The Broken Seal: "Operation Magic" and the Secret Road to Pearl Harbor

The Important Study That Evaluates the Intelligence War Behind the Japanese Surprise Attack
“In this fascinating account. . . . Mr. Farago’s investigation suggests that the real villain was the system itself.”—New York Times
“In this well-written and informative account. . . Mr. Farago provides many new facts from both American and Japanese sources.”—Library Journal
“A good history of Japanese and American code-breaking operations between 1921 and December 7, 1941. . . . Farago is important because in this technical study of cryptology he has arrived independently at the same general conclusion as did the non-revisionist diplomatic historians: there was no plot by Roosevelt or his advisers.”—Choice
“His conclusions should act as a corrective to the enthusiasts who claim that intelligence always provides the complete answer.”—Times Literary Supplement
The Broken Seal: The Story of “Operation Magic” and the Pearl Harbor Disaster explores the questions of why, if the United States knew the Japanese codes, did we not anticipate the December 7, 1941 surprise attack and how did the Japanese spy system in Hawaii operate? As a chief of research and planning in the Special Warfare Branch of the Office of Naval Intelligence, the author had access to both Japanese and American classified material to write this study. The author’s intent was to independently ascertain the validity of earlier claims that the Pearl Harbor attack could have been avoided. The result is an eminently readable and engrossing story, first published in 1968, of the relationship between America and Japan in the interwar years and the relentless cat-and-mouse intelligence game conducted by both sides. Despite more recent suppositions that there was a conspiracy among American and British officials to ignore warnings of a Japanese attack that had been gleaned from deciphered diplomatic codes in order to force America into a world war, the author confirms that human error and misjudgment and the actual state of intelligence interpretation at the time made an accurate assessment of Japanese intentions impossible.

1144164069
The Broken Seal: "Operation Magic" and the Secret Road to Pearl Harbor

The Important Study That Evaluates the Intelligence War Behind the Japanese Surprise Attack
“In this fascinating account. . . . Mr. Farago’s investigation suggests that the real villain was the system itself.”—New York Times
“In this well-written and informative account. . . Mr. Farago provides many new facts from both American and Japanese sources.”—Library Journal
“A good history of Japanese and American code-breaking operations between 1921 and December 7, 1941. . . . Farago is important because in this technical study of cryptology he has arrived independently at the same general conclusion as did the non-revisionist diplomatic historians: there was no plot by Roosevelt or his advisers.”—Choice
“His conclusions should act as a corrective to the enthusiasts who claim that intelligence always provides the complete answer.”—Times Literary Supplement
The Broken Seal: The Story of “Operation Magic” and the Pearl Harbor Disaster explores the questions of why, if the United States knew the Japanese codes, did we not anticipate the December 7, 1941 surprise attack and how did the Japanese spy system in Hawaii operate? As a chief of research and planning in the Special Warfare Branch of the Office of Naval Intelligence, the author had access to both Japanese and American classified material to write this study. The author’s intent was to independently ascertain the validity of earlier claims that the Pearl Harbor attack could have been avoided. The result is an eminently readable and engrossing story, first published in 1968, of the relationship between America and Japan in the interwar years and the relentless cat-and-mouse intelligence game conducted by both sides. Despite more recent suppositions that there was a conspiracy among American and British officials to ignore warnings of a Japanese attack that had been gleaned from deciphered diplomatic codes in order to force America into a world war, the author confirms that human error and misjudgment and the actual state of intelligence interpretation at the time made an accurate assessment of Japanese intentions impossible.

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The Broken Seal: Operation Magic and the Secret Road to Pearl Harbor

The Broken Seal: "Operation Magic" and the Secret Road to Pearl Harbor

by Ladislas Farago
The Broken Seal: Operation Magic and the Secret Road to Pearl Harbor

The Broken Seal: "Operation Magic" and the Secret Road to Pearl Harbor

by Ladislas Farago

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Overview

The Important Study That Evaluates the Intelligence War Behind the Japanese Surprise Attack
“In this fascinating account. . . . Mr. Farago’s investigation suggests that the real villain was the system itself.”—New York Times
“In this well-written and informative account. . . Mr. Farago provides many new facts from both American and Japanese sources.”—Library Journal
“A good history of Japanese and American code-breaking operations between 1921 and December 7, 1941. . . . Farago is important because in this technical study of cryptology he has arrived independently at the same general conclusion as did the non-revisionist diplomatic historians: there was no plot by Roosevelt or his advisers.”—Choice
“His conclusions should act as a corrective to the enthusiasts who claim that intelligence always provides the complete answer.”—Times Literary Supplement
The Broken Seal: The Story of “Operation Magic” and the Pearl Harbor Disaster explores the questions of why, if the United States knew the Japanese codes, did we not anticipate the December 7, 1941 surprise attack and how did the Japanese spy system in Hawaii operate? As a chief of research and planning in the Special Warfare Branch of the Office of Naval Intelligence, the author had access to both Japanese and American classified material to write this study. The author’s intent was to independently ascertain the validity of earlier claims that the Pearl Harbor attack could have been avoided. The result is an eminently readable and engrossing story, first published in 1968, of the relationship between America and Japan in the interwar years and the relentless cat-and-mouse intelligence game conducted by both sides. Despite more recent suppositions that there was a conspiracy among American and British officials to ignore warnings of a Japanese attack that had been gleaned from deciphered diplomatic codes in order to force America into a world war, the author confirms that human error and misjudgment and the actual state of intelligence interpretation at the time made an accurate assessment of Japanese intentions impossible.


Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781594165702
Publisher: Westholme Publishing
Publication date: 03/20/2014
Sold by: Barnes & Noble
Format: eBook
Pages: 449
File size: 2 MB

About the Author

LADISLAS FARAGO (1906–1980) was a military intelligence specialist who wrote a number of acclaimed histories, including The Game of Foxes, Patton: Ordeal and Triumph, and The Last Days of Patton, also available from Westholme Publishing.

Table of Contents

Contents

Prologue “This Means War!”

Part I

The Code Crackers

1.

Herbert O. Yardley and the “AMERICAN BLACK CHAMBER”

2.

Diplomatic Stud Poker

3.

The Secrets of Room 2646

4.

The Mission of the Marblehead

5.

“Gentlemen Do Not Read Each Other's Mail”

Part II

Into the Dark Valley

6.

Nothing Sacred, Nothing Secret

7.

The RED Machine

8.

The Burakku Chiemba and TYPE NO. 97

9.

The PURPLE Code

Part III

The Crooked Road to War

10.

War on a Shoestring

11.

“Operation Z”—The Pearl Harbor Plan

12.

Eyes on Hawaii

13.

The Maze of “Magic”

14.

“John Doe's” Secret Mission

15.

Moment of Crisis

16.

“Magic's” Finest Hour

Part IV

On the Collision Course

17.

Games of War

18.

The Missed Clue

19.

The Pearl Harbor Spy

20.

“I May Make War”—A Secret Alliance

21.

How the Japanese Fleet Was “Lost”

Part V

Prelude to Disaster

22.

Bratton's Last Stand

23.

Japan Deploys for War

24.

A Week of Indecision

25.

“Magic” on the Eve

26.

F.D.R.—December 6, 1941

27.

The Creeping Hours

28.

“This Is Pearl!”

Acknowledgments

Reference Notes

Index

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