11/25/98

Pearl Harbor

The Pearl Harbor Naval Base on the Hawaiian island of Oahu is the hub of United States Pacific naval power. Most of the Navy's major commands have headquarters there. Yet even after fifty- seven years, its name is still synomous with the surprise Japanese attack of "December 7, 1941 — a date which will live in infamy." The United States suffered 3,700 casualties, along with damage to twenty-one ships and 300 planes.

Attack at Pearl Harbor

"The surprise was complete. The attacking planes came in two waves; the first hit its target at 7:53 AM, the second at 8:55. By 9:55 it was all over. By 1:00 PM the carriers that launched the planes from 274 miles off the coast of Oahu were heading back to Japan." This single page description of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor includes quotes from eyewitnesses and some amazing photographs.

December 7: Today in History

This short Library of Congress page is peppered with links to original documents such as the telegram from a ranking United States naval officer in Pearl Harbor that "provided the first official word of the attack at the ill-prepared Pearl Harbor base. It said simply: AIR RAID ON PEARL HARBOR X THIS IS NOT DRILL." One of the gems to be found on the USS Arizona page is a recording of the ship's bell. Where else but on the Net?

Pearl Harbor Remembered

Propaganda posters began to appear in early 1942, as the country prepared for war. One of the first, created soon after the Pearl Harbor attack, declared "Remember Dec. 7th!" As the war continued, the cry changed to "Remember Pearl Harbor." The Oregonian (of Portland) is generally credited with this phrase that became the rallying call of a nation at war. Pearl Harbor Remembered is both extensive and excellent. Explore the rest of the site by following the link to the Main Menu.

Radio in 1941

"Yesterday December 7, 1941 — a date which will live in infamy — the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan." It took President Roosevelt less than six minutes to read his speech to the Congress of the United States, and it contains one of the most famous phrases ever uttered by an American President. Hear it yourself at this unique site (created by a broadcast historian) which addresses the question: What was happening in the media in 1941?

USS Arizona Memorial: Pearl Harbor

"The attack on Pearl Harbor was the culmination of a decade of deteriorating relations between Japan and the United States over the status of China and the security of Southeast Asia. The breakdown began in 1931 when Japanese army extremists in defiance of government policy, invaded and overran the northernmost Chinese province of Manchuria. Japan ignored American protests, and in the summer of 1937 launched a full-scale attack on the rest of China." Come here for insight into the events leading up to the attack, as well as a memorial to the 1,177 crewman killed aboard the USS Arizona.

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