Ferrufino 1 Marvin Ferrufino English 1102 Ms.

Caruso February 29, 2012 Historical Inquiry Paper Pearl Harbor On the morning of December 7, 1941, one of the United States most tragic events in history would occur with the Attack on Pearl Harbor by the Japanese. Such an event would be remembered by U.S citizens to this day. The questions arise of what was the reasoning behind the Japaneses decision to make such a drastic choice of attacking the United States and how such a devastating event could occur. The Japaneses choice of the Attack on Pearl Harbor would be due to the country facing economic devastation due to the U.S embargo on oil and the miscommunication between the admirals stationed in the Pacific and President Roosevelt. The United States in the past, as well as today, is one of Japans biggest trade partners in the world. Due to Japans limited natural resources, 80% of Japans Oil is imported from the U.S as well as 85% of the raw materials the country needs to supports its economy (Copland 121). In order to become modernize and compete in the world with countries like the U.S and Britain, Japan would need to grow economically and need to be able to sustain itself. Japans conquest of China staring in 1932, was aim to convert China into an economic vassal in which Japan would be able to convert raw materials into manufactured goods for the limitless Chinese market and grow economically dependent of the U.S (Maechling Parag 3). President Franklin D. Roosevelt did not agree with Japan invading China and would urge the U.S to intervene. Isolationist sentiment as well as Roosevelts cabinet told him to avoid war
Comment [BC3]: How do the ideas in this paragraph relate to Pearl Harbor? Always make sure to bring your ideas back to your focus. Comment [BC2]: Rather than asking the questions, state the answers. Comment [BC1]: Be sure to put your name in the filename and look at the handout on Moodle for the proper MLA format. Also, please bring your Works Cited page to your conference.

Ferrufino 2 in the Pacific away from U.S allies and Hitler prevented U.S intervention (Maechling Parag 7). Japan would continue its conquest of China as diplomatically as possible so as to not offend the United States further. Everything would change when Japan would take control of Indochina. On July 1941, the U.S would end all shipments of oil due to Japan occupying Indochina (Copeland 122). Knowing how this would affect Japans oil supply, the only option left was to find a diplomatic mean to reestablish trade. Japans economy would not be sustained and so Japanese Ambassador Kichisaburo Nomura would travel to Washington to negotiate terms with Secretary Hull. These negotiations would lead to nothing and Emperor Hirohito would be left with hostility as the only means of getting the supplies Japan desperately needed. The best option left was that since the United States had 40% of its fleet in the Atlantic to support the British from German submarines, Japan had a 75 to 6 ratio in its favor (Copeland 124). Since the United States has more supplies available and larger military strength, Japan would want to avoid a prolonged war with the U.S. Japans best hope was to attack the United States while its focus was on Europe and force trade to be reestablished. The United States was able to decode Japanese diplomatic code and knew the Japan was desperate and military intent but could not break Japanese military code so the U.S had no idea when and where the Japanese would attack (Maechling Parag 28). In an interview conducted 20 years after the events at Pearl Harbor by Paul S. Burtness and Warren U.Ober of Admiral Harold R. Stark, who was Chief of Naval Operations and on watch during the Attack on Pearl Harbor new information was revealed. Admiral Stark when confronted on trial of his whereabouts on the night of December 6, 1941 he spoke of having no memory of that night. When in fact, that night the military decoded a Japanese dispatch which President Roosevelt had read as Japan going to war with the U.S.
Comment [BC6]: You talk about this before you talk about the event itself. Comment [BC5]: ??? Comment [BC4]: par.

Ferrufino 3 The President had contacted Stark midnight on December 6, 1941 on the White House secure line and both discussed the idea of Japan attacking the Pacific naval bases. While on November 28, Pacific bases were giving warning of war, Stark and Roosevelt could have issued a last minute warning, but decided not to! Admiral Stark was responsible for giving the warning and would take the blame for not issuing the warning and being demoted. The interview 20 years later of Admiral Stark would show that President Roosevelt had Stark withhold the warning, but to protect the president Stark took the blame. Stark believed that President Roosevelt was the right man, in the right place, at the right time, and that there was no one else capable of leading the U.S against Hitler (Burtness and Ober). Admiral would inform President Roosevelt that the Pacific Naval Base would be able to protect its self from attack due to the warning given days earlier. The President would also be faced with the activates of Hitler in Europe and the need of the U.S to get involved but due to its isolationist view, Roosevelt felt that a surprise attack from Japan may force the U.S to go to war. The tragic events that occurred and the number of lives lost during the attack would be more than anticipated by the President. About three quarters of the U.S. aircrafts around Oahu and 21 ships of the U.S. Pacific
Comment [BC8]: Marvin, Comment [BC7]: Exclamation points are seen as conversational and informal.

Fleet were damaged or destroyed. More than 2,400 service people were killed and more than 1,200 are wounded (Cobblestone).

You have some great information about the events leading up to and the events after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, but your dont talk about the attack itself. Talking about the attack could not only lengthen your paper, but could also contribute to the focus of your paper. Work to expand your ideas, include information about the actual attack, and work to give a conclusion that wraps up your paper. Id also suggest you work on your phrasing. There are many times when you give incorrect word forms or leave out words. When you strengthen the words you use, your entire paper will be stronger. Also, where are your endnotes? -Ms. C