12/07/2021
The U.S. had not yet entered the World War II conflict when President Franklin Delano Roosevelt cut off shipments of scrap iron, steel, and aviation fuel to Japan. In response, Japan entered resource-rich French Indochina, cementing its alliance with Germany and Italy as a member of the Axis. When Japan moved into southern Indochina in July of 1941 to prepare for an attack against British Malaysia and the Dutch East Indies, President Roosevelt froze all Japanese assets to the United States, effectively cutting off Japan’s access to U.S. oil.
As diplomatic negotiations between the U.S. and Japan broke down, President Roosevelt knew that an imminent Japanese attack was probable, but nothing was done to increase security at the Pearl Harbor naval base. Although a decrypted message had alerted officials that an attack was imminent mere moments before the first wave of Japanese plans lifted off from their nearby carriers, a communications delay prevented a warning from reaching Pearl Harbor in time. An additional report from an Oahu-based radar operator that a large number of planes were headed toward the naval base was discounted by the receiving operator.
At 7:55 a.m. on December 7, 1941, a swarm of 360 Japanese warplanes descended on Pearl Harbor in a ferocious assault, killing 2,403 Americans and wounding 1,178. Five battleships, three destroyers, and seven other ships were sunk or severely damaged, and over two hundred aircraft were destroyed. The surprise attack struck a critical blow to the U.S. Pacific fleet and drew the United States irrevocably into World War II.
Each year on December 7, we honor the service members and civilians who were wounded and killed during the Pearl Harbor Attack.
