Two questions related to Pearl Harbor. 

One: we know that (as MI5 files released by the British in 2002
confirm), Dusko Popov, the British double-agent, was given by the
Germans a list of questions about military installations in Pearl
Harbor well in advance of the attack (as per Masterman's book, the
Double Cross System). Popov brought these questions to the States in
Fall of 1941. Conspiracy theorists think this proves that the US knew
about the attack, which requires a great faith in hindsight, but my
question is this: Did the -Germans- know about the attack? Did they
suspect? Any evidence that they did would be much appreciated. (They
did, of course, see the questions in Popov's list, but did they
connect the dots? Or did they have some other indication that an
attack was planned?)

Two: in retrospect, the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor was a terrible
blow against the Nazis, as it brought the US into the war. I'm looking
for something indicating that the Germans, if they knew the Japanese
planned to attack the US(or simply were discussing the -possibility-
of a Japanese attack), hoped the Japanese would either not attack the
US, bringing it into the war, or would hold off on doing so until a
more auspicious time.

And please let me know if you need to spend more time on this than the
original price would allow.

Hi, thank you for the question. There is some evidence that Germany
was aware that Japan was planning to attack the United States, some
specific to Pearl Harbor.

There is also some references to Germany pressuring Japan to attack
the U.S. Perhaps to test the strength of the American response or
simply to lure them into a two front war, assuming that Germany felt
the U.S. would inevitably declare war on them regardless. Please let
me know if you need any clarification of this response. Good luck in
your pursuits!

Regards,
Anthony (adiloren-ga)

Primary Source Document:

Unclassified Intercept from Tokyo to Berlin
http://www.ibiblio.org/pha/timeline/411130b.html

<<From: Tokyo

To: Berlin

November 30, 1941

Purple (CA)

#985. (Part 1 of 3)[a]

 

 

Re my Circular #2387. [b]

 

1. The conversations begun between Tokyo and Washington last April
during the administration of the former cabinet, in spite of the
sincere efforts of the Imperial Government, now stand ruptured
?broken. (I am sending you an outline of developments in separate
message #986 [c].) In the face of this, our Empire faces a grave
situation and must act with determination. Will Your Honor, therefore,
immediately interview Chancellor HITLER and Foreign Minister
RIBBENTROP and confidentially communicate to them a summary of the
developments. Say to them that lately England and the United States
have taken a provocative attitude, both of them. Say that they are
planning to move military forces into various places in East Asia and
that we will inevitably have to counter by also moving troops. Say
very secretly to them that there is extreme danger that war may
suddenly break out between the Anglo-Saxon nations and Japan through
some clash of arms and add that the time of the breaking out of this
war may come quicker than anyone dreams.

 

Army 25552

JD: 6943                                             Trans. 12-1-41 (NR)

 

[a] Part 2 not available. For Part 3 see S.I.S. #25553

[b] Not available.

[c] See S.I.S. #25554, 25555.>>

Cornell Magazine
THE BEST CODE CRACKER OF THEM ALL
http://cornell-magazine.cornell.edu/Archive/March2000/MarCode.html

<<But there was one fateful failure. By the autumn of 1941, the
intercepted and deciphered magics indicated that Japan would likely
soon attack British possessions in Asia and possibly U.S. possessions
in the Pacific. In late November, Friedman's crew even decoded a
message from the Japanese premier to Oshima directing the ambassador
to inform Hitler that there was "an extreme danger that war may
suddenly break out between the Anglo-Saxon nations and Japan through
some clash of arms" and that this might "come more quickly than
anyone's dreams.">>

The Germans reportedy pressured Japan to strike the United States:
 
PEARL HARBOR: MOTHER OF ALL CONSPIRACIES
http://www.geocities.com/Pentagon/6315/pearl.html

<<1 Dec. 3:30 P.M. FDR read Foreign Minister Togo's message to his
ambassador to Germany: "Say very secretly to them that there is
extreme danger between Japan & Anglo-Saxon nations through some clash
of arms, add that the time of this war may come quicker than anyone
dreams." This was in response to extreme German pressure on November
29 for Japan to strike the US and promises to join with Japan in war
against the US. The second of its three parts has never been released.
The message says it contains the plan of campaign. This is 1 of only 3
known DIPLOMATIC intercepts that specified PH as target. It was so
interesting, FDR kept a copy.>>

the New American
http://www.thenewamerican.com/tna/2001/06-04-2001/vo17no12_facts.htm

