Pearl Harbour Attack : lack of alertness & coordination or pure arrogance & complacent of US Army and Navy?

Question

.. that they were much better the Japanese?

Answer 1

There was something of a tendency to underestimate the Japanese, but most of those who were knowledgeable were well aware of the Japanese capabilities.

The Japanese easily defeated the Russian Navy in 1905 following a surprise attack on the Siberian naval base at Port Arthur--in many ways a model for the Pearl Harbor attack. Most naval experts were well aware of the Japanese abilities in these areas, and those who had watched the Sino-Japanese war knew very well that the Japanese were militarily quite strong.

There was in many quarters in both the US Navy and Army a tendency to be complacent about the prospects for an attack, although Billy Mitchell had predicted such an attack would take place years before it happened. It goes back to a common military tendency to always prepare for the last war fought.

Few believed that it would be possible for the Japanese to mount a significant attacking force and travel all the way from Japan to Hawaii to carry it out. To a very large extent the success of the attack has to be attributed to the skill and expertise of the Japanese Navy, which planned and executed the attack.

Even so, the attack was not entirely successful. Of the eight battleships damaged at Pearl Harbor, five were returned to service prior to the end of the war. The other three were damaged beyond repair. But the great failure of the attack was the fact that the aircraft carriers were not in port at the time of the attack, leaving Lexington, Enterprise and Saratoga intact and ready for action. Yorktown and Hornet would join the Pacific forces later on. The presence of American aircraft carriers was the strongest weapon available to the allies in the Pacific in 1942 and led to a victory at Midway that cost Japan four irreplaceable carriers which had attacked Pearl Harbor just six months earlier.

By the end of 1943 the US Navy would lose the Lexington (Coral Sea), Yorktown (Midway), Hornet and Wasp in Pacific action. But new carriers were already on their way to join surviving carriers Saratoga and Enterprise to eventually defeat Japan.

Yamamoto's bold plan to neutralize the U.S. Pacific Fleet and keep the United States from interfering with Japan's aims in Asia would fail largely because of the survival of this small group of pre-war carriers.

There was a lack of alertness and coordination. I don't think arrogance was that much of a factor, although there certainly was some.

Answer 2

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It was a combination of all you said. Lack of alertness due to inactivity and, of course, we did not have the instant communications we do now. Arrogance I doubt it. We had nothing to be arrogant about. Maybe self-assuredness. But it is a shame that you young people attach such bad labels to our country.
Complacency, maybe, because there was nothing going on, we were a neutral country, and it was not our war.
No the U.S. Navy and Army, at the time were very poorly trained and equipped.
Conspiracy theories are all over the place but none have ever been pr oven. Except on some weird site where it is obvious that the information has been edited and touched up.
Nice try chariotm but not convincing.

Answer 3

Neither. Set aside all the conspiracy theories--none of them have been shown to have any credible proof even after six decades of poking and prying by hundreds of investigators, official and otherwise. While I acknowledge that there was a certain complacency in both Army and Navy operations (we we still doing what we could to stay out of that war, after all), we were also doing everything we could to prepare for combat despite a strong isolationist element across the country and in both houses of Congress. Much of what actually happend can pe blamed on misunderstandings, bureaucratic infighting and empire building in Washington, DC. I strongly recommend that you go read the following books:

At Dawn We Slept, by Gordon Prange

...And I Was There, by RADM Edwin Layton

Answer 4

You need to read your history - first of all, Japanese officials were in the US right before Pearl Harbor happened - kind of placating us that they were our firends - also, although the bombers were picke dup on radar - they were told to ignore it because there was a squadron of bombers due into Pearl Harbor from California - of course, when those bombers arrived the damage had already been done. The did finally find a scapegoat in (I can't remember his name - I have the CRS disease - it is right on the tip of my tongue) who eventually committed suicide over this debacle in American History. It had nothing to do with complacency or arrogance.

Answer 5

jap attacked pearl harbor by way of fact of motives mutually with oil embargo imposed via US by way of fact Japan occupy China yet unknown to each physique earlier the attack via Japan Imperial military to Pearl harbor the Civilian chief human beings and few chosen Naval Commander or Mil Ldr have a pre-hand earlier the attack that s why their airplane service weren't around for the duration of the attacked. the U. S. knows beforehand approximately time and while and strenght of JIN by way of fact they have already deciphered or decoded the radio or the U. S. have get entry to to their JIN communique between their civilian leaders and militia ldrs. the U. S. has a maximum suitable sign intelligence and human intelligence even while US at conflict with China, China would be defeated cuase their communique replaced into already debugged via US long term in the past. Now you may not try this if no longer of the elite human beings or conglomerate businessman who has ability even the management of China and mil ldrs are under of their sphere of impact such as the U. S.. My end consequently is corporation if China does not behaved they're doomed for destruction.

