by HNN Staff
Pearl Harbor is in the news, six months ahead of schedule, owing to the release of the Hollywood blockbuster, which earned $75 million dollars over the Memorial Day weekend. Following are the top three myths perpetuated by the film:MYTH #1 The Japanese were guilty of staging a sneak attack. This is undoubtedly the myth that Americans hold most dearly about the war. Evidence in support of it seems overwhelming: Newsreels at the time noted that the attack occurred while Japanese diplomats were negotiating with the State Department, successfully exploiting American naivety, it seemed. Further, the Pacific fleet was taken by surprise. Finally, FDR himself told Congress, in his"day of infamy" address, that the attack had come as a shock.While the Japanese certainly intended to catch us flatfooted in Hawaii, repeating a successful strategy used at the outset of the Russo-Japanese War in 1904, they also intended to give Secretary of State Cordell Hull prior warning of at least a couple of hours. The war warning was indeed prepared and sent to the Japanese embassy in Washington, but owing to faulty transmission and a delay in translation, the message was not delivered to Secretary Hull until an hour after the attack had begun.
