December 7, 1941, INDEX, Stories of the Day of Infamy. Pearl Harbor Attack by Japanese Planes

ATTACK UPON PEARL HARBOR BY JAPANESE ARMED FORCES

REPORT OF THE COMMISSION APPOINTED BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES TO INVESTIGATE AND REPORT THE FACTS RELATING TO THE ATTACK MADE BY JAPANESE ARMED FORCES UPON PEARL HARBOR IN THE TERRITORY OF HAWAII ON DECEMBER 7, 1941.

JAPANESE ATTACK UPON PEARL HARBOR

The PRESIDENT, The White House

SIR: The undersigned were appointed by Executive order of December

18,1941, which defined our duties as a commission thus:

"to ascertain and report the facts relating to the attack made by

Japanese armed forces upon the Territory of Hawaii on December 7, 1941.

"The purposes of the required inquiry and report are to provide bases

for sound decisions whether any derelictions of duty or errors of

judgment on the part of United States Army or Navy personnel contributed

to such successes as were achieved by the enemy on the occasion

mentioned, and, if so, what these derelictions or errors were, and who

were responsible therefor."

The Congress speedily supplemented the Executive order by granting the

Commission power to summon witnesses and examine them under oath.

JAPANESE ATTACK UPON PEARL HARBOR

It is true, as we have found, that due to the enormous demand on the

Nation's capacity to produce munitions and war supplies, there was a

deficiency in the provision of materiel for the Hawaiian area. This was

but natural, in the circumstances, and was well known to the Government

departments and local commanders. We have made no detailed findings on

the subject since, as will appear from our report, we find that this

deficiency did not affect the critical fact of failure to take

appropriate measures with the means available.

At our hearings reference was made to what has long been a matter of

common knowledge that there are, and have been, diverse views of

national policy respecting the basing of the entire United States

Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor, T. H. We feel that the national policy

in this matter is one that has been settled by those responsible for

such decisions and that it is not within our province that of finding

the facts respecting the attack of December 7, and the responsibility

for the resulting damage to the United States to discuss any such topic.

Regrettable loss of life and extensive damage resulted from the air

raid. The nature of that damage and the details of the measures taken to

repair it have no direct bearing on the execution of the mandate

appointing this Commission, and the subject is dealt with in our report

only to the extent that it bears on questions of responsibility for the

disaster.

The evidence taken covered a wide scope. The Commission intentionally

invited such latitude of testimony and inquiry in the belief that

thereby incidental light might be thrown upon the main issues involved.

As an example, the Commission heard evidence to show what had been done

at Pearl Harbor and on the island of Oahu by naval and military commands

subsequent to December 7, 1941, in the view that this might throw some

light upon the matters submitted for our consideration. Again, the

Commission heard much testimony as to the population of Hawaii, its

composition, and the attitude and disposition of the persons composing

it, in the belief that the facts disclosed might aid in appraising the

results of investigative, counterespionage, and anti-sabotage work done

antecedent to the attack of December 7, 1941.

The Commission visited the naval base at Pearl Harbor and air fields of

the Military and Naval Establishments, as well as the Army posts and

forts and certain of the coast fortifications on the island of Oahu.

The minutes of each meeting of the Commission are of record. The

statements of witnesses received in the meetings previous to that of

December 22 have been recorded in summaries. All testimony received at

the meeting of December 22 and the subsequent meetings was

stenographically reported and transcribed.

The oral evidence received amounts to 1,887 typewritten pages, and the

records and documents examined exceed 3,000 printed pages in number.

Appended hereto is a map of the island of Oahu showing the location of

the principal naval and military establishments.

All the testimony and evidence received have been considered and, as the

result of its deliberations, the Commission submits the following:

About 7:55 a. m. Honolulu time (1: 25 p. m. Eastern standard time) on

Sunday, December 7, 1941, Japanese forces attacked Army and Navy

installations and ships of the Pacific Fleet in Oahu, T. H .

Although the United States and Japan were at peace on that morning,

Japan planned to announce to the Secretary of State of the United States

at 1 p. m. of that day, eastern standard time (7:30 a. m. Honolulu time)

the severance of diplomatic relations and simultaneously to attack the

island of Oahu and Pearl Harbor. The military preparations for this

breach of international faith and honor were put in train and the forces

for its consummation had been dispatched weeks prior to any intimation

of the planned severance of relations.

The Territory of Hawaii comprises the group of islands known as the

Hawaiian Islands. This group consists of the larger islands Hawaii,

Maui, Molokai, Oahu, and Kauai and a number of smaller islands. They

extend from Hawaii in the south some 300 miles in a northwesterly

direction, including Kauai in the north. For purposes of certain

developments and protection, the islands of Midway, Wake, Johnston,

Palmyra, Christmas, and Canton had been placed under the responsible

naval and military heads in the Hawaiian area.

The importance of the Territory of Hawaii from a national defense

standpoint is the fact that Pearl Harbor, the main outlying naval base

in the Pacific, is located in the island of Oahu, one of the Hawaiian

group. For this reason all measures for the protection and defense of

the Territory have centered in and around Oahu, the other islands being

garrisoned by minor forces only. A main outlying naval base such as

Pearl Harbor, is intended for the use of the fleet for taking on fuel

and supplies, for recreation and rest of the fleet personnel, and for

the repair and refitting of ships.