Average customer rating:
- As Above...
- For those who don't want to pay $200
- finally the truth has been published
- The History Book of the 20th Century
- Accessibility?
|
Icebreaker: Who Started the Second World War?
Viktor Suvorov
Manufacturer: Viking Pr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
 Russia
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ASIN: 0241126223 |
Customer Reviews:
As Above..........2006-12-25
Not much to say. Please see the review by Tunde Santa and specifically read and read again (if needed) sentence #1.
For those who don't want to pay $200.......2006-10-01
A new Suvarov book in English covering the same general topic is coming out soon at a paltry $30 or less - "The Chief Culprit: Stalin's Grand Design to Start World War II".
Here is the publisher's blurb:
Using new documents and reevaluating existing material, The Chief Culprit analyzes Joseph Stalin's strategic design to conquer Europe and his support for Germany, which helped bring Hitler to power and sustained him. Stalin's strategy leading up to World War II grew from Vladimir Lenin's belief that if World War I did not ignite the worldwide Communist revolution, then a second world war would be needed to achieve it. Stalin saw Germany as the power that would fight and weaken capitalist countries so Soviet armies could sweep across the European continent to the Atlantic.
Viktor Suvorov reveals how Stalin conspired with German leaders to bypass the Versailles Treaty, which forbade German rearmament. Secretly, the Soviet Union trained German engineers and officers as well as provided bases and factories for war. In 1939, the nonaggression pact between the Soviet Union and Germany allowed Hitler to proceed with his plans to invade Poland, fomenting war in Europe. Stalin emerges as a diabolical genius consumed by visions of a worldwide Communist revolution at any cost, the leader who wooed Hitler and Germany in his own effort to conquer the world.
The author debunks the myth that the Soviet Union was a victim of Germany's aggression. Instead, he insists that Stalin neither feared Hitler nor mistakenly trusted him. Suvorov argues that after Germany occupied Poland, defeated France, and started to prepare for an invasion of Great Britain, Hitler's intelligence services detected the Soviet Union's preparations for a major war against Germany. In 1940, Germany drafted a preemptive war plan, which it launched in June 1941, the invasion of the USSR.
Enjoy!
finally the truth has been published.......2006-02-27
The facts in this book are NO surprise for us in East Europe - we always knew about it - only the stupid left wing influenced useful idiots in the west, believed that " uncle Joe " is a wonderful person,and communism is " progress " and to this very day the very same " useful idiots " in the west
still hold their beliefs that communism is great, and only
the nazis are evil....good old double standard, hipocracy.
When comparing the number of people killed by these two systems
even an idiot should note - the communists have murdered over
240 million men,women,children, young and old alike - merely to steal ALL their properties * ( in Hungary for example the communist party members have murdered people for their houses, and as soon as the owners were removed - shot,hanged,beaten to death - these " left " wing communists have moved into the houses of their murdered victims... The so called nazis are innocent
little lambs in comparison to the crimes of the communists.
If we in east Europe would rate the two systems,on how terrible
they are - on a rate of 1 to 10, we would rate the communists
a 100 ! off the scale of evil, while the nazis might get
a mere 1 on this scale. ( after all - 240 million butchered and murdered victims compared against a documented loss of prisoners of 36,000 people in Auscwitz for example seems like a joke )
If evil could be measured in height - the communist party should
tower 200 miles high in the sky,the nazis should have a one floor
apartment building. It is worth to note, Pres.Tony Blair two weeks ago came to Hungary to participate in the reelection campaign of the local communist party....for this the communists paid him 40,000 euros....Now in East Europe we know Tony Blair
is a cheap man and a cheap politician...selling himself to the communists for a mere 40,000 euro cash payment...We are deeply
dissappointed in the west, and we are happy that a RUSSIAN author
finally published the facts about the EVILS of communism.
To hell with the double standard and hypocrasy of the lying westerners. I wish the communists should " get " them all
at the end...then they can experience the " progressive "
system of communism in person of all these " useful " idiots in
the west. Hurrah for the author for publishing the truth -
The History Book of the 20th Century.......2005-11-20
It is safe to assume that if you have not read Viktor Suvorov's Icebreaker (or, at least, are not familiar with his ideas), you don't understand the last 85 years of the world history.
Viktor Suvorov was trained as a military intelligence officer at the time when soviet military intelligence was the best in the world (probably still is). In the late seventies Suvorov defected to England, where he wrote several books about soviet army and intelligence. By all accounts (friends and enemies alike), Viktor Suvorov possesses encyclopedic knowledge about military theory and history, particularly the history of World War II. His knowledge and analytical ability are astounding.
Published first in the eighties, Icebreaker was the first in Suvorov's series of historical books. By the year 2000, it was translated into 27 languages and published more than 100 times. Icebreaker is a book about communist preparation and execution (however poorly, but not for the lack of trying) of the biggest crime in the history of mankind, World War II. Because of that, in addition to its historical value of showing communist conspiracy as a true cause of WWII, Icebreaker is probably the best, most convincing anti-communist book ever written. Suvorov neither uncovers any secrets, nor does he simply catalogue the crimes. He analyzes communists' own words and innumerable well-known facts to show communism as the darkest, most evil episode in the human history.
Before you start reading this book, however, keep in mind several important things.
First, this relatively small book is an overview of many very complex political, historical, and military events. The most important of the ideas had been expanded by the author in his later books (see below). The sheer number of dogmas and controversies Suvorov takes head on is mind-boggling, and this is why the author must occasionally abbreviate his arguments. As a result, the book may seem cursory to unprepared readers.
Second, Icebreaker was written in Russian and intended for Eastern European readership. In order to be immediately understood, the book does assume certain cultural background, i.e., familiarity with the history and cannibalistic rituals of communist regimes. I am not implying that western readers will not understand the book, to the contrary, I think that an interested western reader will benefit enormously from reading this book.
Third, Icebreaker, when it became available, was an instant tremendous success in the former USSR and all Eastern Block countries. In Eastern Europe Icebreaker became de facto 20th century European history textbook and the basis of common popular understanding of the events leading to WWII and its immediate aftermath. It would be foolish to disregard the opinion of people who actually lived through the events.
Some reviewers accuse Victor Suvorov of being a "Hitler apologist." This preposterous statement was fabricated by the soviet special services for western use. In Russia KGB mostly emphasized Suvorov's disloyalty to the regime and, therefore, his general untrustworthiness and never mentioned "his love of Nazis" as a critical argument. They knew it would never fly in Russia because Russian readers never sensed even a whiff of sympathy toward Nazis in the book. (Majority of people, by the way, doesn't realize how much perception of German fascists in the United States and England differs from that in Europe and Russia). I personally don't see how Suvorov's argument that Stalin killed more people than Hitler (and intended to kill a lot more) makes Hitler a hero. Generations of western intellectuals made careers out of spreading KGB lies, but, unless, of course, you hope to secure a tenured position, there is no need for you to repeat this nonsense. It is shameful. Please, don't do it.
Some reviewers seem to be hung up on BT controversy and such. Icebreaker is full of technical information, and some details may be proven inaccurate by further research. This "bait and switch" trick is used to make people judge the whole book by comparing width of tank treads. Please remember that this book is not about military technology, although it is described in great detail and used often to prove author's position.
There are at least five other successful history books written by Viktor Suvorov where he greatly expands and clarifies some of the main themes of Icebreaker:
1. Day "M": When did WWII begin? (a detailed account of Soviet preparations for the war),
2. The Cleansing (a very convincing explanation for the events known as "senseless decimation of Red Army officer corps before the war"),
3. The Suicide (an interesting exploration of Hitler as military leader and the myth of German readiness for the war in the East),
4. The Last Republic (in depth analysis of the geopolitical plans and intentions of the Soviets between the World Wars),
5. The Shadow of Victory (documents Marshall Zhukov as a monstrous war criminal that he really was).
As of now, I have not been able to find any indication of these books published in English.
