At Dawn We Slept: The Untold Story of Pearl Harbor

Rating:
Summary: CANDID AND PLEASURABLE
Review: "At Dawn We Slept: The Untold Story of Pearl Harbor" is one of the few books which presented the story of Pearl Harbor without partialities. Every page of this well-structured piece reminds one that several years of dedicated research were concluded before its author went to work.
If you are in interested in knowing the truth about the U.S.-Japan relations before and after the 1941 Pearl Harbor attacks, then, this book will be very useful for you. It provided all the details that you would ask for. But most importantly, it presented both sides of the story without any form of bias. The book's chronological outlook is superb. It is a pleasurable piece to read.

Rating:
Summary: A Sunrise on History
Review: "At Dawn We Slept" is, simply, the best, most authoritative,detailed accounting of "A Day which will live ..in infamy." Prange writes both sides of the story in a fair, concise and compelling way. No propaganda here-both sides errors are exposed and expanded on. Prange accurately details the US lax attitude at the time, while also covering the Japanese feeling of smug superiority. A very good read, especially in the environment that exists today. Remember the lessons that Pearl Harbor taught us are even more important today.

Rating:
Summary: Best of a Vast Lot
Review: At Dawn We Slept is probably the best book yet written or likely to written on this always compelling subject. I've read most of John Toland's pacific theater histories and "The Pacific War" by John Costello and Samuel Elliot Morrison's quite good "History of United States Naval Operations in World War II : The Rising Sun in the Pacific, 1931-April 1942" and Gordon Prange's work is quite simply the best.

Being in a unique position to really acquire first hand information from the participants and yet retain objectivity in viewing a subject that always arouses passion, Gordon Prange dissects and reveals the path to the war and to the attack on Pearl. While not directly addressing the revisionist view on Roosevelt's "knowledge" of the attack, he easily displays the implausibility of such a view.

The level of detail that he brings to this work reveals his clear orientation as an academic resident, but don't let that deter you from getting this book. It is accessible to anyone with an interest in the subject and the one book that I can wholeheartedly recommend on a complex subject that is faithful to the history and to the reader.

I cannot see how any other writer can approach this subject with out stepping though Gordon Prange's tracks.

Rating:
Summary: The Definitive Pearl Harbor Account
Review: Gordon Prange has written an in-depth, comprehensive account of the Pearl Harbor attack in his book At Dawn We Slept. Mr. Prange and his associates Mr. Goldstein and Ms. Dillon spent years researching the events leading up to the attack, the attack itself, and the subsequent investigations. Many Pearl Harbor "myths" are destroyed in this book, such as the "winds" message and the belief that Roosevelt knew that Pearl Harbor was going to be attacked. This book is the measuring stick by which all other Pearl Harbor books are measured.

Rating:
Summary: Every twist and turn in the tale, yet a struggle to read.
Review: Gordon Prange's achievement is noteworthy. The reader gets the feeling that Prange's 37 years of research yielded all the information that exists about the tragic attack. Every question is answered, no stone is unturned. But the book would have been so much better if his assistants had been professional writers rather than military personnel. Not only is the prose wooden, but each military subject in the story, on both sides, is the very peak of professional military bearing - the term "soldier's soldier" appears constantly in these pages. The effect is similar to a former coach appearing as a TV analyst, unwilling to make the tiniest criticism of his former brothers in the coaching fraternity, even when the decision is obviously, howlingly stupid. Therefore, the final judgments, particularly of Gen. Short, don't impress as comprising Prange's true, unvarnished opinion.

Rating:
Summary: DEFINITIVE story of Pearl Harbor, from both sides
Review: Gordon W. Prange spent 50 YEARS of his life working on the topic of Pearl Harbor. NO ONE has even come close to that. By the way, this is not his only book concerning Pearl Harbor, either, but it does cover both sides of the ocean. I read this book because I'm a war history buff at times and the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor is one event that really sparks my interest. It is because of books like this that I hate mandatory-schooling textbooks. They always give you a biased opinion. But when I read tihs book, I was shocked at the HUNDREDS of things that this book points out that I've never thought of before. Some examples: The preparation BEFORE the attack, the SPIES, the FAULTS on BOTH SIDES during the attack, and the AFTERMATH. A very shocking book and definitely one that I plan to put on my shelf of permanent-resident books.

