Canada`s Road to the Pacific War: Intelligence, Strategy, and the Far East Crisis, Timothy Wilford

In December 1941, Japan attacked multiple targets in the Far East and the Pacific, including Canadian battalions stationed in Hong Kong. The disaster suggested that the Allies were totally unprepared for war. This book dispels that assumption by offering the first in-depth account of Canadian intelligence gathering and strategic planning on the eve of the Pacific War.

Canadians worked closely with their US and Allied counterparts to develop a picture of Japan’s intentions and a strategic plan to meet challenges in the Pacific. Although Canada wanted to avoid conflict with Japan until US participation was assured, policy makers anticipated action in the Pacific and made preparations for defence, which included the internment of Japanese Canadians. By highlighting Canada’s role as a Pacific power, Timothy Wilford sheds new light on events that led to the crisis in the Far East, as well as to the creation of the Grand Alliance.

Introduction

1 Prelude to War: Canada and the Pacific Powers, 1922-40

2 The Allied Web: Intelligence Networks in Canada before the Pacific War

3 Developing a Far East Strategy, December 1940 to July 1941