Our Man in Tokyo: An American Ambassador and the Countdown to Pearl Harbor
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- Create Date：2022-11-29 17:21:33
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Steve Kemper
- ISBN：0358064740
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Summary
A gripping， behind-the-scenes account of the personalities and contending forces in Tokyo during the volatile decade that led to World War II， as seen through the eyes of the American ambassador who attempted to stop the slide to war。
In 1932， Japan was in crisis。 Naval officers had assassinated the prime minister and conspiracies flourished。 The military had a stranglehold on the government。 War with Russia loomed， and propaganda campaigns swept the country， urging schoolchildren to give money to procure planes and tanks。
Into this maelstrom stepped Joseph C。 Grew， America’s most experienced and talented diplomat。 When Grew was appointed ambassador to Japan， not only was the country in turmoil， its relationship with America was rapidly deteriorating。 For the next decade， Grew attempted to warn American leaders about the risks of Japan’s raging nationalism and rising militarism， while also trying to stabilize Tokyo’s increasingly erratic and volatile foreign policy。 From domestic terrorism by Japanese extremists to the global rise of Hitler and the fateful attack on Pearl Harbor， the events that unfolded during Grew’s tenure proved to be pivotal for Japan， and for the world。 His dispatches from the darkening heart of the Japanese empire would prove prescient—for his time， and for our own。
Drawing on Grew’s diary of his time in Tokyo as well as U。S。 embassy correspondence， diplomatic dispatches， and firsthand Japanese accounts， Our Man in Tokyo brings to life a man who risked everything to avert another world war， the country where he staked it all—and the abyss that swallowed it。
In 1932， Japan was in crisis。 Naval officers had assassinated the prime minister and conspiracies flourished。 The military had a stranglehold on the government。 War with Russia loomed， and propaganda campaigns swept the country， urging schoolchildren to give money to procure planes and tanks。
Into this maelstrom stepped Joseph C。 Grew， America’s most experienced and talented diplomat。 When Grew was appointed ambassador to Japan， not only was the country in turmoil， its relationship with America was rapidly deteriorating。 For the next decade， Grew attempted to warn American leaders about the risks of Japan’s raging nationalism and rising militarism， while also trying to stabilize Tokyo’s increasingly erratic and volatile foreign policy。 From domestic terrorism by Japanese extremists to the global rise of Hitler and the fateful attack on Pearl Harbor， the events that unfolded during Grew’s tenure proved to be pivotal for Japan， and for the world。 His dispatches from the darkening heart of the Japanese empire would prove prescient—for his time， and for our own。
Drawing on Grew’s diary of his time in Tokyo as well as U。S。 embassy correspondence， diplomatic dispatches， and firsthand Japanese accounts， Our Man in Tokyo brings to life a man who risked everything to avert another world war， the country where he staked it all—and the abyss that swallowed it。
Reviews
Susan
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Follows Ambassador Grew as the American ambassador to Japan in the years leading to WWII。 He went to Japan with an open mind and in the hopes he could create a positive dialogue which would prevent war。 He documented everything， conversations， letters， telegrams， a daily diary。 He could never understand why the state department ignored his warnings or how the state department would take actions regarding Japan without letting him know in advance。 There were severe occasions where was could have Follows Ambassador Grew as the American ambassador to Japan in the years leading to WWII。 He went to Japan with an open mind and in the hopes he could create a positive dialogue which would prevent war。 He documented everything， conversations， letters， telegrams， a daily diary。 He could never understand why the state department ignored his warnings or how the state department would take actions regarding Japan without letting him know in advance。 There were severe occasions where was could have been prevented， but were ignored。 Wonderful piece of history that has been covered up。 。。。more
Brendan Dowd
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Growing up， history tends to drop Japan into World War II with the attack on Pearl Harbor。 A more thorough history will mention the horrific actions in China， but otherwise， not much more ink is spilled on Japan in U。S。 textbooks。 Well， guess what？ Turns out there is a lot more to the story！Luckily， Steve Kemper is here to write a book about Japan before Pearl Harbor。 And even luckier， Ambassador Joseph Grew was the diplomat in Japan during the ramp up to war。 Grew is not a name you hear often， Growing up， history tends to drop Japan into World War II with the attack on Pearl Harbor。 A more thorough history will mention the horrific actions in China， but otherwise， not much more ink is spilled on Japan in U。S。 textbooks。 Well， guess what？ Turns out there is a lot more to the story！Luckily， Steve Kemper is here to write a book about Japan before Pearl Harbor。 