The Hammond Report

Merrel Clubb writes an opinion piece in the Missoulian today defending Jeanette Rankin's misguided vote against war against Japan after they attacked Pearl Harbor in 1941. As most peace activists and Hate America folks do, Mr. Clubb tries to build a case that the United States forced Japan to attack us.

But the attack was not «unprovoked and dastardly.» Japan had been dependent upon the U.S. for years for raw materials, especially oil. However, in July 1940, the United States began restricting export to Japan of aviation fuel, oil and scrap metal. The restrictions soon became tighter and tighter.

Later in 1940, Roosevelt extended the ban to include all scrap steel and iron. In July 1941, the noose was tightened again by freezing Japanese funds in the U.S. and by even tighter restrictions on gasoline and heavy oil. Roosevelt was careful to make clear to Japan that he did not intend a total freeze on oil. Nevertheless, all this was interpreted by Japan as a total embargo and led to the attack on Pearl Harbor.

So Japan was just minding it's own business, not disturbing anybody or anything, when Roosevelt decided to randomly restrict oil, aviation fuel, and scrap metal. Is that right? Mr. Clubb seems to have left out a very important point. Japan had invaded French Indochina and China and had their sights on other territories and countries.

Here's what the real history says, according the PearlHarbor.org:

Before The Attack
September 1940. The U.S. placed an embargo on Japan by prohibiting exports of steel, scrap iron, and aviation fuel to Japan, due to Japan's takeover of northern French Indochina.

April 1941. The Japanese signed a neutrality treaty with the Soviet Union to help prevent an attack from that direction if they were to go to war with Britain or the U.S. while taking a bigger bite out of Southeast Asia.

June 1941 through the end of July 1941. Japan occupied southern Indochina. Two days later, the U.S., Britain, and the Netherlands froze Japanese assets. This prevented Japan from buying oil, which would, in time, cripple its army and make its navy and air force completely useless.

Toward the end of 1941. With the Soviets seemingly on the verge of defeat by the Axis powers, Japan seized the opportunity to try to take the oil resources of Southeast Asia. The U.S. wanted to stop Japanese expansion but the American people were not willing to go to war to stop it. The U.S. demanded that Japan withdraw from China and Indochina, but would have settled for a token withdrawal and a promise not to take more territory.

Prior to December 1941, Japan pursued two simultaneous courses: try to get the oil embargo lifted on terms that would still let them take the territory they wanted, and ... to prepare for war.

After becoming Japan's premier in mid-October, General Tojo Hideki See Books about Tojo secretly set November 29 as the last day on which Japan would accept a settlement without war.

The Japanese military was asked to devise a war plan. They proposed to sweep into Burma, Malaya, the East Indies, and the Philippines, in addition to establishing a defensive perimeter in the central and southwest Pacific. They expected the U.S. to declare war but not to be willing to fight long or hard enough to win. Their greatest concern was that the U.S. Pacific Fleet, based in Pearl Harbor could foil their plans. As insurance, the Japanese navy undertook to cripple the Pacific Fleet by a surprise air attack. See Books about Japanese Plans

Mr. Clubb and followers of Jeanette Rankin are fools. They are ignorant to the real world and the evil that exists in this world and how to effectively deal with it. They make the world a more dangerous place through their pacificism. The peace and liberty we enjoy today was bought, paid for and maintained by our use of military force and power. It was as true in 1941 as it is today.