Casualties, devastation and mercilessness, do little justice in depicting the horrific events that took place on December 7th, 1941. What Pearl Harbor fails to portray is the complexity of the situation. The definite reasons of the attack and the long-term effects that the attack on Pearl Harbor had on the world are some viewpoints one doesn't see such as whether or not this attack was provoked.

Whenever one thinks about it, they might consider that it was. They may also think that it was a total surprise if they were naïve to the warning signs that our government seems to have ignored. In school children are taught that Pearl Harbor was a surprise attack, because it is noted in history as being so. Even the president, Franklin D. Roosevelt, said in a speech soon after the attacks that it was a great completely take by surprise. However, he was misleading. Roosevelt, in fact, was directly responsible for this "surprise attack “on Pearl Harbor. There were many opportunities to prevent and defend the attacks upon Pearl Harbor that were never taken.

Roosevelt was well aware of Japan’s intent to attack Pearl Harbor well before the occurred, and wanted it to occur so that the United States would enter the war. This is because the United States once again was a neutral nation, and was hesitant to lend a helping hand to European nations. Roosevelt had great sympathy for Britain and France, and wanted to prevent Germany from winning the war at any cost. Throughout 1941, Roosevelt was desperately trying to find a convincing rationale for entering the European fight. After the Nazi attack on the Soviet Union and the events in the North Atlantic between German submarines and two American ships, the freighter Robin Moor and the destroyer Greer; Roosevelt ordered the Navy to escort convoys of American and later Allied ships and to shoot German and Italian