December 7, 1941, was one of the single most decisive days of World War II. It was the day that brought the United States into the fight. Six Japanese aircraft carriers disgorged their full complements in two waves on the superior U.S. Pacific Fleet as it lay slumbering in Pearl Harbor. Depending on opposing viewpoints, the attack was either a brilliant maneuver of audacious strategy, or a piece of unparalleled villainy and deception by a supposedly friendly power. This book takes into account the latest research on the events of December 7, 1941, reveals several previously unknown aspects of the attack, and dispels key myths that have been built up around the fateful day--a day, Franklin Delano Roosevelt declared, that would live in infamy.

December 7, 1941, was one of the single most decisive days of World War II as it was the day that brought the United States into the fight. Six Japanese aircraft carriers disgorged their full complements in two waves on the superior U.S. Pacific Fleet as it lay slumbering in Pearl Harbor. Depending on opposing viewpoints, the attack was either a brilliant maneuver of audacious strategy, or a piece of unparalleled villainy and deception by a supposedly friendly power. This book takes into account the latest research on the events of December 7, 1941, reveals several previously unknown aspects of the attack and dispels key myths that have been built up around the fateful day--a day, Franklin Delano Roosevelt declared, that would live in infamy.

Carl Smith and David Aiken examine the events of that fateful day and look at why the Japanese were so successful. They have interviewed many veterans of the attack including Japanese pilots, U.S. pilots, and U.S. seaman, and built up an unparalleled archive of incredible detail on the attack.