Currently there is only one used copy of Icebreaker available for $450, and none of Suvorov's other history books are available in English translation. The content of Icebreaker alone is not sufficient to explain this virtual prohibition of the book, which is a very unusual and extraordinary measure for a modern western society. There is no question that Icebreaker is a controversial book: the whole libraries of western historical analysis of WWII are shown as garbage. Still, this is not enough. The explanation may be that the book gives detailed description of the process used by the professionals to analyze political and historical events using widely available, open-source information: Icebreaker is written as an intelligence report and presents a clear application of the intelligence analytical process. This book may teach you how to think. Now, that is dangerous. Combine it with the powerful anti-communist thrust of this book, and... Oh, well, some things cannot be permitted.
Accessibility?.......2005-11-17
I am giving this book 5 stars not because I read it but because those whose opinions I value and trust have read it and are praising it. However, my biggest gripe is that if this is the important book of the 20th Century, why the hefty pricetag? A book that is being touted as the most important book of the 20th Century should be accessible to all - rich and poor and everyone in between. Otherwise, how does the publisher and author expect this book to educate the masses? I know I don't have $450 to spend on a book, I only have the means to pay for such things as dental work, medical expenses, food and rent, you know, the luxuries of life in America. The very fact that this book is so expensive only serves to discredit it, but I still won't lessen the stars I am giving it because what's in it might be worth learning, if only I were rich!
Customer Reviews:
The Zimmermann Telegram and U.S. entry into WW I.......2007-05-14
This book, by an eminent historian, greatly enlightened me as to the primary events that caused our entry into WW I. I heretofore had thought that the Lusitania sinking and the resumption of untrestricted submarine warfare were PRIME, while the Zimmermann Telegram was realtively minor and/or a British hoax. However, the revelation of the Zimmermann Telegram "galvanized" U.S. citizens like nothing else could have and the credibility of it was, strangely, even admitted to by Arthur Zimmermann himself. Had always been curious as to just what part the "Telegram" had played and/or the above-mentioned potential for it being a British hoax?
Also, I was appalled at German stupidity and arrogance in thinking their code could NOT be broken. Incredibly, they AGAIN did the same thing in WW II and "The Ultra Secret" thing. People, even of the vaunted intelligence of the Teuton, are still prone to studpidity. For more of this latter, see Mrs. Tuchman's work: "The March of Folly". The Japanese too, were not immune, reference "Magic" intercepts in WW II.
The Second Mexican-American War ?.......2007-04-20
This is the second book by Barbara Tuchman that I've read and once again, her writing skills are manifest. She has taken a seemingly minor document (maybe not all that minor), showing the conception behind it, its transmission to German agents in Mexico, its decoding by British Naval Intelligence agents, and its release to American government officials, and hence we have this captivating and dramatic story. In Tuchman's view, this document was the proverbial straw that broke the camel's back, which in this case was America and its leaders (most especially Wilson's) reluctance to enter into the First World War.
A cast of scores come to the surface in this book, many of whom I knew little about, from British intelligence figures, German and Mexican agents trying to formulate a plan for alliance, along with Japan, and others from various diplomatic and political spheres of influence from the Allied and Central Powers. As in the Guns of August, I sense her abilities in capturing the drama of the moment and the human elements of the stories. This is a relatively small book, but is choke full of information.
For me, the power of her words and description really started pouring forth from the chapter entitled Trap. Her portrayals of various German diplomatic figures like Chancellor Bethmann-Hollweg, Ambassador Bernstorff, President Wilson, Walter Hines Page, Balfour and others symbolize her talents in portraying the human elements of the story. The depiction of American naivete on foreign affairs and the dangers posed by the Central Powers came across in this book. For example, how the Americans warmly greeted incoming German Foreign Secretary Arthur Zimmermann and how Wilson refused to believe that Germany's declaration of unrestricted U-Boat warfare would deter the Americans efforts to remain neutral; Wilson still wanted to bring the belligerent powers to a settlement, or as Wilson called it, a peace without victory.
Once again, a marvelous work by a wonderful historian.
Interesting but not compelling given history.......2007-04-19
Tuchman was a fine historian, however she wrote this book before the expiration of the British Official Secrets Act on the Zimmermann Telegram whereupon it was revealed it was, indeed, a fake concocted by the British Secret Service as a ploy to entice the US into the war. That did not happen until 1966-7. At the time it was distrusted by American opinion, as just that, a British fake. However the sinking of the Lusitannia removed any remaining American doubts as to entry in the Great War. Subsequent to the revelation that the Zimmermann Telegram was a fake, (50 years after the fact) followed the item that the Lusitannia was carrying arms and munitions in her hold. The Germans knew this and announced, via ads in New York papers, their intention to sink her, which they did. Undersea exploration has since borne this out. Both incidents drew the US into the war, both were based on falsehoods. In war, the first casualty is truth. Now, what makes us think 9ll is anything different??
Crisp Narrative of Intrique.......2007-02-11
Historian Barbara Tuchman tells the full story of the Zimmerman Telegram in gripping detail. As many know, this note was sent by the German foreign minister to Mexico at the height of World War I. Germany hoped to spur increased conflict between the USA and Mexico, and thus keep America's industrial might from joining the Allies. But Zimmerman's note was intercepted by British intelligence, which quickly decoded it. Then as the author shows, Britain held on to it and waited to release their discovery at the right moment. That moment came in early 1917 as Germany announced it was resuming unrestricted submarine warfare in the Atlantic. The effect in the USA was electric, and it spurred President Woodrow Wilson, a near-pacifist, to ask Congress to declare war on Germany.
Historian Barbara Tuchman (1912-1989) was a talented popular historian with a nicely readable style. This 1958 book is not that long in pages, but it's great for information, tension, and history.
Very entertaining and exciting.......2006-12-04
Barbara Tuchman's style is so refreshing -- she brings a perspective to history that I never thought existed.
The story of intrigue during the first world war and the efforts of the Germans to keep the US out of it so that Germany could launch what it thought would be the final death blow to Britain. The telegram referred to in the book was intercepted but because of the intrigue could not be made immediately public to the American Public.
Very good story
Customer Reviews:
Lucid Analysis.......2005-04-08
This concise and very well written book is thoughtful distillation of the enormous literature related to the onset of WWII in Europe. The simple question, who started WWII, has a simple answer. It was Adolf Hitler. The simple answer obscures a whole series of considerably more difficult questions. How did a marginal figure and 4th-rate ideologue like Hitler come to rule the most powerful state in Europe? Why wasn't there more initial resistance to Hitler? What was the role of the Great Depression? To what extent did the post-WWI settlement lead to WWII? What was the role of the Soviet Union and Stalin? Many other questions arise. Bell deals with many of these issues in a series of well crafted chapters. The book opens by framing the issues, including a short but worthwhile discussion of historiographic issues, follows by discussing underlying factors such as ideology, economics, the role of the depression, the roles of the military postures adopted by the major actors, and then concludes with a nice narrative of the outbreak of war. Bell very intelligently extends his narrative beyond 1939 to the 1941 invasion of the Soviet Union, pointing out that it is these later events that allow assessment of the role of key ideological factors in the coming of WWII. This book is worth reading just for the chapters dealing with the consequences of the Great Depression. A theme throughout the book is the limited options possessed by the leaders of France and Britain. Given their internal political situations, some form of appeasement was inevitable, though consistently unpalatable. I have a couple of minor complaints. I don't think Bell deals with the uncertain nature of politics in the Weimar Republic. Hitler's accession to power was not inevitable. While some form of reactionary German government bent on reversing the settlement of WWI was probably inevitable, it could have been one dominated by more traditional conservatives. This type of leadership would have been amenable to the type of accomodation and diplomacy attempted by Chamberlain and the French leadership. It is clear also, in retrospect, that few in Europe really understood the depth of the Nazi racial preoccupations and their bizarre model of history, a tragic though understandable mistake.
