My mentor growing up, Mr. Benjamin Coates (now deceased), was a billionaire aristocrat (his family was one of the Founding families in Philadelphia).
He was a decorated Naval aviator in WWII.
Later in life, in the ’80’s, Mr. Coates hired some private researchers to closely look into this highly controversial issue regarding the REAL factors leading up to Pearl Harbor..
His team spent close to two years researching the matter here and in Japan.
The upshot?
Roosevelt absolutely intentionally set in motion the conditions to “prompt” a Japanese attack, he knew it was coming and did nothing about it, and that Emperor Hirohito did NOT want war with the U.S. and knew it would likely bring ruin on his people.
[Mr. Coates was in the Class of ’39 at Princeton. One of his classmates and friends was Prince Fumitaka “Fumi” Konoe of the Japanese Imperial Family.]
Emperor Hirohito was wheedled and backed into public acquiescence on the Pearl Harbor attack by his senior military and could not denounce them publicly later because of the Japanese system of Jukyo – saving “face”.
Roosevelt’s decision to goad the Japanese into attacking (by cutting-off crude oil and scrap iron shipments to them), taking the first blow, and then cranking-up the military-industrial complex for War in the Pacific was absolutely calculated and premeditated. Let there be no doubt about it.
Here is an article from the Los Angeles Times regarding Mr. Coates: http://articles.latimes.com/2007/may/24/local/me-rancho24/2 It establishes his bona fides as a world figure. fyi, I was with him when he looked at and purchased his Guejito Ranch in San Diego in the early ’70’s. It is the largest remaining “chunk” of private undeveloped land in Southern California today; 32 square miles just outside Escondido.
Here is a link to the Wikipedia biography of Prince Fumi’s father, Prince Fumimaro Konoe: http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fumimaro_Konoe
Scroll down and read the part about him actively trying to avert war with the U.S. Then read about what he tried to do AFTER the Japanese surrender. He was wrongly turned into a fall guy and ended up committing suicide.
Prince Fumi, my mentor’s friend, was killed during the War by the Chinese authorities after he was captured and imprisoned in one of their POW camps.
It’s a real shame that the truth of what REALLY went on here has never been told broadly….
Just like Roosevelt goaded Japan into making the Pearl Harbor Attack, Obama and the Neo Cons are now goading (squeezing) Putin into war mode with a similar pre-war ramp-up in the current Ukraine situation and the oil price manipulation going on.
A pitiful and disgusting litany of historic perpetrations on Americans and citizens elsewhere…
Related links: http://www.thenewamerican.com/culture/history/item/4740-pearl-harbor-hawaii-was-surprised-fdr-was-not
Further evidence in President Herbert Hoover’s book review: http://www.hooverpress.org/productdetails.cfm?PC=1470
Sam Kephart is CEO of Virtual Acumen Corp., a Spearfish, South Dakota-based creative agency specializing in digital media and marketing. He can be reached at sam2sam@aol.com.