And even luckier， Ambassador Joseph Grew was the diplomat in Japan during the ramp up to war。 Grew is not a name you hear often， but he is absolutely vital in telling this compelling story。 Kemper clearly had a lot to work with due to Grew's diaries and documents which show a slow and disjointed march towards war。 For me， a book needs two main things for it to be great。 The story itself needs to be interesting and the author needs to tell it in a compelling way。 Both are fully on display here。 Japan was far from a country of bloodthirsty people hell bent on conquering the world。 In fact， Kemper makes a hypothetical case that Pearl Harbor was far from a fait accompli。 Kemper is a very gifted writer。 I consistently forgot that this book is a tremendous amount of political back and forth。 This book could have easily felt like someone was reading Grew's journals back to you。 Instead， Kemper presents Grew's words and provides insight which makes this book read like a thriller。 It cannot be understated how much Kemper's writing takes this book from good history to great read。（This book was provided to me as an advance copy by Netgalley and Mariner Books。 The full review will be posted to HistoryNerdsUnited。com on 11/17/2022。） 。。。more
Dan
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My thanks to both NetGalley and the publisher Mariner Books for an advance copy of this book focusing on the relations between Japan and the United States before the events at Pearl Harbor and the American Ambassador who tried to keep the peace。All great events have moments that lead up to them。 A ripple of an assassination， another of a missed telegram， a change in policy， or in governments， and suddenly things are moving much to fast for anyone person， or people to control。 As von Clausewitz s My thanks to both NetGalley and the publisher Mariner Books for an advance copy of this book focusing on the relations between Japan and the United States before the events at Pearl Harbor and the American Ambassador who tried to keep the peace。All great events have moments that lead up to them。 A ripple of an assassination， another of a missed telegram， a change in policy， or in governments， and suddenly things are moving much to fast for anyone person， or people to control。 As von Clausewitz said "War is the continuation of policy with other means。"。 Unfortunately this was the situation faced by American ambassador Joseph C。 Grew， in Japan， whose warnings went ignored， or even worse just filed away。 Writer and journalist Steve Kemper in Our Man In Tokyo:An American Ambassador and the Countdown to Pearl Harbor， looks at the life， times and tribulations of this man and the events in Japan that lead to that fateful day in Pearl Harbor， bringing both sides into a war， only a few people seemed to want。 In 1932 Japan was beset by secret societies whose members included right-wing and fanatical members of the military who pledges fealty to the Emperor， but whose idea of war and returning Japan to glory ran counter to Japanese politics。 These groups carried out a campaign of assassination against government officials， diplomats， and anyone who spoke out against the idea of war and the greatness that was Japan。 Into this came a new ambassador， Joseph C。 Grew， the scion of a notable Boston family， with a lot of grit， and a long history in the of representing the American government。 Grew was a friendly person， who soon made the embassy popular among the Japanese government and other foreign representatives。 This allowed Grew to gain quite a bit of insight and intelligence into what was going on in Japan， And the news was not good。 However in passing on his thoughts， and intelligence most of his findings and opinions went into the void， and American intransigence was not making things easier。 A fascinating book detailing a time in history that I didn't know that much about。 I've read before about all the diplomatic attempts with Hitler， but knew little about the discussions done with Japan。 And not surprisingly both sides seemed to have been at fault。 The idea of face and shame was not something known by many Americans and for us to be such sticklers and immovable on so much， leaving Japan no way but to look weak， was a consideration。 Also the fact that a small， but vocal group that seemed to hold sway over others， one that allowed them to commit assassinations， and yet not have to serve jail time was another。 Grew is a fully fleshed out character， compelling， brave， and yet willing to learn and listen， unlike most people。 The narrative moves well， the cast are all explained well， as well as world events that led to certain actions。 A very different look at some of the origins for the problems between America and Japan。 Recommended for World War II fans， and for those who enjoy biographies about people that history has seemed to have forgotten。 History fans will have quite a lot to think about after reading this。 A perfect gift for the holidays。 。。。more
Valerie
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An incredible untold story。 Absolutely fantastic。
Emiley M。
