Buzz
December 7, 1941, is a day that remains ingrained in the American consciousness due to the devastating loss of life and the seemingly unprovoked strike that propelled the United States into World War II. Prior to that, most Americans had opposed entering the conflict.
Over the years, numerous questions have arisen surrounding that fateful day in Hawaii. Some even suggest that the attack might have been allowed, or perhaps even planned in advance. While many of the more radical theories are likely unfounded, it seems the truth behind Pearl Harbor is more complex than the public is led to believe.
10. Did Hitler Influence the Attack Through Joachim von Ribbentrop?
Although there is no definitive proof of direct encouragement, several researchers suggest that Adolf Hitler may have urged the Japanese to carry out their planned attack on the United States, using his foreign minister, Joachim von Ribbentrop, to communicate this as late as December 6, 1941. This was done to give the impression that the German military was on the verge of taking Moscow.
A German-Japanese pact had already been signed, with Japan committing to protect German interests, though it did not formally bring Japan into the war.
In reality, although German forces had advanced deep into the Soviet Union by early December 1941, they were on the brink of defeat. Many units had already retreated from their positions, a clear indication of the impending collapse under Russian counteroffensives.
The day after the Pearl Harbor attack, German troops were in full retreat. Whether Hitler had prior knowledge of the attack or simply took advantage of the situation remains a topic of debate.
9. Hitler Swiftly Declared War on the United States
Many considered it madness (and perhaps it was), but almost immediately after the news of the Japanese attacks on Pearl Harbor, Hitler declared war on the United States.
Several theories exist as to why he made this decision, ranging from the outlandish to the plausible.
History suggests that Hitler sought to drag the Russians into a war on two fronts—facing the Allies on one side and the Japanese on the other. With the United States now involved, there was hope that the Soviet Union might switch sides and engage the Americans.
Other more far-fetched theories propose that Hitler's ultimate aim, much like the goal behind Pearl Harbor, was to draw the United States into the war—something public opinion was strongly opposed to.
8. Winston Churchill
It is well known that Winston Churchill sought to involve the United States in World War II. When Hitler declared war on the U.S., Churchill wrote in his diary: “Being overwhelmed with emotion, I went to bed and slept the sleep of the saved and thankful!” He also described the United States as a “gigantic boiler. Once the fire is lit beneath it, there is no limit to the power it can generate!”
Whether Churchill's remarks were part of a larger plan—conceived by him or by more powerful figures—remains up for debate. However, his comments about the future military might of the United States post-war were eerily prophetic.
Additional information surfaced suggesting that British intelligence had been intercepting Japanese communications for years before the attack on Pearl Harbor. While we know that intelligence was intercepted, the exact details remain classified, leaving us in the dark about what was actually discovered.
For some, this raises a red flag. They argue that the United States might have been able to defend itself against the Pearl Harbor attack in 1941 if these messages had been passed on to the U.S. government.
However, as we will explore in the next section, the Americans (who have since declassified all their related documents) also had intelligence and warnings. Yet, they seem to have been disregarded.
7. Ignored Intelligence
U.S. intelligence reports from the months leading up to Pearl Harbor, along with Franklin Roosevelt's own declassified documents, were eventually made public. When revealed, it became clear to most that U.S. government and military officials had severely underestimated the impending Japanese attack. In fact, even the location seemed to have been clearly indicated to them.
In the years following the bombing, many have found it hard to believe that the United States military could have overlooked so many opportunities to adequately prepare for what seemed to be an inevitable attack.
If there was indeed a prearranged plan to facilitate the United States' involvement in the European war (as many theories suggest), it stands to reason that crucial intelligence would have been deliberately kept from public knowledge.
6. Roosevelt's 'Unlikely' Promise
In the years leading up to World War II, U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt assured the American people that “your boys are not going to be sent into any foreign wars!” He also proclaimed during his 1940 campaign that Americans could “nail any talk about sending armies to Europe as deliberate untruths!” This promise is widely considered the decisive factor in securing his re-election.
The question of whether Roosevelt's promise was truly a sincere one that he couldn't keep due to changing circumstances, or whether he always knew that America would eventually be drawn into the war, remains a matter of ongoing debate. Many conspiracy theorists continue to explore this possibility.
Some theories propose that Roosevelt always intended for the U.S. to enter the war, whether for economic gain for the military or, more likely, to gain influence in Europe after the war ended. Many conspiracy theorists assert that the war was planned in advance. Although Roosevelt was prepared to lead the U.S. into the devastated European theater, his first hurdle was securing an unprecedented third term as president.
5. The Winds Code
Although it is a well-known theory, 'The Winds Code' supposedly refers to covert information disguised as weather reports sent by the Japanese, which were meant to notify their military about upcoming operations. These reports included the identification of targets and the timing of the attack. However, most mainstream historians dismiss the significance of this theory.
