The president ial library as he might like to welcomenn you o todays program. As you know, today is pearl harbor day, and i would like to take just a moment to recognize those that have served if theres any veterans or active duty servicemen please rise so we can acknowledge your service. Thank you very much. [applause] what it meant for the world we are living today in so many ways. We are fortunate to be able to honor today with a Wonderful Program and a new book that has just come out. Wow, look at that. Thats great. Thank you for your support. It makes these programs possible because of members and trustees like you that we can do these programs end of last year our Program Manager we put on 58 programs here at the library, which is very impressive. [applause] and again because of your support we can have these eprograms for free and it is a way to get back t give back to e community because we feel so strongly i fdr loved this area d wanted it to be used in this area. Our speaker today is a journalist and he taught at harvard and was involved with georgetown, but hes also written a number of very interesting books. Is hes the author of perfect, which is don larsens world series. Anybody remember that . And then he wrote a book called promise and performance about john f. Kennedy and then interestingly, yet i didnt get the chance to talk to him, he then wrote a novel about john f. Kennedy, deadly rich, about his assassination that he wrote nonfiction and a f fiction book and they that they are a good combination. He wrote a book called empire on william p. Leahy and those of you that dont know, he was a man that both cbs and of course his rise to power, parallel pretty much to fdrs period of radio and television and probably one of the most fascinating media moguls in america. Another book on louis brandeis, Supreme Court justice said he has ara deep grounding in histoy which allows him to bring a fresh perspective to the book that hes here to talk about today which is called into cauldron, terror, tension and the struggle to avoid pearl harbor. Now, this is a complicated period and complicated story about how president roosevelt was trying to navigate this transition from the isolationist neutral country when he wanted to get into this war but he didnt really want to get into the war with japan because he wanted to get into the war with germany. But of course american policy was forcing the decision one way or another. So you are going to hear a fantastic story. The book is in this before. There will be a book signing afterwards. Please welcome lew paper. [applause] thank you all for coming. When paul said he was going to introduce me, i had only one request. I said i dont care if it is true or not, just make me look good. [laughter] and i think that he did a great job. Now i do want to thank paul and cliff for the invitation to be here. Im very privileged and flattered that you have received the invitation. Being here has a special meaning for me. When i was a little boy, my fathefather taught me all the te ago president roosevel roosevele reason my father talked to me about president roosevelt was because i had been stricken with polio as a little boy. And my father wanted me to know that polio wouldn would prevenm being a success in life. It was a very special trip enough about these personal matters. Pearl harbor. We have all seen that film of president roosevelt standing in the well of the United States house of representatives on december 8, 1941 saying that it is a date that will live in infamy because of japans surprise attack on the u. S. Naval base at pearl harbor. Theres no evidencthere is no et president roosevelt or his apbinet knew in advance specifically that japan was attacked pearl harbor. But they shouldnt have been supposed tsurprised japan wouldn the United States. To the secretary of state warning him japan was prepared to launch a suicidal war against the United States and that Armed Conflict could come with dangerous and dramatic suddenness. So who was joseph and how did he that . In november of 1941, he was 61yearsold. Paul, bushy eyebrows, full mustache. Hed been an h american diplomat for almost 40 years. He had been americas ambassador for almost ten years there were four factors that led them to those telegrams. The secretary of state in november, 1941. The first factor was the japanese economy. United states imposed economic sanctions on japan in an effort to curb the military aggression in china and Southeast Asia. Those economic sanctions crippled japanese economy. Rice was being rationed. The streets had to be fitted with charcoal enjoins. Imported coffee was also unavailable. Its been replaced by another adult which the new york timesi correspondent said it was better not to ask too many questions. There was a second factor that led him to send the telegrams to the secretary of state in november, 1941. That was a japanese mindset. He knew that the crippled economy would lead l to a sensef desperation among the japanese and the sense of desperation would lead to the war. Is all parit is all part of thae spirit that still prevailed in japan. He knew that for japanese leaders annihilation through the suicidal war in the United States is better. About a japanese soldier that had been