The Real Lessons of Pearl Harbor, Part 3

Fifth, if a nation's leaders act contrary to the public will, or operate with undue secrecy, they must be held accountable and any policies which are contrary to the public will must be reversed.

Sixth, if they are allowed to act without unrestraint, a nation's leaders can use the news media, educational systems, and entertainment outlets to create a mythology and a culture that facilitates unethical behavior and manipulate public opinion in the future.

Clearly, the lessons which have been learned from the false mythology of Pearl Harbor that dominates public opinion today, and the lessons that would have been learned from an accurate interpretation of events, conflict with one another.   Indeed, the success of Roosevelt and his subordinates in deceiving the public about their policies leading up to the attack on Pearl Harbor set the stage for deception, manipulation of public opinion, and implementation of otherwise undesired policies in the future.

As a result, for a republican system of government to function effectively, it is vital that existing assumptions about historical events be challenged.   Our understanding of historical events must be revised constantly in response to new information, and better analyses of existing information.   And our news media, educational institutions, and entertainment industry should reflect the best understanding of historical events available, instead of regurgitating old mythologies which have been discredited.

 

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