Excellent.......2000-10-22
Bell does a fine job of looking at just what brought about the Second World War. He explains its connections to the Great War, by first discussing the idea of a Thirty Years War, and by then examining how the first war and its results brought about the second. Bell also provides readers with the roles and views of the various ideologies and the many desires for and against war, and also the many strategies involved with each of the main players. An excellent book for anyone wishing to better understand the differing forces and actions which brought about this war.
Stellar.......2000-03-15
This is a great book everyone should read, I salute it.
Book Description
In a mere nineteen months, from May 1940 to December 1941, the leaders of the world's six major powers made a series of related decisions that decided the course and outcome of World War II, cost the lives of millions, and profoundly shaped the course of human destiny from that point forward. How were these decisions made? What were the options facing these leaders as they saw them? What intelligence, right and wrong, did they have? What was the impact of personality, what that of larger forces? In a brilliant work with haunting contemporary relevance, Ian Kershaw tells the connected stories of these ten fateful decisions from the shifting perspectives of the protagonists, and in so doing rescues them from the sense of inevitability that now envelops them and restores to them a feeling of vivid drama and contingency-the feeling that things could have turned out very differently indeed. Each chapter follows the process of arriving at one decision, from the viewpoint of the leader who made it:
Decision 1: May 1940. The British War Cabinet, driven by Churchill, agrees to fight on after the German blitzkrieg defeat of France, despite loud calls for negotiated settlement.
Decision 2: Hitler decides to attack the Soviet Union.
Decision 3: Japan decides to seize the "Golden Opportunity" and turn south, going after the colonial empires of the countries that have fallen to Hitler.
Decision 4: Mussolini decides to join the war on Hitler's side to grab a share of the spoils.
Decision 5: Roosevelt decides to lend a helping hand to England.
Decision 6: Stalin decides he knows best and ignores all the clear signals that Germany is going to invade.
Decision 7: Roosevelt decides to wage undeclared war.
Decision 8: Japan decides to go to war against the United States.
Decision 9: Hitler decides to declare war on the USA.
Decision 10: Hitler decides to kill the Jews.
Decision relates to subsequent decision, though never simply or necessarily as expected. The clash of personalities, the various weaknesses of the different political systems, the challenge of intelligence, the misdiagnosis of risk and possibility: all play their part. And after nineteen months, though much remained to be decided, the world's fate had been profoundly altered by these ten choices.
Customer Reviews:
fantastic. .......2007-10-01
I found this most interesting and lerned a lot from it. I just keep asking myself as I'm sure many others did WOW "What IF" The world would be a really different place. Then I found myself thinking of events in history that I beleive had they been different would of made a much different out come in the world today i.e. What would of happened if the French hadn't come to our aid when the did during the Revaloutation. Just think. Thank God for Franklin & LaFayette.
Truly Fateful Choices.......2007-09-21
This is quite a thought provoking read. It provides insight and background into a series of events most people in their post 60s have lived through as children and acquired knowledge of indirectly. It was an era legends are made of and this book bares much of what is relevant.
A look at ten decisions that changed the world.......2007-09-04
I actually got this book as the result of an error: I confused the author Ian Kershaw with Alex Kershaw, who has written several accounts of WWII battles (for example, The Few. Having read several of Alex Kershaw's books, I was surprised by the depth of this work . . . and only then realized my error.
I'm glad for the error since it has now introduced me to Ian Kershaw whose work is, to put it mildly, very impressive.
Here, Kershaw has chosen ten decisions made in the 19 months between May, 1940 and December, 1941 that Kershaw claims "reshaped" human destiny.
Even the unadorned list is worthy of consideration:
1. The British War Cabinet debating whether to fight on, even as France was being defeated, the British army being evacuated without its heavy equipment and a rising clamor for negotiated settlement in the face of seeming German invincibility. (Few realize just how much is owed to Churchill's will alone in preventing British surrender with the result being a vastly different - and far worse - world than the one we inhabit today.)
2. Hitler decides to attack the Soviet Union. It certainly seemed like a good idea at the time. No reasonable observer would have believed that the Soviet Union would just a few short years later dominate Eastern Europe, having defeated the Germans on the Eastern Front.
3. Japan decides to seize the colonial empires of countries that have fallen to Hitler. Another apparently logical decision that focused on current reality instead of what might be.
4. Mussolini decides to join the war on Hitler's side. Truly a dumb move by a dumb dictator.
5. Roosevelt decides to lend a helping hand to England. Actually Roosevelt was dangerously in front of public opinion and took a great gamble. But, along with Churchill, Roosevelt became immortal with this decision.
6. Stalin decides to ignore warnings of German invasion. Even with the truth in hand, Stalin chose to ignore it with disastrous consequences.
7. Roosevelt decides to wage undeclared war. Again Roosevelt was ahead of public opinion and we can all be thankful for that today.
8. Japan decides to go to war against the United States. Another decision that appeared, on the basis of known factors, to be relatively safe. Difficult to believe today, but understandable then from the Japanese perspective - and a decision that led them to disaster and then, amazingly, to redemption.
9. Hitler decides to declare war on the USA. Turned out not to be a wise move.
10. Hitler decides to kill the Jews of Europe.
Some of these decisions were very complex and were the results of decades of argument. One of them, the decision by the Germans to exterminate the Jews, was the product of centuries, culminating in a months long process that, in the end, was taken in a shockingly light way. The decision of the British War Cabinet, on the other hand, was the result of just three days of argument under enormous pressures.
Kershaw is painfully detailed. The book is slow reading. While it is interesting and Kershaw's writing style is happily comfortable, this is simply not a page-turner. It will require dedication to make it all the way through. Kershaw's bibliography and list of titles cited runs well over a hundred pages.
For those with an interest in the history of WWII, this book is in its own way required reading. Others have written of these same decisions, either individually or collectively. Kershaw brings his own viewpoint to each of them along with truly massive scholarship. It's an excellent and informative read for those who can make it all the way through.
Jerry
WORLD WAR 2 OVERVIEW.......2007-09-03
Kershaw has"objectively" captured all the machinations of all the "key" players in WW2.His book should be on the compulsory reading list of every history and political science student and promotional exam of every militaryy officer in any country.
Ten Decisions .......2007-08-23
This is a wonderful book. Mostly I like the way it ties in arbitrary choices to make an outcome occur. Nothing happens in a vacuum, and this book proves it. You will enjoy this book greatly if you give it time.
Book Description
Professor Iriye analyses the origins of the 1941 conflict against the background of international relations in the preceding decade in order to answer the key question: Why did Japan decide to go to war against so formidable a combination of powers?
Customer Reviews:
First rate history for the non-specialist........2005-03-17
Akira Iriye is Charles Warren Professor of American History at Harvard University, and is a noted historian of international institutions. This 1987 book is a well organized and well edited introduction to a complicated subject, the origins of what the Japanese call The Pacific War, and which we know as WWII in Asia and the Pacific.
The book's organization is straightforwardly chronological. His account of these years is less dramatic but easier to follow than that of John Toland in "The Rising Sun", even though Toland is a better writer than Iriye. Iriye has the advantage of having that period as his primary subject, whereas Toland was laying the groundwork for a dramatic account of the war itself. And Iriye takes pains to explain his conclusions in several different ways, a habit no doubt learned from teaching college undergraduate students, who are the primary target audience of this book.
