"A POTENTIAL ENEMY LANDING OPERATION FROM BOATS"

GEN. HINES SAYS HAWAII'S GARRISON IS INADEQUATE TO DEFEND THE ISLANDS

Washington, D.C. (JFK+50) On June 7, 1925, 15 and a half years before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Major General John L. Hines* declared that "the present garrison is inadequate" in numbers of troops and aircraft to defend the Hawaiian Islands.

Maj. Gen. Hines, chief of staff of the United States Army, came to that conclusion after "the recent grand joint Army and Navy maneuvers."

The General said...

"A commander must not only have enough troops to hold the essential positions and to man his armament, but he must have enough troops left to form an adequate reserve."

In 1925, however, the main concern of the defense of Hawaii was not an attack from the air, but a landing operation by an enemy using "boats from transports to the beach."

JFK+50 NOTE

On Dec 7, 1941, there were 87,000 U.S. military personnel stationed in Hawaii along with 100 naval vessels.  Pearl Harbor was headquarters of the U.S. Pacific Fleet.  All U.S. aircraft carriers stationed there were out to sea at the time of the attack.

353 Japanese aircraft attacked Oahu destroying 188 U.S. airplanes (151 on the ground) & damaging 159.  Multiple battleships, cruisers & other U.S. vessels were destroyed or badly damaged. 2403 military personnel & civilians were killed.

*John Leonard Hines (1868-1968) served as chief of staff of the U.S. Army 1924-1926.  JLH was born in White Sulphur Springs, WVA & graduated USMA 1891.  He served in the Spanish-American & Philippine-American Wars as well as WWI.

SOURCE

"Gen. Hines Claims Hawaiian Garrison Inadequate in War," The Sunday Star, Washington, D.C., June 7, 1925,  Chronicling America, Library of Congress, www.loc.gov/

Maj. Gen. John L. Hines, Brig. Gen. Hugh A. Drum 

& Maj. Francis B. Wilby

Capitol Hill (1925)

National Photo Company

Library of Congress

"LIKE A BOLT OUT OF A CLEAR BLUE SKY"

SURPRISE ATTACK ON PEARL HARBOR, GREAT DAMAGE & LOSS OF LIFE

Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands (JFK+50) On December 7, 1941, the Japanese Empire launched a surprise attack on the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor* in Honolulu.  

It was reported that the attack began "without preliminaries" as the Japanese aircraft flew in from the Southwest and immediately began firing machine guns and dropping conventional and torpedo bombs.

The attack began at 8 a.m. local time on a quiet Sunday morning.  The Daily Alaska Empire described the scene as like "a bolt out of a clear blue sky."

The coordinated attack hit Pearl Harbor on the island of Oahu and a "state of siege" was declared in the Pacific region.

At Hickam Field**, "a direct bomb" killed 350 U.S. servicemen.  It was reported that fifty Japanese planes attacked the airbase. (The Empire mis-spelled the airbase as "Hickman")

From Tokyo came the following dispatch...

"A state of war exists with the United States and Great Britain."

JFK+50 NOTE

The United States declared war on Japan, December 8, 1941 by the vote of the Congress, 82-0 in the Senate, 383-1 in the House.  At that time, The Daily Alaska Empire reports the loss of two U.S. war ships and 3000 dead or wounded in the attack on Hawaii.

The total casualties of the Pearl Harbor attack are 2,393 Americans killed with 1,178 wounded.  Included in that number are 2008 US Naval personnel, 208 US Army, 109 USMC & 68 civilians.  All toll, 2,403. 

Japanese losses were 129 killed.

In addition, the U.S. lost 4 battleships sunk & 4 damaged, 188 aircraft destroyed & 150 damaged.  Japan lost 29 aircraft & 74 damaged.

*U.S. Naval Base, located on the island of Oahu, 7 miles from Honolulu was established in 1899 & became the headquarters of the U.S. Pacific Fleet.  The U.S.S. Arizona Memorial at PH commemorates the tragic loss of life on December 7, 1941.

