Ghosts of Honolulu: A Japanese Spy, A Japanese American Spy Hunter, and the Untold Story of Pearl Harbor

Takeo Yoshikawa has spent the last three years studying English and learning everything about US Naval ships. His interceptions earned him a letter of gratitude from Adolf Hitler after his intel resulted in the sinking of several British ships. Yoshikawa is being sent under diplomatic cover to Hawaii, where he will monitor the US fleet and report through official channels: “‘If you want to deceive your enemy,’ [Yoshikawa’s superior] says, “you must first dupe yourself” (56).

Wada’s office, the 14th Naval District Intelligence Office, moves from the Federal Building to the Alexander Young Hotel. They are now only miles from Pearl Harbor’s Naval base. ONI now believe nearly every Japanese group or organization is run by the consulate, a vast, spy-infused network working toward the Japanese war effort. Official reports from the winter of 1941 reveal that the US was keenly aware of the Japanese Army’s (and intelligence apparatus’s) utilization of predominately Japanese groups in Hawaii to sow dissent, spread propaganda, and seek recruits for the Japanese cause. Realistically, most Japanese in Hawaii just wanted to wait out the war, causing harm to neither side.