#OnThisDay in 1941, the Pearl Harbor naval base was attacked by the Japanese. The news and photos of the attack had created a desire for vengeance and a marked surge in patriotism. In response to the 2,400 deaths of American servicemen, President Roosevelt proposed to Congress... 
... the declaration of war on Japan. A nation previously divided over the issue of intervening in a foreign war swung united behind a policy of forcing unconditional surrender on its enemies. Hitler saved Congress the trouble of a debate by declaring war on America....
... the United States had no intelligence on its potential rivals. The US did not even know the names of the advanced Japanese planes that swooped out of the sky on Pearl Harbor. It was only in November 1942 that a unit would be established by the Navy to begin this work...
...The US Army and Navy refused to cooperate with each other and worked independently. Japanese planes were given US names such as the ‘Betty bomber’ after a buxom nurse who somewhat resembled the shape of the aircraft...
...The lesson for intelligence services from Pearl Harbor should be: focus on National Security issues, get out of politics, unite behind the President.
