Cruise of the Lanikai: Incitement to War

Proves Stinnett's "Day of Deceit: The Truth about FDR and Pearl Harbor". At least FDR was honorable enough to not call the attack a "surprise" attack, but a "suddenly and dastardly" attack.

If not brought to my attention by a friend, I would have missed this remarkable book. Tolley was the US Navy skipper of the Lanikai, a converted island sailing schooner, in Manila Bay when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. This book is three tales in one, interwoven with reasonable success. First, it is an account of FDR's concern that the Japanese would attack the British and Dutch in Asia and the USA would not have the support of public opinion which was needed for the United States' inevitable entry into the fray against the Axis as soon as possible. Tolley makes a reasonable case that the vulnerable Lanikai was to be placed in harms way possibly to create an incident (such as the Japanese sinking of the USS Panay in China four years earlier), but the pace of war overtook whatever plan was intended. Secondly, the book is a story of the amazing flight of the Lanikai south from the collapsing Philippines to Java, and then, as the defense of the Dutch East Indies collapsed, onward to Australia. It was one of the few ships, civilian or military, to escape either the invading Japanese armadas moving south or the Indian Ocean sweep of the fleet that had bombed Pearl Harbor, a sweep that destroyed most of the ships trying to escape Java toward India. If this were not enough, this is a clear story of the early tragic months of the war in the Pacific, at sea, in the Philippines, and in the Indies, as well-trained Japanese forces swept all before them, and the hastily assembled ABDA (Australian, British, Dutch, American) defenses collapsed. I learned a lot of interesting history and enjoyed the small boat saga too.

The Lanikai was originally assigned a suicide mission to get the US into the war; this was however overcome by events (meaning Pearl Harbor) and the story becomes an escape yarn, as the sailing boat escapes the Philippines, and makes its way south. A fascinating sea yarn, that ranks there with the O'Brian novels, only this one is true.