Our Man in Tokyo

An American Ambassador and the Countdown to Pearl Harbor

By: Steve Kemper

Narrated by: Dan Woren

A gripping, behind-the-scenes account of the personalities and contending forces in Tokyo during the volatile decade that led to World War II, as seen through the eyes of the American ambassador who attempted to stop the slide to war.

In 1932, Japan was in crisis. Naval officers had assassinated the prime minister and conspiracies flourished. The military had a stranglehold on the government. War with Russia loomed, and propaganda campaigns swept the country, urging schoolchildren to give money to procure planes and tanks.

Into this maelstrom stepped Joseph C. Grew, America’s most experienced and talented diplomat. When Grew was appointed ambassador to Japan, not only was the country in turmoil, its relationship with America was rapidly deteriorating. For the next decade, Grew attempted to warn American leaders about the risks of Japan’s raging nationalism and rising militarism, while also trying to stabilize Tokyo’s increasingly erratic and volatile foreign policy. From domestic terrorism by Japanese extremists to the global rise of Hitler and the fateful attack on Pearl Harbor, the events that unfolded during Grew’s tenure proved to be pivotal for Japan, and for the world. His dispatches from the darkening heart of the Japanese empire would prove prescient—for his time, and for our own.

Drawing on Grew’s diary of his time in Tokyo as well as U.S. embassy correspondence, diplomatic dispatches, and firsthand Japanese accounts, Our Man in Tokyo brings to life a man who risked everything to avert another world war, the country where he staked it all—and the abyss that swallowed it.

Supplemental enhancement PDF accompanies the audiobook.

The failure of the US to prepare for the attacks by Japan when they had decoded diplomatic communications from Japan

The failure of the State Dept to 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🇺🇦convey the need to prepare for the initial Japanese attacks based on decoded diplomatic communications and Gre

I hope this book is required reading for all students of the military.

Great book. I learned SO MUCH from it. I almost put it down as the beginning chapter or two were a struggle for me but glad I kept at it.

Indispensable and highly “readable” account of why Japan went to war

If you liked Erik Larson’s “In the Garden of Beasts”, you will love this page-turner about the conflicting factors that led Japan to decide on war in the 1930s and 1940s. The book also deepened my understanding of contemporary attitudes toward Japan within the US State Department during the same time period. Finally, the book offers a fascinating depiction of Roosevelt, Hull and above all of the heroic Ambassador Grew. Even though I knew the outcome, I couldn’t stop listening.

Excellent insider perspective

Given both my parents were involved in World War II I am fascinated by the different perspectives on the history of that conflict. I am much more familiar with the European front than the Asian, and therefore was quite interested in this story. The chronological review of 10 years in Tokyo is fascinating, but could be tedious at times, otherwise, I would’ve rated the story 5 stars. I think the most relevant aspect for me was getting the insider view of the division between the Japanese military fanatics and the government. All in all, if you’re interested in World War II and want more perspective on what led up to the war with Japan, I recommend this read.

Seeing through the eyes of a US diplomat the lead up for years to the sneak attack and mistakes made.

It is hard to find anything to dislike. Grew was an amazing diplomat trying to do his job to the last minute. Appropriately while inferred it did not take a position of he US could not have done more to be ready for Pearl Harbor and did not know the Japanese navy was coming even though Hawaii was one of the possible places for an attack on the U s directly