**Hickam Field was named for Lt. Col. Horace M. Hickam, aviator pioneer.  HF was dedicated in 1935 & activated in 1938.  It became headquarters of the U.S. Pacific Air Force. 

SOURCES

"Attack on U.S. Is Made By Japan, War Is Declared," The Daily Alaska Empire, Juneau, December 8, 1941, Chronicling America, Library of Congress, www.loc.gov/

"Declare War, U.S. Japan In Fight," The Daily Alaska Empire, Juneau, December 8, 1941, Chronicling America, Library of Congress, www.loc.gov/

"Heavy Toll Taken By Jap Planes," The Daily Alaska Empire, Juneau, December 8, 1941, Chronicling America, Library of Congress, www.loc.gov/

"Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam," Military Installations, www.installations.miliaryoneresource.mil/

 

 

USS Arizona Hit

Pearl Harbor, Hawaii

December 7, 1941

NARA Photo

 

"ATTACK CAME AS A BOMBSHELL TO THE PUBLIC"

JAPAN DECLARES WAR ON U.S., SCORE HITS IN HAWAII & MANILA

Honolulu, Hawaii (JFK+50)  On December 8, 1941, Saint Croix Avis* reports "Japan declared war on the U.S. yesterday at 7:30 a.m. when scores of her planes bombed Manila and Pearl Harbor, the U.S. naval and military base."

The newspaper states that "direct hits were scored and some damage and casualties were reported" and added that the sudden attack on Pearl Harbor "did not take the military by surprise" but "came as a bombshell to the public."

On the 82nd anniversary of the attack, here are the up to date facts on the results of the attack on Pearl Harbor...

20 U.S. naval vessels, including 8 battleships, were damaged or destroyed.  300 U.S. aircraft were also damaged or destroyed.  2400 American lives, both civilian & military, were lost and 1000 people were wounded. 

The attack resulted in the United States entering World War II, joining the Allied nations against the Axis powers including Japan & Germany.

*St. Croix Avis began publication in St. Croix, Virgin Islands in 1844.  It was published largely in Danish until the U.S. purchased the VIs from Denmark in 1917.

JFK+50 NOTE

It would come as a surprise to most people today that the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor "did not take the (U.S.) military by surprise."  The newspaper does not give a source for that information.

The consensus today, as stated by www.history.com/, is that "the attack...was a surprise" although "the U.S. and Japan had been edging toward war for decades."

SOURCES

"Japanese Attack U.S.," St. Croix Avis, Virgin Islands, December 8, 1941, Chronicling America, Library of Congress, www.loc.gov/

"Pearl Harbor," History.com, October 29, 2009/December 6, 2022, www.history.com/

"Pearl Harbor Attack, December 7, 1941," The National World War II Museum, New Orleans, www.nationalww2museum.org/

 

 

U.S.S. West Virginia Burning

Pearl Harbor, Hawaii

Dec 7 1941

Get Archive, Library of Congress

www.Picryl.com

 

"LAST STEP BEFORE BREAKDOWN OF NEGOTIATIONS"

FDR SENDS PERSONAL MESSAGE TO EMPEROR HIROHITO

Washington, D.C. (JFK+50) On December 7, 1941, the Detroit Times reports President Franklin D. Roosevelt last evening "addressed a personal message to Emperor Hirohito* of Japan."  The contents of the message, although not disclosed by the U.S. State Department, came following the government being informed "of Japanese preparation of an imminent invasion of Thailand."

Robert G. Nixon discloses that the President's action "is clearly a last possible step prior to a complete breakdown of negotiations with Japan for a peaceful settlement."

*Hirohito (1901-1989) was born in Tokyo & was commissioned in the Imperial Japanese Army at age 11.  He visited the U.S. in 1921 & became Emperor of Japan in 1926.  Hirohito is the longest reigning Japanese emperor, 1926-1989.

JFK+50 NOTE

In the message, FDR writes "During these past few weeks it has become clear to the world that Japanese forces have been sent to South Indo-China in large numbers."  He indicates that this action cannot be interpreted to be a defensive measure.

