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Claims by some commentators that "9/11" was an intelligence failure like Pearl Harbor, that the United States was unprepared for "9/11" like she was for the Japanese attack on Hawaii, and that, like Pearl Harbor, the military was not ready to defend against al Qaeda's terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon are incorrect. On the contrary, an analysis of the two events reveals that they are more dissimilar than alike.
IN the months since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 (9/11), commentators have repeatedly compared what happened at the World Trade Center (WTC) and Pentagon with what occurred in Oahu on 7 December 1941. One hears claims that
* "9/11 is an intelligence failure like Pearl Harbor" and
* "America was unprepared for 9/11-just as she was when the Japanese attacked Hawaii" and
* "Like Pearl Harbor, the military was not ready to defend against these terrorist attacks"
and other similar assertions.
Having participated in the last official investigation into responsibility at Pearl Harbor, and because my current assignment has meant specializing in legal issues involving terrorism, antiterrorism, counter-terrorism, and Homeland Security, I am often asked by students and colleagues about my 'take' on these comparisons. Moreover, as Congress is likely to continue to hold hearings investigating the facts and circumstances surrounding the terrorist attacks on New York and Washington, D.C., comparisons between 7 December 1941 and 11 September 2001 will continue to be made. Consequently, it is worth taking a closer look at the two events-and examining three questions: Was 9/11 an intelligence failure like Pearl Harbor? Was America unprepared? Was the military at fault for failing to stop the attacks carried out by al Qaeda members on 11 September?
My conclusion is that 7 December and 11 September are more dissimilar than they are alike. First, while it is possible to see an "intelligence failure" as a cause of both events, the nature of that failure was quite different: the American commanders in Hawaii in 1941 had sufficient information justifying a higher state of vigilance, while those safeguarding U.S. airlines, the World Trade Center, and the Pentagon did not. Similarly, while both events can be said to reflect American "unpreparedness," the character of that lack of readiness...