Pearl Harbor: The Verdict of History

In this superb sequel to At Dawn We Slept, the authors examine meticulously the circumstances surrounding the December 7, 1941 disaster and turn up neither villain nor scapegoat. In their analysis of the roles of the president and key cabinet members, of the chiefs of staff, military commanders and war plans officers, they draw the conclusion that much was taken for granted, principally that the Japanese would not attack Pearl Harbor. On the basis of their solid scholarship, the authors refute the revisionist view that Roosevelt deliberately withheld information from the military commanders in Hawaii to ensure that the attack would come unopposed. Included is a discussion of concurrent events and attitudes in the U.S. Philippine command and explanations why General MacArthur, unlike Admiral Kimmel and General Short in Hawaii, kept his command after the disaster and never had to face an investigation. The book closes with a chapter expounding ""the lessons the United States learnedor should have learned at Pearl Harbor.'' Illustrated. Military Book Club main selection; Literary Guild alternate. December 9