The story of the Battle of Leyte Gulf in World War II—the greatest naval battle in history.     As Allied ships prepared for the invasion of the Philippine island of Leyte, every available warship, submarine and airplane was placed on alert while Japanese admiral Kurita Takeo stalked Admiral William F. Halsey’s unwitting American armada. It was the beginning of the epic Battle of Leyte Gulf—the greatest naval battle in history.   In Storm Over Leyte , acclaimed historian John Prados gives readers an unprecedented look at both sides of this titanic naval clash, demonstrating that, despite the Americans’ overwhelming superiority in firepower and supplies, the Japanese achieved their goal, inflicting grave damage on U.S. forces. And for the first time, readers will have access to the naval intelligence reports that influenced key strategic decisions on both sides.   Drawing upon a wealth of untapped sources—U.S. and Japanese military records, diaries, declassified intelligence reports and postwar interrogation transcripts—Prados offers up a masterful narrative of naval conflict on an epic scale. Praise for Storm Over Leyte “A book every serious World War II student will want.” —Kirkus “The strongest part of the book is Prados’s description of the U.S. intelligence apparatus that meticulously tracked the Japanese military’s communications, leveraging a small army of brilliant linguists, radio operators, cryptologists, and analysts. The work is exceedingly balanced and provides detailed portraits of the personalities of the Japanese commanders, their understanding of events, and their decision-making processes.” —Publishers Weekly “A narrative filled with new information, Storm Over Leyte clears new ground, reminding us that there were two sides in the Pacific War. John Prados shows us how U.S. and Japanese intelligence decisions influenced the Battle of Leyte Gulf, allowing the Japanese to accomplish their naval goals. Burrowing into hitherto unknown intelligence reports, Prados has provided readers with an unprecedented look at the war within the war in the Pacific Campaign. This is a must read.”—Mark Perry, Author of The Most Dangerous Man in America: The Making of Douglas MacArthur “Aircraft on suicide missions, ignoring intelligence, unreliable sources—9/11?  No, the battle of Leyte, history’s greatest naval fight. In Storm Over Leyte , premiere military historian John Prados, armed with reams of newly uncovered documents, provides a box-seat view of both sides of the infamous conflict. And along the way, he also shows that intelligence failures began long before 9/11.”—James Bamford, Author of The Shadow Factory: The Ultra-Secret NSA from 9/11 to the Eavesdropping on America   “Once again, John Prados has given us an essential study of events we thought we knew well, blending dynamic narration with insight and fine analysis to create the best study of this critical battle yet.”—Theodore F. Cook, PhD, Coauthor of Japan at War: An Oral History “Prados constructs battle narratives that are fluid, dramatic, and engaging.”— Naval History Dr. John Prados , author of Islands of Destiny: The Solomons Campaign and the Eclipse of the Rising Sun and Normandy Crucible: The Decisive Battle that Shaped World War II in Europe , is a senior research fellow on national security affairs, including foreign affairs, intelligence, and military subjects, at the National Security Archive. He also directs the Archive’s Iraq Documentation Project, as well as its Vietnam Project. He holds a PhD in International Relations from Columbia University. His books Vietnam: The History of an Unwinnable War, 1945–1975 ; Keepers of the Keys ; and Combined Fleet Decoded were each nominated for the Pulitzer Prize. He has published articles with Vanity Fair , The Journal of American History , Scientific American , MHQ : The Quarterly Journal of Military History , The New York Times , Los Angeles Times , The Washington Post , and The Boston Globe .