<<November 30th: Tokyo ordered its Berlin embassy to inform the
Germans that "the breaking out of war may come quicker than anyone
dreams.">>

The German Ambassador to the U.S. reportedly specifically warned of an
attack on Pearl Harbor:

FDR and the Infamy of Pearl Harbor
http://www.the7thfire.com/Politics%20and%20History/FDR_%20and_%20Pearl_%20Harbor.htm

<<The German Ambassador to the U.S., Dr. Hans Thomsen, an anti-Nazi,
also informed the Office of Strategic Services (the OSS, predecessor
to the CIA) that Pearl Harbor would be attacked. Like the OSS, the FBI
received similar intelligence specifically mentioning Pearl Harbor
from British agent Dusko Popov, code named "Tricycle".>>

PEARL HARBOR: MOTHER OF ALL CONSPIRACIES
http://www.geocities.com/Pentagon/6315/pearl.html

<<13 Nov. - The German Ambassador to US, Dr. Thomsen an anti-Nazi,
told US IQ that Pearl Harbor would be attacked.>>

FDR was aware that if the Japanese attacked the United States, Germany
would declare war on the U.S. as well:

PEARL HARBOR: MOTHER OF ALL CONSPIRACIES
http://www.geocities.com/Pentagon/6315/pearl.html

<<7 December - 8:30 PM, FDR said to his cabinet, "We have reason to
believe that the Germans have told the Japanese that if Japan declares
war, they will too. In other words, a declaration of war by Japan
automatically brings..." at which point he was interrupted, but his
expectation and focus is clear. Mrs. Frances Perkins, Secretary of
Labor, observed later about FDR: "I had a deep emotional feeling that
something was wrong, that this situation was not all it appeared to
be." Mrs. Perkins was obsessed by Roosevelt's strange reactions that
night and remarked particularly on the expression he had:" In other
words, there have been times when I associated that expression with a
kind of evasiveness.">>

Related Links:

The National Security Archive
http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/

National Geographic: Remembering Pearl Harbor--history, maps
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/pearlharbor/ 

Pearl Harbor Attack: Index of Action Reports
http://www.history.navy.mil/faqs/faq66-1.htm 

Google Search Strategy:

"pearl harbor" "german knowledge"
"pearl harbor" code intercepts, germany


Thanks again! Hope this helps.

---

Clarification of Answer by adiloren-ga on 27 Aug 2004 02:00 PDT

note: Sorry about the grammatical errors in my introduction to this
research. It's pretty late here and I'm a bit tired.

---

Request for Answer Clarification by jrbingo-ga on 27 Aug 2004 05:49 PDT

This isn't really a request for a clarification, as you were very
clear--and very helpful. That intercept is exactly what I wanted. Many
thanks.

I just wondered if you (or anyone, for that matter) would know where I
might find an actual image of that primary source document, the
intercept. Any advice would be appreciated, though obviously you have
completely answered the question already!

---

Clarification of Answer by adiloren-ga on 27 Aug 2004 07:45 PDT

I'm betting its somewhere in the National Security Archive (link
provided in original answer). I looked there a bit, but haven't found
it yet. I'm also very interested in seeing the actual original, as
some of the quotes seemed to vary a little. Although, they would be
deciphered and translated from an original encrypted message in
Japanese- so I suppose the translation may have some slight
differences- maybe there are a few translations floating around, based
on the original, maybe one is the official translation. I'll see what
I can dig up.

The National Security Archive just hosted the pdf's of the documents
that showed the false intercepts that led to the Gulf of Tonkin
Incident. Unrelated I realize, but it seems they should have a Pearl
Harbor section on there as well.

I'll check it out. 

Glad to hear that my response was helpful. Definitely an interesting
question and interesting research. It was a pleasure.

Thanks again,
Anthony

---

Clarification of Answer by adiloren-ga on 27 Aug 2004 08:49 PDT

I found a great article on documents translated from the German
Archives related to this subject. Everything you need is here.

I'm still looking for the original pdf of that intercept- but it is
confirmed by the German Archive and the Institute for Historical
Review. I'll update you if I can find the photo of the document. I
think you will find the following very helpful and I urge you to read
the entire article.

****************************

This says that Hitler "was certain" that Japan would Attack the U.S.
in the Pacific and actually knew the date!

