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Pearl Harbor “Yesterday, Dec. 7, 1941 - a date which will live in infamy - the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan.” These opening words of President Roosevelt on December 8, 1941 have stuck with me since the first day I heard them. I have always been intrigued about the attack on Pearl Harbor. I feel that the attack should never have happened. In this paper I intend to prove that the actions of the U.S. government provoked and did not stop the attack on Pearl Harbor. First, I would like to talk about the reactions of the attack. The surprise attack on Pearl Harbor was completely well thought out. Japanese aircraft carriers launched plane from 274 miles away from Pearl Harbor. The attacking Japanese planes came in two separate waves. The first set of bombers hit at 7:53 AM. The second wave came through at 8:55. By 9:55AM the entire attack was over leaving behind 2,403 dead, 188 destroyed planes and 8 damaged or destroyed battleships. In a sense they crippled the entire Pacific Fleet of the United States. The following day, December 8th, President Roosevelt went to congress and asked permission to declare war on the Empire of Japan. Permission was