In the maelstrom of modern war, presumed certainties crumble like piecrust. Consider two questions asked in the wake of U.S. attacks on Iran.

In April 1943, American code breakers in the Pacific Theater decrypted flight plans of Adm. Isoroku Yamamoto, who had conducted Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor. In May, his plane was destroyed. The New York Times headline was: “‘Gosh!’ Says Roosevelt On Death of Yamamoto.”

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