REF ID:A42855 

.... SECURITY CLASSIFICATION (J/anp) 

DISPOSITION FORM 

FILE ND. SUBJECT FACTS FORUM Telecast 

TO C S FROM SEX; DATE 5 O~M>ber 1954 COMMENT NO. 1 

Maj Claude:r.J-. Kramer, 60261/ 

1. Attached is transcript of a television program entitled 11Was the Attack on 

Pearl Harbor a Surprise?j' presented by FACTS FORUM on television station wrrG, at 

1830 Sunday, 3 October 1954. Telecast was recorded in the AG's office and transcribed from the recording. 

Incl: 

a/s 

2. 

@'pp roved for Release by NSA on 10-28-2013 pursuantto E .0. 1352a 

DD FORM 9 6 REPLACES NME FORM II, I OCT 411, WHICH MAY B& USED. I FEB 50 

IO-M801-I 'If •· 1. eowaa•u1 Nurr••• onlCI 
,. REF ID:A42855 

FACTS FORUM Telecast 

C/S S October 1954 

Maj Claude J. Kramer, 60261/rwl 

1. Attached is transcript of a television program entitled "Was the Attack on 

Pearl Harbor a Surprise?f presented b7 FACTS FORUM on television station wrra, at 

1830 Sundq, 3 October 1954. Telecast was recorded in the .AG 1 s office and transcribed trom the recording. 

Incl a 

a/a 

2. Passages ot interest to NSA are underlined in red and appear on pages 8-1.). 

s. WESLEY R.EX'NOLDS 

Chief, Securit7 D1Tision 
REF ID:A42855 

FACTS FORUM 

3 October 19S4 

(MUSIC) 

M.ARRA'l'OR1 .America is great. America is beautitul. .America is tree. A land 

where men who lOYe freedom practice treed.om. But freedom is not tree. What 

our toretathera won by struggle we can lose b7 inditterence. Believing that 

people who govem themselves must intorm. thmselves, FACTS FORUM presmts 

discussions ot tacts and issues which effect the dail3 lives of all Americana. 

(MUSIC) 

NARRATOR: Good evening, and welcome to FACTS FORUM. You know, ma.ny ot the 

issues discussed on this and other FACTS FORUM radio an& television programs 

are reprinted 1n the FAc:lS FORUM BEflS each month. The FACTS FORUM NEWS also 

lists, tor 7C>Ur convenience, the dq and time these programs_,. be seen and 

heard on stations in all parts ot the countr,y, and. there are mBll1' other intel\-

esting features in the FACTS FORUM NDm such as Letters to the Fditor, 

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or 11.00 tor the special six montlls' introductory otter. Send 7our subscription 

order direct to Dallas, Texas. No other address is necessar,r, just FACTS 

FORUM NEWS, Dallas, Texas. 

. Now, here is Mr. Dan &loot. FACTS FORUM invites ;you to join Dan Smoot 

.. in a discussion of both sides of an important controversial question. Dan 

&Boot. 

MR. SMOOT: Hello aga:Sn. I wonder how :m&IJ7' ot JOU rmaber these headlines: 

"WAR - OAHU BOMB!D BI JAPANESE PWEs. 0 'This is a apecial edition of the 
REF ID:A42855 

Honolulu ~ _Bull .......... etin ........ • dated Sundq • December 7 • 19U. Pearl Harbor Dq • the 

dq that will liTe in int_,.. Do ;rou think that the attack on Pearl Harbor 

was actual.q a surprise? 

There have been eight investigations ot the Pearl Harbor di111&ster, but 

none of ta• has satistactorilT answered tor the .American people this burning 

question: How could Pearl Harbor possib~ have happened at a time when war 

was already raging in Europe and Asia• when Japan was engaged in a formal 

alliance with Hitler, and when American r~tions with both Japan and Gel'Jllln1' 

were so strained that everyone knew something terrible could happen &rJ1' c:Uv? 

How was it possible tor a great Jap carrier task force to move over three 

thousand miles across the open sea, to catch our entire Pacific neet bundled 

up in Pearl Harbor, complete.17 unaware and unadvised• destroy it and get awa:r 

with practica.J.l¥ no loss to the Japs? 