The Final Edition of the Detroit Times, Dec 7, 1941, was obviously published before word of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor had reached the mainland.  The attack began at 7:55 a.m. Hawaii time, 12:55 p.m. in Washington, D.C.

Thailand was attacked by Japanese forces at 2 a.m. (2 p.m. EST) on December 8, 1941.  A cease-fire was declared five hours later and a military alliance between Thailand & the Japanese Empire was established. 

SOURCES

"President Roosevelt To Emperor Hirohito of Japan," December 6, 1941, Foreign Relations of the United States:Japan, 1931-1941, vol. 2

"Roosevelt Warns Jap Ruler To Avert Major War in Pacific," by Robert G. Nixon, Detroit Times, Final Edition, December 7, 1941, Chronicling America, Library of Congress, www.loc.gov/ 

 

 

 Hirohito on Shirayuki

1935

"THICK SMOKE ABOVE THE JAPANESE EMBASSY"

JFK HEARS OF PEARL HARBOR ATTACK ON CAR RADIO

Washington, D.C. (JFK+50) On December 7, 1941, Jack Kennedy was returning to his apartment here in the Nation's Capital after a touch football game.  He, along with two friends including Lem Billings, heard the announcement on the car radio that Pearl Harbor had been attacked by the Japanese.

The announcer said...

"The Japanese have attacked Pearl Harbor, Hawaii by air, President Roosevelt has just announced.  The attack also was made on all naval and military activities on the principal island of Oahu."

Nigel Hamilton writes...

"(Lem) Billings was terribly excited.  Thick, billowing smoke rose above the Japanese embassy on Massachusetts Avenue* as guilty diplomats burned their papers."

The following day, President Franklin D. Roosevelt, addressing a joint session of Congress, said...

"Yesterday, December 7, 1941, a date which will live in infamy, the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan."

*The Embassy of Japan, located at 2520 Massachusetts Ave NW in Washington, D.C., was built in 1931.  The building is Georgian Revival style.  The EOJ was seized by the US government after Pearl Harbor & returned to Japanese control in 1952.

SOURCES

"Days of Infamy," American Radio Works, www.americanradioworks.publicradio.org/

"JFK, Reckless Youth," by Nigel Hamilton, Random House, New York, 1992. 

 

 

The Embassy of Japan

Embassy Row

Washington, D.C.

Photo by Loren

www.wikimedia.org/

"8 MIGHTY BATTLESHIPS & 88 OTHER SHIPS REMAINED"

USS LEXINGTON DEPARTS PEARL HARBOR FOR MIDWAY ISLAND

Honolulu, Hawaii (JFK+50) On December 5, 1941 at 8:10 a.m., the last remaining American aircraft carrier, USS Lexington*, left Pearl Harbor bound for Midway Island.  Doug Struck of the Baltimore Sun describes this event as one that cost the Japanese a chance for "total victory" in their scheduled attack for the morning of December 7, 1941.

Struck writes that the Japanese were aware of the need to destroy the carriers in order "to cripple the Americans long enough for Japan to seize and hold the Western Pacific and Indochina."

In April 1941, 4 of America's 7 carriers were in Hawaii, but circumstances had changed by December.  Although Japanese naval officers were informed enroute to Pearl Harbor that no American aircraft carriers were there, it was "too late to stop."  Besides, there were 8 "mighty battleships" and 88 other American ships remaining that offered pleasing targets. 

 

*U.S.S. Lexington (CV-2), 'Lady Lex' was launched on Oct 3, 1925 & commissioned on Dec 14, 1927.  She was sunk at the Battle of Coral Sea on May 8, 1942.

