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Domestically, puplic opinion within the USA would not allow it's leaders to openly get overtly involved in WW2, which up to that point, was seen as a European war many thousands of miles away! The USA was only sending food, supplies, military hardware to England, not troops. Then as now, the USA has a tendancy to be insular and body bags do not win votes!

By Japan sucessfully bombing Pear Harbour, it was the equivallent of '9/11'. Public opinion was changed overnight, the USA was from that point 100% committed to WW2. Without Pearl Harbour the history of the 20th Century would have been very different.

There is speculation that the US Military was aware of Japan's intentions, through intercepted communications, of Japan's naval fleet, including aircraft carriers sailing for US shores. Not all the US fleet was in dock when Pearl Harbour was attacked! Only an attack on home soil of this magnitude would change US public opinion and so was Pearl Harbour a 'Sacrificial Lamb'?

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16y ago

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