Rating:
Summary: A Tragic Series of Miscalculations and Misplaced Assumptions
Review: Gordon W. Prange, et al does a superb job of collecting interview and documentary data to examine the entire aspects of the attack (he examines the inquiries in a later book) from American and Japanese perspectives. This is the single most detailed, objective and comprehensive account of the attack on Pearl Harbor ever written. The U.S. military did believe an attack was coming but assumed it would be only in the Phillipines and Southeast Asia. The assumption was made that Japan could not do both, attack in Asia and strike our fleet. We were wrong to assume and Japan made us pay a severe penalty but not one nearly so severe as it could have been, especially as our carriers were at sea and the sub base and fuel farm were unhit. History now shows it is more vital to hit bases than ships. If Pearl Harbor itself had been more damaged, the Pacific Fleet would have had to relocate back to the West Coast and being short of tankers, would have been unable to intervene in any decisive way for some months. As it was, with the base intact, our carriers were able to strike back and within six months won a miracle victory at Midway. For a complementary study, I would recommend Cpt. Homer N. Wallin's, Pearl Harbor, Why? How? Fleet Salvage and Appraisal especially for the details of the huge salvage effort.

Rating:
Summary: The most definitive book on the subject of Pearl Harbor
Review: How to Transcend the Present and Record the Past for the Future Or, Prange's Present toPosterity Seth Hieronymus History of PearlHarbor Abroad November 22, 1997 Principia College, Elsah, IL, 62028 At Dawn We Slept: The Untold Story of Pearl Harbor, by Gordon W. Prange, manages to break new ground in history writing. Although the manuscript in this form was authored primarily by two of Prange's ex-students Dr. Donald Goldstein and CWO (USAF Ret.) Katherine V. Dillon, due to Prange's enormous contribution, At Dawn We Slept is truly his tale. Prange endeavored to write the most complete work on the subject extant, an inside look from both the Japanese and American points of view. In his own words, "I [Prange's italics] am the only individual who has come to grips with the entire Pearl Harbor problem and conducted extensive research and interviews on both sides of the Pacific." Prange, through his research and his use of both the Japanese and American perspectives, has succeeded brilliantly in writing this unbiased look at Japanese / American relations leading up to, and immediately following the December 7, 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor. Prange's story starts in Japan, New Year's Day, 1941, with its 2601st birthday, and ends in 1946, with the conclusion of the Joint Congressional Committee Investigation into the attack at Pearl Harbor. , , Even though At Dawn We Slept contains several historical references outside this timeframe; for instance, Commodore Mathew Perry's expedition in 1895 that normalized Japanese-American relations, they serve mainly as background information that support the main story. Similarly, although the book briefly mentions the Atlantic theatre and events in Washington, it does not try to expand its focus beyond its original purpose, the Pacific, from Japan to Pearl Harbor. What makes this book great are not the dry facts about who was involved, and where or when it happened, but rather how it tells the events. It is arranged much like two trains, one Japanese and one American, that stop every so often to trade passengers, but inexorably race on to a truculent collision on December 7, 1941, at Pearl Harbor. The language of the book lets the reader look through the eyes of the characters, lets him feel their emotions, and gives him a first-hand look at the events. For instance, speaking of Japanese ships, "[Abukuma] led nine of the newest and best destroyers under the Rising Sun flag... Nagumo's trouble-shooters... could spring to battle at a moment's notice," and later: