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Zusatztext Prange's exhaustive interviews of people on both sides enable him to tell the story in such personal terms that the reader is bound to feel its power....It is impossible to forget such an account. — The New York Times Book Review Diligent! thorough! and evenhanded... At Dawn We Slept is the definitive account of Pearl Harbor. — Chicago Sun-Times “Fast-paced and engrossing . . . if any book can be called ‘definitive!’ At Dawn We Slept deserves the accolade.” — Los Angeles Herald Examiner “It will be the single! essential work on the subject from now on.” — Houston Chronicle “An unparalleled historical achievement . . . the account reads with the intensity of a suspense novel.”— Milwaukee Journal “From first to last—responsible! intelligent! absorbing . . . the book is most outstanding.” — Kirkus Reviews Informationen zum Autor Gordon W. Prange (1910-1980) served during World War II as an officer in the naval reserve and, during the occupation of Japan, served in the General Headquarters as a civilian. He was chief of General Douglas McArthur's G-2 Historical Section and director of the Military History Section. He taught history at the University of Maryland from 1937 until his death. Klappentext Revisit the definitive book on Pearl Harbor in advance of the 78th anniversary (December 7, 2019) of the "date which will live in infamy" At 7:53 a.m., December 7, 1941, America's national consciousness and confidence were rocked as the first wave of Japanese warplanes took aim at the U.S. Naval fleet stationed at Pearl Harbor. As intense and absorbing as a suspense novel, At Dawn We Slept is the unparalleled and exhaustive account of the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor. It is widely regarded as the definitive assessment of the events surrounding one of the most daring and brilliant naval operations of all time. Through extensive research and interviews with American and Japanese leaders, Gordon W. Prange has written a remarkable historical account of the assault that-sixty years later-America cannot forget. "The reader is bound to feel its power....It is impossible to forget such an account." -The New York Times Book Review "At Dawn We Slept is the definitive account of Pearl Harbor." -Chicago Sun-Times CHAPTER 1 “CANCER OF THE PACIFIC” Long before sunrise on New Year’s Day, 1941, Emperor Hirohito rose to begin the religious service at the court marking the 2,601st anniversary of the founding of the Japanese Empire. No doubt he prayed for his nation and for harmony in the world. For this mild, peaceable man himself had chosen the word Showa —“enlightened peace”—to characterize his reign. But in statements greeting the new year, Japanese leaders prophesied strife and turmoil. Veteran journalist Soho Tokutomi warned of storms ahead: “There is no denying that the seas are high in the Pacific. . . . The time has come for the Japanese to make up their minds to reject any who stand in the way of their country. . . .” What true son of Nippon could doubt who stood in the way? Relations between the United States and Japan left tremendous room for improvement. Japan surged ahead under full sail on a voyage of expansion that dated back to 1895. Riding the winds of conquest, Japan invaded North China in 1937. Though it tried desperately to “solve” what it euphemistically termed the China Incident, it remained caught in a whirlpool that sucked down thousands upon thousands of its young men, tons upon tons of military equipment, and millions of yen. Still, nothing could stop its compulsive drive deeper and deeper into the heart of that tormented land. Thus, the unresolved China problem became the curse of Japan’s foreign policy. Japan turned southward in 1939. On February 10 it took over Hainan Islan...
