Isoroku Yamamoto's sleeping giant quote facts for kids
Isoroku Yamamoto's "Sleeping Giant" Quote is a famous line often linked to Isoroku Yamamoto, a Japanese Admiral during World War II. This quote is about the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor by Imperial Japan. It suggests that attacking the United States would wake up a powerful, sleeping country.
The quote became well-known from the 1970 movie Tora! Tora! Tora!. At the very end of the film, it shows Yamamoto saying:
I fear all we have done is to awaken a sleeping giant and fill him with a terrible resolve.
Even though the movie makers said they found this quote in Yamamoto's writings, there's no real proof he ever said it. Some people think the idea might come from a similar quote by Napoleon about China. An edited version of the quote also appears in the 2001 movie Pearl Harbor and the 2019 film Midway.
The "Sleeping Giant" Quote: Fact or Fiction?
The director of Tora! Tora! Tora!, Richard Fleischer, said that even if Yamamoto didn't say the words, the film's producer, Elmo Williams, found them in Yamamoto's diary. Williams later claimed that the screenwriter, Larry Forrester, found a letter from Yamamoto from 1943 that had the quote. However, no one has ever been able to find this letter. Randall Wallace, who wrote the 2001 film Pearl Harbor, admitted he simply copied the line from Tora! Tora! Tora!.
What Admiral Yamamoto Really Thought
Admiral Yamamoto actually believed that Japan could not win a long war against the United States. He seemed to think the Pearl Harbor attack was a mistake in many ways. Even though he planned the surprise attack, he was reportedly sad the day after. While his staff celebrated, Yamamoto was "sunk in apparent depression."
Yamamoto was upset because Japan's Foreign Ministry made a mistake. They were supposed to declare war before the attack, but they didn't. This made the attack seem like an unfair surprise. This angered the American public and helped unite them against Japan.
Other Famous Sayings by Yamamoto
On December 8, 1941, the day after the Pearl Harbor attack, radio host Don McNeill made a statement on his show. He said:
…and also don’t forget, sometimes you can strike a giant who is dozing momentarily, when the giant is awakened, look out.
This quote is quite similar to the "sleeping giant" idea.
In a book called The Reluctant Admiral, there's a quote from Yamamoto from January 9, 1942. It's similar to the famous version: "A military man can scarcely pride himself on having 'smitten a sleeping enemy'; it is more a matter of shame, simply, for the one smitten. I would rather you made your appraisal after seeing what the enemy does, since it is certain that, angered and outraged, he will soon launch a determined counterattack." This shows he expected a strong response from the U.S.
Another quote often linked to Yamamoto is: "I can run wild for six months ... after that, I have no expectation of success." This meant he thought Japan could have success for about half a year, but after that, winning would be very hard. Interestingly, the Battle of Midway, a very important naval battle that changed the course of the Pacific War in World War II, happened almost exactly six months after Pearl Harbor. The battle ended on June 7, 1942, which was six months after the attack.
Yamamoto also once said that the only way for Japan to win the war was to "dictate terms in the White House" in Washington D.C. He meant that it was impossible for Japan to truly win a long war against a country as big and powerful as the United States. He disagreed with those who thought winning just one big battle against the United States Navy would end the war, like Japan's victory in the Battle of Tsushima ended the Russo-Japanese War in 1905.
Japanese propaganda shortened Yamamoto's quote about the White House to make it sound like an optimistic prediction. Then, American propaganda picked up this shortened version to make it seem even more boastful, as seen in the image.
