Talk:Prelude to the attack on Pearl Harbor

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The following statement in the introduction (unsourced) is contradicted by sourced statements in the Wikipedia article on embargo: "Instituting a foreign embargo on a sovereign nation is an Act Of War." A blockade is an act of war, but an embargo by a single nation against another nation falls short of an act of war. If there is no objection, I will remove this statement. I would also note that the entire introduction is unsourced and has many similar problems. --Westwind273 (talk) 08:10, 1 September 2011 (UTC)

Zinn's version

User:Filipjel has been repeatedly adding the following text:

It has widely been stated by many historians that the actions the United States took prior to the war were seen to be carrying a great risk for war. By using multiple embargoes on scrap iron and more importantly oil, the US was in a way provoking the Japanese empire and expected them to act. There is evidence that would suggest the US had prior knowledge to the fact that Japan would launch an attack, however where or when exactly the attack would take place is a piece that the government did not know. Records from a White House conference that took place two weeks before the attack show that there was discussion about an anticipated and how it should be justified. Knowledge of some type of attack was evident for the US government, but not the people. To the people of the United States the attack on Pearl Harbor was a huge surprise and alarmed many. In Franklin D. Roosevelt’s famous, “Day of Infamy” speech, he further spoke to the emotions of the attack by making it out to be a sudden, shocking, and immoral act. Historian Howard Zinn insists that the attack was definitely immoral, but to the government was not sudden or shocking as it was made out to be.

This text is cited to Howard Zinn's A People's History of the United States, a popular history book that has been criticized for its errors. I think Zinn should not be used as a reference here. As well, this emphasis on the US provoking Japan into war ignores the fact that Japan was free to choose a non-war alternative, or even a warlike alternative that did not engage US forces, for instance an invasion of oil-rich countries. Binksternet (talk) 00:54, 19 December 2013 (UTC)

Export Control Act of 1940

This article should include a discussion of the Export Control Act of 1940 and the separate but related oil embargo. Pearl Harbor: Roosevelt knew says 'Secretary of War Henry Stimson’s diary for November 25, 1941 notes a meeting of FDR’s top advisors: "The question was how we should maneuver them [the Japanese] into … firing the first shot without allowing too much danger to ourselves."' Elsewhere, I read that Japan was dependent on the US for over 90 percent of its oil, and that the Roosevelt administration embargoed oil expecting that Japan would respond as it did. Also, the US had allegedly broken the Japanese code and knew in advance of the attack but decided NOT to notify US naval forces in Pearl Harbor, because they needed a clear attack of that nature to justify an official declaration of war. There is an opportunity to improve this article, adding more detail about the Export Control Act of 1940, the oil embargo, and the official and real rationale behind these actions. DavidMCEddy (talk) 22:17, 3 February 2014 (UTC)

• The websites of radicals like Justin Raimondo are hardly reliable sources by Wikipedia standards. More to the point, there is an entire article (Pearl Harbor advance-knowledge conspiracy theory) that already discusses this topic. It doesn't need to be repeated here.(Hyperionsteel (talk) 23:02, 3 February 2014 (UTC))

OK. Thanks. DavidMCEddy (talk) 17:00, 18 February 2014 (UTC)

Background to conflict

On 2014-02-18, this section read in part, "Japan's 1937 attack on China was condemned by the U.S. and several members of the League of Nations including Britain, France, Australia, and the Netherlands. ... These states had economic and territorial interests, or formal colonies, in East and Southeast Asia". This is inaccurate: First, Britain, France and the Netherlands had colonies (NOT "former colonies") there. Second, did Australia ever have colonies? Australia was itself a colony or a collection of colonies of Great Britain. When I looked for information on colonies OF Australia, I was unable to find anything.

I will reword this accordingly. If you believe this is in error, please provide appropriate documentation. Thanks. DavidMCEddy (talk) 17:00, 18 February 2014 (UTC)

Also, prior to 2014-02-18, no citation was given for "terminating the 1911 commercial treaty with Japan". Partly to correct this, I'm adding a link to the article on the Export Control Act of 1940. DavidMCEddy (talk) 17:31, 18 February 2014 (UTC)

I think the background needs to start a little earlier (like the lack of rewards given to Japan for helping the Allies in World War One); otherwise it makes it sound like Japan took a turn to militant hypernationalism out of blue, without any precipitating reasons (whether you think it justifies it or not). Historian932 (talk) 01:26, 3 August 2016 (UTC)

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External links modified

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