captured by the groups. The japanese soldier came from a welltodo family and wanted his family back in japan to know that he was alive and well. He passed the word onto the on e japanese government and soon received a reply. Neither it nor this mans family were interested. As far as they were concerned, that japanese soldier was dead. S because, said the government, any japanese soldier who had allowed himself to be captured, had dishonored his family or his government. There was a third factor that led him to send those telegrams in november, 1941, and that concerns the japanese ability to control the japanese population. If i was writing a book about nazi germany, i wouldnt have to tell you about the brutality of the government. Japan was also a very repressive society. Secret police were everywhere. Surveillance was pervasive. No dissent was allowed. A person that could find themselves arrested, thrown in jail and subjected to horrific torture. He understood the upshot of all of this. If japanese leaders issued a command to issue a war against the United States, the japanese people would obey the command, and they would fight to the death. There is a fourth factor that led him to send this telegrams in november, 1941 and at that revolved around discussions which the representatives for having in washington, d. C. With the secretary of state about a possible agreement between japan and the United States to resolvn the differences between the two countries. Notwithstanding that do or die spirit, japanese leaders recognized the risk of the war in the United States had so they supported an initiative if the two countries could reach an agreement. The secretary of state knew there was virtually no chance of japan and the United States reaching an agreement. He regarded japan is not the Worst International desperadoes in the history of mankind. He subscribes to the view that no promises on paper would be wworth anything. But he couldnt tell them to their representatives that came to washington, d. C. Why . Because in the spring of 1941, americas military capabilities were woefully inadequate. So president roosevelt and the military chiefs urged him to drag the conversations held with the japanese as long as possible to give the United States time to bolster its military capabilities and to deterta and delay any conflict for which the United States was not prepared. He spent untold hours talking with japanese representatives without an agreement that he knew probably would ever come to fruition. They were frustrated about the lack of progress in discussions and the japanese leaders were beginning to sense that the United States wasnt really interested in an agreement and that the United States was merely playing for time. But for japan, time is running out. He made when h madewhen many reo the secretary of state about things they could do that might avoid the war that we saw coming. People couldnt believe japan would actually attack the United States. The Uniteded States was so much larger in terms of population resources people in washington and elsewhere thought it would be utterly stupid for japan to directly attack the United States and so his reporting to the government in tokyo. When pearl harbor occurred joseph was very frustrated and bitter because he felt the Roosevelt Administration had squandered the chance to possibly avoid war. They were all placed in the American Embassy for about six months while japan and the United States worked out a Diplomatic Exchange agreement so that american diplomats and japan could return to the United States in the japanese to plummet in the United States could return to japan. During the six months that he was held as a prisoner of war, joseph wrote a 60 page report that details the criticism of the policy in the months before pearl harbor. He planned to get that repor gio president roosevelt and secretary of state when he returned to the United States. But it never happened. When he returned in august, 1942, he showed the report to the secretary of state. He glanced at the report and immediately saw it criticized the decisions made in the months before pearl harbor. He immediately demanded he destroyed that report. He felt he had no choice but to agree to the demand and so he destroyed that report. I should add there is no evidence he kne that he knew abe report or its destruction. He never publicly acknowledged the description of the report. Even when he was asked whether ahe had prepared to be preparea report upon his return to the United States. G thank you for the indulgence. So how did i come to write this book about joseph and pearl harbor. Babout six years ago, i was gog to write a book about america in 1941. It was a pivotal year for the country. Franklin roosevelt had been inaugurated four and unprecedented third term as president. The uaw signed its first contract with a car manufacturer. The new york yankees in 56 consecutive games a record that still stands and of course japan attacked pearl harbor. In the course of my research, i came across the name of joseph and his effort to orchestrate an agreement between japan and the United Statesee to avoid the bod he saw coming. I was intrigued and the more i researched, the more i realized this story had never been told so i