 |
Objective students of history recognize the American-led oil embargo of 1941 as an act of economic war against Japan that led directly to Japan's decision to go to war against the "Anglo-Saxon Powers" (The United States, England and their allies) in Asia and the Pacific. "Bankrupting the Enemy" shows in chilling and throughly-documented style that the United States had been waging an economic war against Japan for several years prior to that with the intention of forcing the Japanese to end the Second Sino-Japanese by isolating Japan economically and then bankrupting the Japanese "Yen Bloc" of the Japanese Empire and Manchukuo. The author also argues that individuals in the American government apparently went well beyond the relatively harst limits envisioned by President Roosevelt -- himself no friend of Japan -- in using America's economic power to destroy the Japanese economy by choking off Japanese trade outside the "Yen Bloc." Many people believe that the destruction of the greater Japanese Empire ("Dai Nippon") and the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere was worth the horendous human cost of the Pacific War and its aftermath in East and South Asia, and that Roosevelt and his loose-cannon underlings were justified in attempting to bankrupt Japan. However, anyone who wonders why Japan (as a nation) still refuses to accept "responsibility" for the Pacific War, and wht many Japanese believe that Japan was forced into war by American foreign policy, will find this book eye-opening reading. It appears to be thoroughly and reliably researched, and the author appears be neither an apologist for Japan nor a Japan "basher." I recommend this book for any one with an objective interest in the underlying causes of the Pacific War or in one aspect of the economic side of World War II. It is also a chilling reminder of how second- and third-tier bureaucrats can shape -- and sometimes subvert -- government policy with unseen and/or unfortunate results.Read full review
This is a good summation of the behind the scenes of what was happening, before the Pearl Harbor attack, a must read, if your a student of WWII history
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
Current slide {CURRENT_SLIDE} of {TOTAL_SLIDES}- Best Selling in Books
Current slide {CURRENT_SLIDE} of {TOTAL_SLIDES}- Save on Books
Current slide {CURRENT_SLIDE} of {TOTAL_SLIDES}- You may also like
