- 1 day ago
December 7, 1941 marks a turning point in world history, a day that reshaped global events and altered the course of nations. This classic historical film explores the atmosphere, decisions, and consequences surrounding that pivotal moment. Through dramatic storytelling and historical perspective, the film reflects on how a single day can change the direction of history forever.
A timeless portrayal of history, conflict, and human experience from a defining era of the twentieth century.
A timeless portrayal of history, conflict, and human experience from a defining era of the twentieth century.
Category
π₯
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.
08:04Man-made hell.
08:14What?
08:15Black.
08:15What?
10:48All hands take your battle stations.
10:50All hands take your battle stations.
10:52All hands take your battle stations.
11:18All hands take your cycle through.
11:27All hands take your battle stations.
11:32All hands!
11:37Attache!
11:38Attache!
11:42Attache!
11:43Attache!
12:47All hands, abandon ship.
12:51All 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 second phase of the attack began.
14:33The second phase of the attack began.
15:03The third phase of the attack began.
15:04The third phase of the attack began.
15:05The third phase of the attack began.
15:06The third phase of the attack began.
15:07The third phase of the attack began.
15:08The third phase of the attack began.
15:09The third phase of the attack began.
15:10The third phase of the attack began.
15:11The third phase of the attack began.
15:12The third phase of the attack began.
15:13The third phase of the attack began.
15:14The third phase of the attack began.
15:15The third phase of the attack began.
15:16The third phase of the attack began.
15:17The third phase of the attack began.
15:18The third phase of the attack began.
15:19The third phase of the attack began.
15:20The third phase of the attack began.
15:21The third phase of the attack began.
15:22The third phase of the attack began.
15:23The third phase of the attack began.
15:24The third phase of the attack began.
16:25By 9.45, the attack was over.
16:31One hour and 50 minutes of perfidy.
16:34The last wave of the invaders was beaten off.
16:38Yes, beaten off by our men, who against overwhelming odds,
16:42heroically and magnificently gave notice to the world
16:44that we had only begun to fight.
16:47When they sneaked in, they were about 200 strong,
16:51only about 150 when they departed.
16:55Behind them, they left about 50 of their planes.
16:59Most of them were scattered on the airfields
17:01in charred, twisted, and mangled wreckage.
17:04A 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
17:15might have been larger
17:16and the list of our casualties smaller
17:18had we been sufficiently on the alert.
17:20These two-man submarines, three of which were accounted for,
17:25were especially built to operate in shallow waters
17:27such as are found in the Round Pearl Harbor.
17:30This piece of underwater perfidy won't be forgotten.
17:33Yes, this, as indeed the whole diabolical plan of the attack,
17:39was conceived and aimed toward achieving one objective,
17:42and one objective only,
17:44to catch us off guard,
17:46smash our fleet,
17:48cripple our standing as a sea power,
17:50and put us out of business.
17:51In this, it failed.
17:53But tragic and terrible was the scene of destruction.
17:56Heartbreaking,
17:57the sight of ships built to fight and die proudly,
18:00now left burning in shallow graves.
18:03Painful and lamentable the scenes of Hickam,
18:06Wheeler, Kaneohe,
18:08with barracks, hangers, and equipment
18:09a mass of battered debris.
18:12Always, said President Roosevelt,
18:14always will our whole nation remember
18:16the character of the onslaught against us.
18:33A date that will live in infamy,
18:47a record for all history to read in amazement,
18:49in sorrow,
18:51in horror and disgust.
18:53Those also were President Roosevelt's words.
18:57Horror and disgust,
18:58amazement and sorrow.
19:09Sorrow, yes.
19:11Bitter, grievous,
19:13mortifying sorrow.
19:14For on this Sabbath day,
19:182,343 officers and enlisted men
19:22of our Army, Navy, and Marine Corps
19:25gave their young lives
19:27in the service of our country.
19:28Who were these young Americans?
19:33Let us pause for a few minutes
19:35at their hallowed graves
19:36and ask a few of them
19:37to make themselves known.
19:39Who are you, boys?
19:41Come on, speak up, some of you.
19:42I am Robert R. Kelly,
19:45United States Army.
19:47I came from Finlay, Ohio.
19:50My parents are Mr. and Mrs. James E. Kelly.
19:54I am Alfred Aaron Rosenthal,
19:57United States Navy.
19:58I lived in Brooklyn, New York.
20:01My parents are Mr. and Mrs. Henry L. Rosenthal.
20:06I am Theodore Stephen Zabel,
20:08United States Marine Corps.
20:09My hometown is Castalia, Iowa.
20:14Those are my parents,
20:16Mr. and Mrs. Stephen Zabel.