On Nagumo's shoulders rested a responsibility and a burden such as few commanders had ever borne in the history of naval warfare. The venture ripped out all the pages of Japanese naval tradition, violated their basic rules of strategy, and tossed into the classified waste the plans which Japan had long formulated to fight the U. S. Navy. , The word pictures that At Dawn We Slept paint personalize the history, and make it more accessible and enjoyable. Furthermore, the pictures, although rather sparse, give a visual perspective that speaks out from the past, for instance Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto's stately demeanor and Lt. Commander Shigekazu Shimazaki's smug confidence. As with any historical work, research forms its backbone and determines its credibility. The contribution of Prange's own history should not be forgotten, because his background determines the skills and opportunities that he brought to the investigation. Born in Iowa, on July 16, 1910, Prange taught history at the University of Maryland from 1937 to 1980, when he died. Beyond that, he was Douglas MacArthur's chief historian from 1946 to 1951, and had a chance to talk to the participants first-hand. How often are people in the right places at the right times that they are able to record the events of history for posterity? Prange was. Because he spent 37 years of his life gathering first- hand, eye-witness accounts for this book, Prange forces us not only to trust him, but to actually relive the events, as they happened. His hundreds of interviews consisted of individuals who actually participated in the history, from the lowest ranks of the military to the highest, and many of the civilians. The sheer magnitude of his work is an essential element in this book's appeal. For example, Prange met with Commander Minoru Genda -- the main author of the Japanese attack -- a total of 72 times, and Commander Mitsuo Fuchida, the flight leader, 50 times. , Prange's original plan was to write a book solely from the Japanese perspective. Consequently, a bias could have been introduced as Prange did not interview many of the American participants until much later. In one case, the commander of the Hawaiian Department, Lt. General Walter C. Short, whom the Inquiry Board found partially responsible for the attack, died on September 3, 1949, before Prange even had a chance to interrogate him. However, the magnitude of Prange's research and interviews enabled him to find the germane facts in people's otherwise embellished tellings. In this way, Prange minimized distortion of the actual events, and thereby minimized any bias introduced. This is not to say the book falls short of placing both blame and praise for the attack. Of Short, and Admiral Husband E. Kimmel, "Both Kimmel and Short exercised poor judgment in this crisis." And about Genda, and Commander Mitsuo Fuchida: From the moment Genda explained his assignment, Fuchida brought a new dimension to the Pearl Harbor picture. Henceforth he and Genda formed a unique team - Genda the creative genius supplying the original ideas, Fuchida the aggressive activist hammering them into reality. At Dawn We Slept essentially becomes Prange's thesis about the how historical events leading up to Pearl Harbor occurred - on both sides of the Atlantic. However, the book does more: It goes beyond dates and places, and instead brings the history alive. This book, in doing so, becomes a model for its contemporaries and a benchmark for the future. End Notes Gaddis Smith, "Remembering Pearl Harbor," The New York Times Book Review 29 November 1981: 3. Donald Goldstein, Telephone Interview, November 20, 1997. Goldstein Interview. Gordon W. Prange, Donald Goldstein and Katherine Dillon, ed. At Dawn We Slept: The Untold Story of Pearl Harbor (New York: Penguin, 1991) 814. Prange 3. Prange 722. Prange 842. Prange 392. Prange 395. Prange 1st Picture Set. Prange Cover. Goldstein Interview. Prange 821-825. Prange 827. Prange 829. Prange 728-729. Prange 410. END

