In 1941, Americans could not have guessed they would be involved in World War II by the end of the year. President Franklin Roosevelt wanted peace in the Pacific. The United States was being divided by the war on the Pacific and it was hard for America to help out British. At this time Japan was planning on occupying the Philippines which was an American territory in order to provoke American Military response. In July 1941, The Japanese armed force possessed Southern Indochina, accordingly the United States expected to venture in. Roosevelt did this by ceasing the export of oil to Japan and solidifying Japanese cash in American Banks. Japan received most of their crude oil from the United States. With Japanese cash being solidified in America, Japan couldn't acquire market merchandise. With these embargoes occurring on oil, as well as refined fuel and metal, the Japanese worried that their economy would fall and their military would suffer. In Washington, it was discussed to make an arrangement and lift the embargo demonstrations, however, in the event that it went poorly, Japan would be left with one alternative, war. The Japanese realized their power and took advantage of the United States vulnerability and attacked one of America’s biggest Naval Bases, Pearl Harbor. The Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor was a failure. Although most Americans believed that due to the many deaths and destroyed military transportation it was a success, closer examination shows that the Japanese attack failed because the embargo on oil exports to Japan weren’t lifted, the United States entered the war and provided justification for the U.S. to use the atomic bombs against Japan.
Why did the Japanese attack Pearl Harbor? What were their goals? Oil, etc.
Japan was confident in the fight because of how unprepared they believed the United States was to enter WWII. Japan was confident in the fight because of how unprepared the United States was and how they were angered by how they were treated. “The Japanese army and navy were ready to move. Despite their differences, both services were confident that they could handle operations against the British and Americans at the same time. The navy in particular felt strongly that it could either defeat the Americans in a single stroke or at least deliver a stunning blow to their adversary that would give the army a chance to seize the Philippines, Malaya, Hong Kong, and the Dutch East Indies (Indonesia).” The United States froze all imports of oil to Japan they were destined to become angry and want to fight back. Little did the U.S. know that it would lead to them joining the war. As well as being surprise attacked. “Roosevelt's government did so by effectively embargoing crude oil shipments to Japan and freezing all Japanese assets in American banks. Until that point, Japan had imported 88 percent of its crude oil, nearly every drop of it from the United States. Without access to money deposited in the United States, furthermore, Japan could not purchase any number of vital goods on the open market. Combined with the earlier embargoes on metal and refined fuel, the restrictions imposed by the Roosevelt administration confronted Japan with the very real prospect of having its economy ruined and its military machine stopped. Unless its diplomats in Washington could broker a deal to have the embargoes lifted, Japan would be left with only one alternative: war.”
The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor appeared to be successful because it caused great destruction. Japan’s surprise attack on America was to prevent the United States from involving itself with Southeast Asia and Japanese communications about the military attack on the Netherlands and United Kingdom. Japan was afraid of U.S. interfering with their attacks. “The United States and several European nations reacted by implementing a series of economic sanctions against Japan”. Japan used a new weapon: aircraft carriers. They realized the amount of destruction this planes caused and wanted to use them in the attack towards Pearl Harbor. December 7, 1941 Japan attacks Pearl Harbor with over 360 planes sent out in two waves. Many men were killed about a great amount of destruction. Although Japan hoped for America to surrender, Japan left Pearl Harbor in hopes of a victory. Pearl Harbor still had their oil supplies and rehabilitation facilities, this gave America just enough strength to fight back. Japan’s losses were much less than Americans, although they lost fifty-five aviators as well as twenty-nine planes shot down, and lost five submarines. “The first wave started its flight toward Oahu as a second wave began launching. It took ninety minutes for all the Japanese assault planes to be airborne”(47). such as destroying eighteen ships as well as 188 aircraft, which led to 3,566 casualties and 2,388 killed.
Although the attack appeared successful, it caused the U.S. to enter WWII. The Global effect of Pearl Harbor had on the world was more than just a simple attack, it soon became a world war. China, Canada, and the Netherlands all joined war in the fight against Japan. Italy and Germany, alliances with Japan declared war on the United States, forcing them to join the war. “In the United States, news of the Pearl Harbor attack began circulating at about 2:30 pm Eastern Standard Time on December 7. Almost immediately men began forming long lines at army and navy recruiting centers. The shock of the surprise attack was mixed with an intense desire for revenge. In his war message to Congress on December 8, President Franklin Roosevelt (1882–1945) referred to December 7 as “a date which will live in infamy.” The U.S. was vulnerable and the Japanese knew that and took full advantage. The Navy wasn’t prepared to fight, and they day after the attack, the United States were declared into war. The U.S. joined the fight in hopes of gaining victory and power. “For some time preceding the attack on Pearl Harbor, the United States engaged in the protection of shipping and the patrolling of sea lanes in the Atlantic, was passing through the preliminary stage of a transition from a state of national military preparedness to an ability to cope successfully with two and fully prepared enemies” (33).
The United States was caught off guard which was a reason as to why it was thought to be a success. The attack on Pearl Harbor could have been preventable if the American Generals had been smart and actually did their job. It was hard to get the message over that there was an attack because of the bad weather conditions so they had to turn to a telegram to relay the message of air raids. “Though the military significance of Pearl Harbor was limited, the raid still had an enormous impact on the American consciousness and later events. Many historians believe that lingering anger in the U.S. over the Pearl Harbor attack may have been one motive for Truman's decision to drop atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945.” The way our navy had aircraft and boats set up they were easy targets. Although Japan destroyed many of the U.S. defenses, it was still not seen as a success. “Short's limited defensive measures included parking his combat aircraft very close together, in order to make it more difficult for Japanese agents to sabotage them. But during the actual raid, this strategy clogged Oahu's aircraft runways and prevented most of the American aircraft from taking off in time to fight the Japanese attackers. It also made it very easy for the Japanese to destroy huge numbers of the grounded, packed-together aircraft with a minimum of effort.”
Pearl Harbor provided justification to use the atomic bomb, which ultimately caused Japan to surrender. (PROVIDE EVIDENCE)By America bombing Japan it showed their failure arising from the attack on Pearl Harbor. The atomic bomb was known to being the most deadly and groundbreaking weapon put out there. The purpose of making it was to create threats and to scare other countries, not fully intended to be used. [Insert evidence linking use of atomic bomb to Pearl Harbor] “The Japanese began the war from the air at Pearl Harbor. They have been repaid many fold. And the end is not yet. With this bomb we have now added a new and revolutionary increase in destruction to supplement the growing power of our armed forces. In their present form these bombs are now in production and even more powerful forms are in development.”
In July of 1945, Henry Stimson, a U.S. statesman, Republican Party politician, and lawyer, explained why and how he thought the bomb should be used. First, he said, “The bomb should be used against Japan as soon as possible.” He also believed it should be dropped on a military target in an area that would do the most damage. Last, he argued it should be dropped without warning.
At this point in time America was one of the only countries with scientific and money advancements to support the project and the making of the Atomic Bombs. The United States believed that although this bomb was seen as a major threat, other countries did not expect for the U.S. to use it. As a surprise to most countries, it was probably the biggest for Japan since they believed that their damage on Pearl Harbor was intense. “It was to spare the Japanese people from utter destruction that the ultimatum of July 26 was issued at Potsdam. Their leaders promptly rejected that ultimatum. If they do not now accept our terms they may expect a rain of ruin from the air, the like of which has never been seen on this earth. Behind this air attack will follow sea and land forces in such numbers and power as they have not yet seen and with the fighting skill of which they are already well aware”.