The belief' that Presidmt Roosevelt lmev that the attack on Pearl Harbor 

was coming and deliberate~ let it happen aa a Mana ot getting America into 

World War II was wideq held b7 .Amricans trom. the beginning. But public 

discussions and public investigations of' such a thing could not be permitted 

during the War• when it was necessar,r for the American people to 'be united 

behind and confident in the national leadership. Immediatel.7 after the war, 

however, when selt public record.a became avail.able, various scholars began 

probing into the Pearl Harbor record. 

Since 1945, several massive and scholarl.1' books have been written b;r 

revisionist historians. These historians f'eel that the official h1stol"1' of 

Pearl Harbor as told b,r Boosevelt and b;r the writers supporting Roosevelt 

is talse. They call themselves revisionists because the;r want to revise 

the official. histo17 in order to tell what thq regard as the truth about 

', 
REF ID:A42855 

-3-

America 1 s entrance into World War II. The truth, as these revisionist historians see it, is that it was pressure from Roosevelt which finall7 caused 

the British and the French to declare war on G8l'Df1D1' as a result ot the Nazi 

invasion ot Poland Septed>er 1, 19.39. Follow1ng that, the British and French 

put pressure on Boosevelt to help in the war that he had wanted them to tight. 

Roosevelt wanted to get. into World War II. but could not openq advocate such 

a course because the American people were almost solidq opposed to our intervention in another European war. The revisionist theor,y ot what happened in 

Pearl Harbor is that Roosevelt, after a long series of unsuccessful attempts 

to goad GermaIQ' into attacking the United states, final.11' turned his attention 

to Japan and was successful in manipulating a Japanese attack against .America. 

The book that has currently brought this question before the public is 

'this little volUlle cal.led ale! Fi.pal Secret S: Pearl Harbor. 11 It was written 

b7 Rear Admi~ Robert A. Theobald and publiShed in 1954 b7 the Devin-Adair 

Co.mpal>1'. It received widespread publicity and attention bel'ore publication 

because the complete book was run as a special feature in the U. s. Ii!!!! !B!l 

World Repc>Q. In this little book, which has corroborative forewords written 

b7 .Admiral Kimmel and Fleet Admiral W111iam F. (Bull) Hal.sq, Theobald puts 

full responsibility tor Pearl Harbor on the President, aqing that Roosevelt 

deliberateq invited the Japanese attack, knew it was coming, and withheld 

his lmowledge from ·the United States Commanders in Hawaii. On the other hand, 

of course, there is the belief that this is a dastardJJ" charge to bring 

against an American President, that no such charge as this has ever been mde 

against &rfT other .American since Benedict Arnold was accused of tr,ying to 

surrender West Point to the British during the RevolutioDBrT War. 

In the tradition ot FACTS FORUM, let's Ax8m1ne the two opposite sides 

of this question: Was the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor actualJT a surprise? 
REF ID:A42855 

-4-

Let 1 s take :f'irst the arguments of' those who Stq' 7es, it was a surprise. Here 

is a brief' condensation of' that point of' view. 

No one has yet made the craq allegation that Roosevelt was a Japanese 

QJllP&thizer. Yet, unless 70u are willlni to believe that Roosevelt was a 

Japanese s;vmpathizer and wanted to see Japan win the ar against the United 

states, 70u cannot, with 8llJ' degree of' logic, accept the fantastic thesis that 

Roosevelt engineered the Pearl Harbor attack which resulted in the greatest; 

m:llitar.r disaster in American hist017. There was one thing about President 

Roosevelt that ever.Jbod1' knew: he loved the .American Hav. Even 1t you could 

assume that Roosevelt wanted the Japs to attack Pearl Harbor as a means of' 

getting America into the war, there is abaolute:Qr no logic, good sense, or 

even deceney in the further assumption that Roosevelt deliberat~ set the 

thing up :f'or the Japanese to destro7 our Paci:f'ic Fleet• practicalq without 

loss to themselves. There is an abundance of' evidence to prove that Roosevelt 

did everything possible to avoid war with Japan. 

AnTone who is :f'amiliar with our foreign polic7 in the 7ears imm.edi&te]Jr 

preceding the Pearl Harbor attack knows that President Roosevelt was outspoken in his denunciation of aggression &IJ1Where in the world. He expressed 

this objection public~ and privat~. He told GermarJ7, ltal1', and Japan 

about it in plain language. Yes, the record of these dqs /.f.s full of proof' 

that Roosevelt was extremel¥ anxious to keep America out of the war and to 

negotiate with Japan a settlement of our ditf erences and avoid the catastrophe 

of' getting the United Sliates involved in the second World War. 

