Sunday, December 11, 2011

Can anyone tell me what Pearl Harbor Syndrome is?

Question:




Answer:


You could also call it “We Should Have Seen This Coming” Syndrome.

Americans were astonished by the attack, and by the massive damage done, but there were signs that were ignored or misinterpreted. Roosevelt's chief adviser had already said that war was imminent (and had even proposed launching a pre-emptive attack against Japan to make sure "we weren't taken by surprise".) Talks had broken down entirely. The Japanese had rejected Roosevelt's proposal of a 30-day truce. Commanders in Hawaii had done almost nothing to upgrade from a peacetime footing. Ominous signs gleaned by intelligence in Washington weren't passed on to those commanders.

Anytime some disaster happens, that, in hindsight, should have been less of a surprise, it's Pearl Harbor Syndrome. If you google it, that's the meaning that comes up, although individuals may ascribe other meanings to the term.

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