 

SOURCE

 "U.S. Carriers Slip Out of Reach On December 5, 1941, Japanese Fleets Loses Chance For Total Victory," by Doug Struck, The Baltimore Sun, December 5, 1991, www.baltimoresun.com/ 

 

 

 

U.S.S. Lexington

San Diego, California

Oct 14 1941

Naval History & Heritage Command

US Navy Photo

 
 

THICK BILLOWING SMOKE ROSE ABOVE THE JAPANESE EMBASSY

JFK HEARD NEWS OF PEARL HARBOR ATTACK ON THE RADIO

Washington, D.C. (JFK+50) Ralph G. Martin writes that as a young sailor John F. Kennedy "had no romantic conception of war" and that "he saw it as an event of shattering waste and horror."

The event that propelled the United States into World War II could also be described as one of "shattering waste and horror."  Seventy-six years ago today, December 7, 1941, the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor.

JFK, fresh out of Officer Training School, was assigned, at age 24, to the Office of Naval Intelligence here in the Nation's Capital.  On that historic Sunday, Jack Kennedy was playing touch football on the Mall close to the Washington Monument with his friend Lem Billings.

As they were returning to Jack's apartment on 16th Street, news of the attack on Pearl Harbor was broadcast over the car radio.

Nigel Hamilton writes...

"(Lem) Billings was 'terribly excited.'  Thick, billowing smoke rose above the Japanese embassy on Massachusetts Avenue as guilty diplomats burned their papers.  Hundreds began to assemble outside the White House...wanting to know what would be the president's reaction."

SOURCES

"A Hero For Our Time:  An Intimate Story of the Kennedy Years," by Ralph G. Martin, Macmillan Publishing Company, New York, 1983.

"Jack Kennedy, Elusive Hero," by Chris Matthews, Simon and Schuster, New York, 2011.

"JFK, Reckless Youth," by Nigel Hamilton, Random House, New York, 1992.

USS Arizona 

Pearl Harbor

December 7, 1941

NARA Photo

THE REBEL SHIP AT PEARL HARBOR

JFK+50:  Volume 7, No. 2152

USS TENNESSEE SURVIVES PEARL HARBOR AND WORLD WAR II

Honolulu, Hawaii (JFK+50) At 7:55 a.m. Hawaii time 75 years ago this morning, December 7, 1941, Oahu and the city of Honolulu came under air attack by Japanese war planes.

Two waves composed of more than 350 Japanese aircraft participated in the raid in which eight American battleships were severely damaged or destroyed. 
The most famous of those ships was the USS Arizona which not only sunk to the bottom of the harbor, but took 1,177 officers and men with her.  The USS Arizona Memorial here in Honolulu is one of the most visited sites in Hawaii.

Docked west of the Arizona was the USS Tennessee* which not only survived the attack but "went on to fight in 13 engagements during World War II, more than any other battleship in the Navy."

When the USS Tennessee was commissioned in 1920, she was the largest battleship of the Navy at a cost of $20 million.  

USS Tennessee took two Japanese armor-piercing bombs at Pearl Harbor which took the lives of 4 of her crew while wounding 22.  One sailor was missing-in-action.  The stern of the ship was set ablaze from Arizona's burning fuel oil.

"The Rebel Ship" earned ten Battle Stars and one Presidential Unit Citation, and she traveled more than 170,000 miles. 

*USS TENNESSEE (1920-1959) was built at the New York Naval Shipyard & launched on April 30, 1919.  She was sponsored by Helen Lenore Roberts daughter of Tennessee Governor Albert H. Roberts.  USS TN was commissioned on June 3, 1920.

She took part in bombings at the Aleutian Islands, Tarawa, the Marshall Islands, the Marianas, the Philippines, Iwo Jima & Okinawa.

SOURCES

"Pearl Harbor and the USS Tennessee," December 7, 2016, Knoxville News-Sentinel

"Sunday in hell:  Pearl Harbor Minute by Minute," by Bill McWilliams, Tennessean Research

USS Tennessee (BB-43)

May 12 1943

US Navy Photo

USS Tennessee (L) & USS West Virginia (R)

Pearl Harbor, Hawaii

December 10, 1941

NARA Photo

WAR DECLARATION ON JAPAN

JFK+50:  Volume 6, No. 1790

USA DECLARED WAR ON JAPAN 74 YEARS AGO 

Washington, D.C. (JFK+50) Seventy-four years ago today, December 8, 1941, the Congress of the United States approved a war declaration on the Empire of Japan.  