Iriye clearly describes the step by step process by which Japan entrapped itself in a net from which it was in the end only able to escape by engaging in a suicidal war. He shows how extremely naive Japanese political and military leaders were to think that they could overturn the existing order in Asia without serious consequences. Ironically, most of them - Konoye, Tojo, Yamamoto, and others - could see the trap they were heading into, yet believed that there was no way out that would not be a disaster for Japan, and that war was the only way to preserve Japanese honor. Contrary to some impressions, Japanese at the highest levels of leadership knew very well that Japan was no match for the United States militarily. But things had deteriorated to the point that even the Atlantic Charter, a precursor of The United Nations, was viewed by the Japanese leadership simply as a declaration of war on Japan by the Anglo-American powers.
Iriye leaves little doubt that once Japan signed the Tripartite Pact with Hitler and Mussolini in 1938, FDR and his cabinet - Hull, Stimson, Knox, Acheson - saw war with Japan as inevitable. Their only goal was to try to gain time in order to avoid having to fight in both Europe and Asia at the same time. In the event, of course, America did both. A major irony of Japan's joining the Axis powers is that it provided none of the benefits Japan had hoped to gain from the alliance, while at the same time it ended all possibility of a rapprochement with Britain and the US. Japan had literally backed out onto a tree limb and then proceeded to saw it off.
Iriye delineates the development of China's influence on American policy in the Far East. By the late 1930's, China was clearly identified in the eyes of the American public as the victim of unjustified Japanese aggression. This was indeed an accurate assessment of the situation, but the strength and emotion with which it was held by the American public gave the Roosevelt administration very little room to maneuver with Japan, even had it been inclined to do so. Any accomodation in China that would have left Japan a way toward "honorable" retreat would have been seen by the American public, no less than Chiang Kai-Shek, as a complete betrayal of China. This was the trap Japan had entered when the Japanese government allowed the Japanese Army to turn the incident at the Marco Polo Bridge into an excuse to invade China proper, from which there was no escape other than through total war with America.
Japanese public opinion also played a role in polarizing events. Tojo even started contingency planning for riots should Japan decide to bow to American will and withdraw from China. And the fear of assassination by nationalistic fanatics in the Japanese Army was an ever-present factor in the decision making of the Japanese political leadership.
Did FDR cook up a conspiracy to lure the Japanese into attacking Pearl Harbor? Iriye thinks not, and gives pretty good reasons for his opinion, the most convincing one being that by the summer of 1941 the American political and military leadership knew from the broken Japanese diplomatic code that war with Japan was inevitable. No conspiracy was needed to precipitate war - it was just a matter of time before the Japanese would attack.
In a nutshell, according to Iriye's analysis, Japan had three alternatives open to it by 1939: 1. Withdraw from China and suffer the consequences: Loss of prestige, power, resources, and military position; 2. Follow a policy of "perseverance and patience", passively waiting for the unlikely chance that events would eventually turn in a direction more to Japan's advantage; 3. Take the offensive immediately, while Japan still had sufficient oil reserves to support aggressive naval operations, and before the ABCD powers (America, Britain, China, and the Dutch) could further prepare themselves. In the end, option 3 seemed the most preferable of three bad choices.
Iriye ends on an optimistic note, saying that the period from 1931-45 was an aberration in the history of Japanese-American relations. One certainly hopes that he is right.
Amazon.com
Winston Churchill was not only a statesman and leader of historic proportions, he also possessed substantial literary talents. These two factors combine to make The Gathering Storm a unique work. The first volume of Churchill's memoirs, this selection is broken into two parts. The first, "From War to War," consists of Churchill's critical observations on the settlement of World War I and its place in the causes of the Second World War. The second volume contains letters and memoranda from the British government--of which Churchill was part--as the country plunged unprepared into war. This stands as the best of history: written as it was made, by the man who made it.
Book Description
The step-by-step decline into war, with Churchill becoming prime minister as "the tocsin was about to sound."
Download Description
The first volume of Churchill's Noble-Prize winning six-part chronicle of World War II. THE GATHERING STORM depicts the rise of Hitler and the indifference of the leaders of the European democracies to the clouds of the gathering storm. Churchill incorporate contemporary documentation and his own reminiscence in this opening memoir.
Customer Reviews:
A unique work with a message for us in today's world.......2006-12-20
This is the first volume of Churchill's Noble Prize winning six part chronicle of World War II. The Gathering Storm depicts the rise of Hitler and the indifference of the leaders of the European democracies to the clouds of the gathering storm. Churchill incorporates contemporary documentation and his own reminiscence in this opening memoir. Churchill was a great statesman with great literary ability - a winning combination. The Gathering Storm a unique work and has a message for us in today's world.
Read and reviewed by Jimmie A. Kepler
"We were to learn what total war means".......2006-10-05
Churchill gathered his researchers and secretaries and wrote an account of the events of World War II. These memoirs would span a work of six volumes, and added with his other literary achievements win for him the Noble Prize in Literature. The 'Gathering Storm', Volume I, starts with the end of World War I..the war to end all wars..and concludes on May 10,1940 with Germany's invasion of the Low Countries(Holland/Belgium) and France. May 10 was also the day that Neville Chamberlain resigned as Prime Minister and Churchill was asked, by the King, to form a new Government...in effect becoming the new head of Government or Prime Minister.
This is a work that is well worth reading. The contents and wisdom are just as relevant today as then. Churchill was relentless in his opinions, good and not-so-good, and did all in his power to try and stem the coming war. He had the advantage of being in the early government as First Lord of the Admiralty from 1911 to 1915. Driven into the wilderness years by forcing the Darnanelles,..a plan he still maintained would have worked if not for the 'timid observationists'..he would still keep active in governmental affairs and had enough connections to keep up-to-date with current events. Chamberlain, in 1939, would put him back into the Admiralty as First Lord..ironically going full circle back to his old office. Now with victory and hindsight, he was in the enviable position to see and write about the events that took place, and what could have happened if certain plans had or hadn't been implemented.
Churchill states that all the trials he went through prepared him for the great task of war. Had he remained in office, the position of Prime Minister would never have come his way. He would have been swept out of office with the failed administration. Those 'invisible wings' of fate were watching out for him. He was freed from party antagonisms and with six years of warning, about the oncoming events, no one could reproach him. What he had warned about was now real and the future was not certain. Churchill felt he knew a great deal about it all and was sure he could not fail. As Prime Minister and Minister of Defense, he now had the power to direct the whole scene. That was one of the areas I felt he craved more than any. The power to move the action forward on the offensive instead of always on the defensive.
Churchill wrote of the events that were transpiring with Germany's disregard for the Treaty of Versailles, Locarno and the failure at Munich. The rise of Hilter and his ascension to Chancellor, the absorption of Austria, the neutralization of Czechoslovakia, and the fall of Poland. The timidity of England and France to respond to the treaties and strike a blow for freedom in retaliation. He doesn't hold back his opinions and what he felt should have been done. As First Lord of the Admiralty he pushed for taking the port at Narvik Norway and found this plan changed from a sea strike to a failed pincer attack. He watched with frustration the failed, yet fortunate, attempt to tangle and embed the war on the Norwegian front. It was fortunate because shortly the war was to break full upon the Western Front and all was needed there. Norway ended the twilight or false war and moved the events forward into an all out compaign of total war.
The face and technology of war has changed over these many years. I doubt we'll ever see countries signing peace documents on battleships again. Unfortunately the reality is that war is still very much alive and with us. These facts alone make these volumes important reading. Possibly the most important aspect is that we can learn from a great man's experiences and hopefully not repeat the past. Well worth adding to the library.
