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.
Remark to to Ogata Taketora, the Editor in Chief of Asahi Shimbun, on January 09, 1942. "The Reluctant Admiral". Book by Hiroyuki Agawa, 1979.