The war declaration followed President Franklin D. Roosevelt's address to a joint session the day following the Japanese attack on the United States Naval Base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.

FDR's address was delivered at 12:30 p.m.  The Senate approved the war declaration first, and then the House of Representatives followed at 1:10 p.m. 

The tally was 82-0 in the Senate and 388-1 in the HR.  The only NO vote in either body was by Congresswoman Jeanette Rankin*.  The President signed the war declaration at 4:10 p.m.

FDR said in his speech to Congress...

"No matter how long it may take us to overcome this premeditated invasion, the American people, in their righteous might, will win through to absolute victory.   With confidence in our armed forces- with the unbounding determination of our people - we will gain the inevitable triumph - so help us God."



*Jeannette Rankin (1880-1973) was born in Missoula County, MT & graduated from the Universities of Montana & Washington.  She was the 1st woman to hold high government office in the United States when elected to Congress representing her district in Montana.

FDR's Address to Congress

December 8, 1941

JFK ON DECEMBER 7 1941

JFK+50:  Volume 6, No. 1789

JFK HEARS NEWS OF PEARL HARBOR ATTACK ON CAR RADIO

Washington, D.C. (JFK+50) John F. Kennedy entered the United States Navy as an ensign in September 1941.   Fresh out of Officer Training School, JFK was assigned to the Office of Naval Intelligence here in the Nation's Capital.

On Sunday, December 7, 1941, Jack Kennedy had been enjoying one of his favorite pastimes, a pick up touch football game with his friend Lem Billings on the Mall close to the Washington Monument.

As the two young friends were returning to Jack's apartment on 16th Street, they heard the news of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor over their car radio.

Nigel Hamilton writes...

"(Lem) Billings was 'terribly excited.'  Thick, billowing smoke rose above the Japanese embassy on Massachusetts Avenue as guilty diplomats burned their papers.  Hundreds began to assemble outside the White House...wanting to know what would be the president's reaction."

John F. Kennedy could not have known then how much of an impact this event would have on his life and that of his family.  He would go on to serve in the South Pacific during the coming war and narrowly escape death on the PT109.

As to the immediate impact of Pearl Harbor, Nigel Hamilton tells us that after FDR's 'Day of Infamy' address, the Office of Naval Intelligence immediately "moved into wartime gear," working "round the clock."

SOURCES

"A Hero For Our Time:  An Intimate Story of the Kennedy Years," by Ralph G. Martin, Macmillan Publishing Company, New York, 1983.

"Jack Kennedy, Elusive Hero," by Chris Matthews, Simon and Schuster, New York, 2011.

"JFK, Reckless Youth," by Nigel Hamilton, Random House, New York, 1992.

Lt. John F. Kennedy
World War II
JFK Library Photo

REMEMBER PEARL HARBOR

A DATE WHICH WILL LIVE IN INFAMY

Honolulu, Hawaii (JFK+50) At 7:55 a.m. Hawaii time 73 years ago this morning, December 7, 1941, Oahu and the city of Honolulu came under air attack by Japanese war planes.

Two waves composed of more than 350 Japanese aircraft participated in the raid in which eight American battleships were severely damaged or destroyed. 1,177 officers and men on the USS Arizona were sent to the bottom of Pearl Harbor with their ship.  All tolled, more than 2000 Americans were killed with 1000 more wounded.

James Rusbridger and Eric Nave write...

"Each visitor (to the Arizona Memorial) senses he is about to enter a world where time stood still...then out along the main catwalk...they see the remains of this great battleship lying beneath the clear waters.  Just a few pieces reach up out of the water...as a reminder of the death that came so treacherously that Sunday morning...."

They continue...

