Long Day's Journey into War: December 7, 1941

In LONG DAY'S JOURNEY INTO WAR author Stanley Weintraub dissects December 7, 1941 hour by hour as it occurred around the globe. Relative to one's geographic location on the planet, December 7th occupied parts of three days, December 6, 7, and 8 (Hence the "long day" of the title). But December 7, 1941 was also a "long day" in the sense that it was a watershed of history. A vast chasm separated the world of the day before and the world of the day after, and that chasm had it's fault line at Pearl Harbor. Weintraub uses both historical documentation and personal reminiscences to describe the occurrences of December 7th, and does so in a creatively novelistic manner that holds the reader's unflagging interest. Pearl Harbor Day is thus described from the standpoint of military men, diplomats, and the ordinary people who found themselves caught up in the extraordinary events recounted here. Weintraub uses a bank of clocks at the head of each chapter to illustrate the relative time in, let's say, Tokyo, Manila, Washington D.C., and Stalingrad. Part of his thesis is that December 7, 1941 was the high-water mark of the Axis Powers. Although the Axis-dominated portion of the globe did geographically expand after this date, the edifice had begun to crack. Weintraub makes a convincing argument that this day in December was the Beginning of The End for Japan, Germany, Italy and their smaller satellites, as in retrospect it seems to have been. Filled with accurate historical data and interesting personal stories, LONG DAY'S JOURNEY INTO WAR is a fascinating presentation of a day which deserves the unique treatment this book provides.

As has often been observed, to write history is to choose. Similarly, to read history is to choose. Should we read a history covering thousands of years, or a history limited to a single historical actor, or the annals of a single campaign, and so on? With Long Day's Journey into War, Weintraub contributes a valuable innovation to historical writing. The history covers a brief period -- December 7, 1941 -- the 48 hours that it takes for the earth to complete a single date. During this time, Weintraub assembles a seamlessly woven montage from all parts of the globe as they experience the preceding tensions and subsequent ripple effects of Pearl Harbor. Cairo, Moscow, Washington, Pearl, Hong Kong, Tokyo, London and other key locations. Weintraub includes anecdotes from "lowly" privates running for cover, to worried diplomats, to America First isolationists, to a certain overrated general, to presidents and prime ministers. The overall effect is successful and powerful. The reader becomes immersed and rooted in time and place, emerging with a sense of having experienced the fateful day on a global scale. A splendid and unique history worthy of any bookshelf.

This book is organized in a unique way, telling what went on hour by hour all around the world Dec 6, 1941, to Dec 8, 1941--with two tremendous final chapters on the dropping of the Bomb. Those chapters are a fitting end, since the events in the prior part of the book are sobering indeed. While there are a minimum of footnotes, and no real bibliography, the account sounds quite trustworthy. He often mentions authors: James Jones, J. G. Ballard, Pappy Boyington (yes, he did a book: Baa Baa Black Sheep, which I read 14 Aug 1990), Ezra Pound, Emily Hahn, etc. I found this a great book , even tho Dec 7, 1941, is now overshadowed by the newer day of infamy: Sept 11, 2001.

I am currently re-reading this book for the third time! An excellent narrative of the hours before Pearl Harbor. My father served on the USS Colorado in the Pacific during the war, & allowed me to give him some of the highlights. We were both particularly interested in Gen. MacArthur & his weaknessess (or sins, if you prefer). How shameful were his actions, even during that period of time, much less now under the scrutiny of history. Professor Weintraub has done this country in particular & history in general proud with this work. I was fortunate to purchase a hardback edition for $5 (true!) at a mall in Charlotte, NC about a year & a half ago. THIS book should be required reading for every high school student--if it were, we would not lose our understanding of what it takes to be a great nation.

Stanley Weintraub has written a fascinating book about the beginning of World War II in the Pacific. The story begins on "the day before" (December 6, 1941), then turns to an hour-by-hour narrative that covers the thoughts and actions of leaders and ordinary people in Tokyo, Washington, London, North Africa, Hong Kong, Singapore, Pearl Habor, Manila, the Russian Front and other places. The action builds towards Japan's attacks on British and American positions in the Pacific, giving some sense of the brilliance of Japan's military planning, the racism and unpreparedness of both America and Britain, and the foolhardiness of taking on a country as powerful as the United States. Equally interesting is Weintraub's treatment of the hours that followed the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Many of us remember where we were when JFK was shot, or when Neil Armstrong walked on the Moon, or when the Challenger exploded. For the generation that preceded us, the world was divided into "before Pearl Harbor" and "after Pearl Harbor." Weintraub describes the reactions of many when they first heard the news. He also discusses at length the inexplicable failure of MacArthur and the American leadership in the Philippines to understand that the war had really begun. Not that the inexcusable loss of American aircraft at Clark Field seems to have affected MacArthur's career--as Weintraub puts it, "few generals have profited so spectacularly from their own failures." This book brought me as close as any of us Baby Boomers are likely to come to understanding what people around the world were thinking just before and just after America entered World War II. It is really enjoyable, and I couldn't put it down. If you can find a copy (easier said than done), buy it and read it.