Pearl Harbor was a TRAP TO CATCH A (JAPANESE)

Thanks, OP, lot of information there, started with Halsey's testimony to the Hart Board which includes the following:

Prior to November 28, 1941, we had been in port for a normal period. When I left with my task force that morning, I did not let anyone know where we were going until we were clear of the harbor. At this point, I peeled off the battleships and destroyers that were not to accompany us. I went off to the westward and sent them off to the southward and eastward.
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Immediately on clearing the channel, I diverted the battleships, three in number, cruisers and destroyers, under Admirals Draemel and Kidd, and told them to carry out exercises in a certain area. I then headed West with the remainder of my task force.

This refers to BatDiv 1 comprising Arizona, Oklahoma, and Nevada under Rear Admiral Isaac Kidd, who died on Arizona Dec 7. Halsey cites the desire for deception measures which the battleships presumably contributed to:

The Marine planes were finally selected and for security reasons it was necessary to get those planes on board the ENTERPRISE at sea the next day without anyone knowing where they were going. This required a tremendous amount of planning and subterfuge before we hit on a scheme for flying these people aboard. We told them they were going out for two or three days' maneuvers. At the same time, to show the Army that it was possible to fly Army fighter planes off carriers, it was arranged to take two Army fighter planes aboard from the dock and fly them of at sea to land in Honolulu. This again required much planning so as not to excite people and break the security. We worked over this until about six o'clock in the evening before plans were completed. We sailed the next morning.

Incidentally the Marine pilots did not know until they got to sea that they would not be returning to Oahu; Enterprise's airmen helped outfit them with the essentials, including several bottles of liquor!

We have still not seen any discussion of the BBs actually accompanying Halsey to Wake; the suggestion can hardly have been turned down unless it is shown to have been made in the first place. BatDiv 1 was scheduled for, and conducted, gunnery exercises offshore Dec 4 and returned to port in time for Nevada to have her remaining ammunition offloaded before Dec 7. There was no reason to send BBs with Halsey, and they had other, perfectly normal things to do at home.

 

Interesting Theory There But Is There Any Truth To It

 

Although my opinion of FDR is low, it's quite obvious that 1) an attack to destroy the Pacific Fleet should be avoided. 2) There was more than "scrap" at Pearl Harbor - most of the fleet was their, including the indispensable cruisers, destroyers and especially the submarines, none targeted by Operation Hawaii, which originally aimed to destroy battleships, battleships, battleships, to get the most psychological impact,since at that time battleships were considered THE predominant naval weapon by the public.
And the carriers sortied on Kimmel's orders, not Washington's. Pearl Harbor conspiracy theories, like virtually all conspiracy theories,are created to sell books, not
provide historical facts.

 

Agreed....Pearl was certainly no conspiracey.

It was complete and utter idiocy.

A country whose military resources were already 90% committed to the conflict in China, turns around and takes on the biggest industrial power on earth with less than two million tons of oil and other lubricants in the country at the time?


A military government that waged war in China behind the back of the Mikado then ignores the advice of it's principle strategist, who says that he can "Run riot for six months.", after which, he's not so sure, and they ignore this as well?

Finally, a Navy with a small but highly trained core of about 500 pilots hopes to overcome a country that invented the Aeroplane and has been the biggest embracer of aircraft in civilian life anywhere, and they expect to overcome this country in aviation with little or no capacity for large scale training of pilots and aircrew, let alone the fuel for such a venture?

A sober look at the chances of Japan would have seen a more relaxed approach, based on the economics. If Japan had have backed down early on, they could have maintained control of Manchuoko at least. By going for broke, they gambled and lost the lot.

Who could have forseen that postwar Japan, thanks to Macarthur and about a trillion dollars in aid, would rise to develop "The Greater East-Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere" without a shot being fired?

Who could have predicted that?