War Warnings (1)

 
HMAS Sydney

HMAS Sydney

 
7 November 1941 –  the dress rehearsal of Operation Z is staged by 350 aircraft from 6 carriers of Japan’s Strike Force and 8 December is set as Y Day (7 Dec. US time)
10 November – Ambassador Nomura arrived at the White House with a proposal.  Cordell Hull stalled him since FDR refused to answer.
14 November –  Secretary of State rejected the proposal.
15 November – Bishop Walsh’s efforts to mediate was rejected by the US State Dept.  Washington’s “Magic” intelligence sees the report of a message to Consul Kita, in Honolulu, to report twice weekly on “ships in harbor<” and decodes the message, but does not pass it on the Pearl Harbor.
16 November – Japanese carriers moved out from the Kuril Islands.  Washington sees the intercept from Tokyo to Nomura, “Fate of the Empire hangs by a sheer thread…please fight harder!”

Cordell Hull

Cordell Hull

19 November – the German cruiser, the “Korman,” met the HMAS “Sydney”, under Captain Joseph Burnett, off Dirk Hartog Island (Western Australia).  After an hour and a half battle, both ships were destroyed.  Searches for the missing did not begin until 24 November; 399 “Korman” survivors were located, but none from the “Sydney.
20 November – Nomura presented a new proposal that Hull regarded as an ultimatum and FDR said to give it “sympathetic study.”
21 November – the British Joint Intelligence Committee told its Far Eastern Command that Japan, in the event of all-out war, will only invade Thailand.

Ambassador Nomura

Ambassador Nomura

22 November – Magic intercepted Tokyo’s message to Nomura that the deadline for negotiations had been extended 4 days to 29 Nov., “After that, things are automatically going to happen.”
 
23 November – Secretary Hull presented Nomura with the Hull Note.  On the 26th, Japan viewed it as an ultimatum.
24 November – Magic intercepted Tokyo’s message to Nomura that the US must agree to cease aid to Chiang Kai-shek and lift the oil embargo.  FDR informed his Cabinet: “We are likely to be attacked Monday (8 Dec.), for the Japs are notorious for attacking without warning”
25 November –  the President’s War Council approved the “modus vivendi” despite Roosevelt’s concern about “how to maneuver Japan into firing the first shot.”
Japanese Carriers of the Pearl Harbor Force

Japanese Carriers of the Pearl Harbor Force

 
26 November – at dawn, the Japanese Pearl Harbor Strike Force set sail.  Adm. Nagumo’s final instructions from Yamamoto were: “In case negotiations with the US reach a successful conclusion, the task force will immediately put about and return to the homeland.”  In Washington D.C., intel reported Japanese convoys were headed for Indochina.  FDR took this as “evidence of bad faith  on the part of the Japanese.”  Hull rejected the new proposal from Nomura.  Tokyo received the strong rejection and viewed the US demands as “No glimmer of hope.”

To be continued…..

Click on images to enlarge.

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A cartoon from the times….

Courtesy of Chris @ Muscleheaded

Courtesy of Chris @ Muscleheaded

This and so many others can be found at by visiting Chris, RIGHT HERE!

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A joke that was played on the Nazis – comes to light______

Hessy Tafter at 6 mos and 80.

Hessy Taft at 6 mos and 80.

Please click on to read....

Please click on to read…..

Geobbels w/ his troops

Geobbels w/ his troops

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Farewell Salutes – 

Thomas Armstrong – Brazil, IN; US Army, WWII & Korea, Comapany A/187th RCT

Ivan (Hutch) Billcliff – Whangaparaoa, NZ; RNZ Air Force # 457333, Squadron Leader, Airforce Cross

Morris (Gene) Field – Rancho Mirage, CA; US Army Air Corps, Sgt., WWII, top turret gunnerthankyou

Merton Green Sr. – Eastford, CT; US navy, WWII, SeaBees, PTO

David Haughee – Bossier City, LA; US Air Force, Korea & Vietnam

Lauren (Bud) Lampert – Springfield, VA; US Army, WWII, Silver Star

Bertha Richards – Montreal, Can & W.Palm Bch, FL; Canadian Navy, WREN, WWII

Arthur Waite – Newark, DE; US Air Force, Korea

Douglas Wilburn – Roscoe, IL; US Army, Vietnam

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About GP

Everett Smith served with the Headquarters Company, 187th Regiment, 11th A/B Division during WWII. This site is in tribute to my father, "Smitty." GP is a member of the 11th Airborne Association. Member # 4511 and extremely proud of that fact!

Posted on July 28, 2014, in WWII and tagged , , , , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink. 63 Comments.

  1. Interesting piece of history, something doesnt seem right to me in one respect.
    Cordell Hull appears to have been a bit of an impediment in the whole scenario.
    Maybe just my interpretation of the sequence of events.
    Cheers
    Ian aka Emu

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  2. A delicious irony now, a horror back then. The world is a funny place.

