- 1 year ago
Experience the historic Oscar-winning documentary December 7th (1941), directed by John Ford and Gregg Toland.
This World War II film, produced by the U.S. government, captures the events of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and the impact it had on America and the world.
This version is in the public domain and preserved for educational and historical purposes.
Watch this classic war documentary to learn more about the turning point that brought the United States into World War II.
This World War II film, produced by the U.S. government, captures the events of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and the impact it had on America and the world.
This version is in the public domain and preserved for educational and historical purposes.
Watch this classic war documentary to learn more about the turning point that brought the United States into World War II.
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Short filmTranscript
00:00Your War and Navy Departments present December 7th.
00:30The End
00:59Early Sunday morning, on the island of Oahu.
01:13On a hilltop, Uncle Sam lay fast asleep,
01:16warned of the fire that was licking across the oceans from without,
01:20warned of the dangers that were threatening from within,
01:23tired from wrangling with his conscience
01:25and fatigued after a long, dark night full of disturbing events
01:29as indeed the year 1941 was.
01:32He slept in the early Sabbath calm.
01:35Safe and secure behind its military and naval ramparts,
01:39the city of Honolulu, like many another unsuspecting American community,
01:43was also asleep.
01:45At all the Army and Navy establishments on the island,
01:47after repeated warnings from the War and Navy Departments,
01:50a number one alert had secretly been in effect for 11 days.
01:53This alert provided suitable defense against possible acts of sabotage
01:58and uprisings within the island itself,
02:01but made no provision against attack or invasion.
02:05At Hickam Field, the Army's bomber base,
02:08precautions were taken to safeguard the equipment against sabotage.
02:11Hence, on this Sunday morning,
02:14the planes were concentrated in hangars
02:16or lined up row by row on the open field.
02:21Immediately adjacent to Hickam Field is Pearl Harbor,
02:24the Navy's hundred-million-dollar fist.
02:28Here, on this morning of a tragic day of reckoning,
02:31capital ships, heavy and light cruisers, lay at anchor.
02:35At anchor two lay several destroyers, tenders, minesweepers,
02:40and repair ships, 86 vessels in all.
02:44By seven o'clock, the city began to stir.
02:49For the most part, the atmosphere was serene and quiet.
02:53At Hickam Field, ground crews were at work.
02:57On a dock in Pearl Harbor,
03:00a few blue jackets idled away a few minutes.
03:02At Coniore, a field mass was being held.
03:11Shipmates, today is the third Sunday of Advent,
03:15the 7th of December,
03:16which means that Christmas is not far ahead.
03:20I don't have to remind you fellows
03:22that the old Earlene is about to shove off
03:24carrying Christmas gifts and letters to the home site.
03:29Why not buy them a few presents?
03:32You might get them, uh, get Mother a pukaki lay,
03:36or a little sister of who's skirt.
03:40I think they'd rather have something
03:41for little Johnny out here in Hawaii.
03:44This is the time when
03:46you're going to be missed.
03:50So,
03:51send them a present for Christmas.
03:53But that letter is so important, however.
03:56Don't put that off.
03:57A few minutes past 7,
03:59an incident occurred at a temporary
04:01Army aircraft warning station.
04:03This station, as indeed the entire aircraft warning system,
04:06had officially closed at 7.
04:08But Private Joseph L. Lockhart,
04:09who had been receiving training here,
04:11was granted permission to remain at the station.
04:13While listening, he discovered something
04:15coming over the detector that alarmed him.
04:17He listened intensely.
04:19Then, certain of his findings,
04:21he called the Central Information Center.
04:23An inexperienced lieutenant answered the phone.
04:25Excuse me, sir.
04:26This is Private Lockhart.
04:28I believe a large flight of planes
04:29are approaching slightly east of north of Oahu
04:32at a distance of about 130 miles.
04:34It must be our own.
04:36We're expecting some B-17s in the mainland.
04:39Thank you, sir.
04:40This incident, where it's acted upon,
04:42would have given our forces
04:43brief but precious time for defense action
04:45and may have considerably affected
04:47the events of this fateful day.
04:50Regrettably, Private Lockhart's warning went unheeded.
04:53It was 7.50 a.m. by the clock on the Aloha Tower
04:57when the drone of planes was faintly heard.
05:06Out of the misty Pacific skies,
05:32like tiny locusts,
05:34they swarmed in from the sea.
05:44From the south.
05:52From the southeast.
05:59And from the north.
06:04At this very moment,
06:09on a quiet Sunday afternoon in Washington,
06:12Japan's smooth-talking, grinning envoys,
06:15Nomura and Kurusu,
06:17were blandly delivering to Mr. Hull
06:19a lengthy protestation of Japan's peace intentions.
06:23Yes, at this very deceitful moment,
06:26about 200 of Japan's messengers of death
06:28swooped in over our Pacific paradise.