"History will be kind to me for I intend to write it.".......2006-09-04
And he did. This compulisively readable account of Europe between the wars and from 09/39 to 05/40 covers European diplomatic history, shifts in British politics, Britian's unwillingness to prepare for war, Hitler's rise to power and German re-armament. It ends with the invasion of France/the Low Countries and Chuchill's ascent to Prime Minister of a National Government. For all it's readablity and heavy use of documentation and primary sources, this is still a memior and sometimes self-serving.
The Tragedy.......2006-07-22
In his preface Churchill states that one day president Roosevelt asked him for suggestions as to what the war should be called. He replied at once " the Unnecessary War "
While hindsight is always 20-20, it is impossible to read this brilliant account without coming to the conclusion that Churchill was giving way to understatement. The absurd idiocies of the governments of the victorious Allies of The Great War from 1918 to 1939 were so blatantly appalling as to be beyond belief.
To name just one, there was strong pressure in the British Parliament and Press to have France, in the interest of fair play (?) reduce its army by half and allow Germany to double its own.-- As Hitler was rallying millions to his banner.
The chapter on Hitler is perhaps the best. To quote Churchill again: " When eventually he came to power there was no book (Mein Kempf) which deserved more careful study from the rulers, political and military , of the Allied powers. All was there . . . "
But the Allies, embroiled with their own party strifes, took little notice.
Juncture after juncture, The Second World War could have easily been avoided. Repeat, easily.
For readers only familiar with Churchill's reputation as an orator, this is a chance to get to know why so many justly regard him as one of the greatest prose writers of the 20th century.
Furthermore, neither Hitler, Roosevelt, nor Stalin had the means or inclination to give an insider's first rate account of the war. Here you will see it from the summit, blow by blow.
It is indeed a tragedy, but one superbly told.
Drift to disaster.......2006-07-03
This is the first volume in a six-part work covering World War Two. It's best looked upon as Churchill's war memoirs rather than an attempt at a definitive history of the conflict. Of course, Churchill was a major figure in the war, and therefore cannot be regarded as a dispassionate analyst: he was far too close to the events and lacked the research that subsequent years have provided. All these observations are truisms, but it's worth stating that the reader should expect a very personal and Anglo-centric account.
This first volume covers the period from 1919 to the fall of the Chamberlain Government following the disasterous campaign in Norway in 1940. A major chunk of the book is taken up by Churchill's account of the faults and consequences of the Versailles Treaty, the rise of Nazi Germany and the growing threat to peace. There is very little on events in the Far East. There's not much either to throw doubt upon Churchill's role as the unheeded herald of the menace posed by the dictators, but he does have the grace to concede that the trials of World War One and the horrendous losses suffered in that war had scarred deeply the collective psyche. The reluctance to re-militarise can be better understood in that context.
Events have since shown of course that few politicians have the courage either to act contrary to what they perceive as public sentiment, or to clear their minds of preconceptions when all the evidence does not suit them. Either of these traits on their own are problematic, but it seemed that both were working at the same time in the inter-war period, to disasterous effect. As Churchill points out, few (including those on the Left) demurred from the prevailing wisdom: this must be borne in mind when British politicians of all types during the post-war period posed as implacable pre-war anti-appeasers.
Of course, few of the democracies were without these traits, and few come out of Churchill's account with total absolution - barring perhaps Czechoslovakia. Even Poland took part in the post-Munich dismemberment of that country. Churchill's account is of a tragedy, but not one which started in 1919. Rather the "peace" between the two World Wars was nothing more than a pause in the greater tragedy of twentieth-century history.
His account is passionate, lively and accessibly written. As I stated above, not one for a student wanting a definitive story, but is nonetheless gripping.
G Rodgers
Amazon.com
In a work that is as authoritative as it is explosive, Goldhagen forces us to revisit and reconsider our understanding of the Holocaust and its perpetrators, demanding a fundamental revision in our thinking of the years between 1933-1945. Drawing principally on materials either unexplored or neglected by previous scholars, Goldhagen marshals new, disquieting primary evidence that explains why, when Hitler conceived of the "final solution" he was able to enlist vast numbers of willing Germans to carry it out. A book sure to provoke new discussion and intense debate.
Book Description
A work of the utmost importance--as authoritative as it is explosive--Hitler's Willing Executioners will fundamentally change our perception of the Holocaust and of Germany in the Nazi period. Goldhagen reaches conclusions that are both uncompromising and savage, rejecting as inadequate the conventional historical explanations for how an entire country could allow the Holocaust to happen, and gives the first detailed, broad-ranging account of the actual killers of the Jews. 31 photos.
Customer Reviews:
the Hobo Philosopher.......2007-10-01
Wow! I am rather surprised at all these negative reviews here. I seem to be in the minority in valuing this book as a rather obvious extrapolation of what was the actual case. I felt that the author went out of his way to over document this book so that what he had to say could not be denied.
There may in fact be some references that are off somewhat in one small aspect or another, I wouldn't really know but there is much too much to be ignored or dismissed here.
What the author establishes is also more than consistent with the German historical record - there "distaste" for the Jews goes way, way back.
I found nothing in this book shocking or exaggerated based on my previous readings.
If these outraged reviewers here are trying to promote the notion that the German people were "unaware" of what was happening to the Jews in Germany, they are being more than ridiculous.
Don't waste your time - Disgraceful.......2007-09-26
As an avid reader of WW2 history I found this book to be biased, flawed and almost unreadable. I am no racist or Holocaust denier, and what the Nazis did to the Jews, Slavs and other minority groups was absolutely terrible. However, if one wishes to read well researched historical facts about the people who were responsible then don't bother with "Hitler's Willing Executioners". If the publisher had any sense of reality or fact they would have laughed Goldhagen out of their office. I could go on, but it really isn't worth my time - don't waste yours on this book.
One of the worst scholarly books ever written.......2007-05-15
I don't even have to give you my opinion. Goldhagen shows what a biased, vengeful and spiteful person he is with his flawed research and undocumented claims. This book is the reason why you should start checking the footnotes if you didn't before. You cannot take people's research for granted. Example: p. 166 footnote #13. Read that one in the back. He didn't have time to actually calculate how many people were actually perpetrators, he simply believes the number was gigantic! He says that word for word! HA! There are DOZENS of "facts" like this. Other whoppers: p. 339. Goldhagen here actually creates his own German fantasy about how Germans made love next to concentration camps and how disgusting that is, yet it is completely without proof and later turns out to be his own fictional description that he hopes will convince you of how terrible Germans are. I am not even German and I was offended.
Not the best.......2007-05-14
Buy "Ordinary Men: The Story of Police Battalion 101 and the Holocaust" first. That is a much better book - more readable, less cluttered, and overall just a better book.
But if you already have read "Police Battalion 101," or are just interested in this subject, then buy this book. While it is not the best, it is good. In other words, it is not a good stand-alone book, but in conjunction with other research, it is OK.
CONFIRMING THAT WE DON'T ALL "WANT THE SAME THING".......2007-03-06
This book certainly could have used a good editor to make it more readable and to make its thesis clearer amidst a sea of often repetitive and barely comprehensible academic verbiage. Nevertheless, its premise is a compelling one that deserves to be aired in this era of feel-good multiculturalism in which many people (in the U.S. anyway) assume that--a la the innocence of an Anne Frank--people all over are basically good, want the same thing, have the same values, etc. September 11 finally threw some cold water in the face of some one-worlders to understanding how much hatred there is, on totally irrational religious and political grounds, of one people toward another...and indeed Goldhagen's premise could probably be applied to other countries and cultures of today as much as he applied it to the Germans (and he could have applied it, too, to Poles and Austrians and, later, Russians as well!)
