I've heard this many times before, sometimes with legitimate sounding evidence to back it up. That we wanted a way to enter the war with public opinion on our side. I know the topic is listed as a fringe conspiracy but are there any documents or statements that back up the idea of foreknowledge of the event to allow the attack to occur?
This is not intended to squelch further discussion, data, expansion:
I'm a bit astonished that this isn't in the FAQ (or at at least it isn't under Pearl Harbor).
A quick search finds Did the American leadership know about the attack on Pearl Harbor before it happened?. It debunks the notion, but I don't think it's decisive or thorough enough.
Also, Was there any previous knowledge of Pearl Harbor? has some comments by /u/aidansummer, /u/MarkDLincoln, and /u/davratta.