I was reading up on the Russo-Japanese War yesterday, no I don't know why. Man, Czar Nicholas II--bumpy road in his czardom. Inauguration...Coronation Day, 1,300 people stampeded to death. Khodynka Field.
Anyway, Japan and Russia had speaks about who between them controlled Manchuria and Korea. All they could agree on was that the Manchurians and Koreans didn't. Negotiations dragged on and Japan decided Russia was not speaking in good faith, didn't want to resolve the issues, and privately set a D-Day. If no resolution by then, surprise attack. Which is precisely what they did. They attacked three hours before the declaration of war could be delivered.
All of which is precisely what the Japanese also did to the U.S. 37 years later. Negotiations, over a U.S. embargo as I recall, dragged on, went nowhere, the Japanese set a D-Day and launched a surprise attack. The Roosevelts knew it was coming, they had broken the Japanese naval code, but they did not know who the Japanese would attack, the prevailing opinion was the Brits, and they did not know where. Pacific's a big place. Could not envision the attack would come against the U.S. and at Pearl Harbor.
Anyway, the Russo-Japanese war was the first time an Asian power had ever defeated a European power in modern warfare and continued Nicholas on his bumpy road to 1917.
Anyway, Japan and Russia had speaks about who between them controlled Manchuria and Korea. All they could agree on was that the Manchurians and Koreans didn't. Negotiations dragged on and Japan decided Russia was not speaking in good faith, didn't want to resolve the issues, and privately set a D-Day. If no resolution by then, surprise attack. Which is precisely what they did. They attacked three hours before the declaration of war could be delivered.
All of which is precisely what the Japanese also did to the U.S. 37 years later. Negotiations, over a U.S. embargo as I recall, dragged on, went nowhere, the Japanese set a D-Day and launched a surprise attack. The Roosevelts knew it was coming, they had broken the Japanese naval code, but they did not know who the Japanese would attack, the prevailing opinion was the Brits, and they did not know where. Pacific's a big place. Could not envision the attack would come against the U.S. and at Pearl Harbor.
Anyway, the Russo-Japanese war was the first time an Asian power had ever defeated a European power in modern warfare and continued Nicholas on his bumpy road to 1917.