switched gears to tell the story. I wanted to bring the characters alive. Take president roosevelt h is a central figure in this. When you see them standing in the well of the United States house of representativesel december 8, 1941 saying that december 7, 1941 is the data dae that will live in infamy he looks so strong and sounds so vibrant and get as we discuss here is a man that had been stricken by polio and couldnt walk. I was thinking about it when i was writing the book. You and i get up in the morning to go to the bathroom, do our business, come back, get dressed, go about your day. Roosevelt couldnt do all of that without assistance and that assistance wasnt going to be provided by his wife. She had her own bedroom down the dle ihall in the white house ae than that, she was almost always traveling. Instead, roosevelt relied on a valet. He had to ring his years in the white house. And i thought wouldnt it be great if i could find some commentary about what he was like in those private moments and i was able to find that commentary. I learned most private moments roosevelt almost always displayed an amiable dispositi disposition. December, 1941 was v a big black man who was a chief petty officer in the United States navy. Although he was married, roosevelt liked to tease him about being a ladies man. And any time that he would tease him about being a ladies man, he would respond one doesnt refute the chief executive, mmr. President. I wanted to provide the same intimacy in talking t about joseph. To do that, i talked to many members of his family. His grandchildren, cousins, great grandchildren. Theyve told me many stories that were very useful. One story stood out because of the display of the diplomatic skills and his stature. It was january, 1949. He was asked to provide some remarks at a dinner in honor of general george c. Marshall who was retiring as the secretary of state. General marshall had been chief of the army during world war ii. After the war, truman appointed him as the secretary of state. Now, january, 1949, general marshall was going to retire to his farm in virginia with his wife. In the audience was general Dwight Eisenhower and his wife. Im sure you all know general eisenhower is the one that led the allied invasion of normandy. In his Closing Remarks in honor of general marshall he said all he wants to do is retired to his farm in virginia with mrs. Eisenhower. [laughter] well, as soon as he said, people began to laugh. He immediately recognized his mistake and quickly and clearly set up my apologies to the general. At that point, general eisenhower pointed out which general. I do not rely solely on the discussions with members of his family. I also had access to it with documents. No documents wa document was mot than his diary. Through his long diplomatic career almost every evening during the week andro on weeken, he would sit at his desk in his pipe between his teeth, his typewriter in front ofnc him and he would write what has happened and what he thought and thee previous day. I have access to pages of diaries and i knew almost everything he did i knew what time he got up in the morning. I knew that his favorite scotch whiskey was Johnny Walker red and i do also about his very a deep feelings about his wife, alice. In 1904 when he married she was a poll by vicious beautiful woman with long dark hair. She had little education because the family was traveling. Alice wanted to share those opinions with her husband and he was willing to listen. He sent out an Important Message or communication but rarely did anything of any consequence without consulting alice. That was illustrated by the story told by the private secretary. It concerned the American Embassy g in tokyo shortly befoe pearl harbor. They didnt, they thought she was a nasty woman. In any event at the social locations of the American Embassy in tokyo they would often show a movie after dinner. On this particular occasion as they were watching a movie they again broke down and when it did, they turned to alice and said isnt it unfortunate death machine of yours is always breaking down. They turned to her and said yes but isnt it great we have no important guests tonight . [laughter] both american and japanese and if you read the book you will see the attack at pearl harbor isnt merely a clash of governance. It wasod the product of the personalities, the perspectives and prejudices of people like you and me. If you read the book it will change the way you look at pearl harbor. I want to thank you for coming and if people have a question i would be happy to answer any questions anyone might have. I have a couple of questions. One of the things the japanese are fairl fairly well known fors their resourcefulness. Now, forgive me but we all i think pretty much drove here today and we are all aware of the price of gas. Back in those days one of the primary sources not only of their navy but the army and domestic use pretty much came from theh United States. It seems like the british around Southeast Asia they didnt have any problem getting fuel for their ships. The british didnt have a problem getting fuel foror their ships. In 1937, the japanese attempted to get a Oil Consortium agreement with southeast portuguese. Why couldnt the