06:30On they came, wave after wave,
06:34boldly, fearlessly.
06:36They had little to fear.
06:39They knew that our task forces were at sea,
06:41and they knew their disposition.
06:43They knew that no long-distance airplane reconnaissance,
06:46no inshore airplane patrol,
06:48was being maintained.
06:50They knew from detailed maps they carried with them
06:52the exact location of vital airfields,
06:55hangars, and other structures.
06:58Each was given a specific objective,
07:00and straight toward that objective he came.
07:02Over the Kuklau Range.
07:21Pass the Polly.
07:22Pass Diamond Heads.
07:39And over Waikiki Beach,
07:42the treachery of an empire was on the way.
07:50Planned for months with brilliant coming,
07:52favored by our lack of readiness
07:54with the sky and sea all their own,
07:57at 7.55 a.m.,
07:59hell broke loose.
08:01Man-made hell.
08:03Made in Japan.
08:04Made in Japan.
08:15What?
10:45All hands, take your battle stations.
10:52All hands take your battle stations.
10:57All hands take your battle stations.
11:01All hands take your battle stations.
11:04All hands take your battle stations.
11:27All hands take your battle stations.
11:33All hands take your battle stations.
11:38All hands take your battle stations.
11:46It's a monument Allez, if you are out.
11:49Oh, my God.
12:19Oh, my God.
12:49All hands abandon ship.
12:52The ferocity of the attack momentarily subsided.
13:07In the city, the people, awakened by the bombardment, believed the Army and Navy were staging large-scale maneuvers.
13:16Scattered bombs, incendiaries, and machine gun fire had changed their minds.
13:20One gentleman, when interviewed by a reporter, was stubborn and refused to change his mind.
13:37I don't think it is an attack by Japan.
13:40But you must have seen the Japanese plane.
13:42No, I did not.
13:43What about the bombing and gunfire?
13:45I thought the Army and Navy were having maneuvers.
13:48Look, Mr. Key, do you know that I know that you know that this is an attack by Japan?
13:52I have nothing to say.
13:54And judging by the smoke pouring out of your chimney, there will be nothing left to show.
13:58I have nothing to say.
14:01The second phase of the attack began.
14:03The third phase of the attack began.
14:20The third phase of the attack began.
14:25The third phase of the attack began.
16:25By 9.45 the attack was over.
16:31One hour and 50 minutes of perfidy.
16:33The last wave of the invaders was beaten off.
16:38Yes, beaten off by our men who against overwhelming odds, heroically and magnificently gave notice to the world that we had only begun to fight.
16:47When they sneaked in, they were about 200 strong.
16:51Only about 150 when they departed.
16:53Behind them, they left about 50 of their planes.
16:58Most of them were scattered on the airfields in charred, twisted, and mangled wreckage.
17:03A few had crashed into the sea and were washed up on the shore.
17:08Some were shot out of the sky and plunged headlong into the harbor.
17:12Grim telltale evidence that the list of dead Japs might have been larger and the list of our casualties smaller had we been sufficiently on the alert.
17:20These two-man submarines, three of which were accounted for, were especially built to operate in shallow waters such as are found in the Round Pearl Harbor.
17:30This piece of underwater perfidy won't be forgotten.
17:34Yes, this, as indeed the whole diabolical plan of the attack, was conceived and aimed toward achieving one objective, and one objective only.
17:44To catch us off guard, smash our fleet, cripple our standing as a sea power, and put us out of business.
17:51In this, it failed.
17:53But tragic and terrible was the scene of destruction.
17:55Heartbreaking, the sight of ships built to fight and die proudly, now left burning in shallow graves.
18:03Painful and lamentable, the scenes of Hickam, Wheeler, Kaneohe, with barracks, hangers, and equipment a mass of battered debris.
18:12Always, said President Roosevelt, always will our whole nation remember the character of the onslaught against us.
18:25A date that will live in infamy.
18:47A record for all history to read in amazement, in sorrow, in horror, and disgust.
18:52Those also were President Roosevelt's words.
18:57Horror and disgust.
18:59Amazement and sorrow.
19:09Sorrow, yes.
19:11Bitter, grievous, mortifying sorrow.
19:14For on this Sabbath day, 2,343 officers and enlisted men of our Army, Navy, and Marine Corps gave their young lives in the service of our country.
19:29Who were these young Americans?
19:33Let us pause for a few minutes at their hallowed graves and ask a few of them to make themselves known.
19:39Who are you, boys?
19:41Come on, speak up, some of you.
19:42I am Robert R. Kelly, United States Army.
19:47I came from Finlay, Ohio.
19:50My parents are Mr. and Mrs. James E. Kelly.
19:54I am Alfred Aaron Rosenthal, United States Navy.
