Pearl Harbor Essay, Research Paper

Bush Still Drilling for Oil Support

45% Oppose Drilling in Alaska Refuge

President Bush s plan to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska to oil drilling seems to be loosing ground. Public support for the plan is weak and congressional leaders recently decided to leave the drilling plan out of House and Senate budgets.

Portrait of America (POA) recently surveyed American adults on the topic and found 45% oppose the President s plan while 38% support it, 17% were not sure. Women carried opposition to the plan, 49% of women opposed it, 49% of men supported it.

It was early morning, December 7,1941. As the sun was just beginning to rise in Oahu,

Hawaii, a fleet of Japanese naval air forces were taking off from their respective aircraft

carriers in various locations in the Pacific Ocean. Just as many of the islanders were

waking up for breakfast, it happened. The Japanese air fleet had arrived with a vengeance.

No one was prepared for what was occurring. Pearl Harbor, the United States’ center for

military action in the Pacific Ocean, was almost completely destroyed. Anger toward the

Japanese spread quickly throughout the entire country, and this anger led to the United

States’ entry into World War II.

EVENTS LEADING UP TO THE BOMBING

Before entering World War II, Japan had many other problems to deal with. It had begun

to rely more and more for raw materials (especially oil) from outside sources because their

land was so lacking in these. Despite these difficulties, Japan began to build a successful

empire with a solid industrial foundation and a good army and navy. The military became

highly involved in the government, and this began to get them into trouble. In the early

1930’s, the Japanese Army had many small, isolated battles with the Chinese in Manchuria.

The Japanese Army prevailed in the series of battles, and Manchuria became a part of the

Japanese political system. In 1937, the conflicts began again with the Chinese in the area

near Beijing’s Marco Polo Bridge. Whether or not these conflicts began inadvertently or

whether they were planned is unknown. These led to a full-scale war known as the second

Sino-Japanese War. This was one of the bloodiest wars in world history and continued

until the final defeat of Japan in 1945.

In 1939, World War II was beginning with a string of victories by German forces.

Germany’s success included defeats of Poland and France along with bombings of

England. Many of the European nations that Germany now controlled had control over

important colonial empires such as the East Indies and Singapore in Southeast Asia. These

Southeast Asian countries contained many of the natural resources that Japan so

desperately needed. Now that these countries were worried about matters over in Europe,

Japan felt that it should seize the opportunity to take over some of them.

At the same time in the United States, President Franklin D. Roosevelt wanted to halt the

expansion of Germany and Japan, but many others in the government wanted to leave the

situation alone. The United States began to supply materials to the countries at war with

Germany and Japan, but it wanted to remain neutral to prevent and overseas war.

Meanwhile, Germany, Italy, and Japan formed the Axis Alliance in September of 1940.

Japan was becoming desperate for more natural resources. In July of 1941, Japan made

the decision to secure access to the abundance of the much needed resources in Southeast

Asia. It was afraid that it could not defeat the larger and stronger Western powers. It

needed to build up its armies in order to stay in the war. It also had to worry, though.

about the United States’ reaction to their plans to seize Southeast Asia.

Japan began their seizure with southern Indochina. (They already controlled northern

Indochina.) The United States was in strict opposition to Japan’s plans, and began their

reaction with an embargo on the shipment of oil to Japan. Oil was necessary to keep

Japan’s technology and military progressing. Without it, Japan’s industrial and military

forces would come to a stop in only a short time. Japan’s government viewed the oil

embargo as an act of war.

Throughout the next few months of 1941, the United States tried to come to some kind of

resolve with Japan to settle their differences. Japan wanted the United States to lift the oil

embargo and allow them to attempt a takeover of China. The United States refused to lift

the embargo until Japan would back off of their aggression with China. Neither country

would budge on their demands, and war seemed to be inescapable.

The United States regarded Japan’s adamant refusal to budge on their stance as a sign of

hostility. They too realized that war was inevitable. They responded to this potential war

with Japan by adding to the military forces stationed in the Pacific. General Douglas

MacArthur and his ground forces in the Philippines began to organize into a formidable

army. The B-17 was just arriving at many air force bases throughout the country, and was

a great confidence to MacArthur upon its arrival. MacArthur became so confident in his

forces stationed in the Philippines that on December 5,1941, he said, “Nothing would

please me better than if they would give me three months and then attack here.”

The most powerful and most crucial part of American defense in the Pacific Ocean was

that of the U.S. Pacific Fleet. Usually, this fleet was stationed somewhere along the west

coast of the United States, and made a training cruise to Hawaii each year. With war

looming, the U.S. Pacific Fleet was moved to the Pearl Harbor naval base in Hawaii. This

was the perfect location for the American forces in the Pacific because of its location,

halfway between the United States west coast and the Japanese military bases in the

Marshall Islands. The Pacific Fleet first arrived at Pearl Harbor naval base on April 2,

1940, and were scheduled to return to the United States mainland around May 9, 1940.

