answersLogoWhite

0


Best Answer

Because we had absolutely no reason to expect it. Michael Montagne You might want to read up a little on the history or Pearl Harbor. There was every reason to expect an attack was coming. The night before when "magic" intercepted a 14 point message to their diplomat Roosevelt declared "this means war". He predicted we would be at war before the next monday. Also before this, magic had intercepted and decoded many messages hinting at an attack at pear harbor. Look up the "bomb plot" information where spies were asked to divide the harbor into sections, label all ships when they were in port, when they berthed next to one another etc. There are many, many examples of hints of war. All you have to do is look it up.

User Avatar

Wiki User

19y ago
This answer is:
User Avatar
More answers
User Avatar

Wiki User

12y ago

Because they did not expect that the Japanese would turn against us after we "tried" to send them a peace treaty. i bet if pearl harbor got hit again you would be surpised because no one would know why they did it._ashli

AnswerThere was also a certain amount of complacency on the part of the US because Pearl was so far away from Japan. Given the technological limitations of the time, the raid on Pearl Harbor was a daring, if unprovoked, attack.
This answer is:
User Avatar

User Avatar

Wiki User

9y ago

Pearl Harbor was a military base which was attacked on December 7, 1941 by the Japanese. It was a surprise because it came very early on a Sunday morning, when the soldiers were still in bed.

This answer is:
User Avatar

User Avatar

Wiki User

15y ago

Most US personnel believed an attack would be upon the Philippines, not Pearl Harbor.

This answer is:
User Avatar

User Avatar

Wiki User

14y ago

because back then radar did not pick up the difference between enemy aircraft or allied aircraft, so the US thought that it was THEIR planes coming in, and didn't build up a retaliation.

This answer is:
User Avatar

User Avatar

Wiki User

13y ago

before japan attacked America a japan representative promised FDR that they would not attack America

4 days later japan did a suprise attack on America's navy ships

This answer is:
User Avatar

User Avatar

Wiki User

12y ago

the Japanese diplomats were negotiating with Washington when the sneak attack by japan was launched on Pearl Harbor...................

This answer is:
User Avatar

Add your answer:

Earn +20 pts
Q: Why was the US caught off guard at Pearl Harbor?
Write your answer...
Submit
Still have questions?
magnify glass
imp
Related questions

Why were the Americans caught so off guard on the attack of pearl harbor?

The United States was not at war.


Why was the US Pacific Fleet caught off guard on the Pearl Harbor attack?

The US Fleet was not told of such an attack.


Why did Japan choose December 7 1941 to bomb pearl harbor?

because our troops were relaxing because it was a Sunday and they were caught off guard....


When was Caught Off Guard created?

Caught Off Guard was created in 2001.


Why did the Japanese want to bomb Pearl Harbor?

They believed that the US Navy would oppose their seizing of territory in southeast asia, mainly territories held by Western powers such as the UK. They wanted to strike first, and caught the US off guard.


Why did japanies attack Pearl Harbor?

They attacked Pearl Harbor because the U.S. cut off their oil supply


Why was Pearl Harbor cut off?

It wasn't.


Where did Japanese practice Pearl Harbor attack?

They made a replica of Pearl Harbor off the coast of Japan in the Pacific Ocean and practiced it exactly how they bombed the real Pearl Harbor.


Who Got The People Off Of Pearl Harbor?

Pearl Harbor is a city; no one got off of it. They stayed, repaired, rebuilt and continued on with the war effort.


How was japan successful in attacking pearl harbor?

They tried to catch us off guard and take us by suprise(whitch didn't work for them in the long run)


Why were the Americans angry at themselves for entering the war at Pearl Harbor?

If we were angry at ourselves, it would be because Japan caught up with our pants down. The feeling at the time was that WWII was Europe's war and we needed to stay out of it. Of course all bets were off when Pearl Harbor happened.


Is off-guard hyphenated?

No, "off guard" is typically not hyphenated when used as an adjective before a noun, but it can be hyphenated when used as a compound modifier. For example: "She caught him off guard" vs. "He was caught off-guard."