Countdown to Pearl Harbor : the twelve days to the attack /
Material type: TextPublisher: New York : Simon & Schuster, [2016]Description: 343 pages, 8 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations ; 22 cmContent type:- text
- unmediated
- volume
- 9781476776460
- 1476776466
- 9781476776484
- 1476776482
- United States. Navy -- Officers -- History -- 20th century
- United States. Navy
- 1900-1999
- Pearl Harbor (Hawaii), Attack on, 1941
- World War, 1939-1945 -- Causes
- World War, 1939-1945
- Armed Forces -- Officers
- Diplomatic relations
- Politics and government
- War -- Causes
- United States -- Politics and government -- 1933-1945
- United States -- Foreign relations -- Japan
- Japan -- Foreign relations
- Hawaii
- Japan
- United States
- 940.54/26693 23
- D767.92 .T86 2016
Item type | Current library | Home library | Collection | Call number | Copy number | Status | Date due | Barcode | Item holds | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Standard Loan | Hayden Library Adult Nonfiction | Hayden Library | Book | 940.54/TWOMEY (Browse shelf(Opens below)) | 1 | Available | 50610023198471 |
Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:
A Smithsonian Top History Book of 2016
A Japan Times Best Book About Japan of 2016
A fascinating look at the twelve days leading up to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor--the warnings, clues and missteps--by a Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter.
In Washington, DC, in late November 1941, admirals compose the most ominous message in Navy history to warn Hawaii of possible danger, but they write it too vaguely. They think precautions are being taken, but never check to see if they are. A key intelligence officer wants more warnings sent, but he is on the losing end of a bureaucratic battle and can't get the message out. American sleuths have pierced Japan's most vital diplomatic code, and Washington believes it has a window on the enemy's soul--but it does not.
In a small office at Pearl Harbor, overlooking the battleships at the heart of America's seafaring power, the Commander of the Pacific Fleet tries to figure out how much danger he really faces. His intelligence unit has lost track of Japan's biggest aircraft carriers, but assumes they are resting in a port far away. The admiral thinks Pearl is too shallow for torpedoes, so he never puts up a barrier. As he frets, a Japanese spy is counting the warships in the harbor and reporting to Tokyo.
There were false assumptions, and racist ones: The Japanese aren't very good aviators and they don't have the nerve or the skill to attempt a strike so far from their home. There were misunderstandings, conflicting desires, painful choices. And there was a naval officer who, on his very first mission as captain of his very first ship, did exactly the right thing. His warning could have averted disaster, but his superiors reacted too leisurely. Japanese planes arrived moments later.
Twomey's telescoping of the twelve days leading to the attack unravels the crucial characters and moments, and produces an edge-of-your seat drama with fascinating details about America at this moment in its history. By the end, the reader understands how assumption is the root of disaster, and how sometimes a gamble pays off.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Preface: the boys at Opana -- An end, a beginning -- Hitokappu's secret -- The Admiral Chief of the Pacific Fleet -- Betty -- It doesn't mean us -- Machine gun short -- Ambassador Joe and President Frank -- Their mail, opened and read -- The talents of Nippon -- The ships that were not there -- The smoke of secrets -- A time to look -- Out of their depth -- Your Majesty -- Dinner at the Halekulani -- From the vacant sea.
Table of contents provided by Syndetics
- Preface: The Boys at Opana (p. xi)
- 1 An End, a Beginning (p. 1)
- 2 Hitokappu's Secret (p. 19)
- 3 The Admiral Chief of the Pacific Fleet (p. 39)
- 4 Betty (p. 59)
- 5 It Doesn't Mean Us (p. 81)
- 6 Machine Gun Short (p. 97)
- 7 Ambassador Joe and President Frank (p. 119)
- 8 Their Mail, Opened and Read (p. 139)
- 9 The Talents of Nippon (p. 157)
- 10 The Ships That Were Not There (p. 173)
- 11 The Smoke of Secrets (p. 191)
- 12 A Time to Look (p. 209)
- 13 Out of Their Depth (p. 227)
- 14 Your Majesty (p. 239)
- 15 Dinner at the Halekulani (p. 249)
- 17 From the Vacant Sea (p. 263)
- Epilogue (p. 291)
- Acknowledgments (p. 307)
- Notes (p. 311)
- Selected Bibliography (p. 344)
- Image Credits (p. 354)
- Index (p. 355)
Excerpt provided by Syndetics
Reviews provided by Syndetics
Library Journal Review
Smoke could be seen coming out of the Japanese embassy in Washington, DC, on December 3, 1941, as employees followed the latest instructions from Tokyo to burn their codes, ciphers, and any confidential documents. The same scene was playing out in Japanese consulates in Hong Kong, Singapore, Manila, and London. The smoke was one of several indicators of an imminent attack by the Japanese, but American military leaders assumed the Japanese were planning to attack the Asian continent. Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Twomey charts the decisions and actions of U.S. government officials and military leaders in a chronological retelling of the 12 days leading up to the early morning attack in Hawaii. VERDICT Twomey's highly recommended exploration of the miscommunications and racist assumptions of the U.S. military sheds light on the missteps of military leadership and provides much-needed context for why the American fleet was unprepared for Japan's devastating raid. [See Prepub Alert, 5/2/16.]-John Rodzvilla, Emerson Coll., Boston © Copyright 2016. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.Publishers Weekly Review
Pulitzer-winning journalist Twomey teases readers with his subtitle before delivering a fine account of the players and events in the years leading up to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Twomey churns up plenty of minor characters and little-known incidents over the course of 16 unchronological chapters, but he emphasizes the major figures on both sides, including such star-crossed commanders in Hawaii as Adm. Husband Kimmel and Gen. Walter Short; their superiors in Washington, Adm. Harold Stark, Gen. George C. Marshall, and Pres. Roosevelt; and Japanese Adm. Isoroku Yamamoto and ambassador Kichisaburo Nomura. These are lively, astute portraits that rock no boats. No longer considered scapegoats, Kimmel and Short come across as intelligent commanders, aware that war was imminent-if only because of repeated warnings from Washington-but hampered by the widespread feeling that a Japanese attack would be suicidal and stupid. Twomey's admiring portrait of Adm. Yamamoto is outdated: plenty of colleagues shared his reluctance to provoke the U.S., attacking Pearl Harbor did turn out to be foolhardy, and Yamamoto's subsequent career was unimpressive. The story of Pearl Harbor has been done to death, but Twomey's vivid work rates high nonetheless. (Nov.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.Booklist Review
Pulitzer Prize winner Twomey offers a thoroughly researched and freshly dynamic narrative covering the activities of key officers, diplomats, and politicians in the immediate prelude to the surprise Japanese air strike on Pearl Harbor. At the center of Twomey's telling of the story are the American commanders in Hawaii on whom officialdom pinned responsibility for the disaster, General Walter Short and Admiral Husband Kimmel. A summary of their careers sets up Twomey's depictions of their reactions to information received from Washington about Japanese strategic intentions during the diplomatic crisis of 1941. Highlighting a central controversy about Pearl Harbor, the intelligence that army chief George Marshall and navy chief Harold Stark did and did not supply to Short and Kimmel, Twomey nevertheless adheres to conventional conclusions that the latter pair were negligent in not preparing to meet an attack. Touching on communication miscues and American complacency about Japanese naval capability, Twomey ably captures the tragic element in the Pearl Harbor saga.--Taylor, Gilbert Copyright 2016 BooklistThere are no comments on this title.