For those who believe in the authenticity of these secret 'codes', the phrase 'West wind clear' was thought to indicate a Japanese attack on Britain, primarily targeting British colonies in the East, while 'North wind cloudy' supposedly signaled an attack on the Soviet Union. The forecast 'East wind rain' was believed to hint at an impending assault on the United States.
An investigation by Congress into the Pearl Harbor attack revealed that on December 3, 1941, certain 'weather reports' seemed to suggest Japan's imminent plans for an attack on both the United States and Britain. However, these messages were reportedly absent from official U.S. Navy files and couldn't be verified.
4. Direct Warnings and Increased Activity
Along with increasingly specific and clear warnings directed at the United States, there was also a noticeable increase in Japanese military activity. Despite this, such signs were largely ignored, at least in the public sphere.
The official response to the attacks has been called into question, both at the time and in the years since. The U.S. intelligence community was among the most advanced in the world, and it was well known that several Japanese military codes were broken by American codebreakers.
It was also well known in military and intelligence circles that Japan was moving its forces into position for an attack. Therefore, it wasn’t just fringe conspiracy theorists who wondered if the U.S. military, under the direction of top officials, allowed the attack to unfold.
The goal behind this, of course, was to spark public outrage and quickly persuade American citizens to support the war effort. Whether this was the true motive or not, the outcome of the Pearl Harbor attacks was that it achieved exactly that.
3. The Prisoner of Pearl Harbor
While over 3,500 Americans lost their lives on December 7, 1941, one often overlooked aspect of the Pearl Harbor attack was the capture of a Japanese assailant.
Several small submarines had quietly entered the waters near the docks, carrying out surprise attacks. These subs were quickly targeted by U.S. forces, but one submarine malfunctioned. Of its two-man crew, one was presumed to have drowned, while Kazuo Sakamaki, the surviving Japanese naval officer, washed ashore on a Honolulu beach and was taken prisoner by U.S. troops.
Sakamaki became the first Japanese prisoner of war captured by U.S. forces. After the war, he turned into a staunch pacifist, seldom discussing Pearl Harbor except to say he was simply fulfilling his duty as directed by his superiors. Sakamaki passed away in 1999 at the age of 81.
2. The US Fired First!
If reports about this obscure event are accurate, the United States fired the first shots against a Japanese submarine during the attack on Pearl Harbor. In fact, these were the first shots fired by the U.S. in World War II.
Clearly, these shots were still fired in self-defense, and Japan was already within U.S. territory.
The truth of this discovery emerged when marine researchers uncovered the remains of a Japanese minisub on the seabed near Pearl Harbor. A bullet hole was found in the sub, which lends credibility to the claim of a clash between U.S. forces and Japanese subs before the surprise aerial assault.
Though it's almost certain the attack would have occurred regardless of whether the unknown U.S. soldier fired the first shot, John Wiltshire, who led the research expedition, made a bold statement, declaring, 'It’s the shot that started World War II between the Americans and the Japanese!'
1. 'The Deadly Double' Game Conspiracy
One of the strangest theories linked to the Pearl Harbor attacks revolves around the game 'The Deadly Double.' Ads for this game began appearing in the weeks before the attack, particularly in the November 22, 1941 edition of The New Yorker. The ad also featured the word Achtung in a distinctive German font and was published by the Monarch Publishing Company.
A significant amount of suspicion has been cast on the dice numbers in these newspaper advertisements. The numbers '12' and '7' don’t appear on typical dice, but according to the theories, they represent the date December 7th!
While the idea of hidden information in plain sight is commonly found in modern conspiracy theories, this wasn't widely considered in the 1930s and '40s. Does this lend credibility to the notion that such covert messages have long been used by the elite—those who are in the know?
+ Why Didn’t They Attack Key Fuel Supplies?
While the loss of life at Pearl Harbor was devastating, the actual number of ships lost was surprisingly low, remaining in the single digits. Many of the damaged vessels were repaired and later participated in other significant battles during World War II. In this sense, the impact of the attack was not as catastrophic as the public was initially led to believe.
A particular question raised by some conspiracy theorists and researchers was why the Japanese forces didn't target the nearby fuel supplies, which would have caused far more significant and long-lasting damage to the United States.
While it may seem outrageous or even disrespectful to some, this omission was used as evidence by others to argue that the attack was allowed to occur, orchestrated with full American knowledge. The theory suggests that the US government was willing to sacrifice some ships and soldiers, but it drew the line at allowing damage to such a crucial target.
The idea of a shadowy group controlling both sides of the conflict and orchestrating events resurfaced when reports from US soldiers began to emerge. Despite witnessing widespread destruction as they advanced toward Berlin, key military sites—often connected to IG Farben—were mysteriously left untouched, as though they were deliberately spared from attack.