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Before 1941， examples of what happened to a world on the edge of war litter the pages of history。 Although Europe is widely studied， there is less information about Japan and its bid for dominance in the far east。 Author Steve Kemper brings light to this period in his newest book， Our Man in Tokyo， where he studies Japan's slide into extreme nationalism through the eyes of the U。S。 ambassador to Japan， Joseph Grew。 A gripping and readable account of the years leading up to the attack on Pearl Ha Before 1941， examples of what happened to a world on the edge of war litter the pages of history。 Although Europe is widely studied， there is less information about Japan and its bid for dominance in the far east。 Author Steve Kemper brings light to this period in his newest book， Our Man in Tokyo， where he studies Japan's slide into extreme nationalism through the eyes of the U。S。 ambassador to Japan， Joseph Grew。 A gripping and readable account of the years leading up to the attack on Pearl Harbor， this book is a history lover's window into an often overlooked nation。 An exceptional addition to any library， Our Man in Tokyo is worth reading again and again。 。。。more
Theresa Lorenzo
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I have just finished reading this incredible book and I can't really say enough about it。 It is an inside look at the US Ambassador to Japan's time there leading up to the bombing of Pearl Harbor。Like many Americans， I learned mostly about Germany and its role in World War II， especially Adolf Hitler。 I never was taught anything about the Japanese and their machinations before and after Pearl Harbor。 Mr。 Kemper gives so much information about the people in power behind the attack and their motiv I have just finished reading this incredible book and I can't really say enough about it。 It is an inside look at the US Ambassador to Japan's time there leading up to the bombing of Pearl Harbor。Like many Americans， I learned mostly about Germany and its role in World War II， especially Adolf Hitler。 I never was taught anything about the Japanese and their machinations before and after Pearl Harbor。 Mr。 Kemper gives so much information about the people in power behind the attack and their motives I could not put the book down。 If you are interested in learning more about the often overlooked Axis power， I encourage you to read this book。 The only thing I believe would have made this even better would have been pictures of the men involved in this horrendous action。 。。。more
David Burris
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Well documented historic retelling of the phenomenal leadership and diplomacy of Ambassador Joseph C。 Grew serving Japan just before the USA entrance into World War II and the attack at Pearl Harbor。
Eric
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An interesting book， very well researched。 Also quite well written， and well thought out。 "Our man in Tokyo - An American Ambassador and the Countdown to Pearl Harbor" is about Joseph C。 Grew， the US Ambassador to the Imperial Japanese Court from 1932 until all the staff of the US Embassy were imprisoned by the Japanese after the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec 7， 1941。 From a patrician NE family， Harvard educated， and as connected as a man in his day could possibly be， he chose a life of An interesting book， very well researched。 Also quite well written， and well thought out。 "Our man in Tokyo - An American Ambassador and the Countdown to Pearl Harbor" is about Joseph C。 Grew， the US Ambassador to the Imperial Japanese Court from 1932 until all the staff of the US Embassy were imprisoned by the Japanese after the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec 7， 1941。 From a patrician NE family， Harvard educated， and as connected as a man in his day could possibly be， he chose a life of gov't service in the Diplomatic Corps essentially as a route to travel & adventure out of college。 And adventures he had！ He rose through the ranks of gov't service until， in his mid 50's， he was selected for one of the toughest jobs in US Diplomatic Corps， as Ambassador to Japan， at a period when Japan was on a crash course with the USA due to it's militaristic， expansionistic policies of invading neighboring countries that were allies of the US， as well as forming an alliance with Nazi Germany & Fascist Italy （The Tri-Partite Alliance） essentially overtly aimed at world domination。 And Grew's role was to keep the peace， and keep America out of the war。 He knew his job was going to be tough when he accepted the position。Ever the eternal optimist， and against ever increasing odds， he engaged every diplomatic skill within reach to convince elements within the Japanese gov't that going to war with the West was a losing proposition for Japan， and his efforts often made a positive impact， but never quite enough。 This story about what he was involved in， what he did， how he did it， and the thinking behind his efforts is fascinating reading for anyone interested in the art of International Diplomacy。It was well worth a read， and a book I can confidently recommend to a fair number of friends。 。。。more
Linden
