Every now and then we disagree with what one of our syndicated columnists writes, but we still publish the opinion because it is important to be aware of other views.Take the Pearl Harbor attack for an example. There are people who believe that the United States was warned that the Japanese were going to attack Pearl Harbor Dec. 7, 1941. All the other evidence says that is not true. This country knew that the Japanese were a threat, but that’s about all. There was no advanced knowledge that a large Japanese fleet was approaching. Adm. Husband Kimmel, who commanded the U.S. Pacific fleet at the time, was blamed for not being prepared for the attack. Also blamed was Lt. Gen. Walter Short, who was commander of our Army forces in Hawaii.After a brief investigation, a presidential commission found Kimmel and Short guilty of “dereliction of duty.” Both were relieved of their commands, their ranks were lowered, and both retired early. There was no court-martial for either. Many believe high-ranking officers in Washington were to blame for not giving the commanders more fighting materials and equipment that had been requested. The military needed scapegoats.Relatives of Kimmel are still trying to clear his name. They have appealed to Vice President Joe Biden for help. Previous attempts have failed.In his column on this page, Columnist Pat Buchanan, in discussing fake news, writes about the efforts by Great Britain to lure the U.S. into World War II. There is no question about Winston Churchill’s efforts in that regard, along with British agents who produced fake news and propaganda. However, we disagree with Buchanan when he says, “It was FDR who desperately wanted war with Germany, while for all his crimes, Hitler wanted to avoid war with the United States.” The general feeling at the time was that after Hitler conquered the British, America could be next. There was considerable fear of that happening.The truth is, FDR hoped to avoid a war with Germany, but he believed it was inevitable that the U.S. could not avoid getting involved. Since Japan was aligned with Germany, after the attack on Pearl Harbor, Roosevelt asked Congress to declare war on Germany.In so many major events, people do not want to believe the truth. Conspiracy theories abound regardless of the evidence.