Pearl Harbor: The Seeds and Fruits of Infamy - Ludwig von Mises ...

Editor’s Preface ix
all there, it was diffi cult to follow the sequence of events. Events
alternated with revelations gleaned from the investigations and
revelations alternated with events. Also Percy had included many
lengthy supporting quotations within the text itself, interrupting
the fl ow of events. In the hope of making the story easier
to understand, I have arranged everything in chronological order
and paraphrased the quotes—from FDR’s inauguration and
his early active intervention in international aff airs through the
Japanese attack on December 7, 1941, the post attack investigations,
the obstacles placed in the path of investigators, down to
the fi nal reports.
He and I often talked about this book. As usual I made suggestions;
some he accepted; others he rejected. He would say, “If
anything happens to me then you can do as you please.” Of course,
he fully expected to fi nish it himself. But time was not given him
to do so.
Although I have reworked my husband’s manuscript, it
remains his book. Th e research and documentation are his. Th e
decision to present events primarily as they were viewed from
Washington was his. My contribution has been to reorganize,
revise, and rewrite his manuscript so as to present the events
chronologically. Th roughout, however, I have tried to keep the
book true to his research and faithful to his interpretation. My
guiding principle has always been to present the results of Percy’s
years of research as faithfully and accurately as possible and to
describe the truth about Pearl Harbor as he saw it.
Although I am sure Percy would have had some criticism of
the way I have fi nished his book, on the whole I believe he would
have approved. I only wish he could have lived to see the research
of his lifetime published in this form. Any errors or omissions in
preparing his work for fi nal publication are, of course, my responsibility
alone.
MRS. PERCY L. (BETTINA B.) GREAVES, JR.
May 2007