japanesed by fuel from the Netherlands East Indies and their islands that were still fres fresh of the whl today. Why did it have to come 5,000 miles across the pacific and 5,000 miles back. Back. That is a good question. He had w been here for ten years and i cant help but think that maybe somewhere along the lines maybe you ought to think about another fuel source. He wasnt going to help in that regard. Notwithstanding anything i said, i dont want to create a misimpression here come he was a patriot and he saw his role as an ambassador, as a representative of the United States. He saw this as his mission to promote peace because he had been in a Berlin Embassy during world war i. He understood the consequence and knew what the war path. So he was desperate to try to avoid the war and not advance the cost of the japanese but to protect america. They pursued other alternatives like the Dutch East Indies and other places and they were stymied everywhere they went, and not entirely but in part because the United States also recognized what you just said and the United States worked with the Dutch East Indies and others to provide and prevent japan from running around the embargoes and sanctions if japan could be resourceful and get around it, then of course the quick and effective and the United States government was anry much aware of that. The mac i have another question since you were able to see all of this. Was there any mention of a person, did he keep a diary like that not only when he was in japan but through his whole time . Was there any mentioning that a person by the name of tyler kent . You are really testing me now. [laughter] i cant remember the name, quite frankly. But you can go i should say for those of you that are interested in the book, and you can go to my website, lew paper. Com. Go to my website and there is au full description of the book and you can see some reviews and also you can see a video about vie book. I know that it doesnt sound like a blockbuster, but there is a video on the website and the reason i bring it up for this gentleman if you have questions after you leave here today you can say i wish i asked him this or that. Youth can go to my website and reach me through the website and i promise if you send me a question i will do my best to be answered promptly. Ti this was destruction of horrendous proportions. You said that he made certain mistakes that were repeated in the paper. Is there anything that shows up is was and whether anything has happened . First of all, you are quite right. The st Japanese Military engaged in that they were brutal and engaged in quite a number of atrocities. Thousands were raped, murdered, beaten. It was unspeakable. D so, it that was the army and they did do very bad things. But i would say this, that the United States, he understood that and accepted that. Shes looking out for the United States. And he didnt want the United States toe become involved in a war if they could avoid it with maintaining their integrity. In terms of what he did, he felt the secretary of state receptive and he thought it would avoid the war so in terms of the mystics, one of the mistakes that he made from the perspective was a meeting. This minister had a unique stature and commanded respect. He said he was prepared to go to the United States and meets with roosevelt on american soil anywhere he wanted. He desperately wanted to avoid the war and in his camp japan had another who was revered throughout japan and in those days the emperor wanted a diplomatic resolution. They minister told him if he could meet with roosevelt, he had the support of the emperor to stop the fighting of japanese troops in china. He didnt want roosevelt to meet with the minister and he convinced him not to meet with theh minister. Roosevelt wanted to meet because roosevelt had great confidence in his ability to deal with other people. He met with the love of the foreign leaders in world war ii. So, in terms of what they did wrong, he felt he was very un receptive to suggestions that he thought might lead to an importance of the war. Did he feel the japanese whatever return an and if not wt would be the basis of a peace treaty . Connected he think japan would ever return fromm china backs its interesting you bring that up. Its a good point. So, when he was sailing back in august of 1942, and he handed this report that i described a moment ago that he wanted to give president roosevelt and the secretary of state while he was on a ship coming back to america, he wrote a long letter to president roosevelt and this was like a deer frank letter, thefrank letter,they went to sco they knew each other very well. He drafted a letter on a ship to explain that he was attaching a copy of the report. And in that letter he explained the paymaster i mentioned a moment ago had said that chinese troops would be withdrawn except for the contingent and so that is what he was told and the Prime Minister had told him that he had the support of the emperor in doingte that. When asked what he said he would be assassinated byby the army. I cant respond to that. I can tell you that the emperor was revered as throughout this time. So, he was engaged with both the civilian and military with what theyey should do. And i will tell