At noon, all across the country, whistles blew and everyone stopped. The speech was broadcast on every radio channel and repeated on loudspeakers. Everyone heard the unfamiliar voice speaking in an antiquated dialect, saying:
“To Our Good and Loyal Subjects: Yesterday, the seventh day of the twelfth month of the sixteenth year of Showa — a date which will live in infamy — The Empire of Japan was suddenly and deliberately attacked by air units of the United States of America. We were at peace with that nation, and at the solicitation of America, were still in conversation with its government and its president looking towards the maintenance of peace in East Asia.
“Indeed, one hour after American air squadrons had commenced bombing in Our port of Hiroshima, the American ambassador to Japan delivered to Our Foreign Minister a formal reply to a recent message of Our government. And this reply contained no threat or hint of war or of armed attack.
“It will be recorded that the distance of Our Empire from America makes it obvious that the attack was deliberately planned many days or even weeks ago. During the intervening time, the American government has deliberately sought to deceive Us by false statements and expressions of hope for continued peace.
“The attack yesterday on Hiroshima has caused severe damage to Our naval and military forces. We regret to tell you that very many Japanese lives have been lost. In addition, Our ships have been reported torpedoed on the high seas between Nagasaki and Shanghai . . .”
Chennault was thinking he could use the Nationalist Chinese as a proxy, a bomber unit in the AVG. I had some fun imagining how this could have worked out:
It was a takeoff from Preemptive Strike: The Secret Plan That Would Have Prevented the Attack on Pearl Harbor by Alan Armstrong (206).
Thats one work around.
Alternately would be solid intelligence of the impending Japanese attacks. Instead of attacking Japan in its home waters a series of US & Commonwealth attacks on the Japanese invasion fleet headed for Malaysia. Damaging & dispersing the fleet carrying Yamashitas army pretty well screws the entire Japanese time table for its south Pacific conquests.
At Oahu the US fleet can slip off out of harms way while the Army & Navy air wings harrass Nagumos carriers & submarines stalk it.
Actually the Japanese had orders to turn around if they encountered American warships on or before December 5/6. All the Americans need to do is figure out where the Japanese are going be on those dates and just show up in force.