Answer 6

It wasnt arrogance. It was lack of alertness and coordination. If you watch 'tora, tora, tora' you'll see a lot of little things led up to the US being unprepared. Also, the Army and the Navy didnt work together well or often at that time.

Answer 7

Both...it was peacetime, so they did not expect any trouble, but they were also arrogant in thinking that they were too strong to ever be attacked.
FDR wanted war WITH GERMANY, not Japan. Conspiracy theories are foolish in that regard. Hitlers BIGGEST MISTAKE OF THE WAR was declaring war on the USA...the US had no reason to fight Germany at the time, but then made it its priority over Japan!

Answer 8

Conspiracy to get the US involved in WWII.

During Pacific naval exercises m 1932 and 1938, and with Japanese military attaches closely observing, U.S. Navy officers theoretically destroyed the Pacific fleet at Pearl Harbor both times.

Roosevelt ordered the Pacific fleet moved to the exposed position at Pearl Harbor over the vigorous objections of Admiral James O. Richardson, who was replaced for refusing to issue the order.

They also knew that a large Japanese task force, including six aircraft carriers, had dropped from sight after moving toward America.

This prompted U.S. Army Chief of Staff George C. Marshall, a close associate to many CFR members, to send an oddly worded message to Pearl Harbor commanders on November 27, 1941, "Hostile action possible at any moment. If hostilities cannot, repeat CANNOT, be avoided, the United States desires that Japan commit the first overt act. This policy should not, repeat NOT, be construed as restricting you to a course of action that might jeopardize your defense." Despite this clear warning, with its accompanying suggestion not to attack any attackers, Pacific fleet ships remained at anchor and aircraft were bunched into clusters of "sitting ducks" as "security" against saboteurs.

On December 4 Australian intelligence reported sighting the missing Japanese task force moving toward Pearl Harbor but Roosevelt dismissed it as a rumor begun by pro-war Republicans.

During investigations after the attack, Marshall and Navy Secretary Frank Knox both testified they could not recall their whereabouts the night of December 6. It was later revealed that they were both in the White House with Roosevelt.

"...everything that the Japanese were planning to do was known to the United States..." ARMY BOARD, 1944

11 February 1941 - FDR proposed sacrificing 6 cruisers and 2 carriers at Manila to get into war. Navy Chief Stark objected: "I have previously opposed this and you have concurred as to its unwisdom. Particularly do I recall your remark in a previous conference when Mr. Hull suggested (more forces to Manila) and the question arose as to getting them out and your 100% reply, from my standpoint, was that you might not mind losing one or two cruisers, but that you did not want to take a chance on losing 5 or 6." (Charles Beard PRESIDENT ROOSEVELT AND THE COMING OF WAR 1941, p 424)
March 1941 - FDR sold munitions and convoyed them to belligerents in Europe -- both acts of war and both violations of international law -- the Lend-Lease Act.
23 Jun 1941 - Advisor Harold Ickes wrote FDR a memo the day after Germany invaded the Soviet Union, "There might develop from the embargoing of oil to Japan such a situation as would make it not only possible but easy to get into this war in an effective way. And if we should thus indirectly be brought in, we would avoid the criticism that we had gone in as an ally of communistic Russia." FDR was pleased with Admiral Richmond Turner's report read July 22: "It is generally believed that shutting off the American supply of petroleum will lead promptly to the invasion of Netherland East Indies...it seems certain she would also include military action against the Philippine Islands, which would immediately involve us in a Pacific war." On July 24 FDR told the Volunteer Participation Committee, "If we had cut off the oil off, they probably would have gone down to the Dutch East Indies a year ago, and you would have had war." The next day FDR froze all Japanese assets in US cutting off their main supply of oil and forcing them into war with the US. Intelligence information was withheld from Hawaii from this point forward.
14 August - At the Atlantic Conference, Churchill noted the "astonishing depth of Roosevelt's intense desire for war." Churchill cabled his cabinet "(FDR) obviously was very determined that they should come in."
18 October - diary entry by Secretary of Interior Harold Ickes: "For a long time I have believed that our best entrance into the war would be by way of Japan."

Answer 9

Off Gaurd and Stupidity!!!!!!!

Answer 10

same as now the USA thinks it is/was the strongest nation on earth They were wrong then & now

(((((((((((pure arrogancere)))))))))