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Unit 1 The Attack on Pearl Harbor
Listening Comprehension
When World War II started in 1939, America supported the British, but it was reluctant
to get involved in the war directly. Then, on December 7, 1941, the Japanese launched a
surprise attack on the U.S. Navy base at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii and destroyed much of
the U.S. Pacific fleet.
Actually, the attack on Pearl Harbor was not as much of a surprise as many people
believe. There had been military tensions between the U.S. and Japan for several years.
In 1941, peace talks between the two countries failed, and it was obvious that there
would soon be a war between them. In addition, the U.S. government caught a coded
Japanese message in the weeks before the attack. They decoded 13 out the 14 parts of
the message. The decoded parts showed that the Japanese were planning an attack
against the U.S., but they did not say where. The U.S. government did not tell the public
about these messages. On the morning of the attack, the government caught another
secret message. This one left no doubt that Pearl Harbor would be the target of the
attack, but by then it was too late. By the time the warnings reached Pearl Harbor, the
attack was already over.
The next day, President Roosevelt went on the radio to speak to the nation about the
surprise attack and to declare war on Japan. Greatly angered by the surprise attack,
thousands of young Americans signed up for military service. America had finally entered
the war. It wasn‟t until years after the war, however, that the public learned that the
attack that brought them into the war had not been such a surprise after all.
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Listening Comprehension
When World War II started in 1939, America supported the British, but it was reluctant
to get involved in the war directly. Then, on December 7, 1941, the Japanese launched a
surprise attack on the U.S. Navy base at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii and destroyed much of
the U.S. Pacific fleet.
Actually, the attack on Pearl Harbor was not as much of a surprise as many people
believe. There had been military tensions between the U.S. and Japan for several years.
In 1941, peace talks between the two countries failed, and it was obvious that there
would soon be a war between them. In addition, the U.S. government caught a coded
Japanese message in the weeks before the attack. They decoded 13 out the 14 parts of
the message. The decoded parts showed that the Japanese were planning an attack
against the U.S., but they did not say where. The U.S. government did not tell the public
about these messages. On the morning of the attack, the government caught another
secret message. This one left no doubt that Pearl Harbor would be the target of the
attack, but by then it was too late. By the time the warnings reached Pearl Harbor, the
attack was already over.
The next day, President Roosevelt went on the radio to speak to the nation about the
surprise attack and to declare war on Japan. Greatly angered by the surprise attack,
thousands of young Americans signed up for military service. America had finally entered
the war. It wasn‟t until years after the war, however, that the public learned that the
attack that brought them into the war had not been such a surprise after all.
-7-