"Some visitors...find it a numbing experience.  Young and old stand there in silence gazing into the waters around the wreck, with the thin iridescent slick of fuel oil that still leaks from the tanks ruptured by Japanese bombs and torpedoes half a century ago."

USS Arizona Oil Seepage

Copyrighted Photo by

James G. Howes

November 2005

President Franklin D. Roosevelt, in his address to a joint session of Congress on Monday, December 8, said...

"Yesterday, December 7th, 1941, a date which will in infamy, the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan."

Rusbridger and Nave remind us that the attack "was a shattering defeat for American military and political leadership."  They argue that information about the coming attack "was in Washington, but no one recognized it." 

Even in Honolulu a reporter wrote one month before December 7th...

"A Japanese attack on Hawaii is regarded as the most unlikely thing in the world, with one chance in a million of being successful."

SOURCE

"Betrayal at Pearl Harbor," by James Rusbridger and Eric Nave, Summit Books, New York, 1991.

                               USS Arizona

                         December 7, 1941

                               NARA Photo

REPORTER DESCRIBES ATTACK

Honolulu, Hawaii (JFK+50) I reported for work immediately this morning when the first news - OAHU IS BEING ATTACKED -- crackled over the radio.  

I saw a formation of black planes diving straight into the ocean off Pearl Harbor.

The blue sky was punctured with...smoke.

I saw a rooftop fly into the air.

I was assigned to cover the emergency room of the hospital where the victims were brought.

Bombs were dropping over the city while in the morgue bodies were laid on slabs in the grotesque positions in which they had died.

There was blood...and death...in the emergency room as doctors calmly continued to treat the victims.

I had never known that blood could be so bright red.

I went to a bombed store on King Street where I often stopped for a Coke at the cool drug counter only to find it along with six others had nearly completely burned down.

Written by...

Elizabeth "Betty" P. McIntosh, a reporter for the Honolulu Star Bulletin on Dec 7 1941.  She wrote this "after a week of war," but her editors thought it too graphic to publish.

The complete article was published for the 1st time in 71 years on Dec. 6, 2012 in the Washington Post. Betty McIntosh worked for the OSS and CIA before retiring in Prince William County.

SOURCE:  WP OPINIONS, "Honolulu After Pearl Harbor:  A Report Published for the First Time, 71 Years Later," www.washingtonpost.com

Betty McIntosh Interviews Sailor

 Honolulu, Hawaii

 www.washingtonpost.com

JFK HEARS NEWS OF ATTACK

Washington, D.C. (JFK+50) John F. Kennedy entered the United States Navy as an ensign in September 1941.   Fresh out of Officer Training School, JFK was assigned to the Office of Naval Intelligence here in the Nation's Capital.

On Sunday, December 7, 1941, Jack Kennedy had been enjoying one of his favorite pastimes, a pick up touch football game with his friend Lem Billings on the Mall close to the Washington Monument.

As the two young friends were returning to Jack's apartment on 16th Street, they heard the news of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor over their car radio.

Nigel Hamilton writes...

"(Lem) Billings was 'terribly excited.'  Thick, billowing smoke rose above the Japanese embassy on Massachusetts Avenue as guilty diplomats burned their papers.  Hundreds began to assemble outside the White House...wanting to know what would be the president's reaction."

John F. Kennedy could not have known then how much of an impact this event would have on his life and that of his family.  He would go on to serve in the South Pacific during the coming war and narrowly escape death on the PT109.

As to the immediate impact of Pearl Harbor, Nigel Hamilton tells us that after FDR's 'Day of Infamy' address, the Office of Naval Intelligence immediately "moved into wartime gear," working "round the clock."

SOURCES

"A Hero For Our Time:  An Intimate Story of the Kennedy Years," by Ralph G. Martin, Macmillan Publishing Company, New York, 1983.

"Jack Kennedy, Elusive Hero," by Chris Matthews, Simon and Schuster, New York, 2011.

"JFK, Reckless Youth," by Nigel Hamilton, Random House, New York, 1992.

"Remember Pearl Harbor"

Song Recorded in 1942

You Tube Video