ABSTRACT
Americans who read the papers were well aware of the resignation on October 16, 1941, of Prime Minister Fumimaro Konoye and his replacement the following day by hard-line General Hideki Tojo. The Liaison Conference of October 23, 1941, determined not only that the decision for peace or war must be made quickly but also identified Pearl Harbor as the principal target of the proposed attack. Americans knew nothing of these decisions of the Imperial Conference. They were to be executed promptly. On December 2, Admiral Yamamoto radioed to the Pearl Harbor Striking Force, "Climb Mt. Mitaka". The Pearl Harbor Striking Force was one of the greatest fleets the world had ever seen: the aircraft carriers Akagi, Kaga, Zuikaku, Hiryu, and Soryu; the battleships Hiei and Kirishima; the cruisers Tone and Chikuma; nine destroyers; and three screening submarines well supported by eight tankers. The date for the attack was December 8 Tokyo time, which was December 7 Hawaii time.
