“In this impressive, well-documented anthology, Maurer and Goldstein provide insights into the interconnected problems and issues confronting the powers of Asia, Europe, and the United States during the interwar years, and the military and foreign policy dilemmas faced by their leaders. Indispensable to understanding the pathway to Pearl Harbor!” —J. Michael Wenger, co-author, Pearl Harbor Tactical Studies series

“Absolutely a significant contribution to the history of the War in the Pacific. This wonderful anthology is informed by the wealth of material that has been declassified in English-language sources as well as archival sources in China and Japan.” —John T. Kuehn, author of Agents of Innovation, former Ernest J. King professor of maritime history, U.S. Naval War College

"This book is a collection of essays by seven historians that examine the interwar period that led up to the Japanese decision to attack U.S. forces at Pearl Harbor, Hawai’i, and other installations throughout the Pacific region, beginning a conflagration that would consume millions of lives in a world war. The essays concentrate on the decisions made by national leaders of the great powers such as Franklin Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, Chiang Kai-shek, David Lloyd George, Japanese naval leaders, and others and how their decisions, actions, and reactions led to war. The diplomatic aspects to avoid a naval arms race, such as the Washington Conference of 1921, are discussed in all their consequences, and how Japan evolved from an ally in World War I to an enemy in World War II. The concluding essay addresses the views of today’s Chinese naval leadership and the possibility of another Pacific war between great powers."—Seapower Magazine