8 PARTISAN REVIEW
japanese historian Takeo Iguchi in the archives of japan's foreign min–
istry, surprised his American colleagues . Even though "many of japan's
top historians had long spoken of the supposed embassy mix-up that
delayed the delivery of Tokyo's final message to Washington as an 'ugly
blemish' on the country's history," he concludes that this "blemish
belongs to those who engaged in deliberate deception, or who have
failed to ever go into the documentary ev idence." The
New York Times
mentioned by name the top American historians of japan, who had been
focusing on American communications blunders "since the early
19605."
Now, they perceive Professor Iguchi's findings as a new histor–
ical drama that will encourage further research. When, I keep wonder–
ing, will the public be informed of what during World War II every child
knew, and when will historians begin to focus on what really happened,
rather than perpetuate historicist interpretations and anti-American ide–
ology? Of course, it is every citizen's right to hate his or her country, but
historians have an obligation to search for and teach the truth-how–
ever unattainable this fina ll y might be-rather than project their own
frustrations onto their students.
The
New York Times
article concludes that "the evolution right now
would seem to be back in the direction of the kind of interpretive lean–
ings that existed in this country during the war. But these sorts of vicis–
situdes are constant in history." It has been said that interpretive history
is a sort of boondoggle that allows for ever more dances on the heads of
pins. However, even if someone in the state department bungled and the
telegram terminating negotiations was delayed by a day or two, didn't
it take a lot longer to prepare a massive attack to sink the U.S. Navy?
Subsequently, most historians actively fought with all other Americans
to win that war against the Axis powers. They did not go in for post–
modern interpretations.
Spielberg's
Saving Private Ryan,
however exaggerated the story might
be, did depict some of the horrors of World War II, which we used to
see in Newsreel theaters as events evolved. I am not advocating Ameri–
can or any other kind of chauvinism. But I am appalled to have learned
that Professor Iguchi's "discovery" only "gradually would work its way
into [American] textbook accounts of the start of the war." That
Time
rather than the
New York Times
had described the Pearl Harbor attack
as "murder hidden by a toothy smile," I believe, is not a good enough
reason to discredit unthinkingly and systematically America's motives–
even though some of them often might be faulty, and a mixed bag.
EK
