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Finding an unbiased examination of this, "the mother of all conspiracy theories," proved difficult. On the Internet, conspiracy theorists seem to outnumber rational logicians 10 to 1. Fortunately, we were able to track down a few sites that present both sides of the case. An article from The Straight Dope acknowledges there are some facts to support the theory. For example, Americans did intercept Japanese codes, and the U.S. government "received prior warning" of some sort of Japanese attack. However, in order to believe that President Franklin D. Roosevelt knew the attack was coming, you have to also believe he "was willing to sacrifice most of the Pacific fleet, and possibly one of the most important American
naval bases in the Pacific," not to mention thousands of American lives. Put that together, and the theory seems very unlikely. Still, there are those who believe FDR did have prior knowledge. In his book, "Day of Deceit," Robert Stinnett outlines the evidence he obtained through the Freedom of Information Act. In this interview, Stinnett talks of the alleged directive from FDR, "The United States desires that Japan commit the first overt act," and shares other evidence that he claims supports his theory. So, is it true? We doubt it. Like most conspiracy theories,
there's a lot of circumstantial evidence. However, there's also a lack of common sense. Now the moon landing, on the other hand...
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