"AIR RAID ON PEARL HARBOR. THIS IS NO DRILL."The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor catapulted the United States into World War II. On December 7, 1941, the U.S. naval base on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, was subject to an attack that was one of the greatest military surprises in the history of warfare. In less than 2 hours, the U.S. Pacific Fleet was devastated, and more than 3,500 Americans were either killed or wounded.--Telegram from Commander in Chief of the Pacific Fleet (CINCPAC) to all ships in Hawaiian area, December 7, 1941
U.S.S. Shaw exploding during the Japanese raid on Pearl
Harbor, December 7, 1941
(National Archives, Still Picture Branch, 80-G-16871 )
The American people were outraged. Though diplomatic relations
between the United States and Japan were deteriorating, they had
not yet broken off at the time of the attack. Instantly, the
incident united the American people in a massive mobilization for
war and strengthened American resolve to guard against any future
lapse of military alertness.
Radiogram reporting the Pearl Harbor attack, December 7,
1941
President Roosevelt's famous "Day of Infamy" speech was a call to
arms. One day after the attack, he expressed outrage at Japan
and confidence in the "inevitable triumph" of the United States.
On December 8 the United States declared war against Japan; on
December 11 Germany and Italy declared war against the United
States.
President Franklin D. Roosevelt's address to Congress,
December 8, 1941 (detail)
You can read the pages of the Roosevelt's address:
National Archives, Records of the U.S. Senate, exhibited with the permission of the Senate.You can hear a selection from the "Day of Infamy" speech:
The National Archives holds one of the largest collections of World War II documents in the world. Preserved in a number of the Archives nationwide facilities, the records chronicle the conflict from many points of view: Allied and Axis, homefront and battlefront, general and foot soldier.
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