Pearl Harbor question.

[LZA]

Hey all,

Quick question. Do you think that The USA broke the Japanese naval code before or after we entered the war?

Some people are of the opinion we entered the war after it was broken as an excuse to jump in the war. Kinda like some conspiracy theorists would have you believe that 911 was something we knew was gonna happen, but was allowed as it would justify us getting into the war?

Interested in your thoughts on this.

[velvetfog]

The Japanese Naval code JN-25 was not broken by the Americans until 1942, well after the attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941.
Read more about it here:

EN.WIKIPEDIA.ORG

Japanese Naval Codes - Wikipedia

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[LZA]

Thanks for the link, now I know factually what happened.

There are some conspiracy theorists that feel that the code was broken before? Do you believe in any of that, or is that like another 911 conspiracy theory?

[velvetfog]

The Japanese "Purple" code used by the Japanese Foreign Office, which was a completely different code, was broken by the Americans prior to the Pearl Harbor attack.
The Purple machine itself was first used by Japan in June 1938, but U.S. and British cryptanalysts had broken some of its messages well before the attack on Pearl Harbor. U.S. cryptanalysts decrypted and translated Japan's 14-part message to its Washington Embassy (ominously) breaking off negotiations with the United States at 1 p.m. Washington time on 7 December 1941, before the Japanese Embassy in Washington had done so.
Read more about it here:

EN.WIKIPEDIA.ORG

Type B Cipher Machine - Wikipedia

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