Day of Infamy
This photo shows Roosevelt delivering his “Day of Infamy” speech to Congress. To the right, in uniform, is Roosevelt’s son James, who escorted his father to the Capitol. Seated in the back are V.P. Henry Wallace and Speaker Sam Rayburn. December 8, 1941.
The National Archives holds typed copies of the final drafts of this seminal speech, with a few of FDR’s handwritten corrections. However, archivists at the FDR Library believe the original reading copy, like reading copies of other FDR speeches, was in a completely different form, very distinctive in size and format and different from the legislative copies in House and Senate files.
Apparently, neither FDR nor his son, James, who accompanied him, brought it back to the White House and its whereabouts, 70 years later, remains a mystery.
Source: fdrlibrary.marist.edu
“Yesterday, December 7, 1941— a date which will live in infamy— the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by the naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan.”
-President Franklin D. Roosevelt
You know the words, now listen to President Roosevelt’s voice - FDR’s Day of Infamy speech delivered to a joint session of Congress on December 8, 1941.
Source: fdrlibrary.marist.edu
Commemorating the 70th Anniversary of the Attack on Pearl Harbor
There were a ton of great blog entries yesterday from the National Archives commemorating the 70th Anniversary of the Pearl Harbor attacks. If you haven’t seen them all, check out this great link round-up created by one of our Prologue bloggers.
Source: congressarchives
“THIS IS NOT A DRILL”
At 7:55 a.m. December 7, 1941, Japanese bombers and torpedo planes attacked the U.S. Pacific fleet anchored at Pearl Harbor, catapulting the United States into World War II. In less than 2 hours, the U.S. Pacific Fleet was devastated, and more than 3,500 Americans were either killed or wounded.
Source: research.archives.gov
“Whatever is asked of us, I am sure we can accomplish it”
-Eleanor Roosevelt
On the evening of the Pearl Harbor attacks, Eleanor Roosevelt was to give one of her regular radio addresses. Mrs. Roosevelt set aside her previously prepared text and became the first public figure to speak to the Nation after the attack.
This page is from the draft of her radio address, December 7, 1941.
-from FDR Day by Day
Source: fdrlibrary.marist.edu
“Remember Pearl Harbor” quickly became a rallying cry for Americans as the nation entered World War II. The expression appeared frequently in the press, on posters, and in other media throughout the war. These words were also incorporated into hand-made items produced by everyday Americans. Some sent their handiworks to the President as gifts.
This painted cast iron weathervane was made by Claude C. Ferdinand of Hawthorne, New Jersey shortly after the Pearl Harbor attack. It depicts Colonial American soldiers flanking an American eagle and a “V” for victory symbol. Mr. Ferdinand sent his weathervane to President Franklin D. Roosevelt on January 27, 1942.
Source: fdrlibrary.wordpress.com
What was President Franklin Roosevelt doing on December 7, 1941, before he learned of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor? Which advisers did he summon when he realized that America was on the brink of war?
Most Americans know where the President was on December 8th, but where was he on December 6th … or the 9th? Find the answers in a new feature from the Roosevelt Library, FDR Day by Day, an interactive timeline that traces FDR’s appointments, travel schedule, social events, guests, and more.
On the afternoon of December 7, 1941, President Roosevelt was in his Oval Study in the white House having lunch. The lunch was interrupted at 1:40 p.m. by a telephone call from Secretary of the Navy, Frank Knox, who told him Pearl Harbor was under attack and that the military command had emphasized that this was “no drill.” This Memorandum was one of the first written damage assessments presented to the President. In his own hand, Roosevelt indicated the date and time he received it.
Source: fdrlibrary.marist.edu
Preserving Pearl Harbor Documents
Service jacket and salvaged service record, with Navy envelope, of William Wells. Wells enlisted at Kansas City, Mo. on Jan. 1, 1940, and died Dec. 7, 1941, at Pearl Harbor after achieving the rank of Signalman 3rd class. Also lost that day was his brother, Raymond Virgil Wells. They were one of 23 sets of brothers on the Arizona who died that day.
One of the most important decisions a conservator can make is not how to complete a treatment, but when NOT to treat. An important example of this can be found in the records salvaged from the U.S.S. Arizona after it was bombed on Dec. 7, 1941. These service records, which were held one level below the main deck, were not submerged in water but were subjected to heat, fire, and high humidity. Salvaged by the Navy and sealed in envelopes which contained the damaged documents, the records came to NARA in the 1950s and are now housed at the National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis.
Note: This is the first in a series of posts on conservation of Pearl Harbor documents.
Source: preservearchives
Attack on Pearl Harbor
In the early hours of December 7, 1941, Japan unleashed a devastating surprise attack throughout the Pacific. The worst blow came at Hawaii, site of the giant Pearl Harbor naval base and other American military installations. In just two hours, Japanese bombers destroyed or damaged 21 American naval vessels and over 300 aircraft. The attacks killed 2403 military personnel and civilians, and shattered the U.S. Pacific Fleet.
The top image shows the wreckage-strewn Naval Air Station at Pearl Harbor following the Japanese attack.
Below is a photo of Japanese carrier planes taking off for the attack: Sailors cheer as Japanese planes take off from the deck of a carrier one-by-one under the “Z” flag for the attack on Pearl Harbor. Historian John Toland determined the time of this photograph to be 7:49 a.m. Honolulu time.
