In the book "Perpetual War for Perpetual Peace" by Gore Vidal, the author presents a controversial claim regarding President Roosevelt's actions leading up to the attack on Pearl Harbor. Vidal suggests that Roosevelt intentionally provoked the Japanese government, pushing them toward a military strike against the United States. This assertion implies that the attack was not a sudden event but rather a consequence of calculated political maneuvers.

Vidal's perspective challenges the traditional narrative of Pearl Harbor as a surprise attack. Instead, he argues that Roosevelt's strategies may have aimed to galvanize American public support for entering World War II. This viewpoint invites readers to reconsider the complexities of historical events and the motivations behind them, raising questions about the nature of leadership and the implications of wartime decisions.