Was the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor that launched the American entry into World War

2 allowed to happen by the Americans? Desperate for an excuse to get into the war? Well, that's

what a lot of people say, and they point to various incidents on that day that they

claim our evidence. Well, today we're going to examine these in detail, and see if the

history books all do actually have it wrong. That's today Unskeptoid.

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You're listening to Skeptoid. I'm Brian Dunning from Skeptoid.com. Attack on Pearl Harbor.

Every school child knows the story of December 7, 1941, a date which will live in infamy.

Japanese aircraft carriers crept to within striking distance of Hawaii and launched a morning

sneak attack which struck at 755 a.m. Two waves of 354 Japanese bombers, dive bombers, torpedo

bombers, and fighters decimated an unprepared U.S. Pacific fleet. They sank four battleships

and two destroyers and heavily damaged 11 other ships. Destroyed or damaged 343 aircraft

killed 2459 servicemen and civilians and injured 1282 others. Less than 24 hours after the

first bomb fell, the United States declared war on Japan. One question has plagued the conspiracy

minded ever since. Was the United States truly caught by surprise? Or did the government have

advanced knowledge of the attack and allow it to happen as an excuse to declare war?

We should begin by establishing that the overwhelming majority of historians are not moved by this

theory. It is promoted really only by a few authors and anti-government activists. However,

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