TBRNews - from the German Archives
http://www.tbrnews.org/Archives/a009ger.htm

<<The Führer responds that the might of the Japanese navy, and here he
enumerated a list of the naval units under their command, was so great
that this gesture was doomed to failure from the very beginning. But
the most important facts now in hand indicate that without a doubt,
the Japanese will certainly attack both the Americans and British in
the Pacific within ten days from today.
The information comes from the highest sources and is absolutely reliable.

The Reichsführer quickly confirms this but states that no further
information can be given due to its sensitivity.

 The Führer continues that this is a momentous matter and in fact it
represents to him a significant turning point in the history of the
war. Britain will certainly lose her holdings in the Pacific and the
United States will have to fight against the Japanese from a very long
distance.>>

Hitler knew it would be a bombing of a base in Hawaii specifically:

http://www.tbrnews.org/Archives/a009ger.htm
<< The Reichsmarschall brings up the matter of the Japanese air forces
and wonders if they can obtain bases in the Pacific would they be able
to effectively bomb the United States. To this the Führer replies that
Japanese bombers do not have the range to fly from the nearest US
islands of Hawaii against the mainland and return. Such attacks would
have to be launched from aircraft carriers but before this could be
done, the Japanese must first wipe out American naval units in the
Pacific and including bases in Hawaii and on the western American
coastline.>>

More interesting evidence from the German Archives:

It seems that Hitler was actually a co-conspirator in the attack.

http://www.tbrnews.org/Archives/a009ger.htm 
<<The Großadmiral then asks about the American naval units available
against Japan to which the Führer replies that the Japanese plan of
action is to attack both American and British military and naval units
where they are found, either in harbor, on land or at sea. It is
impossible for him to go any further with this matter. Now there must
be a discussion of how this new factor must be used by Germany against
her enemies. The German army will certainly destroy the Russian forces
in Moscow and will sweep Stalin east of the Urals where he will be so
far removed from Reichs territory that it will be impossible for him
to launch any counterattacks.

As for the Americans, if their military units in the Pacific are
neutralized at the beginning, they will have a long time before they
can launch an attack against the Japanese who, if they are successful,
will have not only enough oil to fuel their navy but the very
important issue of space on their side.>>

http://www.tbrnews.org/Archives/a009ger.htm
<<The removal of Matsuoka as Foreign Minister and his replacement by
Togo was, it must be admitted, a disappointment but one that had to be
accepted. Oshima has repeatedly told me that an attack against Russia
was not abandoned but over the intervening months, the extreme
economic pressure the Americans have applied to the Japanese
threatened the very existence of her Empire and specifically the oil
embargo pinched off any future operational ability of her navy.

This was on the one hand a very clever move on the part of Roosevelt
because it now became imperative that Japan must either surrender to
his crude demands and in effect dismantle her military forces or if
they wished to survive as a nation, they must secure the vital oil. We
have Romania as our other source but Japan only had the United States
and some oil from the Dutch. We now know that Roosevelt ensnared the
Dutch into his web and got them to also deny oil to the Japanese.

The Führer continued that the results of his pressure were entirely
premature and have resulted in the Japanese deciding on war against
the United States, Britain and the Dutch. There is also the
consideration that Roosevelt was acting thusly to aid his friend
Stalin in his fight with us and we know also that the British are not
pleased with the course of events. On the one hand the British are
able to keep Stalin in the field against us, secure the assistance of
the rich United States in the same war but on the other hand, they
will certainly lose all their colonial control in the East Asian area
and this is an area that is vital for them to hold on to.>>

Germany confirmed to Japan beforehand that they would surely declare
war on the U.S. if Japan attacked:

http://www.tbrnews.org/Archives/a009ger.htm
<<The Foreign Minister states that the Japanese Ambassador has an
appointment with him this day but this has been postponed because of
the unexpected conference and the Führer  requests the Foreign
Minister to closely question the Ambassador as soon as he is able
about any knowledge he might have about these plans but under no
circumstances to indicate that we have any news of them. The
Ambassador is very friendly to Germany and he might well prove to be
cooperative in this matter. In any case, we will privately declare to
him that in the event Japan should become involved in a war with the
United States, Germany certainly will join Japan. Be sure to point out
to him that we are already at war with Roosevelt and a declaration of
war on our part will only allow us to openly attack their illegal
convoys and perhaps find a method of shutting off the use of the
Panama Canal which would effectively prevent the US naval units from
moving from one coast to the other without a very long and dangerous
trip around the tip of South America. I will speak to the Ambassador
about this if and when the attack happens and perhaps we can
coordinate such an attack on this vital constriction point.>>


http://www.tbrnews.org/Archives/a009ger.htm
<<From: The Foreign Minister, Tokyo
To: The Japanese Ambassador, Berlin
Date: November 30, 1941
Purple (CA) #985 (Part 1 of 3) 