you that in the final is when a lot of people in the military were pushing for the war with the United States when they spy minister that i mentioned a momenthe ago resign, the new Prime Minister was very well known because he was a minister when japan attacked pearln harbor. He was the general in the Japanese Army and there was a lot of pressure from the army with which he came to go to war with the unitede states. Periods to meet a diplomatic resolution in the United States and he did from his perspective he felt he had to abide by that. It didnt work out of course in part because as i say i think the japanese rightly or wrongly felt that they were never going to t get anywhere with the unitd states in reaching an agreement. So the bottom line is i cant speak to the comment because i never saw the interview but i can tell you that the generals were willing to state their hand in response to the request from the emperor that they find a diplomatic resolution. Did they have anyny communicatin or a good repertoire with the ambassador to germany at the time . He died at the age of 75th 1941 the diary was published in the United States and was later used as a basis. Che was very interested in seeig what he had to say about germany in part because he served in the embassy in germany and part two because he was wrestling with a country bent on war so there are probably i cant remember, i would say a good ten to 15 pages devoted to his analysis as the ambassador. I dont want to spend a lot of time here detailing that, but the bottom line ofhe this was he had a very low opinion as an ambassador and thought he didnt serve the country well because he did not, they felt he hadnt adequately advanced American Interest in dealing with hitler. Besides the meeting with the minister, were there other suggestions . There were a number of other suggestions. One suggestion that he made he felt roosevelt should issue a statement up with the wellpublicized in the United States and its roosevelt explained the benefits that would accrue to japan if they liopted more peaceful courses he was concerned because they were controlled by the outside governmengovernment and japaness and press and the leaders he felt had a mistaken view of the sentiment in the United States. He was concerned that they had a mistaken view of what the United States was willingha to do and whether the United States would stand up for itself so he wanted to counter that and he told roosevelt if you can make a statement to explain the benefits that would accrue to japan, i will make sure through my contacts that this gets a lot of publicity so that everybody, japanese leaders and the japanese people understand the benefits that they would have if they change the policies. Its one suggestion roosevelt never accepted. I was wondering what was japans overall Strategic Plan for th the empire and their plae in the world, so had there been a peace treaty that would have been signed but they have kept expanding throughout Southeast Asia there is no guarantee in this business. There are so many factors and its so fluid so he didnt answer the last first he couldnt guarantee that the future would hold but he did think if the United States could reach an agreement japan might get the benefits it was seeking. China and Southeast Asia were very important to the japanese because japan had a legitimate right to be in china and had other rights that enabled them to stay there. He certainly believed that there is a chance that there could be some benefit i will tell yo butu to go to your other point, as i mentioned japanese leaders understood the risk of the war in the United States. They understood they couldnt survive in the war with the itited states. In fact, the admiral is the one who devised the strategy to attack pearl harbor. And he did it becausese he said japan camp last in a long war with the United States and the a only way we can do is to deal a crippling blow at the outset. He thought that maybe pearl harbor, an attack at the naval base would do a that. They said a war with such little chance of success cannot be brought. Soproud. So, there is a possibility that certain elements would have responded to an agreement that would promise the benefits that japan needed. Think you. Did he not send a letter not just to mr. Hall, his boss, but to understand what i know, why didnt he speak up, today people would do that. What is the attitude in 1942. That is a good question. And the short answer is he did write several letters periodically. The problem was roosevelt was primarily concerned with hitler and divert most of the decisions on japanese posses over because he was so focused on that. He wrote a letter to president roosevelt on september 29, 1941 to tell him about the things he talked roosevelt should do including meeting with the japaneswith thejapanese pay minf they could reach an agreement. So what happens, the letter comes toh roosevelt, roosevelt gives the butter to the state Le Department to draft reply if she finally gets the reply from roosevelt directed by the state department. By then, the horse had left the barn and by thent, the ministers that wanted to have this agreement had been forced to resign because he could not arrange this meeting. But there were only so many