Book Description
"A classic [that] covers superbly a whole era...Engrossing in its glittering gallery of characters."
CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
Pulitzer Prize-winning author, Robert K. Massie has written a richly textured and gripping chronicle of the personal and national rivalries that led to the twentieth century's first great arms race. Massie brings to vivid life, such historical figures as the single-minded Admiral von Tirpitz, the young, ambitious, Winston Churchill, the ruthless, sycophantic Chancellor Bernhard von Bulow, and many others. Their story, and the story of the era, filled with misunderstandings, missed opportunities, and events leading to unintended conclusions, unfolds like a Greek tratedy in his powerful narrative. Intimately human and dramatic, DREADNOUGHT is history at its most riveting.
From the Trade Paperback edition.
Customer Reviews:
Educational, entertaining and highly informative........2007-09-13
Probably one of the best histories of the period yet produced and - as an important bonus - written in excellent English.
Massively detailed,awesome in scope; at times dragging........2007-07-14
The book discusses a period in history when British power was at its height.
However emergence of Germany as a great power disturbed the status quo.
To exacerbate matters, Germany was ruled by a man who was abrasive,impetous,
arrogant.Kaiser Wilhelm II wanted nothing but an exalted status for his nation
under the sun. He advocated that Germany must have a colonial empire like Britain and
a strong navy commensurate to her status. "Seize the trident",Kaiser said. This forms the background to the naval
armament race between the two nations.
Both incurred colossal expenditure in building Dreadnoughts. This was a super
battle ship [huge,floating steel monster] capable of cruising at high speed and firing
armor-piercing shell at a long- range.Thanks to wealth she could draw from colonies
London was able to withstand the strain.
Kaiser's scheme of things envisaged a subordinate role for Britain under renascent
Germany which English pride,self-respect found hard to accept.As threat from across
the North Sea mounted ,London was forced to end her splendid isolation .Between
1904-1908 Britain became close with her former enemies : France,Russia.Europe was
now divided into two hostile blocs: Triple Entente,Dual alliance. As tensions mounted
Britain and Germany came closer to war :Agadir crisis in 1905.
German army General Staff was crowded by Prussian militarists .These men had no
qualms in violating in Belgian neutrality: the Schlieffen plan ,how Germany intend to
wage war in the west.Further Berlin was served by an ally [Hapsburg -ruled,partially
defunct Austro-Hungarian empire]which was very brash toward its neighbours.Under such circumstances sanity will never prevail.So the
two like-minded powers fused to generate violence on an unprecedented scale.Sad,tragic
incident in the Balkans, assassination of heir to the Hapsburg throne served as raison d'etre.
My gripe about this book , the text in many areas contains details which has no relevance
the subject making it exceptionally verbose. The book revolves too much around personalities.So I liked it only in patches.
However the section dealing with Admiral John Fisher's life was interesting.Innovations he effected in naval firepower ,ship propulsion revolutionized
war at sea. Also illuminating is author's elaboration of Admiral Alfred Von Tirpitz's
`Risk Theory' and run down of events leading to the outbreak of great war.
A reader requires abundant time, perseverance to wade through this tome.
Indispensable read for history buffs.
An epic of immense proportions........2007-06-02
It was the First World War - known at that time as "The Great War" which changed Britain and Europe forever. As the Generals on both sides sent millions and millions of men to their deaths in the carnage which they regarded as warfare, there came about a change in the psyche of the British male - a change which would herald a complete alteration in the way he thought and acted towards those of the upper, ruling classes. No longer would that British male be so quick to use such words as "M'Lord" or even "Sir." No longer would he doff his cap as a mark of respect, no longer would the ordinary police Constable be so quick to "arrest that man" just because a well dressed person had ordered him so to do.
That change in British Society continues to this day and is easily traced back to the feelings of loss and despair which came with the realisation that far too many young men had died "at the front" - even though the war itself had been won and mainland Britain had escaped unscathed.
In this epic tale, author Robert Massie delves deep into why that war occurred in the first place. Every single aspect of argument and behaviour on both sides (both military and political) is exposed and analysed. As the title of the book would suggest, the theme is the world's first great arms race. When Britain produced the first Dreadnought Battleship it rendered all other battleships obsolete at a stroke (including the remainder of the British Fleet!). From that moment onwards it was always a question of who could produce the most new Dreadnoughts in the quickest possible time. Set against this wish by both Britain and Germany to be seen as the world's supreme masters of the seas was a political intrigue which few have been able to commit to print in such a masterly fashion as is found in this book.
In short, this is one of the greatest books of our time. It is also a damn fine read.
NM
A history book characterized by a superb literary readability........2007-03-18
Dreadnought is a delightful book for readers of different backgrounds thanks to its author's masterful literary style. Historians will most probably pick up what are supposed to be its flaws, such as the Library Journal's review. Yes, I agree with the reviewer: such topic is too complex because "The British and German systems were too complicated and too democratic to respond to a biographical focus". But when I think of History in all its complexity and multifaceted possible approaches, an author whom is capable of going far beyond what the title of his book and to stimulate the reader to further research of a critical moment of recent history, this alone is more than laudable. Mr. Massie created an outstanding book which may even be misleading in its title: for those not acquainted with naval history, the title Dreadnought may be almost meaningless, but the work will fascinate almost anyone interested in the history of XX Century because it makes several points more clear to the general reader: the complex implications of German unification under Bismark and the radical changes in world's economy already underway at that time. The reader will notice that the U.S. industrial strength and pace of development was a factor largely unknown and/or grossly underestimated by European powers. As an attempt to be brief and thorough: this book is extremely successful in its goals. There is not a single book capable to describe the complexities of Europe during and after Chancellor Bismark until World War I. But this book is really helpful and mostly pleasant to stimulate the reader with a fascinating approach. At the same time, what a historian may consider a book overtly focused on biographies actually may be a revealing source about many protagonists such as Kaiser William II and many other outstanding figures of that era, not to mention the antisemitism thriving in German society at that time. I highly recommend this book to all readers interested not only in military, but in contemporary History.
Edward the Caresser Meets the Hun.......2007-01-17
An excellent read. Very well written as we might expect from Robert Massie. I enjoyed it very much and lost countless hours reading late into the night.
A warning: this book is extremely anglo-centric. Those who are looking for a balanced handling of these matters should keep this in mind. The only way to get a balanced accounting of the genesis of WW1 in English is to read widely including the revisionist texts that are heavily discounted by most British and American scholars. This is quite a large task.
Massie tells the story of the run up to the war largely through the device of using narrative accounts of the major political and diplomatic events in Britain and Germany, mostly presented through biographical sketches of their politicians, diplomats and admirals. This makes for fun reading. The book reads like a novel and you get a good idea of the characters of the main players. It's Massie's unabashed admiration of King Edward VII that skews the book however. Edward was not as wise and insightful as the author makes him and Wilhelm was not as flightly and spiteful or motivated by feelings of inferiority.
Dreadnought almost completely ignores economic and social history. There is nothing at all about the working class movements in either country. This is a major weakness. I suppose his desire to tell the tale strictly in a narrative fashion limits the usefulness of statistical data and scholarly exposition. A book I mentioned above, The Arming of Europe and the Making of the First World War can be of great service in filling in some of these gaps.