19:59I lived in Brooklyn, New York.
20:01My parents are Mr. and Mrs. Henry L. Rosenthal.
20:04I am Theodore Stephen Zabo, United States Marine Corps.
20:10My hometown is Castalia, Iowa.
20:14Those are my parents, Mr. and Mrs. Stephen Zabo.
20:17I am Moses Anderson Allen, United States Navy.
20:23I lived on a farm in Colt, North Carolina.
20:28My mother is Mrs. Abby Allen.
20:30I am James Webster Late, United States Navy.
20:37I'm from Huntington Park, California.
20:41My folks are Mr. and Mrs. William J. Late.
20:43I am Antonio S. Tafoya, United States Army.
20:50I live just outside of Albuquerque, New Mexico.
20:55My father and mother are Mr. and Mrs. Jesus A. Tafoya.
20:58I am Lieutenant William R. Schick, United States Army Medical Corps.
21:05My home was Chicago, Illinois.
21:09My parents are Mr. and Mrs. William H. Schick.
21:12My wife's name is Lois.
21:15You have a baby now, Lieutenant.
21:17He was born three months after Pearl Harbor.
21:20He's named after you, Billy.
21:23And you may be pleased to know he was born on your birthday.
21:26Oh, that's swell.
21:27Well, thanks.
21:29But tell me one thing, Lieutenant.
21:31How does it happen that all of you sound and talk alike?
21:35We are all alike.
21:37We are all Americans.
21:39Oh, Father, let's go to thee.
21:51Oh, Father.
21:53Long may our land be bright with freedom.
21:55Long may our land be bright with freedom.
22:23Holy light, protect us by thy might.
22:28Holy light, protect us by thy might.
22:45Great God.
22:47Great God.
22:53Amen.
22:57Amen.
23:00Amen.
23:05Amen.
23:07Amen.
23:09Amen.
23:10Amen.
23:12Amen.
23:13Amen.
23:14Amen.
23:15Amen.
23:16Amen.
23:17Amen.
23:18Amen.
23:19Amen.
23:20Amen.
23:21Amen.
23:22Amen.
23:23Amen.
23:24Amen.
23:25Amen.
23:26Amen.
23:27Amen.
23:28Amen.
23:29Amen.
23:30Amen.
23:31Amen.
23:32Amen.
23:33Amen.
23:34Amen.
23:35Amen.
23:36Amen.
23:37Amen.
23:38Amen.
23:39Amen.
23:40Tokyo is calling Nagasaki.
24:02Kobai, Otaro.
24:04His Excellency Premier General Hideki Tojo will report to the nation.
24:12For many years, the democracy of the United States has threatened to enslave the life of our peace-loving nation.
24:21That threat has now effectively been disposed of.
24:25I have the honor to report that our bombers have struck an annihilating blow at United States sea power.
24:38Here are the facts.
24:40Almost immediately, the crowing began.
24:43Let's listen to the facts.
24:45The battleship Arizona sunk and lost.
24:49Regrettably, that's correct, Mr. Tojo.
24:52Aircraft carrier Enterprise, capsized and lost.
24:56Incorrect.
24:57That's the old target ship Utah.
25:00The battleship Oklahoma, capsized and lost.
25:05Capsized, but not lost.
25:07Plans are underway for righting her.
25:10The battleship California, Nevada, and West Virginia, finally damaged beyond repair.
25:19Temporarily damaged.
25:21But just a minute, Mr. Tojo, before you go any further with your facts,
25:24meet Captain H.N. Wallen of our Navy.
25:26He is the Bureau of Ships expert on salvage and repair.
25:30Together with hundreds of civilian technicians,
25:32machinists, welders, mechanics, engineers,
25:35many of whom were recruited from the mainland and working in complete harmony with Navy personnel,
25:40he began a 24-hour, around-the-clock job of salvage and repair
25:45that will stand forever as one of the great achievements in maritime history.
26:03Above and below the water's surface, this epic of masterful engineering went on.
26:08Captain Wallen has proved you a mighty tall storyteller, Mr. Tojo.
26:14He calls your facts by a rich Navy word, scuttlebutt.
26:19And from the very moment the attack was over,
26:21he set out to scuttle your kind of scuttlebutt.
26:24The 23-year-old California, known affectionately to our blue jackets as a prune barge,
26:37with her ugly wounds temporarily bound, was refloated and towed to dry dock.
26:54Similar attention was given to the 28-year-old Nevada and the 21-year-old West Virginia.
27:02Here in dry dock, in record-breaking time, they were overhauled and then cruised,
27:10from stem to stern, from hull to peak.
27:13Now dressed in their up-to-the-minute fighting garb and raring to go,
27:18these mighty warriors and their proud crews stand out to sea.
27:23Godspeed.
27:24But wait a minute, who is this saucy little gal, Captain Wallen?
