From: utzoo!decvax!ucbvax!ucbcad:tektronix!ogcvax!metheus!cdi!caf
Newsgroups: net.books
Title: "Infamy" Review/recommendation
Article-I.D.: cdi.172
Posted: Tue Apr 26 17:55:35 1983
Received: Fri Apr 29 20:12:42 1983

"Infamy" (C) 1982 John Toland. Paperback edition Feb 1983 with added
information.

Infamy is a fascinating investigation into the events that caused the 
Peral Harbor disaster.  If Watergate had any effect on you, "Pearlgate"
(to coin a word) will bring tears.

This intricately reasearched book will change your concept of how the war
with Japan started.  As "Murphy's Law" would predict, I read this book a few
months after buying a Laserdisc of "Tora Tora Tora" ... which will
now have to be re-edited ... (Actually, the book makes fine background
reading for the movie.)

The following points were the most interesting to me: 1. War with Japan
was in part a result of ill advised American actions. 2. The Navy was
tracking the Japanese task force approaching Pearl Harbor.  3.  FDR
suppressed wanings to Admiral Kimmel because FDR wished Japan to attack
first (for political reasons) and feared that the Japnese attack might
be called off if Hawaii had been alerted.

After reading this and other books on WW2 I am increasingly convinced that
the U.S. was not nearly so unprepared for WW2 as my History classes had led
me to believe. Much of that preparation consisted of our code breaking
ability, without which the outcome of the war could have been in doubt.
			Chuck Forsberg cdi!caf