The approach of the 75th anniversary of the Attack on Pearl Harbor has stimulated research on this pivotal event in world history. New evidence and analysis has inspired re-examination of the attack with critical eyes, leading to new insights and conclusions. This course will look at the setting, planning, execution, and results of the attack in a six session lecture series presented by experts in the field, all published authors, who have new perspectives and will offer differing conclusions for your consideration.
The course will be held Wednesdays from 7-8:30 p.m. from Oct. 26 to Dec. 7 (no class Nov. 23). Cost is $173 for six sessions; JHU full-time faculty/staff are eligible for tuition remission. You will be unable to register online and receive the discount. Contact 410-516-8516, for more information.
Oct. 26 Undefending Pearl Harbor
Why did the United States perform so poorly in defending its most critical Pacific bastion and the fleet that was based there? Why did the Japanese high command feel they had to attack Pearl Harbor? Did the American command not understand the threat? Were the commanders inadequate? What about the resources they were given? Could they have done better with what they had? Could the Japanese have done even more damage? How much did it affect the war?
Mr. William D. O'Neil, III (Captain, USNR, retired) has many years of experience as a senior engineering and planning executive in the Department of Defense and in industry. He is the author of The Plan That Broke the World: The "Schlieffen Plan" and World War One, and is currently completing a book that traces the paths that led to Pearl Harbor and World War II. He holds degrees in Mathematics and in Quantitative Methods from UCLA.
Nov. 2 The Pearl Harbor Defenses
The U.S. Army was responsible for the defense of Oahu, including coast defense batteries protecting Honolulu Harbor and the U.S. Navy base at Pearl Harbor, as well as covering the potential landing beaches on Oahu. After World War I the defenses were built up to include antiaircraft units and batteries of both fixed and mobile antiaircraft guns. Airfields for fighters and bombers were developed, and U.S. Army Divisions protected the island.
Mr. Bolling Smith graduated from Furman University with a B.A. in history. After serving 28 years with the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Police Department, he retired as a Captain. A former chairman of the Coast Defense Study Group, he has edited the Coast Defense Journal for over 20 years.
Dr. Alan D. Zimm (Commander, USN, retired) has degrees in Physics, Operations Research, and Public Administration/Policy Analysis from UCLA, the Naval Postgraduate School, and USC. He served in the US Navy as a nuclear power qualified surface warfare officer, and currently is an Aviation Strike Systems Analyst at the Applied Physics Laboratory. He is the author of The Attack on Pearl Harbor: Strategy, Combat, Myths, Deceptions. He has been awarded the Arleigh Burke Award from the US Naval Institute and the Distinguished Citation Award from the University of Southern California.
Nov. 9 The Attack on Pearl Harbor: The Japanese Plan and the Planning Behind It
The Japanese decision to attack Pearl Harbor is often considered irrational by Western historians. This presentation discusses the strategy behind the attack and the personalities and process driving the operational planning. The question of how the attack was approved despite considerable opposition within the Japanese command, will be addressed. The actual plan will be outlined. Finally, the strengths and weaknesses of the process and the plan will be highlighted.
Mr. Mark E. Stille (Commander, USN, retired) received a B.A. in History from the University of Maryland and a M.A. from the Naval War College. He has worked in the intelligence community for over 35 years, including tours on the faculty of the Naval War College, on the Joint Staff, and on several U.S. Navy ships. He is the author of over 30 books on naval warfare with a focus on the Pacific War, including books on the Pearl Harbor attack and the driving force behind it, Admiral Yamamoto Isoroku.
Nov. 16 The Historiography of the Battle of Oahu, 7 December 1941
This lecture is a critical examination and evaluation of material from primary and secondary sources on the Attack, subjecting them to scholarly criteria. It will look at the available source materials from 1960 through the 1990s, and the explosion of newly-available sources from 2000 to the present. How the new sources and technology have impacted the depiction of the battle will be surveyed. Mr. J. Michael Wenger is a military historian with over 35 years of research from Washington D.C. to Tokyo. He has pioneered research and use of military personnel records and unused or underutilized Japanese language sources. He is currently under contract for a seven volume history of the Battle of Oahu for the U.S. Naval Institute; the first volume, just out, is No One Avoided Danger: NAS Kaneohe Bay and the Japanese Attack of 7 December 1941, the start of the Pearl Harbor Tactical Studies series.
Nov. 30 Pearl Harbor in the Perspective of 75 Years
Dr. Donald Goldstein is one of those rare historians who can be considered a National Resource. An honored professor and historian, he is the preeminent authority on the Attack, having personally interviewed many of the key Japanese and American personalities. Seven of his 27 books have been on Pearl Harbor, including working with Gordon Prange on At Dawn We Slept and Pearl Harbor: The Verdict of History, the authoritative The Pacific War Papers, and a biography of Fuchida, the Japanese aviator who led the attack.
Dr. Goldstein will talk about the attack and the personalities behind it in a wide-ranging, free-wheeling conversation. Here is the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to hear Dr. Goldstein, ask questions, and participate in a stimulating discussion of the Japanese attack.
Dec. 7 The Perils of Technological Transformation: a Critical Analysis of the Attack on the Fleet at Pearl Harbor
This presentation will walk through the attack on the fleet on a minute-by-minute basis, examining the impact of technology on the decisions and outcomes of the attack. Several myths about the attack will be revealed and examined.
Dr. Alan D. Zimm (Commander, USN, retired) has degrees in Physics, Operations Research, and Public Administration/Policy Analysis from UCLA, the Naval Postgraduate School, and USC. He served in the US Navy as a nuclear power qualified surface warfare officer, and currently is an Aviation Strike Systems Analyst at the Applied Physics Laboratory. He is the author of The Attack on Pearl Harbor: Strategy, Combat, Myths, Deceptions. He has been awarded the Arleigh Burke Award from the US Naval Institute and the Distinguished Citation Award from the University of Southern California.