This plan was drastically changed because of the increasing activity of Italy in Europe and

Japan’s attempt at expansion in Southeast Asia. President Roosevelt felt that the presence

of the Pacific Fleet in Hawaii would retard any Japanese attempt at a strike on the United

States. Admiral James O. Richardson of the Pacific Fleet was in full opposition to the long

stay at Pearl Harbor. He felt that the facilities were inadequate to maintain the ships or

crews. Admiral Harold R. Stark, Chief of Naval Operations, was the one who originally

made the decision to extend the crew’s stay in Hawaii; and, in spite of Admiral

Richardson’s complaints, he maintained that the Pacific Fleet must stay there to keep the

Japanese from entering the East Indies. Richardson felt that the Japanese would realize the

military disadvantages of being stationed at Pearl Harbor, and would be quick to act on

the situation. All of Richardson’s objections, in meetings with both the Secretary of the

Navy Frank Knox and the President, got him nothing but a dismissal shortly thereafter.

On November 12,1940, British torpedo bombers launched an attack on the Taranto harbor

in Italy. This sent worry into United States government officials who were afraid that the

same thing could happen to Pearl Harbor. On November 22, Admiral Stark suggested to

Richardson the idea of placing anti-torpedo nets in Pearl Harbor. Richardson replied that

they were neither necessary nor practical. On February 1,1941, Richardson was officially

replaced by Admiral Husband E. Kimmel. Kimmel also did not like the idea of his fleet at

Pearl Harbor; but, after seeing what had happened to Richardson, he was very quiet about

his objections. The Pacific Fleet was to be used as a defensive measure to direct Japan’s

attention away from Southeast Asia by: (a) capturing the Caroline and Marshall Islands,

(b) disrupting Japanese trade routes, and (c) defending Guam, Hawaii, and the United

States mainland. Kimmel was supposed to prepare his fleet for war with Japan.

Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, commander-in-chief of Japan’s Combined Fleet, had to be

careful of his country’s position in the Pacific. If he concentrated his forces too much in

the Pacific islands, then the mainland would be more susceptible to attack from Europe

and even the United States. Yamamoto devised a plan that involved an opening blow to

the United States Pacific Fleet at the same time as their offensive against British,

American, and Dutch forces in Southeast Asia. He planned to cripple the United States

while he quickly conquered much of Southeast Asia and gathered their natural resources.

He hoped that his attack against the Pacific Fleet would demoralize the American forces

and get them to sign a peace settlement allowing Japan to remain as the power in the

Pacific. A month after the British attack on Taranto harbor, Yamamoto decided that if war

with the United States was unavoidable he would launch a carrier attack on Pearl Harbor.

In January of 1941, Yamamoto first began to commit to this strategy by planning out his

attack and showing it to other Japanese officials. Yamamoto developed the following eight

guidelines for the attack: (1) surprise was crucial, (2) American aircraft carriers there

should be the primary targets, (3) U.S. aircraft there must be destroyed to prevent aerial

opposition, (4) all Japanese aircraft carriers available should be used, (5) all types of

bombing should be used in the attack, (6) a strong fighter element should be included in

the attack for air cover for the fleet, (7) refueling at sea would be necessary, and (8) a

daylight attack promised best results, especially in the sunrise hours. Many of Japan’s

Navy General Staff were in opposition to Yamamoto’s plan, but they continued to prepare

for the attack. All of the necessary training was given to troops, and all of the fighters and

submarines were prepared.

THE BOMBING BEGINS

There were peace talks occurring up until about November 27, 1941. At that time,

negotiations had come to a halt. The United States put its troops on alert. On December 6,

1941, President Roosevelt made an appeal for peace to the Emperor of Japan. Not until

late that day did the U.S. decode thirteen parts of a fourteen part message that presented

the possibility of a Japanese attack. Approximately 9 a.m.(Washington time) on December

7,1941, the last part of the fourteen part message was decoded stating a severance of ties

with the United States. An hour later, a message from Japan was decoded as instructing

the Japanese embassy to deliver the fourteen part message at 1 p.m. (Washington time).

The U.S., upon receiving this message sent a commercial telegraph to Pearl Harbor

because radio communication had been down.

At 6 a.m.(Hawaiian time) on December 7,1941, the first Japanese attack fleet of 183

planes took off from aircraft carriers 230 miles north of Oahu. At 7:02 a.m., two Army

operators at a radar station on Oahu’s north shore picked up Japanese fighters approaching

on radar. They contacted a junior officer who disregarded their sighting, thinking that it

was B-17 bombers from the United States west coast. The first Japanese bomb was

dropped at 7:55 a.m. on Wheeler Field, eight miles from Pearl Harbor. The crews at Pearl

Harbor were on the decks of their ships for morning colors and the singing of The

Star-Spangled Banner. Even though the band was interrupted in their song by Japanese

planes gunfire, the crews did not move until the last note was sung. The telegraph from

Washington had been too late. It arrived at headquarters in Oahu around noon (Hawaiian

time), four long hours after the first bombs were dropped.

AFTERMATHS OF THE BOMBING

Of the approximately 100 U.S. Navy ships present in the harbor that day, eight battleships

were damaged with five sunk. Eleven smaller ships including cruisers and destroyers were

also badly damaged. Among those killed were 2,335 servicemen and 68 civilians. The

wounded included 1,178 people. The U.S.S. Arizona was dealt the worst blow of the

attack. A 1,760-pound bomb struck it, and the ammunition on board exploded killing

1,177 servicemen. Today, there is a memorial spanning the sunken remains of the Arizona

dedicated to the memory of all those lost in the bombing.

News of the attack was a shock to the entire nation. The bombing rallied the United States

behind the President in declaring war on Japan. On December 11, Germany and Italy

declared war on the U.S., bringing about a global conflict. The United States would later

drop two atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, bringing Japan

to complete surrender on August 14, 1945.

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