In tact, at the very last moment on December 6, 1941, the dq before the 

Pearl Harbor attack, the Japanese delivered in Wash1.ngton a mmaorandum 

rejecting Hull's ultimat-. President Roosevelt acknowledged that this 
REF ID:A42855 

-sre j ec tion meant war. Nonetheless, he sent a personal appeal to lbperor 

Hirohito. In that appeal President Roos8V'elt withdrew the greater part bf 

the demands which Hull 1 s ultinatum had made upon Japan. President Roosevelt 

said to the lbperor •1 withdrawal ot the Japanese forces trom In.do-China 

would result in the assurance ot peace throughout the whole of the South 

Pacific areas. I am confident that both ot us, tor the sake of peoples not 

o~ ot our own great countries, but for the sake or humanity in neighboring 

territories, haTe a sacred ~ut7 to restore traditional amity and prevent further death and destruction in the wrld.. 11 

There can be no doubt that Presidmt Roosevelt anticipated war with 

Japan and was determined. to lead America in an all-out tight if' and when 

Japan struck. Nevertheless, he made eveey effort short of war itself to 

stop the Japanese seizure of territory in the Bacif'ic to e11m1nate the 

necassit7 f'or war. 

Immediately atter the Pearl Harbor attack, President Rooanelt appointed 

the Roberta Conmd.saion to act as a tact finding body to obtain and report the 

tacts relating to the Japanese attack. The Roberts Conllission ma.de investigations in Washington and in Hawaii, exam n:I ng in Hawaii .Admiral Kimel and 

General Short, the top military commanders responsible tor the disposition of 

American forces in the Territo17 of Hawaii. The Roberts Commission felt that 

Washington off'icials had adequately fulfilled their obligations in connection 

with the Pearl Harbor attack. Blame was placed on the two Hawaiian comanders, 

Admiral Ki.Din.el and. General Short. The Roberts CODDission found that these 

two comanders bad received adequate warning from Washington but that they 

had failed either to comprehend the seriousness ot the situation or had been 

negligent about placing their co11111181lds on alert and so deplo71ng their forces 

as to avoid disaster. Both General Short and Admiral Kinanel were snereq 
REF ID:A42855 

censured and r•oved from their conands. None ot the seven Pearl Harbor 

investigations which have followed the inquiry- ot the Robert.a Commission has 

produced evidence which would bear out the allegations ma.de against President 

Roosevelt by Admiral Theobald 1n this book, and by the other revisionist 

writers. 

Inmediatel.1' toll.owing the close of World War II Congress, animted by 

the persistent wide-spread rumors about President Roosevelt, General George c. 

:Marshall, and other high officials 1n Washington, set up a joint Congressional 

committee to make an investigation and get the tacts on what actuall1' happened 

at Pearl Harbor. This Congressional committee held hearings trom November lS, 

1945 to Mq 31, 1946. It produced eleven volumes of evidence and. ten volumes 

ot exhibits, and it compiled seventeen volumes from earlier investigations. 

The ~jority Report. ot this committee concluded that the Japanese attack on 

Pearl Harbor was a sneak operation which surprised virtuallJr everyone, lespite 

the tact that officials 1n Washington and 1n Hawaii were conscious of' the 

danger from. air attack and did realize that there was a possibility of' such an 

attack on Pearl Harbor. The Majority Report. concluded that the attack was 

well planned and skilltull,y executed by more powerful forces than it was 

thought that Japan could employ in a single tactical adventure at such a distance under such circumstances. The Congressional committee found that the 

Pearl Harbor attack was an unprovoked. act ot aggression and that President 

Roosevelt had made ever.r possible effort. to avert war with Japan. 

One ot the most convincing b•ta ot testimo:D1" to retut.e the theoey that 

Roosevelt engineered the Pearl Harbor disaster, knew it was coming, has been 

given by Vice Admiral Frailk E. Beatty. Admiral Beatt;r was an aide to Frank 

Knox, Secretar.r of' the Nav,y, at the time or the Pearl Harbor attack. Beatty 
REF ID:A42855 