20:20I am Moses Anderson Allen,
20:22United States Navy.
20:24I lived on a farm
20:25in cold North Carolina.
20:28My mother is Mrs. Abby Allen.
20:33I am James Webster Late,
20:35United States Navy.
20:37I'm from Huntington Park, California.
20:40My folks are Mr. and Mrs. William J. Late.
20:46I am Antonio S. Tafoya,
20:48United States Army.
20:50I live just outside of Albuquerque, New Mexico.
20:55My father and mother
20:56are Mr. and Mrs. Jesus A. Tafoya.
20:58I am Lieutenant William R. Schick,
21:03United States Army Medical Corps.
21:06My 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
21:24he was born on your birthday.
21:26Oh, that's swell.
21:28Thanks.
21:29But tell me one thing, Lieutenant.
21:31How does it happen that all of you
21:33sound and talk alike?
21:34We are all alike.
21:37We are all Americans.
21:41Oh, fathers, go to thee
21:49Oh, fathers, go to thee
22:00To thee we live
22:06Long may our land be bright
22:17With freedom
22:22With freedom
22:22Holy light
22:29Protect us
22:36By thine might
22:44Oh, fathers, go to thee
22:49Great, good
22:52Oh, fathers, go to thee
22:55Amen
23:05Amen
23:09Amen
23:41Tokyo is calling Nagasaki.
24:00Tobi, Ataro.
24:06His 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.
24:33Here 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.
24:52The aircraft carrier Enterprise capsized and lost.
24:56Incorrect.
24:58That's the old target ship Utah.
25:01The battleship Oklahoma capsized and lost.
25:05Capsized, but not lost.
25:08Plans are underway for righting her.
25:10The battleship California, Nevada, and West Virginia,
25:16permanently damaged beyond repair.
25:19Now, temporarily damaged.
25:21But just a minute, Mr. Tojo, before you go any further with your facts,
25:25meet Captain H.N. Wallen of our Navy.
25:27He is the Bureau of Ships expert on salvage and repair.
25:30Together with hundreds of civilian technicians,
25:33machinists, welders, mechanics, engineers,
25:36many of whom were recruited from the mainland
25:38and 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.
26:04Above and below the water's surface,
26:06this epic of masterful engineering went on.
26:10Captain 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,
26:46known affectionately to our blue jackets as a prune barge,
26:49with her ugly wounds temporarily bound,
26:51was refloated and towed to dry dock.
26:57Similar attention was given to the 28-year-old Nevada
27:00and the 21-year-old West Virginia.
27:03Here in dry dock, in record-breaking time,
27:09they were overhauled and then cruised,
27:11from stem to stern, from hull to peak.
27:15Now dressed in their up-to-the-minute fighting garb,
27:18and raring to go,
27:20these mighty warriors and their proud crews stand out to sea.
27:24Godspeed.
27:24But wait a minute.
27:46Who is this saucy little gal, Captain Wallen?
27:48By George, it looks like this.
27:51Yes, it is.
27:52The mine layer of Glala.
27:55A 4,000-ton surprise package.
27:59Given up and reported as lost,
28:00this former Fall River Line passenger ship
28:03was righted and refloated.
28:05Taken to dry dock,
28:07this small, dauntless craft was refitted and repaired.
28:09Now, spankin' new,
28:12a symbol of the fighting spirit of our men
28:14who build and man our ships,
28:17this veteran of World War I
28:18again takes up her battle station.
28:21Godspeed, old girl.
28:29So you see, Mr. Tojo,
28:31how poorly your facts stand up.
28:33Sorry to have interrupted.
28:35That which is left of the Pacific fleet
28:38is now in the solitary flight
28:39seeking shelter
28:41in the Panama Canal.
28:43Before, you were lying.
28:45Now, you're fishing.
28:47All ships being raised
28:48between the United States mainland
28:50and Hawaii are blockaded.
28:52And now, you're wishing.
28:56No phantom ships leave, Mr. Tojo,
28:58but a huge convoy from the mainland.
29:01Three dozen ships,
29:03quite a number for blockade runners.
29:05They're loaded to the gunwales
29:07with reinforcements and supplies.
29:10And here's a tip, Mr. Tojo.
29:11More of these convoys are on the way.
29:14Yes, convoy after convoy.
29:16Men in ever-increasing numbers.
29:19Supplies in ever-increasing quantity.
29:23For thanks to Washington's
29:24farsighted program,
29:25we did manage,
29:26before December 7th,
29:28despite many internal difficulties
29:29and disagreements,
29:31to build up the strength
29:32of our armed forces
29:33and start our factories humming.