Part two describes British politics and foreign policy up to 1905. I found this the most interesting section of the book - but I'm a political junkie. Again Massie uses sketches of politicians such as Salisbury, Balfour, Joseph Chamberlain and Landsdowne, accompanied by accounts of the "Khaki election" and the dispute over Imperial preference which split the Unionist government. Massie highlights the diplomatic ruptures with Germany - over the Jameson raid and the Krueger telegram, Samoa, and the Boer war. All of this culminates in the breakdown of Chamberlain's tentative Anglo-German alliance negotiations, and leads to the creation of the Anglo-French entente (despite the dispute over Fashoda), and its first test during the Morocco crisis.
Navalists and battleship buffs who might be attracted to this book by its title, will find part three much to their interest. Unfortunately they have to wade through a whole lot of biography to get there. Again this part of the book suffers from its anglo-centric point of view. Very little information about the German fleet is provided (for example, while the problems with inadequate armour on the British battle cruisers are mentioned, the far superior ability of German ships to withstand damage is not). The primary focus is still biographical, with Fisher and, to a lesser extent, his rival Lord Beresford claiming most of the stage.
Parts four and five continue the story up to the outbreak of war. Massie goes into much detail telling the story of the rise of the Liberals, and the Reform Bill and the emasculating of the House of Lords by use of crude threats by Asquith. Churchill and more importantly, Sir Edward Grey come into their own in this section of the book. I thought Massie's handling of Grey's failure to keep the British cabinet informed of European developments, even though he was monitoring continental communiques, was well done. Even so, in Massie's hands it is still hard to see Grey for what he really is - a villain no less than Austrian foreign minister Count Berchtold and France's man in Saint Petersburg, Ambassador Paleologue.
The book ends with Grey's famous coda on his age, 'The lamps are going out all over Europe. We shall not see them lit again in our lifetime.' This is only fitting because Sir Edward had much to do with the extinguishing of those lamps. All in all a fine but flawed book and I enjoyed it very much with certain reservations.
Average customer rating:
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The Royal Navy and Nazi Germany, 1933-39: A Study in Appeasement and the Origins of the Second World War (Studies in Military & Strategic History)
Joseph A. Maiolo
Manufacturer: Palgrave Macmillan
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Book Description
This book is an original study of the Royal Navy's response to the rise of the German navy under Hitler within the context of the ongoing debate about Anglo-German relations and the origins of the Second World War. Drawing on wide range of sources, the author casts new light on the diplomacy leading to the Anglo-German Naval Agreements of June 1935 and July 1937, and explores the crucial connections between naval intelligence, war planning and Admiralty policy. The author suggests that the Admiralty's response to the Nazi menace was far more rational and more complex than previous studies suggest.
Customer Reviews:
A superior book.......2007-06-12
Joe Maiolo really got the ball rolling with this book. Andrew Gordon's 1988 book on Rearmament and the Admiralty was a cry in the wilderness. Maiolo's very good book began a process of reevaluation of 1930s British defense policy that is still in motion. My only real criticism of the book is its less than stellar organization and prose style. Paragraphs are occasionally dull and sentences unclear. But this book is a treasure-trove of important information and interpretations.
Book Description
In 1944, Secretary of War Henry L. Stimson, knowing that high-ranking members of the military had falsely testified before the various bodies investigating the attack on Pearl Harbor, selected a then-unknown major by the name of Henry C. Clausen to undertake a new investigation. From November 1944 to September 1945, Clausen traveled more than 55,000 miles and interviewed over a hundred U.S. and British Army, Navy, and civilian personnel. He was given the authority to go anywhere and question anyone under oath, from enlisted personnel right up to George C. Marshall, the chief of staff. He ultimately presented an 800 page report to Stimson-a report that revealed a massive operational failure by the United States to use the priceless intelligence signals that it had obtained months before Pearl Harbor. Pearl Harbor is the "final judgement"-the story behind Clausen's investigation and a blistering account of his conclusions.
Customer Reviews:
Did you catch that ... so much for Truth, Justice, and the American Way!.......2006-06-03
While it has a notable title, and with its co-author being Bruce Lee (he being the editor of another Pearl Harbor work), the text is simply a re-hash of prior materials.
But, having set that as a datum, there are several items which might be of profit for some who are less inquisitive. These items include, for example:
A. Pages 136-136 - Message No. 519 as triggered by the "Winds Execute" receipt, the destruction by burning of enormous numbers of message traffic, and the Japanese attack on the A-3 scrambler telephone.
B. Pages 191-193 - Massive perjury, including that old chestnut of Marshall's whereabouts on the night of December 6, 1941.
C. Page 270 - The "higher oath" that led to conflicted testimony before various investigations, the whole truth and nothing but the truth - but not quite. Imagine US military personnel lying and admitting it to Clasen.
D. Pages 353 and 373 - Note that Japanese Naval Codes are in Singapore and Bangkok.
E. Page 367 - Ribbentrop's (from November 28, 1941) comment that Germany will go to war if Japan goes to war with America, and not seek a separate piece with England. So, FDR knew that Germany would declare war. [And so did Churchill, who upon seeing this PURPLE message, noted that comment in red ink.]
F. Page 410 - The note pointing to the numbers of messages that had to be gotten from British copies of traffic - so complete was the purposeful housecleaning done on the US archives. [This should be a flag to some: The "Winds Execute" will not be found in a US file, but rather in that of the Allies.]
Overall, a text to be aware of - warts and all.
Major Primary Source.......2005-08-03
This book is a major contribution to the understanding of who was really responsible for Pearl Harbor. Although Clausen's report (and his subsequent testimony) are part of the record of the Congressional investigation, his description of how he actually pursued his inquiry helps to fit each witness's affidavit into context. Clausen's colorful (and sometimes humorous) narrative of the course of his investigation makes this book highly readable, and his insightful and lawyerly evaluation of his witnesses and their testimony is a great aid to those who truly seek answers about why America was surprised at Pearl Harbor.
The book is not without its flaws, however. Clausen was conducting an Army investigation; thus the majority of his witnesses are from the Army, and when he did interview Navy personnel, his lines of inquiry were limited to obtaining information that was relevent to mistakes that might have been made by the Army. Thus, his point of view is necessarily limited. In his list of the 14 people most responsible for Pearl Harbor, he has Admiral Richmond Kelly Turner in a tie for fourth-place on the list, but Clausen never even interviewed the Admiral--this great level of culpability is not satisfactorily explained in either the text or the list. Clausen does refer to the subsequent Congressional investigation's having answered that question, however, and reading the Congressional report does explain it. Also, amazingly, Clausen fails to assign any significant blame to Admiral Claude Bloch, who was commandant of the 14th Naval District (Hawaii) and Base Defense Officer for Pearl Harbor. Clausen also gets a few minor facts wrong that make it clear he's not a professional historian--for example, the Army did not have any P-39s at Pearl Harbor, and General Short did not attend West Point.
In answer to some of the criticisms raised by other reviewers: Clausen does have some biases, but he's very open about them. He explains, in his Congressional testimony, why he couldn't investigate Stimson--Congress directed Stimson to conduct the investigation. As for protecting Marshall, Clausen quotes Stimson's endorsement to the Army Board report--Marshall was not responsible for the day-to-day management of the War Plans Division(it is worth noting, however, that Marshall still accepted the blame for not noticing that Short had not gone to the proper state of alert, even though he couldn't recall having seen Short's reply, and General Gerow had previously admitted to making the error). Clausen's story should also put to rest, once and for all, the revisionist canard that Stimson sent him around the world to browbeat witnesses into reversing their testimony in order to protect the Chief of Staff. I would also point out that one of the other reviewers seems to have confused the terms "anecdote" and "sworn statement."