1. The conversations begun between Tokyo and Washington last April
during the administration of the former cabinet, in spite of the
sincere efforts of the Imperial Government, now stand
ruptured--broken. (I am sending you an outline of developments in
separate message #986) [Missing from US files] In the face of this,
our Empire faces a grave situation and must act with determination.
Will Your Honor, therefore, immediately interview Chancellor HITLER
and Foreign Minister RIBBENTROP and confidentially communicate to them
a summary of the developments. Say to them that lately England and the
United States have taken a provocative attitude, both of them. Say
that they are planning to move military forces into various places in
East Asia and that we will inevitably have to counter by also moving
troops. Say very secretly to them that there is extreme danger that
war may suddenly break out between the Anglo-Saxon nations and Japan
through some clash of arms and add that the time of the breaking out
of this war may come quicker than anyone dreams.

   (The next part of the message has never been released by US agencies) 

This was intercepted by the American intelligence community on
November 29 and decoded, translated and delivered to Roosevelt and his
high command on December 1, 1941. Some of these important intercepts,
all of which were seen by Roosevelt, have been released in the postwar
period but far more have either been withheld by US agencies either in
part or in whole and a comparison between the same documents
intercepted and decrypted by the British and those in US files shows
that the American releases have been deliberately redacted or
rewritten to remove damaging material.

The Japanese attack on the headquarters of the Pacific Fleet at Pearl
Harbor, Hawaii on December 7, 1941 was one of those watershed events
which mark the history of all nations.

The facts of the attack have never been in doubt. The ships comprising
the Imperial Japanese naval task force are as well known as the ships
of the U.S. Navy that were sunk during the raid. The losses in men and
material on both sides are a matter of uncontested public record as
are the names of the various military and political leaders of both
Japan and the United States.>>

******************************

This includes the third section of the intercept in the original
answeras. The second section seems to be still classified, and it is
believed by some that it included specific references to Pearl Harbor.
Should be useful as a comparison to the other. You will find that they
are indentical to the other and is from a very reputable site.

Institute for Historical Review
http://www.ihr.org/jhr/v04/v04p467_Greaves.html

<<The conversations begun between Tokyo and Washington last April ...
now stand ruptured-broken.... In the face of this, our Empire faces a
grave situation and must act with determination. Will Your Honor,
therefore, immediately interview Chancellor HITLER and Foreign
Minister RIBBENTROP and confidentially communicate to them a summary
of the developments.... Say very secretly to them that there is
extreme danger that war may suddenly break out between the Anglo-Saxon
nations and Japan through some clash of arms and add that the time of
the breaking out of this war may come quicker than anyone dreams....

Say that by our present moves southward we do not mean to relax our
pressure against the Soviet and that if Russia joins hands tighter
with England and the United States and resists us with hostilities, we
are ready to turn upon her with all our might; however, right now, it
is to our advantage to stress the south and for the time being we
would prefer to refrain from any direct moves in the north.>>

---

Request for Answer Clarification by jrbingo-ga on 30 Aug 2004 04:16 PDT

Thanks again, Anthony! The clarification was as good as the original
answer, which was great.

---

Request for Answer Clarification by jrbingo-ga on 31 Aug 2004 11:49 PDT

Okay, Anthony, yet another request! I'd love to see copies of the
originals of these two documents--the intercept and the notes from the
Nov. 28 conference--or perhaps copies of the original translation, if
you see what I mean. (Anything, really, which is an 'official' source
document of this information, whether it be the original intercept, or
the official Navy translation ...) Would you be interested in giving
me a price for finding and delivering these? Or, if that's not
possible (not available online, and I'd have to contact the Whoodinger
Archives somewhere and request a copy with credit card in hand), for
telling me exactly how I might find them myself?

Thanks. (And I already asked this in the Comments section, because I
do everything backwards! Sorry for the repetition.)

---

Clarification of Answer by adiloren-ga on 31 Aug 2004 15:26 PDT

I'll look into it and see what I can find. 

Thanks for the high rating and kind remarks. Glad I could help.

-Anthony

---

Request for Answer Clarification by jrbingo-ga on 07 Sep 2004 06:11 PDT

So no luck, Anthony? Shall I ask elsewhere, or wait a while longer?

