Fortunately, American military leadership proved to be of the highest order.

We proved ourselves to be resourceful, tough, adaptable—able toaccomodate ourselves to the tactics of an enemy who was ruthless, relentless, and at timesbarbarous.

The fanatically resisting Japanese, though facing atomization, did not surrender.

The huge atomic project was pushed feverishly forward, as American know-how and industrialpower were combined with the most advanced scientific knowledge.

Tokyo, recognizing imminent defeat, had already secretly sent peacefeelers to Russia, which had not yet entered the Far Eastern war.

an invasion that presumably would cost hundreds of thousands ofAmerican casualties.

Launched from Guam and other capturedMarianas, they were reducing the enemy's fragile cities to cinders.

All told, our underseas craft destroyed 1042 ships, or abont 5o% ofNippon's entire life-giving merchant fleet

The United States navy, with marines and army divisions doing the meat-grinder fighting, hadmeanwhile been leapfrogging the Japanese islands in the Pacific

Adecisive naval battle was fought near Midway, June 5-6, 1947.

After the battered remnants of his armyhad hoisted the white flag, they were treated with vicious cruelty in the in famous Bataan deathmarch.

But Rosie'sunshepherded children were inclined to run wild, and an alarming wave of juveniledelinquency—or rather parental delinuency—accompanied and followed the war.

Noteworthy among thetroublemaking groups were the United Mine Workers,

Butthese contributions came in the form of desperately needed trucks, automobiles, militaryaircraft, and other equipment, without which the Russians probably could not have smashedtheir way to Berlin

Yet the Good Neighborpolicy of the 1930's reaped a rich harvest during these anxious years. Pan-Americanism becamemore a fact than a phrase, as Washington spent billions of dollars in Latin America for tin,nitrates, and other urgently needed materials.

Clearheaded Americans had come to the conclusion that no nation was safe unless all were safe.Appeasement—the process of throwing the weaker persons out of the sleigh to the pursuingwolves—had been tried, hut it had merely whetted dictatorial appetites

Thomas A. Bailey

The outcome was another vindication of the American democratic system—asystem founded on faith in the power and courage of free men.

The Washington authorities, fearing that these peoplemight act as saboteurs for the Mikado in case of invasion, decided to herd them together inconcentration camps, though about two-thirds of the victims were American-born citizens. Thisbrutal precaution turned out to be unnecessary

, Washington wisely adopted the grand strategy of"getting Hitler first."

The Japanese fanatics forgot that when one stabs a king, one must stab to kill. A wounded butstill potent American giant pulled himself out of the mud of Pearl Harbor, grimly determined toavenge the bloody treachery.

No matter how long it may take us to overcome this premeditated invasion, the American people in theirrighteous might will win through to absolute victory

To keep Britainfrom collapsing, the Roosevelt administration felt compelled to extend the unneutral aid thatinvited attacks from German submarines. To keep Japan from expanding, the Washingtonofficials deemed it necessary to cut off vital Japanese supplies and invite possible retaliation.Rather than let democracy die and dictatorship rule supreme, a strong majority of the Americanpeople were evidently determined to support a policy that might lead to war. It did.

The Japanese imperialists,after waging a bitter war against the Chinese for more than four years, were unwilling to loseface by withdrawing at the behest of the United States.

fearsome conquests by Japan in the Far East

treacherous attack

sneak attack

while Tokyo was deliberately prolongingnegotiations in Washington. Japanese bombers, winging in from distant aircraft carriers,attacked without warning

No one in high authority in Washingtonseems to have believed that the Japanese were either strong enough or foolhardy enough tolash out at Hawaii

The Japanese leaders were faced with two painful alternatives.They could either knuckle under to the Americans, or break out of the embargo ring by adesperate attack on the oil supplies and other riches of Southeast Asia

Nipponese warlords

Her war machine was fatally dependent on immense shipments from the UnitedStates of steel, scrap iron, oil, and aviation gasoline.

"China incident,"

She

This explosion should havesurprised no close observer, for Japan, since September of 1940, had been a formal military allyof Nazi Germany—our shooting foe in the North Atlantic.

Congress, respondingto public pressures

The inevitable clashes with submarines ensued

1961Little, Brown and Company, Boston • Toronto

fateful dice

Historians nowemphasize the role of a century-long campaign against Asian immigrants living on the WestCoas

Historians nowemphasize the role of a century-long campaign against Asian immigrants living on the WestCoast.

Historians nowemphasize the role of a century-long campaign against Asian immigrants living on the WestCoast

reports fromNaval Intelligence, the FBI, and the Army General Staff dismissing any threat of sabotage,espionage or invasion.

Crystal City, Texas, also interned many of the 2,264Japanese Latin Americans deported from their countries so that the US might exchange them forAmericans held by Japan in 1942 and 1943

War Relocation Authority (WRA)