> ...for Yamamoto was a brilliant strategist who was flatly opposed to war with the United States. He had seen America's industrial might at first hand when he had studied at Harvard University, and later when he served as a naval attaché in Washington.<p>> But Yamamoto was a robust nationalist and a Japanese to the very marrow of his bones. His love of Emperor and homeland was of volcanic ardor, and his warrior heart followed the traditions of the true samurai: duty first.<p>Basically, "I know this is a bad idea, but the boss says so, and I just work here so what do I know... so here we go..." Story of corporate american right there<p>> Throughout these preparations, Japanese diplomatic efforts in the United States continued. The Emperor had initially desired to declare war prior to an attack for the sake of honor, but his military advised that complete surprise was needed. Thus, up-and-until the final moment, Japanese diplomats kept up their foreign policy efforts without hinting at the impending attack.<p>> Negotiations ongoing, Japan launched its attack fleet and began the steady march to Hawaii in late November 1941. In order to conceal the departure of such a large attack force…<p>It's interesting how there seemed to always be a kind of conflict on how to approach the military efforts between the Emperor and the military. And the military seemed to always get its way.