When Germany collapsed in 1945, the German war records were taken over, microfilmed and stored in a vast warehouse in Maryland. Pretty much anything a historian wanted to find out was there, if he could find it.
But when Japan collapsed later that year, there were not many records to take as prize. Many were destroyed in the war, and the humiliated Japanese purposefully destroyed most of the rest.
Thus it happens that it makes some sense -- though mostly tedious readings -- to publish the research papers collected over 50 years by Gordon Prange. Prange was a historian on the staff of the Occupation, and he mobilized ex-Imperial Japanese Navy staff officers to reconstruct some of the missing important operational orders, and to provide narratives of Navy thinking and planning before and during the war.
These were published in two volumes, this one and later "The Pacific War Papers," and they are valuable enough, even if the editing leaves a lot to be desired. (A.A. Vandegrift would have been surprised to learn that he was a vice admiral, since he was a Marine.)
In the "Pearl Harbor Papers," we have some letters of Admiral Yamamoto, war diaries of units of the fleet that attacked Pearl Harbor and several retrospective studies by Masataka Chihaya, who was an important collaborator of Prange's in his various studies, such as "At Dawn We Slept."
Since Prange's books were thorough (he notoriously never thought he was finished and it was up to his American acolytes Dillon and Goldstein to get several into shape for publication after his death), nothing very startling emerges from reading his research papers.
They are not without their own interest, though. The attempt by Navy officers to get Yamamoto's girlfriend to commit suicide after the Americans killed him, though published in Japan over 50 years ago, was not widely known in America and gives some insight into Japanese thinking. The American who held the equivalent position had girlfriends, too, but it seems unlikely that anyone would have expected any or all of them to kill themselves to protect Ernie King's posthumous reputation.
Nor do we notice any second thoughts, much less regrets about the sneak attack on Pearl Harbor, not even from Chihaya, who is excoriating (after the fact) about Japan's misjudgments. More than one officer was, on the contrary, proud of extending the national tradition of treacherous attacks on unsuspecting victims.
Reading both volumes leaves a profound sense that the Japanese really had no idea what they were doing.
Two quotations sum it up. One is from Minoru Genda, the air officer who planned the Pearl Harbor attack: "I cannot help but think that the American people were filled with the idea that there could hardly be a war against such absurd people" as the Japanese.
This is probably true, as there could have been no doubt about who would win.
Even during the war, Frank Knox, the secretary of the Navy, concluded "Japan was either unable to understand modern war or not qualified to take part in it." Both, actually, and you don't have to go further than today's newspaper to find examples of the same thing happening among another medieval people.
Loading your book clubs
There was a problem loading your book clubs. Please try again.
Not in a club?
Learn more
Join or create book clubs
Choose books together
Track your books
Bring your club to Amazon Book Clubs, start a new book club and invite your friends to join, or find a club that’s right for you for free.
Flip to back
Flip to front
Follow the Authors
Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.
Enter your mobile number or email address below and we'll send you a link to download the free Kindle App. Then you can start reading Kindle books on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.
-
Apple
-
Android
-
Windows Phone
-
Android
To get the free app, enter your mobile phone number.
Customers who viewed this item also viewed
Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1
Customer reviews
Top reviews from the United States
There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.
Reviewed in the United States on March 1, 2018
Verified Purchase
Reviewed in the United States on May 2, 2001
Verified Purchase
Reviewed in the United States on January 29, 2017
Verified Purchase
Reviewed in the United States on November 21, 2019
Verified Purchase
Reviewed in the United States on June 2, 2013
Verified Purchase
Reviewed in the United States on February 22, 2015
Verified Purchase
