Countdown To Pearl Harbor

ISBN-10: 1476776482
ISBN-13: 978-1476776484
AUTHOR: Steve Twomey
PAGES: 392
FORMAT: Soft Cover

In the corridors of power in Washington, DC, during the waning days of November 1941, admirals gathered to compose a message laden with ominous undertones, an attempt to forewarn Hawaii of potential peril. Yet, this warning was marred by its vagueness and lack of specificity. The assumption prevailed that all necessary precautions were being taken, but the critical step of verification was neglected.

Meanwhile, in a modest office overlooking the formidable battleships anchored at Pearl Harbor, the commander of the Pacific Fleet was embroiled in a painstaking effort to evaluate the credibility of this looming threat. His intelligence apparatus had tragically lost track of Japan's most significant aircraft carriers, assuming they were resting idly in a distant port. Moreover, he held the belief that the waters of Pearl were too shallow to accommodate torpedoes and consequently never erected a protective barrier. While he grappled with these concerns, a Japanese spy surreptitiously counted the warships in the harbor, diligently transmitting this vital information back to Tokyo.

Within this tapestry of missed cues and miscalculations lay undertones of racism, as well as a labyrinth of misunderstandings, bureaucratic infighting, and clashes between egos. Pulitzer Prize-winning author Steve Twomey skillfully unravels the thread of history, demonstrating how a chain of negligent decisions and myopic convictions birthed a colossal disaster. However, he tells this tale with a blend of compassion and sagacious insight, understanding why even intelligent, seasoned, and talented individuals often find themselves gazing at their own feet when they should be scanning the sky.