-7-

was lunching at the White House at the moment ot the attack, was called trom 

ttJ,e White House to Secretary Knox' ottice, and went imm.ediatel7 with Knox to 

Hawaii to find what happened. Admiral Beatty was verr close to the inner 

circl~ at the White House and at the Army and Nav Depart.ments tllroughout the 

period leading up to, including, and fol.lowing the Japanese attack. He sqs 

that he never heard 8Jl1'one in high authority in the Naval service suggest 

that Pearl Harbor liked the attack. He sqs that after the attack, and atter 

hearing numerous hints that certain people had known it was coming., he verr 

caretul.ly watched tor any evidence that might turn up. Toda.7, more than 

twelve years later, Admiral Beatty says he has yet to find any person in a 

high capacity who knew ot or even suspected the intention ot the Japanese to 

attack Pearl Harbor. Admiral Beatty says, "Prior to December 7, it was evident., even to me, that we were pushing Japan into a corner. I believed that 

it was the desire of President Roosevelt and ot Prime Minister Churchill that 

we get into the war as they f'elt the Allies could not win without us., and all 

our ettorts to cause the Germns to declare war on us had tailed. The conditions we imposed on Japan - get out ot China., for example - were so 

severe that we knew they could not accept. We did not want her to accept. 

We were forcing her so seve~ that we should have lmown that she would 

react toward the United states. All her preparations in a military wq -

and we knew their over-all import - pointed that wq. 11 

Nonetheless, Admiral. Beatty sqs the considered and consistent opinion 

in the NaV7 Department was that Japan would attack not American. territoey but 

British territoey in the Far Fast. Admiral Beatty specitica1J3 mentions a 

high level conterence held in the ottice ot Secreta17 of the Nav Knox on the 

morning ot Saturdq., December 6., 1941., the dq before Pearl Harbor. In 

addressing tae group., Knox said, "Gentlemen., are they going to hit us?• 
REF ID:A42855 

Admiral Turner replied very quiclcJ¥, 11No, Mr. Secretar,y, they are not ready 

tor us. They are going to hit the British." Now, Admiral Turner was Director 

. a 

ot War Plans tor the N&'VJ'J he was/close advisor or Admiral stark, Chief of 

Naval Operations; _he ..... ~!,~ ~~.2!!-~'!~.}!n.c.l ~~~l!9k ... ~!!'~!1'!-r .. ~:YL-~ .... ~r 

~!_.~~e!~~ .!.~E!~!!l,!!.,.!1~!!_8JW8 .tJl&:t .,!"-~! ..a..1(~. J;hQJJ,e ••• Jli.Y.IU. ~@l.C!., lJ.! 

!!.~ ~~~ced ~~1:-. the ~-·P~.ese,.¥8re not goi.u,.,~Q .i,ta.*.~t.t.u~ .~td. §la!-e,~1 

The infamous attack was a surprise. What is even more surprising, however, 

is that the Neo-Fascists, reactionaries, and disgruntled isolationists can 

find a public •rket for their senseless slander against a President who gave 

America the aggressive, dynamic leadership necessar,y to win the greatest war 

in history. 

Now that was one side or the question, but there is another side. Here, 

in brief condensation, are the arguments of some others who do not think that 

the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor was actually a surprise. 

In the political campaign of 1940, Frankl in D. Roosevelt, ranning tor a 

third term, campaigned prima.r'l.q on a platform ot peace. Again and again and 

again Roosevelt told the American people that there would be no war but, 

while making these public promises, Roosevelt was doing eveeything he could to 

involve the United states 1n war with GemarJ7. There are some who thought 

that Roosevelt wanted war in order to cover up the d.iBDBl failure or his Hew 

Deal, that he was at heart. a tyrant and wanted the power and glory which 

woild be hie as a war-time President. Be that as it my, Roosnelt got the 

war he wanted by goading Japan into doing what he had been unable to prod 

Germany into, ~an attack on .American territoey. 

Against professional milit&r7 advice, Roosevelt moved our weak Pacific 

neet from the West Coast out to Hawaii and based it at Pearl Harbor, which 

is land-locked and quite vulnerable to air attack. He deliberately set 
REF ID:A42855 

• 

-9-

Pearl Harbor up as a setting duck to invite a Japanese attack. Roosevelt knew 

that aft.er we had pushed Japan as tar as she would go, she wuld strike at us 

and the onq logical target for her was Pearl Harbor. She certainl3' wuldn1t 

risk bringing the power ot the United States against her by spearheading an 

attack on some ou~ garrison like Guam, which would merely enrage the 

American people but would not seriously damage American strength. A successtul 

attack against Pearl Ha~bor, however, could destroy or rend.er ineffective the 

entire Pacific Fleet of the United States. This would give Japan time to 

over-run on other American outposts in the Pacific and entrench heraeif in 

the Philippines and on islands stretching throughout the vast Pacific Ocean. 