letters he could write and the question was should he have come back from japan. But anyhow, thaanyhow, that is. It depends on your answer. You mentioned he was the dean of thehe diplomatic corps. By that i need is a senior diplomat. There was the existence at that time of the alliance in the southwest pacific that stands for australia, america, britain and the Dutch East Indies and this was signed off by fdr, secretary of war. It wasnt a treaty per se because it has never been approved by the senate. Based on the knowledge and existence of this treaty, and as early as february 20, 1941, there was the mind and Communications Alliance that was held by piece countries and they exchanged the information in the United States. Everybody had some skin in the game. With either the navy or the naval intelligence. He was a civilian employees of he had very little contact with the military in the United States. With t that said, he was friends with and collaborated with the diplomats from all those countries you mentioned in tokyo. I mentioned that on the one stor example about his dinner with the british ambassador. They were very close. He was on very good terms with all of the ambassadors or ministers from the United States allies and they exchanged information regularly and met regularly so anything they felt they could share, they did. So they were all pretty much ine same boat. Did he have a role in the policy towards usjapan, or what wasng he doing at that point . That is a good question. I guess because he was a loyal employee that he destroyed the. He actually continued and became chief of the far Eastern Division and then november of 1944, he resigned as the secretary of state and was replaced and then later by jimmy burns. He was appointed undersecretary of state which is the number two position in the state departme department. During 1945, up until august 15, he spent a lot of time as the acting secretary of state because he was traveling around so much they were forming the united nations, dealing with a lot of issues that required the secretary to travel to different places and when the secretary of state was outside of washington, he became the acting secretary of state and the great irony is he was the acting secretary of state when the bombs were dropped on the hiroshima and not the nagasaki and then he returned shortly after the last bomb was dropped. [inaudible] at that point he was 65yearsold. ,in those days, 65 was considerd old. Today it is middleaged. [laughter] but 65yearsold so he retired and commanded and respect that a lot of people which goes back to the story that i mentioned about the Retirement Party for general george i c. Marshall. He was asked to provide remarks at that dinner because of his stature. Thank you. Was his treatment changed at all and did he have any conversation or connection with some of the prisoners . The short answer is they were held more or less with the American Embassy. They were not out and about. Anand the embassy, it was a very nice and i has become one of the nicest the United Statesas had, that they have two buildings and a lot of people that worked in the embassy lived outside of the embassy before pearl harbor. Whenor pearl harbor occurred, everybody, the Embassy Staff have to be relocated inside the embassy. There wasnt enough room for everybody in the embassy comes to the offices were turned into bedrooms so people could stay there. But he did not have any contact with any other prisoners of war. He really didnt. They didnt have Radio Communications and they were rarely went out of the embassy. The treatment of themselves didnt change . I would say they were treated better than most prisoners. It was crowded, but it was a very nice embassy. So, they had life relatively good compared to the treatment of other prisoners of war. And on that score, just by way of comparison, journalists who wereou in tokyo reporting for te newspaper almost all the newspaper journalists were arrested and thrown into jail. To give you one little story of that now that you bring it up is that on the ship that was supposed to take him back to the United States, they were taking back of the embassy and other americans in all of the other journalists. They were on the ship as well. The United States insisted on getting people from northern japan on a ship so there was a delay but the passengers were not told why there was a delay so a lot of the passengers became very concerned it wasnt going to leave and they were going to be taken off and taken back onto the land in japan. One of the journalists there said i will jump in the water and drown myself before i will go back on to the land inwn jap. So that should give you some pictures how they treat other prisoners of war. [applause] i want to thank you for coming and for your patience. And i just hope if you do read ththe book if you will enjoy it and learn something from it. Thank you. There will be a book signing in the lobby. [applause] its about consumers and the problems they face. Its about consumer financing habits changed, and its about the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau into the role and importance of the work that engages in to protect people across america
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