wh's responsible for pearl harbor?

Question

was it the government officials in Washington or tje local commanders at Pearl Harbor? please support your answer.

Answer 1

well i would say teh us govt. japan's seek for revenger had been predicted by an american way before it even occured. To me at times it seems that the US was waiting for it to happen to get into ww2. we were already supporting the allies with ammunitions just like we did in ww1. they sanked the lusitania and we were in the war.

Answer 2

History is complex, not always black-and-white.

As the US had territorial and economic interests in Southeast Asia or the Philippines, that played a factor in setting economical sanctions for Japan's expansionist policies, especially in China.

In 1940, Japan signed the Tripartite Pact with Germany and Fascist Italy, forming the Axis Powers, and that led to further US sanctions like the embargo on scrap metal and gasoline shipments to Japan, and closing the Panama Canal to Japanese shipping.

In 1941 Japan moved into northern IndoChina. The U.S. responded by freezing Japan's assets in the U.S., and beginning a complete oil embargo. That was a deadly shock to Japan as 80% of it's oil imports came from the US, and the Japanes navy was totally dependent on it.

Most experts at the time knew a war was unavoidable. But the US had no intelligence on *where* additional Japanese aggressions would take place. Not enough to put Pearl Harbor on immediate alert.

You *could* blame specific measures. In fear of sabotage, the planes at the military airfields were parked wingtip-to-wingtip, which made them more vulnerable for an air bombardement, and unable to take off at first warning. Or the few radarposts only manned by low-ranking privates and only operating by day Or the local commanders not taking serious tests that demonstrated that shallow-water aerial torpedo launches were possible, and torpedo nets weren't deployed.

General MacArthur in the Philippines was also more successfully in obtaining resources that could have gone to Hawai.

And so on. Military and diplomatically, there was much blame to spread around.

But legally, the Japanes attack on Pearl Harbor, British Malaya and Hongkong, was not preceded by a declaration of war, and thus against international law. Even if Japan felt it had been pushed into a war by the US trade embargos.

Answer 3

The Japanese were responsible for the months of planning that went into the attack - the American governmental officicals were responsible for collecting enough intelligence - but the local commanders failed to act upon that information in a more timely fashion (which could have prevented losses in men and material).

Answer 4

Alright I confess it was my Uncle Fred. He forgot to set the alarm and everybody slept late that day.

No it was the fault of the US because that were unable to for see that the Japanese would feel that they had to attack and that every war the Japan had ever fought was started by surprise attack. It was the fault of the Japanese because they felt that they were unable to approach the American, whom they admired and whose policy of area protection the Monroe Doctrine they were trying to emulating in Asia.

The Japanese wanted to really just build a ring of defenses up so that the Western Powers would not feel it worthwhile to attack because it would be to strong for them to break easily.

Roosevelt and the United States JCS consistently under estimated the ability if the Japanese to make an attack on the Hawaiian Islands because they had never shown the want or the abbility to refuel at sea as would be required to execute the size of an operation that the attack required.In fact the Japanese had to teach them selfs how to refuel at sea in just one month in 1941. Also let us remeber that the aircraft carrier was an untried weapon the British had used them in the Med but had mixed results the Japanese used their carriers as moblie airfield ,much as they are used today, not as offensive weapons, The Aircraft that sank the USS Panay in 1937 were from the Kaga.

The local commanders were confused by the alerts that they had been getting and were planning on starting war patrols on Monday the 8th of December. Admiral Kimmel didn't want to put the fleet at sea on a weekend because of overtime concerns for civilians and the fuss the Congress would kick up from the fleet being at sea and the spending of extra money on fuel, and manpower, seapay, General Short was an Infantry Officer and had no training in airpower so he saw aircraft as vunerable to sabatage not to air attack.

So I see it as everybodies fault the local commanders and the government in Washington.

Read the following books The Pacific War by Osprey Press a good paper on the Attack from the Japanese point of view.
At Dawn we Slept by Gordon Prange one of the best books on the last year of peace in the Pacific.

Answer 5

Washington could/should have paid more attention to the reports they received. However, the Japanese are the ones who planned & carried it through so the responsibility is theirs. It was not provoked by Washington, therefore, the American government was not responsible in any way.

Answer 6

Is this another kooky conspiracy theory crap?

Everyone knows Japan is responsible.

Just because some people suspected it would happen does not mean the governemnt sat by and let it happen. We knew the World Trade Center was a target for terrorists...does that mean it's our fault?
We all know that sugar causes cavities. Do you think it is the governments way of keeping dentists in business?

Answer 7

Neither, it was a surprise attack.....see Oxford University Press' "Freedom From Fear" by David Kennedy. It is a well researched book that provides the details leading up to the attack.

Answer 8

JAPAN was totally responsible,It was a rotten SNEAK ATTACK.

Answer 9

czech republic and greenland