Rating:
Summary: The most definitive book on the subject of Pearl Harbor
Review: How to Transcend the Present and Record the Past for the Future Or, Prange's Present toPosterity Seth HieronymusHistory of PearlHarbor Abroad November 22, 1997Principia College, Elsah, IL, 62028 At Dawn We Slept: The Untold Story of Pearl Harbor, by Gordon W. Prange, manages to break new ground in history writing. Although the manuscript in this form was authored primarily by two of Prange's ex-students Dr. Donald Goldstein and CWO (USAF Ret.) Katherine V. Dillon, due to Prange's enormous contribution, At Dawn We Slept is truly his tale. Prange endeavored to write the most complete work on the subject extant, an inside look from both the Japanese and American points of view. In his own words, "I [Prange's italics] am the only individual who has come to grips with the entire Pearl Harbor problem and conducted extensive research and interviews on both sides of the Pacific." Prange, through his research and his use of both the Japanese and American perspectives, has succeeded brilliantly in writing this unbiased look at Japanese / American relations leading up to, and immediately following the December 7, 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor. Prange's story starts in Japan, New Year's Day, 1941, with its 2601st birthday, and ends in 1946, with the conclusion of the Joint Congressional Committee Investigation into the attack at Pearl Harbor. , , Even though At Dawn We Slept contains several historical references outside this timeframe; for instance, Commodore Mathew Perry's expedition in 1895 that normalized Japanese-American relations, they serve mainly as background information that support the main story. Similarly, although the book briefly mentions the Atlantic theatre and events in Washington, it does not try to expand its focus beyond its original purpose, the Pacific, from Japan to Pearl Harbor. What makes this book great are not the dry facts about who was involved, and where or when it happened, but rather how it tells the events. It is arranged much like two trains, one Japanese and one American, that stop every so often to trade passengers, but inexorably race on to a truculent collision on December 7, 1941, at Pearl Harbor. The language of the book lets the reader look through the eyes of the characters, lets him feel their emotions, and gives him a first-hand look at the events. For instance, speaking of Japanese ships, "[Abukuma] led nine of the newest and best destroyers under the Rising Sun flag... Nagumo's trouble-shooters... could spring to battle at a moment's notice," and later: On Nagumo's shoulders rested a responsibility and a burden such as few commanders had ever borne in the history of naval warfare. The venture ripped out all the pages of Japanese naval tradition, violated their basic rules of strategy, and tossed into the classified waste the plans which Japan had long formulated to fight the U. S. Navy. , The word pictures that At Dawn We Slept paint personalize the history, and make it more accessible and enjoyable. Furthermore, the pictures, although rather sparse, give a visual perspective that speaks out from the past, for instance Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto's stately demeanor and Lt. Commander Shigekazu Shimazaki's smug confidence. As with any historical work, research forms its backbone and determines its credibility. The contribution of Prange's own history should not be forgotten, because his background determines the skills and opportunities that he brought to the investigation. Born in Iowa, on July 16, 1910, Prange taught history at the University of Maryland from 1937 to 1980, when he died. Beyond that, he was Douglas MacArthur's chief historian from 1946 to 1951, and had a chance to talk to the participants first-hand. How often are people in the right places at the right times that they are able to record the events of history for posterity? Prange was. Because he spent 37 years of his life gathering first- hand, eye-witness accounts for this book, Prange forces us not only to trust him, but to actually relive the events, as they happened. His hundreds of interviews consisted of individuals who actually participated in the history, from the lowest ranks of the military to the highest, and many of the civilians. The sheer magnitude of his work is an essential element in this book's appeal. For example, Prange met with Commander Minoru Genda -- the main author of the Japanese attack -- a total of 72 times, and Commander Mitsuo Fuchida, the flight leader, 50 times. , Prange's original plan was to write a book solely from the Japanese perspective. Consequently, a bias could have been introduced as Prange did not interview many of the American participants until much later. In one case, the commander of the Hawaiian Department, Lt. General Walter C. Short, whom the Inquiry Board found partially responsible for the attack, died on September 3, 1949, before Prange even had a chance to interrogate him. However, the magnitude of Prange's research and interviews enabled him to find the germane facts in people's otherwise embellished tellings. In this way, Prange minimized distortion of the actual events, and thereby minimized any bias introduced. This is not to say the book falls short of placing both blame and praise for the attack. Of Short, and Admiral Husband E. Kimmel, "Both Kimmel and Short exercised poor judgment in this crisis." And about Genda, and Commander Mitsuo Fuchida: From the moment Genda explained his assignment, Fuchida brought a new dimension to the Pearl Harbor picture. Henceforth he and Genda formed a unique team - Genda the creative genius supplying the original ideas, Fuchida the aggressive activist hammering them into reality.At Dawn We Slept essentially becomes Prange's thesis about the how historical events leading up to Pearl Harbor occurred - on both sides of the Atlantic. However, the book does more: It goes beyond dates and places, and instead brings the history alive. This book, in doing so, becomes a model for its contemporaries and a benchmark for the future.End Notes Gaddis Smith, "Remembering Pearl Harbor," The New York Times Book Review 29 November 1981: 3. Donald Goldstein, Telephone Interview, November 20, 1997. Goldstein Interview. Gordon W. Prange, Donald Goldstein and Katherine Dillon, ed. At Dawn We Slept: The Untold Story of Pearl Harbor (New York: Penguin, 1991) 814. Prange 3. Prange 722. Prange 842. Prange 392. Prange 395. Prange 1st Picture Set. Prange Cover. Goldstein Interview. Prange 821-825. Prange 827. Prange 829. Prange 728-729. Prange 410. END

Rating:
Summary: Reads Like a Corporate Audit
Review: I had been looking forward to reading this book since graduate school, when it was assigned reading for some of my classmates. I couldn't wait to sink my teeth into this massive tome, which I expected to be a real "page turner," as they say. How wrong I was! Apparently in an effort to pen the "definitive" book on the subject, the authors simply could not bring themselves to pare down their primary source material (excellent though that material was) to a manageable level. As a result, the book immediately becomes bogged down in almost absurd minutiae, which to me made it an unbearably dull read. Why didn't an editor axe out a couple hundred pages? Less can be better, and this would have been the case in this instance, I believe. I detest throwing down a book in the middle, so I forced myself to continue to the end of Part I (about the first 300 pages), then I skipped ahead to the actual bombing of Pearl Harbor (which occupies only about 50 pages of the book's roughly 700 pages). The account of the bombing itself was adequate, but not nearly as riveting as it could have been in the hands of other writers. In the end, I simply couldn't bear to read the rest of the book. It could have been such a fine work given the authors' access to such choice source material. I recommend that the publisher issue a new, heavily abridged addition - with a top-notch editor assigned to the project.