History is full of “They couldn’t/wouldn’t possibly...” statements, proven wrong. You reference a good example. It is noteworthy that had the good men at Pearl Harbor not been caught asleep, the outcome may have been very different. But the point you made is remarkably valid none the less.
Exactly. These same naive fools said communism is dead. That the movement has no influence here. Yet look where we are today, with a communist in the White House!