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  3. Have to laugh at that Taft story, no wonder they lost the war…lol

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  4. All interesting. Very taken with the Taft story.

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    • The Taft story was so ironic, I had to include it. But – 75 years is a long time to wait for a laugh – don’t you think!? Thanks for stopping in, Hillary.

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  5. …and I loved the Punkins cartoon. I had forgotten about them until you posted it!

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  6. Indeed, FDR and therefore the US was following the McCollum memo to a “t”. Japan was being maneuvered for the first shot. And as you allude, FDR’s “delay” tactics with the Japanese diplomats were choreographed. FDR knew exactly what the Japanese were planning through the MAGIC deciphers you reported on. (Ironically, the “first shot” was taken by the USS Ward just outside of Pearl early on December 7 as you well know.)

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    • I am a very lucky person to have such a friend as yourself, Koji. I am determined to keep my opinions in the comments and leave the facts to land where they may in the posts. (Frankly I enjoy hearing everyone’s take on them), but it sure makes for a lot of editing – I constantly have to re-read to see if my own feelings are creeping into the article. Thanks for stopping in to visit!!

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  7. The story about the Nazis poster child is amazing.

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  8. Great post, GP. Interesting info on how things progressed. Love the story of the Aryan baby photo contest. Perfect irony!

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  9. haydendlinder

    Hey GP, I saw this at the very beginning of your post,
    “10 November – Ambassador Nomura arrived at the White House with a proposal. Cordell Hull stalled him since FDR refused to answer.
    14 November – Secretary of State rejected the proposal.”

    Do you have any idea what was in the “Proposal?” I know at the time they wanted the Philippines from the U.S. but were they bold enough to just ask for it?

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    • I don’t recall the Philippines ever being asked for out-right (Although every one in the gov’t. knew that those islands were a major priority for the Japanese). Each proposal would be pretty much like the others with just small tweaks, Prince Konoye could have made the drastic changes and concessions in the proposals, but FDR wouldn’t see him.

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  10. Great post– and I’m thrilled to see you used Punkins !!!

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  11. The build-up is frightening. Love the British Joint Intelligence Committee conclusion. Yeah, right.

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    • Looking back, we can see the steps; like stepping stones across a calm brook – when you get have-way across, they start to get smaller and the brook turns into a raging river, until….

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  12. And Wikipedia seems to bring us up to date—

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMAS_Sydney_(D48)#Final_battle_and_loss

    —well worth a visit. With the best will in the world the only excuse I can give for that Ozz skipper was hubris and criminal stupidity. (But hey, we all have done it, right?)

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  13. This seems to be a starting point re—Sydney and Kormoran:

    http://www.naa.gov.au/collection/fact-sheets/fs111.aspx

    —and I loooove that cartoon~! The tale of the showpiece Aryan baby rings my bell too, love it!

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  14. I have some revision to do myself. I read that Sydney’s captain allowed himself to be completely suckered in by an armed merchantman and came in ridiculously close … and got savaged in an ambush.
    Off back to the books … I also remember reading somewhere that Sydney’s hulk was recently possibly located?

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  15. Fascinating story about the Aryan baby! As usual, a great post!

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  16. Mindblowing!

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  17. Great post; I love the baby contest story! What a great example of irony. I’m going to use this news article in my Holocaust Studies class when I return to school next week. 🙂

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  18. I feel the tension brewing. It’s history, at least I thought it was history. So much information that I had never heard before. The striking thing today though is “The NAZI’s poster child” – It is so hard to imagine a child being in mortal danger just from the circumstances of her birth. Unfortunately, as a world, we haven’t made much progress on this issue.

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    • All very true, Dan. First – the tension, I felt that as I put all the data in order and kept wanting to say – Stop, can’t you see what you’re doing? And second – the photographer should have known that the baby would be in danger, it’s a funny joke now, but then? And no, we still haven’t learned.

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  19. Waiting for your next post to see more about who knew what and when.

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  20. Pierre Lagacé

    I learn something new…

    19 November – the German cruiser, the “Korman,” met the HMAS “Sydney”, under Captain Joseph Burnett, off Dirk Hartog Island (Western Australia). After an hour and a half battle, both ships were destroyed. Searches for the missing did not begin until 24 November; 399 “Korman” survivors were located, but none from the “Sydney.

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  21. By that time my Dad was already a POW in the 9-th Fort concentration camp, Kaunas, Lithuania. I am grateful that I can learn so much from your blog.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Yes, as far as the US public knew at that time, what your father was in was ‘the war in Europe.’ The world was much larger back in 1941 – mail took forever, no internet or reliable TV coverage, etc. To most – Lithuania might as well have been on Mars.

      Liked by 1 person

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