Finally, on the subject of Clausen's giving the "government version," is it unreasonable to expect one of the chief government investigators to give that version? The whole statement is loaded, and has clear revisionist implications. Kimmel and Short were not "scapegoats"; as Prang states, this word implies that they were blameless. They were clearly not, and Clausen proves it with sworn testimony. The evidence against Short is frankly damning, though I'm sure some revisionists will attempt to explain it away. Short failed to read the extensive briefing materials that his predecessor, General Herron, had carefully prepared for him to study during his 5-day voyage to Hawaii in February 1941. Furthermore, he chose an officer with no intelligence experience or training to be his intelligence chief, rather than the officer with intelligence training and experience (who was recommended by Herron), simply because Short didn't want an unwashed reservist as part of his inner circle. Had Short bothered to study the material (or simply asked around) he would have discovered that alerts did not alarm the civilian population, and that Herron considered the risk of sabotage to be minimal. Kimmel failed to share crucial intelligence with Short (as he'd been directed). Finally, the two commanders had been ordered to confer and cooperate, but Short simply assumed that the Navy knew where the Japanese carriers were, and was conducting reconnaisance patrols; Kimmel assumed that Short was alert against air attack, and using his radar.
This book should be on the shelf of everyone who's interested in Pearl Harbor--right next to At Dawn We Slept.
Pearl Harbor - Final Judgement.......2005-07-08
Pearl Harbor - Final Judgement is a behind the scenes view of the War Department's efforts to address deficiencies in the separate Army and Navy commissions that studied the failures prior and on December 7, 1941.
The Author, Henry Clausen was appointed by the Secretary of War to address deficiencies noted in the earlier investigations. Assisting Clausen was Bruce Lee who assisted Admiral Layton in writing "At Dawn We Slept" and other historical examinations of the Pearl Harbor disaster.
"Final Judgement" is about Clausen's efforts to find out what was our intelligence posture and what did we do with what was available. Clausen's investigation and the journey to find the truth is fascinating. Many significant findings in this book has never been addressed before.
I read the book as a retired Army officer familiar with inter-service rivalries. Clausen's "civilian" perspective assisted him greatly. If Clausen had viewed the events as a career military person, I doubt he would have taken the chances he did. I can only imagine the consternation his investigation certainly caused because he could not be touched.
Final Judgement rings of truth finally brought to light. One suspects a "911" report will come out 50 years later and reveal what our contemporaries did not want us to know. This is what Final Judgement is all about. Great read with real insights.
Sheds New Light on Who Was Responsible for Pearl Harbor.......2004-11-30
I originally read this book about eight years ago, but I recently finished reading it for the second time, and I got much more out of it than the first time through. Henry C. Clausen, a San Francisco lawyer with his own practice, was appointed by Secretary of War Henry Stimson to conduct a thorough investigation of the Pearl Harbor disaster after it was discovered that there may have been some tainted testimony with the recently completed Army Pearl Harbor Board investigation. Armed with "Magic" decrypts in a "bomb pouch" which Clausen was to detonate if captured, he set off to take affidavits from the key personnel involved in the Pearl Harbor disaster.
According to the book, from November, 1944 to September, 1945, Clausen traveled more than 55,000 miles and interviewed over one hundred U.S. and British Army, Navy, and civilian personnel. Clausen had the authority from Stimson to go anywhere and interview anyone under oath from enlisted personnel up to General George C. Marshall. After completing his investigation, Clausen presented an 800 page report which revealed a massive failure by the United States to use the intelligence obtained months before the Pearl Harbor attack.
The crux of Clausen's investigation centered on the failure of the Army and Navy to share intelligence. It was the Navy's responsibility to share their intelligence with the Army, but, according to Clausen's investigation, this did not happen. Clausen also faulted Admiral Kimmel and General Short for failing to correctly interpret Washington's war warning message dated November 27, 1941. Among the other charges leveled by Clausen against Kimmel and Short were Kimmel's failure to share intelligence with the Army and his own staff, while Short was charged with failing to defend the fleet, failing to adequately prepare to assume command in Hawaii, failing to alert his forces of the probability of a surprise attack, failing to conduct reconnaissance, and failing to communicate effectively with Kimmel.
Clausen names others who were responsible in his investigation, from Admiral Richmond Kelly Turner's attempt to take over Naval intelligence and assuming that Pearl Harbor had a "Purple" machine, to Fleet Intelligence Officer Edwin Layton, who failed to keep the Army abreast of intelligence developments by not following Kimmel's directive to deliver intelligence to the Army in person. Others are listed as well, but these four men, especially Kimmel and Short, bear much of the responsibility for Pearl Harbor, according to Clausen.
Clausen was called as a witness before the Congressional hearings to testify about his findings. He did a masterful job of handling the committee's questions, and managed to sway the thinking of several of the committee members.
I highly recommend this fine book. Written in the first person by Clausen himself, he takes the reader on an incredible journey that uncovered many falsehoods and half-truths while, in my opinion, accurately identifying the persons directly responsible for the disaster at Pearl Harbor. The only part of the book where I felt Clausen spent too much time on was the "Winds" message. He admitted himself that he devoted perhaps too much time to this one issue, but this is a minor point which does not take anything away from the book. Colonel Clausen did his country a remarkable service by completing such a fine investigation. His methods were precise and produced the desired results. I believe that Clausen's report accurately identifed who was to blame for the attack. There is an excellent appendix section in the book which contains many of the "Magic" intercepts which Clausen used in his investigation. Read this excellent work of history and find out who was responsible for the attack on Pearl Harbor.
Clausen sheds light on flaws in intelligence system.......2004-03-25
First of all, it should be stated what this book isn't: it isn't a detailed account of the attack or an introduction to the subject matter of the Pearl Harbor. It does not touch upon the Japanese planning, strategic thinking, or preparations. Nor is it a comprehensive account of all the errors which contributed to the disaster. For this reason, it would not be a good choice for a first read on the subject of Pearl Harbor. It requires some background, and familiarity with the events and characters involved.
For those who have read several books on the subject, it is an invaluable source for information regarding the attack, and an intelligent and honest assessment of blame for US unpreparedness to meet the challenge. This book sheds light on, and reveals facts and circumstances previously unpublished. Clausen was in a unique position in history, appointed by Secretary of War Stimson to investigate the causes of the defeat, and make recommendations to prevent its repetition. Empowered with broad orders commanding all officers to fully cooperate with his investigation, Clausen was able to conduct interviews and take affadavits of any commander he chose. Many of his witnesses testified before no other investigation. He also had access to documents, orders and correspondence which other histories do not mention.
For example, in assessing Gen. Short's performance, he includes excerpts of correspondence in early 1941 from Marshall specifically touching upon the danger of a Japanese air or submarine strike against Oahu, reminding Short that his primary task was to defend against these dangers. If the assessments contained in the Martin-Bellinger report were not enough to wake Short up, surely letters from the Chief of Staff should have been. Clausen also details the blunt assessment of Gen. Herron, Short's predecessor, as to Short's disinterest, lack of preparedness and poor performance in the job.
Clausen's assessments are frank and sometimes brutal. Contrary to suggestions that this book has an apologist bent toward the Army, Clausen spreads blame towards Marshall, Gerow, and the rest of the top brass, particularly within the intelligence apparatus. He similarly faults the Navy, for mishandling or in some cases hoarding intelligence. He casts a pox on both houses in Oahu, for failing to meaningfully liason and discuss the implications of the rapidly deteriorating US-Japanese relations, and the import of the warnings and information those commands had at their disposal.
Possessed of keen analytic skill, Clausen's work, sources and insights demolish currently-published conspiracy theories as both venal and banal, based on false information, incomplete understanding, and in some cases even perjured testimony. As detailed in this book, the flaws in the system of handling and interpreting intelligence, coupled with the human flaws in command, are more than enough explanation without relying on an intellectually vapid pablum of deceit and simplistic bogeymen.
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