Pacific Intelligence Failure

Collaborative Intelligence Operations Won the War in the Pacific
December 7, 1941 will forever be remember by Americans as the day the Japanese launched a devastating surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. It shocked the American people and was the direct cause for the declaration of war against Japan issued by President Roosevelt the next day. Among the losses were 18 warships sunk or damaged, 174 aircraft destroyed, 2335 military personnel killed with 1143 wounded, and 68 civilians killed with 35 wounded (Dowswell 29). The worst part, however, was knowing that all these losses could have been avoided. Roosevelt proclaimed December 7 “a date which will live in infamy,” because Japan launched an attack without a declaration of war. One could also apply this label to the events surrounding Pearl Harbor because it represented

Partially due to a lack of trust amongst various intelligence agencies, information was not shared, and as a result the Americans were caught off guard by an attack that they knew was going to happen. The lack of unity and communication amongst groups caused the failure at Pearl Harbor, and it almost cost them victory at the Battle of Midway, often seen as the turning point in the Pacific War. It can be assumed that the collaboration of intelligence agencies is responsible for the United States’ overall success in the Pacific. In order to prove that collaboration of intelligence is responsible of Allied naval success, this paper will examine the lack of collaboration that led to the failure at Pearl Harbor, the solutions which allowed for success at the Battle of Midway, and how the Allied forces continued to improve team work after the