The Pearl Harbor Attack, 7 December 1941,  http://history.navy.mil/faqs/faq66-1.htm is the official page of the Naval Historical Center. It provides a cursory yet thorough summary of the military events leading up to and including the attack on Pearl Harbor.  Although it briefly mentions the surrounding political events, this discussion is superficial at best.  However, the narrative of the attack is decently written and factually superb, even listing the twenty-one ships of the Pacific Fleet that were sunk or damaged.  Nothing new or especially illuminating in this all-text site (which makes it rather drab), but it does provide a nice summary of the events of the attack.
 

        Attack at Pearl Harbor, 1941 http://www.ibiscom.com/pearl.htm also provides a nice discussion of the attack and the damage inflicted.  It also discusses Winston Churchill's jubilant response to FDR's intention to declare war the next day, an interesting quote.  More interestingly, it provides witness testimony from soldiers on the USS Arizona during the attack.  This testimony provides vivid images of this scene which are both interesting and informative.  Given from the first person point-of-view, it is especially intriguing.  Several nice pictures add to the effect.
 

       Pearl Harbor: December 7, 1941, http://members.aol.com/azmemph/phdec7.htm provides a nice context for the attack and does so in an objective manner.  The site is maintained by the Arizona Memorial Museum Association and provides the evidence in an according manner: it does not issue proclamations of blame, etc. but simply discusses the events leading up to the attack and the reasons for it as well as the results thereof.  The focus is on the damage to the USS Arizona, as would be expected, and the coverage here is objective as well.  Additionally, a number of paintings appear on the site, courtesy of  Tom Freeman's Pearl Harbor Collection.
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       Interesting Facts About The Attack On Pearl Harbor,  http://pages.prodigy.net/jbrien/facts.htm simply bullets a number of "interesting facts" about the attack, as the title suggests.  Disappointingly, there is no analysis of these facts nor are there any truly startling facts or allegations.  However, some facts are slightly "cutting edge" such as the fact that a planned second attack was canceled because the U.S. aircraft carriers were not in port.  For the most part though, the site is not all that earth-shattering.  However, it is useful if one does not wish to sift through a great deal of text or analysis to find the asserted facts.  Additionally, the facts asserted are all essentially all correct: no rumors or myths are included.  Also, it is quite eye-catching and well-designed.
 

        Pearl Harbor, http://www.otr.com/pearl.html discusses the radio coverage of the attack.  Although the analysis is relatively brief, it does provide an interesting context for the attack as being announced just after Sammy Kaye's Sunday Serenade and interrupting the "University of Chicago Roundtable" which was "ironically discussing Canada's involvement in the European conflict."  It also discusses the announcements of the attacks on Manila and Burma later that afternoon.  Most interestingly, it provides an interesting insight into the isolationist mood of the U.S. prior to the attack.  A small but great picture appears on the page as does a link to more thorough information.
 

         Pearl Harbor! December 7, 1941 USS Arizona Burning!, http://ro.com/nalnaus/pearlvet.htm is basically a sensationalist attempt to mobilize American military veterans to fight for their rightful benefits which the "penny-pinching bureaucrats" in Washington are trying to take away.  Interestingly, it uses the analogy of the isolationists in America prior to Pearl Harbor being unwilling to act until forced to by the attack on Pearl Harbor.  It does this essentially from the angle that  FDR and his aides knew of the attack yet let it happen theory because they knew it was the only way to get into the war.  While this site does not provide much in the way of useful facts or analysis, it does provide a simple explanation of the "FDR knew" theory, albeit tied to an unrelated issue.
 

        Pearl Harbor: Was It Really Japan's Fault?,  http://www.catawba.edu/dept/HISTORY/meway.htm  neatly summarizes a number of websites presenting various conspiracy theories about the attack on Pearl Harbor.  A government distrusting organization called "Conspiracy Org."  has some serious reservations regarding the U.S. entrance into World War II and this site apparently surveys various online arguments supporting their views.  Although the links to these sites don't actually work, this site does do a nice job of bringing together a variety of conspiracy theories.  These claims vary in their credibility, some based only on wild speculation, some based on spurious documents and other on logical analysis, albeit relying on some flawed premises.  Although it is a boring, text-only site, it does nicely summarize the various "FDR knew" arguments.
 

       Pearl Harbor: Mother of All Conspiracies, http://www.clinton.net/~mewilley/pearl.html provides a much more in-depth argument that the attack on Pearl Harbor was a grand conspiracy by FDR and those eager to enter the war.  Relying on a great deal of data supposedly available to President Roosevelt and the army at the time of the attack as well as Roosevelt's apparent desire to enter the war against Germany and its allies, this site unabashedly declares that FDR allowed the attack to occur.  It even claims that both a Navy and an Army Court of inquiry held Washington guilty for the attack.  While the arguments are well-supported and flow from the data offered, the sensationalist flavor of the writing and of the site generally, detract from its credibility.  Nonetheless, it is as thorough an analysis of the conspiracy theory as I've seen.
 

        SOME FILES RELEVANT TO THE JAPANESE ATTACK ON PEARL HARBOR, DECEMBER 7, 1941, http://wiretap.spies.com/Gopher/Gov/US-History/WWII/pearl-harbor.txt includes three main documents: The United States Note To Japan of November 26, 1941, a Message from the President to the Emperor of Japan on December 6, and the Japanese Note to the United States of December 7, 1941 (The "Fourteen-Part Message"),  as well as a collection of selected dispatches relevant to the attack on Pearl Harbor.  These are obviously highly relevant documents and the dispatches are especially intriguing.  It is important to remember, however, that, as the site notes, not all these dispatches were available to, or even known of by, the relevant actors at the time of the attack.  No analysis is contained but this is a good source of primary material.

        Pearl Harbor: Remembered, http://www.execpc.com/~dschaaf/mainmenu.html is a comprehensive site in remembrance of the ships sunk and the lives lost at Pearl Harbor.  Among other pages, it contains a factual analysis of the attack, a time-line of the events leading up to and including the attack, and maps of Pearl Harbor and of the route taken by the Japanese attackers over Oahu.  Especially interesting is the commemoration of "The Day", "The President" and "The Attack" which among other things, includes summary of the manner in which the President was received the information of the Fourteen-Part Message and of the attack.  As it is a commemorative site, it conducts no real historical analysis but does place the destruction at Pearl Harbor in a nice context, with special focus on the USS Arizona and USS Utah.
 

    The Pearl Harbor Archive,  http://www.sperry-marine.com/pearl/pearl1.htm contains links to a number of important documents as well as a Military Law Review article entitled "Kimmel, Short, Mcvay: Case Studies in Executive Authority, Law and the Individual Rights of Military Commanders."  In addition to providing an overview of the Congressional Report and its supporting documents and maps of combat images around the time of the attack, several key, official documents are included.  Among these are the report of the Army Board of Inquiry, Memos from the Judge Advocate General, the reports of the Clarke, Clausen, Dorn, Hewitt, and Knox Investigations as well as the majority and minority Congressional opinions regarding the events of the attack.  As this is The Official Pearl Harbor Archive, the facts and these documents are presented in a straightforward manner with little or no subjective analysis.
 

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