On Januar.v 27, 1941, American Ambassador Joseph Grew 1n Tokyo reported to 

the State Department that a rumor in high diplomatic circles in Tokyo, emanating 

tram Japanese sources, held that in the event of serious trouble between the 

United states and Japan, the Japanese intended to nake a surprise attack 

against Pearl Harbor. The truth ot this rumor was indicated by an intensification of Japanese espionage in Hawaii as soon as Japanese-American relations 

became critical. As earg as l9ao.,._.Jln;l.jjl9.~!~!!' •• !!J>!W .. t.!!4...bf.2f'9.i'R!D:.Os 

highest security.!.~!!.....~~~~~~ ~!! ... C:~!J ... !1?:11 ... ~~ .!!!!! ... "-.Pn!td f. 

machine ca;g!'1_~~~-~~~. ~~!~..!.1..ei!~~!!e .... -~~!,8!': ... i:!-d~. !'!!!!..81.!~t 

~!L!lli!~~e p~~.ttti~! . .!2t...9 .. .,a:t1;.~~- -~~-~, ~~C:.~}?.:!9~~ ~~~ 

Pearl j&bor 'b_!~~ .2~o~~- ~~~~r!~-~!'~-.-~~\~~~~'-~~' 

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~e1:_&,E;~ .. ~~~~~~ .. ~ .. ~---~~~~~J?.:.~.,.,~ .. ?~!tl.!!£.1?2~ .'l'.hf J~P!f.D~-£~~t~ 

!,2...IJ91JPJ._ut!. ~~. :~~~ ,.!!~~~,. ~~ ~~~' gi~ ~e exact .l'?~a~;~~~ o,t 

a,amer!a..~~tle~~l~~-.~- ~~~!r .... ~ _at .~~~~-~ .. ~~1'arcW .. 4!1~~-~.-~?Ail 

!PV9!1P.\J.n ~ ~~,_!'!._that_ l?&B.!I• The Alyr,i~.41! ~4'1.111'1!t11'. ~ .. !i..8!1~.Jl1 
REF ID:A42855 

• 

-10-

~~.J·'-~--~~ ~t.sr~ye_ .~g,;i.- the~ g~i~on.~.tJA• 

It was obvious in W&shington that a Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor 

wuld come simultaneous]¥ with the t1nal break-down of diplomatic relations,, 

negotiations,, between Japan and the United States. Washington knew, moreover, 

that those diplomatic negotiations were going to break down because Roosevelt 

wanted it that way. 

On November 26,, 191+1,, Cordell Hull handed the Japanese Ambassadors 1n 

Washington the ulti.Etum. which meant war. Hull,, in tact,, said it meant war. 

On the dq that he gave the ultiatUll, he told the Secretaries of the Arm7 

~ Nav,y that Japanese relations were now in their bands, that diplomac7 had 

gone as tar as it could go. fw ~s later.~~~o~~e~~~.~ 

-~~.-~ .... ~~-~~~~u~.J~.!-'!. ~~~.-~ ... '!~--~ ~~~c:m t~ -~~ 

~~ ~!-!.~~--~~~~ ~t ~c~~~.t~e, ~t~~~~~_!r.ll~~!~!!~~~~.!!".! 

~.!_.th~ .. ~~:!~~'!~•.~~~ .. ~-~~. ~~-~ .. ~~~se -~a!~l!~~1:~- t~-~..!..~eP!l 

~.l,_~9'?7 V.{"~, 'ti~ .. ~~~-g_._~q n~gotia~~. lQe iJl?lict!-»£tn_~c~.t .. ~~.!!!!~~ 

was quite c~!~· _J~-=~~;~ .. ke.5> .. ~~-.~P.~~~!~--~-~~ .. 19~M .. A.,gQY.'1' 

