Larry Schweikart claims that America’s 32nd president was aware of attack on Pearl Harbor previous to December 7th, 1941. The attack on Pearl Harbor killed over 2,400 US personnel and injured about 1,300 more. There is evidence that on October 9th, 1941, Tokyo divided Pearl Harbor into five specified areas and knew where American ships were in those five areas. President Roosevelt may not have known the exact timing of the attack, but it is evident that he knew for certain that it was going to happen. In September of 1940, America placed an embargo on Japan by prohibiting the exportation of steel, scrap iron, and aviation fuel to Japan. In the months prior to December, 1941, Japan pursued two courses: try to get the embargo lifted and prepare for war if unsuccessful. They gave America the deadline of November 29th, the last day they would accept a settlement without war. The Japanese was ordered to create a war plan after the deadline was not met. This plan included the Japanese closing in on many American allies in the Pacific and also establishing a defensive perimeter in the central and southwest Pacific. They anticipated a declaration of war from the U.S. but they did not expect them to fight long or hard enough to win. They were most concerned with the U.S. Pacific Fleet in…show more content… President Roosevelt said “the Japanese are notorious for making an attack without warning and stated that we might be attacked.” American surveillance had gained access to the Japanese communication system, also known as the purple code. They received a message that repeated “Higashi no kaze ame,” meaning “East wind, rain.” East wind represented the U.S., and rain represented diplomatic split. The Japanese intended for Americans to hear this because instead of coding the message, they put it out on public radio through a weather