It is very tempting as human beings to place the blame on someone else. Especially in tragic times. Besides the 9/11 attack, Pearl Harbor was one of the most surprising attacks that the United States of America had ever faced. The attack on December 7, 1941, drew America into World War II. The nation declared war on Japan. Then, due to the alliance between Germany and Japan, Germany declared war on the United States. At the time, Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR) was president. From the beginning of his presidency and the start of the war, he had wanted to get involved in the war. Historians have debated for many years who was responsible for the attack on Pearl Harbor and the deaths of two thousand Americans. He believed that without American help, Russia and England would collapse, and the American government had broken a diplomatic code and intercepted a message from Japan threatening war. Roosevelt missed numerous opportunities to prevent the bombing. This bombing plunged our country into war and resulted in the deaths of more than a thousand American citizens. For the attack itself, Japan had 2.4 million trained ground groups. The first wave of planes took off at 6 a.m. “There were about fifty planes or more heading toward Pearl Harbor” (Pearl Harbor, Oahu). However, the first series of planes struck Oahu, Hawaii, at 7:40 a.m., and the second wave of Japanese planes arrived at 8:54 a.m. Several ships had been blown to pieces by bombs and torpedoes and overturned . With approximately 2,390 American casualties, the attack ended at 1 p.m. America went silent. People were shocked by what happened. Roosevelt, many would say, is not to blame for ... middle of paper ... conflict. He did it. Roosevelt sent the U.S. Pacific Fleet (U.S. Navy) from the West Coast to arm Pearl Harbor to tempt Japan. An attack was imminent. When FDR and the government decided to send a warning to the citizens and armed forces of Pearl Harbor, it was too late. Pearl Harbor had been attacked, creating “the day that will live in infamy”” (Roosevelt 2). Franklin Delano Roosevelt was responsible for the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Not only did he fear that Russia and Britain would fall without American help, violate a diplomatic code, or intercept a message providing information about the attack, he did nothing to prevent it. There were many occasions when FDR had the opportunity to listen to the American people and not get involved in the European conflict. Instead, Roosevelt jumped at the chance to fight in World War II..