What the emperor had not expected was merely what no one, including Tōjō himself, had anticipated: that the attack on Pearl Harbor would be launched before the U.S. government received a note from the Japanese embassy in Washington formally breaking off relations. The message had not been delivered on time because of an absurdly human faux pas: an embassy staff member took too long typing it. Apart from this unforeseen development, which without question made the surprise attack seem especially “treacherous,” Hirohito was well briefed on the Pearl Harbor strategy, right down to the reason for
...more