~~!--~.-~t~~k. ~~ •• P!!-r!J{ip~Uor• 

On November .30• 191J. .. _.1(4!t,..~ll~-~rg~~Jl, J·~~!~.I> ll~PI~ .to ~!.~ ~s~l 

~~1: .. 8Pl~~!"~~~~ ~..!~~~! ~~-.~~~~ ~~8~~!~*'8!1~!>!1!~ .. ~!:~~~:!1~~ 

1Qe destruc~~~!!.!~-~' theii:,.J!),g!!'..P.,-~~!!"!.1~~~.S..,...!!5,AISf.!~ 

~ Again Roosevelt and the men arowid him knew that this meant war in 

the 1mmeciiate future and they said so in their private conversations, but 

still the information was not passed on to our Hawaiian coll88Dders in order to 

alert them of the attack that Washington lalew was coming. 
REF ID:A42855 

• 

-uOn November 25, 19411 lmowing that an ultimatum was going to be given to 

Japan the next dq, and realizing that nothing but war could result· from it, 

Roosevelt cal.led. a meeting ot his top advisors, among them Henq L •. Stimson, 

Secretar,y ot War. Here, in part,, is st1mson1s swom teatimo!J1' as to what 

happened during that meeting. "Mr. Hull said that the Japanese were poised 

tor the attack, that they might attack at any time. The President said that 

the Japanese were notorious tor making an attack without warning and stated 

t~t we might be attacked, sq, next Mondq, for example. One problem. troubled 

us ve17 much: it 7ou know ;your eneJQ' is going to strike )'OU, it is usual.17 

unwise to wait until he gets the jump on JOU b7 taking the initiative. In 

spite ot the risk involved, however, 1Jl letting the Japanese tire the first 

shot, we realized that in order to have the tull support ot the American 

people it was desirable to nake sure that the Japanese be the ones to do this 

so that· there should remain no doubt in &IJ1'one 1 s mind as to who was the 

aggressor." Stimson's diar;y tor that dq, November 25, stated this problem 

briefly in these words: "The question was how we could maneuver the Japanese 

into the position of tiring the first shqt without allowing too much danger 

to ourselves." 

Roosevelt's ott-hand remark that the Japanese attlack against us was 

liable to come on a Mondq was extrmnel¥ significant. For over twelve years, 

there have been persistent rumors that Roosevelt ws torewamed. trom sources 

in the Far Ea.st that the Japs would attack Pearl Harbor on a Mond.a.7· Now, 

one ot these sources was reported to be Josef stalin, who got the information 

SOllOS 

in October, 1941, from Richard -Bork, a Russian sw in Japan. At &IJ1" rate, 

the Japs did attack Pearl Harbor on a Mondq. The attack came at 7.55 a.m • 

. ~' Hawaiian time; that was Mondq, Far Ea.stem time. 
REF ID:A42855 

-12-

On the.~!1l19..Rl! . .!>~Jj&,~, .• P.19~~~r 6, .i~a...lon,g..!o~ 

!_DeSSMe f.£2!!':. .!~9'<> .~-~!. ~.~~~!t~~~9' •. ».i.JJa,!!1;ne<:>J?. .... ~~-~~ ~~~· 

~' o,t .,S21F.!~A ~~. ~~~~ .. ~ .~¢~~r.!~~--l".IQ.~D.Gl.J,t., .. Al)!i S,Ei-~!i!Ji.J.t 

!! .. ~~.~~ d!!~!.•!IP.• '!1!.! .. JJ:n!i.. .... ~ryee~ .. P.~~ .. ..O!.~!~ -~~~~~-~~~~us~ 

!J1tten fg;c ,hi&oR• .The. Ja»elUtat9 ... Goy~~t ~!. .. ~~ .. ~~~~!_~! 

!~tprts ,~....E~l~~~ .... ~~~!.!1!!.~iff~ ~v~:t • ~s .!~J.~!.J~P. .asaailu 

l?eac.!~-.!Bl -~t~~~~~orr s}t\t;&.~t. !u IMllU, . ...i<JW.!d the. JBJMIJJ! 

~~2r1-.¥L~~~~~~ .~Ji. !*~~!!11.tJ!~..at th_!~.~!~~~!P.~.e 

~~t~ .!rom .!~~C?-~a.e~ .... ~~~ .... D ..!-C:-.8!!!!!-t....L. am_ tl!&a!li should 

pot b!...,4!~~~.!~ ... ~~ ~~~---~~an ~~~ ~~£._ ~~~ ... 1'-·2? .. 21.!:..i..,.~.!.~ 

