Trapped at Anchor
On December 7, 1941, the United States was not caught unaware.
It was caught unprepared.
In Trapped at Anchor, historian Thomas R. Keane delivers a rigorous, evidence-driven examination of the intelligence failure that preceded the attack on Pearl Harbor-and the measurable human cost that followed. Drawing exclusively from declassified intercepts, U.S. Navy after-action reports, and verified casualty records, this book dismantles the enduring myth of complete surprise.
The warnings existed.
They were intercepted, decoded, and reviewed.
They were not acted upon in time.
Through a precise analytical framework, this book reconstructs the full chain of failure-from the Japanese "14-Part Message" and the critical 1:00 p.m. signal, to the compartmentalized intelligence systems in Washington that delayed action, to the operational posture at Pearl Harbor that left the Pacific Fleet exposed.
At its core, Trapped at Anchor is not just about intelligence.
It is about consequence.
Inside, you will uncover:
• The intercepted communications that indicated imminent conflict-but failed to trigger decisive warning
• The analytical breakdown between Army and Navy intelligence that prevented synthesis
• The command gap that left Admiral Husband E. Kimmel and General Walter Short without actionable intelligence
• The physical vulnerability of Battleship Row-ships anchored, aircraft grouped, defenses unprepared
• The reconstructed final moments aboard USS Arizona, USS Oklahoma, and across the fleet using official casualty lists
This is not a dramatized account. There is no speculation, no fictionalized dialogue, and no reliance on hindsight narrative.
Every conclusion is grounded in documented evidence.
Every loss is traceable.
Every stage of failure is measurable.
For readers of World War II history, military intelligence, and forensic historical analysis, Trapped at Anchor offers a definitive, unsentimental examination of how information failed-and how that failure translated into one of the deadliest mornings in American history.
The signals were there.
The system broke.
The cost was written in steel and blood.Editorial Reviews
"A class in analytical history. Keane doesn't just retell Pearl Harbor-he dissects it. The framework alone is worth the read." - David R. Halvorsen, Military History Review
"This book replaces myth with evidence. The reconstruction of USS Arizona and USS Oklahoma is devastating in its precision." - Caroline Mitchell, Naval Archives Journal
"Unflinching, methodical, and deeply human. One of the most important books on Pearl Harbor I've read in years." - Thomas G. Reilly, WWII Studies Quarterly
"Dense, rigorous, and completely grounded in documented fact. Not a casual read-but an essential one." - Mark Ellison, Historic Intelligence Forum
"You feel the system failing in real time. And then you see exactly who paid for it." - James Carter, Defense Analysis Review
