Henry C. Clausen

About the Author

Henry C. Clausen was a distinguished American attorney, intelligence officer, and author whose career spanned military service and legal expertise. Born in 1906, he rose to prominence as a key figure in World War II investigations, leading the top-secret Clausen Inquiry into the intelligence failures preceding the Pearl Harbor attack. Drawing from his firsthand access to classified documents and interviews with over 200 witnesses, Clausen delivered a meticulous account that exposed the lapses and accountability of fourteen key military figures. His seminal work, Pearl Harbor: Final Judgement, remains a cornerstone of historical analysis on the disaster, blending rigorous research with unflinching critique. Clausen's writing reflects his commitment to truth and justice, influencing generations of historians and policymakers until his passing in 1986.