Pearl Harbor

As dawn lit the Hawaiian skies on December 7, 1941, Americans stationed at Pearl Harbor had no clue their world was about to explode. Pearl, the strategic Pacific base, was about to become the scene of unbelievable tragedy.

 To the west of Hawaii, the Japanese fleet had maintained strict radio silence. Transmission fuses had even been removed from radios to make sure no messages could be intercepted. This was to be a surprise attack. Secrecy was paramount.

To the east, in Washington D.C., Japanese diplomats were told to delay their scheduled meeting with the American Secretary of State. Their government wanted to buy time as Imperial attack forces (including two-man midget submarines) prepared to wipe out America's Pacific Fleet.

The attack was well-planned and executed. As Americans reacted in horror, their president drafted a speech which contained one of his most-famous lines. "Day in infamy" was not President Roosevelt's first choice of words, however. To know what he originally said, you have to look at the surviving manuscript (with its handwritten edits).

After the war was over, Americans captured photos which Japanese pilots took during the attack. They are now maintained in the U.S. archives and are linked in this story. So are hundreds of additional primary sources, including photos of burning ships along battleship row, and elsewhere.

Take a virtual trip to the Pearl Harbor of December 7th, 1941. Review the first telegram announcing the attack which declared: “This is no drill.” Hear the president declare war on the empire of Japan. Review testimony of sailors who saw the USS Arizona explode. And review, with the benefit of hindsight, intercepted Japanese messages which reached commanders on the ground after the attack was underway.