27:35By George, it looks like this.
27:38Yes, it is.
27:39The mine layer of Glala.
27:41A 4,000-ton surprise package.
27:44Given up and reported as lost,
27:46this former Fall River Line passenger ship was righted and refloated.
27:50But wait a minute, who is this saucy little gal, Captain Wallen?
27:52By George, it looks like this.
27:54Yes, it is.
27:55The mine layer of Glala.
27:57A 4,000-ton surprise package.
28:00This former Fall River Line passenger ship was righted and refloated.
28:05Taken to dry dock, this small, dauntless craft was refitted and repaired.
28:10Now spankin' new, a symbol of the fighting spirit of our men who build and man our ships,
28:16this veteran of World War I again takes up her battle station.
28:21Godspeed, old girl.
28:23Do you see, Mr. Tojo, how poorly your facts stand up?
28:33Sorry to have interrupted.
28:35That which is left of the Pacific fleet is now in the solitary flight seeking shelter in the Panama Canal.
28:43Before you were lying.
28:45Now you're fishing.
28:46All ships being raised between the United States mainland and Hawaii are blockaded.
28:52And now you're wishing.
28:55No phantom ships leave, Mr. Tojo.
28:58But a huge convoy from the mainland.
29:01Three dozen ships.
29:03Quite a number for blockade runners.
29:05And they're loaded to the gunwales with reinforcements and supplies.
29:09And here's a tip, Mr. Tojo.
29:11More of these convoys are on the way.
29:13Yes, convoy after convoy.
29:16Men in ever-increasing numbers.
29:18Supplies in ever-increasing quantity.
29:21On Thursday.
29:22For thanks to Washington's far-sighted program, we did manage before December 7th, despite many internal difficulties and disagreements, to build up the strength of our armed forces and start our factories humming.
29:36So that today, behind a heavy curtain of military censorship, Hawaii stands the greatest military and naval fortress in the world.
29:47Yes, virtually overnight, the island scene changed.
29:51War had come to America's tropical suburb.
29:54The Axis brand of war.
29:56A stab in the back Sunday morning.
29:59The din of the last bomb had barely faded when Governor Poindexter proclaimed martial law for the civilian population.
30:07Windows were taped in order to reduce the dangers from flying glass.
30:12Vital installations were camouflaged and protected by sandbags and barbed wire.
30:17Barbed wire!
30:18Mountains of it!
30:20Strung along every foot of Oahu's colorful coasts.
30:24Strung across its highways.
30:27Around its schools and its public buildings.
30:32Everywhere the earth was tunneled to provide shelter from shrapnel and strafing.
30:37Public squares, parks and playgrounds were uprooted.
30:41Sturdy concrete shelters were built and distributed throughout the city.
30:46An efficient air raid warning system was put into operation.
30:49And for the first time in history, American school children were brought face to face with the grim reality of war.
31:07Even tiny little tots, confused and bewildered, were taught to march into zigzag trenches.
31:17How difficult to convey to them the why or wherefore of this strange game.
31:23Still more difficult to explain the need for these monstrous looking things.
31:28But the fathers and mothers of Hawaii did.
31:31For this war is a war of survival.
31:34A people's war.
31:36Even a little people's war.
31:39Yes, your bombs, Mr. Tojo, brought many changes.
31:42And in no small measure served to further complicate the already complex life of the Japanese in Hawaii.
31:49As though to permanently erase their relationship with the homeland,
31:52they wiped out or removed every vestige of the written Japanese word.
31:57Closed are the language schools.
32:00Empty and boarded up the Shinto temples.
32:04Gone the flag of the rising sun.
32:07This young American Japanese gave the best illustration that over Hawaii,
32:13the rising sun had begun to set.
32:22Thus, war came to Hawaii, USA.
32:25The Aloha Tower, once the symbol of welcome and hospitality,
32:30now stands clad in weird war paint.
32:33No longer do luxurious liners bring vacation-bent tourists to these once happy isles.
32:39The liners, too, have gone to war.
32:43No longer is Waikiki Beach the sun-kissed playground of the Pacific.
32:48Barbed wire has changed its face, too.
32:52Now, at twilight, the city streets are empty and deserted.
32:57Blackouts start each day promptly at dusk.
33:02Well, you may crow, Mr. Tojo.
33:05You've done a good job of stabbing in the back.
33:08You've darkened our cities.
33:10You've destroyed our property.
33:12You've spilled our blood.
33:15Our faith tells us that to all this treachery,
33:19there can be but one answer.
33:21A time-honored answer.
33:23For all they that take the sword
33:27shall perish with the sword.
33:30?
33:33?
33:35?
33:36?
33:38?
33:40?
33:41?
33:43?
33:45?
33:46?
33:47?
33:48?
33:49?
33:50?