---

Clarification of Answer by adiloren-ga on 07 Sep 2004 16:33 PDT

Sorry, I was in the middle of a move and have been off-line a few
days. I'll look into your request soon.

-Anthony

---

Request for Answer Clarification by jrbingo-ga on 13 Sep 2004 19:10 PDT

Wanted to check with you one more time before I asked elsewhere! Still
on the case, or have you moved on? (Either is fine, of course; just
want to be sure I don't go elsewhere if you're still interested.)

---

Clarification of Answer by adiloren-ga on 13 Sep 2004 21:59 PDT

I think I may have found some options for locating the follow-up
information you are looking for. I'll have to ask you to set the price
and I'll do my best to find it. Obviously you will only have to pay if
I find what you need, so just set a price that seems right to you.
Again, sorry about the delay on some of these responses, I've been
extremely busy of late. I'll be doing a lot of research the next few
weeks, so I'll be checking back here frequently. If you would like to
post a new question for me, just post it with "for adiloren-ga" in the
subject heading.

Thanks,
Anthony

Extremely well done. The answer itself unearthed something I hadn't
been able to find, and the clarification did the same all over again.

Jrbingo --

A couple of Google Answers researchers and at least a couple of
customers (including Probonopublico-GA) are well-read on the topic of
World War II, even being aware of documents that are still secret from
the war:
http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=371670

I've never seen any evidence that Germany was aware of the Pearl
Harbor attack in advance.

Also, note that Germany declared war on the U.S. right after Dec. 7 --
which some historians believe was a colossal strategic error on the
part of Hitler.  A treaty with Japan required Germany to declare war
if any country declared war on Japan but Hitler never let treaties
stand in the way of German actions.

Best regards,

Omnivorous-GA

Hi, Jrbingo

I haven't seen anything that suggests that Hitler was aware of the
Pearl Harbor attack but then such stuff would have been suppressed for
consistency with the official line that it came completely out of the
blue.

As we now know, Roosevelt was becoming increasingly aggressive in his
'Undeclared War' against Germany, which he was financing anyway
through massive War Loans that was euphemistically called
'Lend-Lease'.

At that stage, Germany was desperate for a Peace Deal (Hitler had
never wanted a war with Britain anyway) and maybe he figured that, by
supporting Japan, he would be in a stronger position than being
effectively by himself.

After all, with America at war with Japan, it would have to turn some
of its resources in that direction.

My take is that it was a final act of desperation.

What else could he do?

He was totally out-gunned with Britain & the Commonwealth and Russia
officially in the arena and America providing the $$$ and lots of
support and propaganda.

Of course, Germany & Japan were in diplomatic relations and 'we' had
cracked their codes ...

Hope something else turns up.

All the Best

Bryan

I would tell you exactly how that went, but the rich and powerful
would have me killed within the hour.
 Seriously, my guess is a few people thought Pearl Harbor might be
attacked, and likely told their boss, but the evidence was not
compelling, so only a few of our best ships were removed before the
attack.
 It is a pretty safe guess that the USA will be hit with a follow up
of 9-11 in about 60 days, just before the election for president.  
Neil

Hi, Neilzero

Shhhhhh!!!

You've said too much already ....

'Only a few of our best ships were removed before the
attack.'

Please delete that phrase NOW!

Thanks for the comments! Very interesting, and much appreciated.

And watch out for those pesky 'rich and powerful!' They'll get you every time.

Am I in danger? ;)

Hi, Anthony

I didn't want to make any further comment until after Jrbingo had
rated your Answer ...

But now, I can express myself!

Brilliant!

You have brought everything together marvellously and convincingly.

All the Very Best

Bryan

Okay, Anthony, yet another request! I'd love to see copies of the
originals of these two documents--the intercept and the notes from the
Nov. 28 conference--or perhaps copies of the original translation, if
you see what I mean. (Anything, really, which is an 'official' source
document of this information, whether it be the original intercept, or
the official Navy translation ...) Would you be interested in giving
me a price for finding and delivering these? Or, if that's not
possible (not available online, and I'd have to contact the Whoodinger
Archives somewhere and request a copy with credit card in hand), for
telling me exactly how I might find them myself?

Thanks.

Hi, Jrbingo

May I suggest that you post your last comment as a 'Request for Answer
Clarification', to make sure that Anthony sees it?

Best regards

Bryan

Thanks, Bryan! Much appreciated.