-~ ....... gn ~ This obvious]¥ meant that the Japs were planning to strike 

against American territory at 1.00 p.m., Washington time, Sundq, December 7, 

1941. That happens to be 7.00 a.m., Honolulu time. 

~e~ .~.et; .. tld.rt-.mi ,a~~t ~J.~,.. ~~e~~ . .!'~C::~\.mssag! ..!9.!!& .. ~!i;ve~, 

gc11)hero4, IYlt.<U.!tributed MOPB Ame:J&~...pggs_1!J,s bx 9.op_a.m, Saturday. - D•seb@r Q, Washington officialdom lmew that WU was coming to the United 

states the next dq. The next moming, the dq of the attack, Admiral stark, 

- Chief of Naval Operations, got to his office around 9 o'clock. But General 

Marshall didn •t show up until alter 11. Years later, when questioned b7 a 

Congressional committee as to where he was on that f'ate.f'ul. Sundq moming, 

General Marshall was verr evasive and vague. It was later established that 

on Sund.q morning, lmowing that hia nation was going to be attacked that dq, 

George c. Marshall, Chief' of staff' of the United States Arrq, held h:imael.t 

incommunicado all morning while taking a ho1"aeback ride through the Virginia 

countryside. 
REF ID:A42855 

. . 

-JJ-

~ta Japaneao atj;@oC!jc og EMl:l Hghor M?Hld pe Md' wi~!!J.....!.~!L9L~· 

Time bad practic~ run out on the ill-fated .American garrison. But nen then, 

as late as ll.JO a.m. in Washington, a telephone call to Hawaii would have 

alerted the Commander there that an attack was coming. But the call was not 

made. General Marshall finall.1' sent a message to the A.rarT COJm!&nder but he did 

not send it in such a wq that it would be delivered. immediately. He sent it 

by commercial telegraph. It was delivered to the Commander in Ha.111&.ii several 

hours after the Japanese attack had COJll8 and gone. The Japanese attack on 

Pearl Harbor was a surprise to the .American garrison there, but not to Roosevelt 

in Washington. The record is full and clear that Franklin D. Roosevelt, as 

Clare Boothe Luce once said, lied America int.o World War II. 

41 575 Americana were killed or wounded at Pearl Harbor; 18 major ships 

were sunk or damaged; 177 airplanes were lost. By the time we were able to 

recuperate f'rom these losses at Pearl Harbor, the Japs were so well entrenched 

throughout the Pacific that dislodging them necessitated the most prolonged, 

savage, and blood1' war that American soldiers ever had to endure. Responsibility f'or the gbast:cy" consequences of the Japanese sneak attllC)k on Pearl 

Harbor rests as clearl.7 and squarel.1' on Roosevelt, George Marshall, and 

Admiral Stark as it they had ordered the attack themse1ves. December 7, 1941, 

will live in histo1"7, as Roosevelt himself' was so fond of' sqing, as a dq ot 

inf'BJll1'. It was infamous tor the Japanese to Eke the attack. It was mare 

intamous tor the American President knowing that the attack was coming not to 

wam the American soldiers who were to die in order to satisfy the President's 

ambition. 

A veey quick review of' the two sides ot a FACTS FORUM question: Was the 

Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor actual.11' a surprise? 

I see that our time is almost gone, but I will be back in just a moment. 
REF ID:A42855 

-u.-

NARRATOR: Thank you, Mr. Smoot. Folks, the ~sis you have just listened to 

by Mr. Smoot will be reprinted in a forthcoming issue of the FACTS FORUM NEWS. 

And, by the wq, it you have had a Letter to the Editor published recently on 

a subject of national importance, be sure and enter it in FACTS FORUM1s Letter 

to the Fditor Contest. Rules goveming the awards on this and other FACTS 

FORUM contests are listed. in each issue of the FACTS FORUM NEWS. You can 

receive the FACTS FORUM NEWS tor six months tor only $1.00 or a tull 7ear for 

$2.00. Be sure and send you:r subscription order right away to FACTS FORUM, 

Dallas, Texas. That is, FACTS FORUM, Dallas, Texas. 

Now, let!s return once again to Mr. Dan Smoot. 

MR. SMOOT: We present these programs in the public interest. We have made 

enemies and most of them we are proud to have - as enemies. These programs are 

put on films so that they can be used for educational purposes. We lend the 

film tree ot charge. ? transcripts of the programs are also made. 

.. Most of them appear in this monthly FACTS FORUM NEWS. Duyou are interested, 

or if you would like to suggest. subjects for discussion, write to-F4CTS FORUM, 

Eallas, Texas. No other address is necessary, just FACTS FORUM, Dallas, Texas. 

Good-bye and God bless 7ou. 

(MUSIC) 

"