return2ozmaTrump to Japan PM: 'Why didn't you tell me about Pearl Harbor?'
red_green_blackPretty sure the Japanese told the rest of the Axis Powers of their plans
IntrovertTurtleAND they technically tried to warn the US about it, but the diplomat responsible for delivering the notice was late because of bureaucracy among other things! It was literally not even supposed to be a surprise attack!
The 14-part uktimatum message was encrypted from Japan, the embassy had to decrypt then translate into English. To preserve secrecy the embassy didn’t employ locals, and few of the embassy staff knew English so progress was slow. The instruction to deliver the message at 1pm also didn’t mention this was absolutely critical. The Ambassador arrived at the State Department over an hour late.