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

844 Pearl Harbor: The Seeds and Fruits of Infamy
peaceful social cooperation and permit its citizens to trade and
to travel as they wished. George Washington, the fi rst president
of the United States, expressed this idea in his Farewell Address
(September 1789):
Observe good faith and justice toward all nations, cultivate
peace and harmony with all. . . . Th e great rule of conduct for
us in regard to foreign nations is, in extending our commercial
relations to have with them as little political connection as possible.
. . . It is our true policy to steer clear of permanent alliances
with any portion of the foreign world. . . .
And Th omas Jeff erson in his fi rst inaugural address (March 4,
1801) again recommended “peace, commerce, and honest friendship
with all nations—entangling alliances with none.” By the
time of the Japanese attack, the Roosevelt administration in
Washington had been violating these principles for months at
least.
As we all know, the direct responsibility for the U.S. entry
into World War was Japan’s catastrophic attack by her bombers
and planes on the U.S. Fleet in Pearl Harbor. However, when
considered in the light of the times, it seems that the attack might
have been anticipated as the logical act of a beleagured nation
hoping to prevent the disruption of its military plans. However,
to determine responsibility for the full extent of the disaster, one
must ask why the Fleet was caught so completely by surprise,
unprepared and unwarned.
Franklin D. Roosevelt took offi ce as president in 1933. From
then on, in view of his powers and duties under the Constitution,
his position as Commander-in-Chief of the Army and Navy, and
the trust vested in him by the people as Chief Executive of the
United States, he must bear responsibility for U.S. foreign policy.
A review of the historical record from the Washington point
of view—as revealed in the investigations—now shows that the
Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor should not have been a complete