Throughout much of W.W. II, U.S. Navy Admiral Sidney William Souers (1892 – 1973) had wandered the labyrinthine corridors of Washington, D.C. making the case for a unified intelligence organization wherein American brainiacs of all stripes could simply sit and stew about all the various assorted information that was being collected around the globe. He illustrated his position by pointing out how such an agency could have prevented the American slaughter at Pearl Harbor - keep in mind that the Japanese envoys broke off disarmament negotiations at two in the afternoon:
"'Surprise attacks are almost invariably timed at dawn. The darkness gives the attackers cover; the sunrise gives them light on the target... Where would the Japs attack at dawn December 7, 1941?' Efficient intelligence could have answered by asking: 'Where in the Pacific will dawn on that day come about 2 P.M. Washington time? The only answer is Hawaii.'"
Souers' illustration worked beautifully: in 1946 Congress allocated money for the National Intelligence Agency - and the Admiral was named as its director. The NIA was staffed entirely by analysts, however - it had no spies, and that was its shortcoming. In 1947 the CIA was established, and Souers soon took his place as its first chief.
Additional articles about the Pearl Harbor attack can be found here...
You can read the decoded Japanese messages HERE...
The morning after the Japanese attack, President Roosevelt stood before the microphones in the well of the U.S. Capitol asking Congress to declare war against Japan; CLICK HERE to hear about the reactions of the American public during his broadcast...
- from Amazon:
The Foundation of the CIA: Harry Truman, The Missouri Gang, and the Origins of the Cold War