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I have read extensively on World War II， mostly about the horrors of Nazi Germany， but knew very little of what led to Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7， 1941。 This book tells of the American ambassador to Japan， Joseph Grew， who was appointed in 1932。 Japan was already in turmoil， heading steadily downhill because of the military’s rising power， their control of news sources， the ever present propaganda， and general fake news about Japanese atrocities。 In early 1941， things started t I have read extensively on World War II， mostly about the horrors of Nazi Germany， but knew very little of what led to Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7， 1941。 This book tells of the American ambassador to Japan， Joseph Grew， who was appointed in 1932。 Japan was already in turmoil， heading steadily downhill because of the military’s rising power， their control of news sources， the ever present propaganda， and general fake news about Japanese atrocities。 In early 1941， things started to get really bad in Japan under the new regime。 Everything was rationed， and sports were deemed strictly for physical fitness and not enjoyment。 Women were admonished for wearing colorful clothes and makeup， beauty parlors were monitored for “illegal” hair styles， and geishas were renamed “national policy girls。” These new restrictions reminded Ambassador Grew of his favorite definition of totalitarianism: “Everything not forbidden is compulsory。” Despite the ambassador’s best efforts， the hard liners prevailed， and the US was drawn into World War II。 This book is a must read， not only for those interested in the history of World War II， but also for those readers who enjoy well written， thoroughly researched， and accessible nonfiction， such as In the Garden of Beasts by Erik Larson。 I’m grateful to Netgalley and the publisher for permitting me to review this advance copy。 。。。more
bookdrabbles
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This was such a delight to read， this was my first World War 2 book and I cant't say I'm disappointed。 Through the use of diary entries from U。S。 ambassador Joseph C。 Grew， we get a more detailed glimpse into the Japanese government's path to cause mass destruction in Asia。 This was such a delight to read， this was my first World War 2 book and I cant't say I'm disappointed。 Through the use of diary entries from U。S。 ambassador Joseph C。 Grew， we get a more detailed glimpse into the Japanese government's path to cause mass destruction in Asia。 。。。more
Jeremy Booty
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In the past year or so I have read many fine books about World War II in the Pacific。 Most have been written from the American point of view， some from the Japanese。 Yet not one of them has done as fine a job as Steve Kemper in depicting how war came about and how an unsung hero， Joseph Grew， tried desperately to prevent it。Grew was a Boston Brahmin who did not fit the traditional mold。 He trod the usual path at the time of prep school and then Harvard。 However， once free to wander the world he In the past year or so I have read many fine books about World War II in the Pacific。 Most have been written from the American point of view， some from the Japanese。 Yet not one of them has done as fine a job as Steve Kemper in depicting how war came about and how an unsung hero， Joseph Grew， tried desperately to prevent it。Grew was a Boston Brahmin who did not fit the traditional mold。 He trod the usual path at the time of prep school and then Harvard。 However， once free to wander the world he roamed to areas few in his class were at all interested in seeing。 On one memorable occasion he crawled into a hole to shoot a tiger just feet from him。 When Teddy Roosevelt heard of this he appointed him a member of the diplomatic corps！ In time Grew became a skilled diplomat and was appointed Ambassador to Japan。 He kept up his life long habit of keeping a diary which forms the backbone of this book。Kemp skillfully weaves Grew's experiences into the story of how a relatively small number of mid-level officers， by dint of assasination and threat of assassination essentially hijacked an entire country and drove it into a needless and senseless war。 The complex political and social structure of Japan at the time is carefully and skillfully laid out by Kemper。 Japan's constitution was set up so that the Army and Navy were responsible to no one except the Emperor who's traditional role and powers were oblique and weak。 This set up made possible the war in China， the invasion of southeast Asia， membership in the Axis and ultimately an oil embargo on US oil sales。 Thus Japan and the United States， not understanding each other's true motives and intentions， both set off on roads to destruction on which neither thought they could reverse direction。 It was in this setting that Grew， as a man and diplomat stood head and shoulders above all other players。 He desperately tried to persuade Secretary Hull to reconsider the rigid requirements the US had set up as a prerequisite to talks。 He likewise urged the Japanese to control their armed forces and to look beyond the requirements of "face"Grew's analysis， although ignored ， proved prescient。 We don't know whether his advice， if followed， would have changed the course of events。 His advice was heeded in setting up post war Japan and we gained an ally and peace in that part of Asia。Grew is often seen in history， if at all， as the man delivering a telegraph from Roosevelt to the Emperor seeking further talks while Pearl Harbor was ablaze。 He deserves much more than that and this well written， entertaining book delivers 。。。more
Michael Hassel Shearer
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