29:37So that today,
29:38behind a heavy curtain
29:39of military censorship,
29:41Hawaii stands
29:42the greatest military
29:43and naval fortress in the world.
29:47Yes, virtually overnight,
29:49the island scene changed.
29:51War had come
29:52to America's tropical suburb.
29:54The Axis brand of war.
29:56A stab in the back
29:57Sunday morning.
30:00The din of the last bomb
30:01had barely faded
30:02when Governor Poindexter
30:03proclaimed martial law
30:04for the civilian population.
30:07Windows were taped
30:09in order to reduce
30:09the dangers
30:10from flying glass.
30:12Vital installations
30:13were camouflaged
30:14and protected
30:15by sandbags
30:16and barbed wire.
30:18Barbed wire!
30:19Mountains of it!
30:21Strung along every foot
30:22of Oahu's colorful coasts.
30:24Strung across its highways.
30:28Around its schools
30:30and its public buildings.
30:32Everywhere the earth
30:33was tunneled
30:34to provide shelter
30:35from shrapnel and strafing.
30:38Public squares,
30:39parks, and playgrounds
30:40were uprooted.
30:42Sturdy concrete shelters
30:43were built
30:44and distributed
30:45throughout the city.
30:47An efficient air raid
30:48warning system
30:49was put into operation
30:49and for the first time
30:51in history,
30:52American schoolchildren
30:54were brought face to face
30:56with the grim reality
30:57of war.
31:11Even tiny little tots
31:13confused and bewildered
31:14were taught to march
31:15into zigzag trenches.
31:17How difficult
31:18to convey to them
31:19the why or wherefore
31:21of this strange game.
31:24Still more difficult
31:25to explain the need
31:26for these monstrous
31:27looking things.
31:28But the fathers
31:29and mothers
31:30of Hawaii did.
31:32For this war
31:32is a war of survival.
31:34A people's war.
31:37Even a little people's war.
31:39Yes,
31:40your bombs,
31:41Mr. Tojo,
31:41brought many changes.
31:43And in no small measure
31:44served to further
31:45complicate
31:46the already complex life
31:47of the Japanese
31:48in Hawaii.
31:50As though to permanently
31:50erase their relationship
31:52with the homeland,
31:53they wiped out
31:54or removed
31:55every vestige
31:56of the written
31:56Japanese word.
31:58Closed are the language
31:59schools.
32:01Empty and boarded up
32:03the Shinto temples.
32:05Gone the flag
32:06of the rising sun.
32:09This young American Japanese
32:11gave the best illustration
32:12that over Hawaii,
32:14the rising sun
32:15had begun to set.
32:16Thus war came
32:23to Hawaii,
32:24USA.
32:26The Aloha Tower,
32:28once the symbol
32:28of welcome
32:29and hospitality,
32:30now stands clad
32:32in weird war paint.
32:34No longer
32:35do luxurious liners
32:36bring vacation-bent tourists
32:37to these once happy isles.
32:40The liners, too,
32:41have gone to war.
32:43No longer
32:44is Waikiki Beach
32:45the sun-kissed
32:46playground
32:47of the Pacific.
32:49Barbed wire
32:50has changed
32:50its face, too.
32:52Now,
32:53at twilight,
32:54the city streets
32:55are empty
32:56and deserted.
32:58Blackouts start
32:59each day promptly
32:59at dusk.
33:03Well,
33:03you may crow,
33:04Mr. Tojo.
33:05You've done a good job
33:07of stabbing in the back.
33:08You've darkened
33:09our cities.
33:11You've destroyed
33:12our property.
33:12You've spilled
33:14our blood.
33:16Our faith
33:16tells us
33:17that to all
33:18this treachery
33:19there can be
33:20but one answer,
33:22a time-honored
33:23answer.
33:24For all they
33:26that take the sword
33:27shall perish
33:29with the sword.
33:30said I was
33:32ever
33:33because
33:34I'm
33:34a time-honored
33:35sister.
33:37You've Deadpool
33:37is therefore
33:38and an
33:40new
33:41to the
33:41one.
33:42Have you started
33:42coming up on Oh!
33:43Bye!
33:44Bye!
33:45εΌ· Π!
33:45Bye!
33:47Bye!
33:47Hi!
33:47Bye!
33:47Bye!
33:48Bye!
33:48Bye!
33:49Bye!
33:49Bye!
33:49Bye!
33:49Bye!
33:50Bye!
33:50Bye!
33:51Bye!
33:51Bye!
33:52Bye!
33:52Bye!
33:52Bye!
33:53Bye!
33:54Bye!
33:55Bye!
33:55Bye!
33:56Bye!
33:57Bye!
33:58Bye!
33:58Bye!
33:58Bye!
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