Pearl Harbor Attack links.

The 75th anniversary of the Pearl Harbor raid is fast approaching. We are one of the place people will turn to for information. So we need a thread with as many links as we can find to provide that information. Name the link and say why it's worth visiting, please.

Starting off, the granddaddy of Pearl Harbor sources, the Congressional Investigation into the Attack on Pearl Harbor.

Overview of
The Pearl Harbor Attack, 7 December 1941 (From the United States Naval History and Heritage Commmand website.)

Pearl Harbor Attack Hearings site, a page dedicated to the the attack, with numerous relevant files extracted from the Pearl Harbor Hearing listed above.

 

This is a picture of Pearl Harbor taken from about 10,000 feet, or the altitude the IJN pilots may have seen it when they approached their target. Picture is taken from the North, looking South. The harbor entrance channel is at the top, and Ford Island is in the middle. Battleship Row is on the left side of Ford Island, and the carriers would normally tie up on the right side as we view the picture. There is an aircraft carrier tied up at the Fuel Dock in this shot, at the south end of Battleship Row. I will post maps naming the various features in this picture. It a large scale picture, best viewed in another tab or window.

 

I like the picture, Larry.

 

Yeah, one of the best out there. Clear day, good sun, some serious warships in the harbor. Even Solace is easy to pick out.

 

The PEARL HARBOR ATTACK HEARINGS

Additional documents.
These documents may or may not be included in the volumes above, but it is felt that having direct access to them may be useful to some researchers. Certain important exhibits, such as "Rainbow 5" and the "Fourteen part message", will be included in this section so they can be accessed directly without searching through all the indexes and TOCs of the nine Reports. (The zip files for each Report will contain the entire text, even if it is redundant, to preserve the original contents.)
We have "broken out" the exhibits below into stand-alone PDF files. This will, we hope, make it much easier to find the documents in question for reference purposes.
Army Board Exhibits
Clake Investigation Exhibits
Clausen Investigation Exhibits
Hewitt Investigation Exhibits
Joint Committe Exhibits
Navy Court of Inquiry Exhibits
Summary Reports of the Army Board, Navy Court, Clausen, Hewitt, and Roberts investigations

NARRATIVE STATEMENT OF RECORD OF PEARL HARBOR COURT OF INQUIRY
With Cross-References to Admiral Hart's Investigation Together With Addendum Thereto (Admiral Hewitt's Findings and Conclusions)

INTELLIGENCE REPORTS
Pacific Fleet Intelligence Bulletin No. 45-41.
"Organization of the Japanese Fleet."
Daily communication intelligence summaries
for the period 1 November 1941 through 6 December 1941.
These were for the use of Commander in Chief, U.S. Pacific Fleet, at Pearl Harbor.
Joint Committee Exhibit No. 33, Military Intelligency Estimates Prepared by G-2, Washington, 1 July-7 December 1941.
These were for the use of the President and officials in D.C.
Joint Committee Exhibit No. 80, Fortnightly Summary of Current National Situations
for Nov. 1, Nov. 15, and Dec. 1, summaries of the world situation on all continents.


MAGIC INTERCEPTS AND ASSOCIATED DOCUMENTS
The "Magic" Background to Pearl Harbor, all eight volumes, PDF and HTML
Joint Committee Exhibit No. 1, Intercepted Diplomatic Messages Sent by the Japanese Government Between July 1 and December 8, 1941.
Joint Committee Exhibit No. 23, Capt. Safford's digest of Magic intercepts. (Note that Capt. Safford compiled this listing in an effort to prove that the "Winds execute" message had been broadcast.)
Joint Committee Exhibit No. 151, Memoranda by Capt. Safford regarding possibility of transmission and interception of "Winds execute" message.
Joint Committee Exhibit No. 142, Materials Relating to the "Winds Code."
Joint Committee Exhibit No. 2, Magic Intercepts ("Japanese messages concerning military installations, ship movements, etc.)



Pre-War Allied Planning
Joint Committee Exhibit No. 49, United States-British Staff Conversations (ABC-1 talks on division of military responsibility in case of US entry into the war.)
Joint Committee Exhibit No. 50, American-Dutch-British Conversations, discussing military cooperation in the Far East, April, 1941.
Joint Committee Exhibit No. 51, Joint Canadian-United States Basic Defense Plan No. 2 (Short Title-ABC-22), discussing military cooperation between Canada and the United States.
Navy Basic War Plan-Rainbow No. 5 (WPL-46)
Navy Plan O-1
The "short version" of Rainbow-5, with only those sections specific to the Pacific Fleet.
(Hart Exhibit #16.)
Joint Committee Exhibit No. 55, CONFERENCE IN THE OFFICE OF THE CHIEF OF STAFF AT 10:00 A. M., TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 1941 (Concerning, among other things, allocation of B-17s.)
Memo from Gen. Marshall and Adm. Stark to FDR on the situation in the Far East



Conditions at Hawaii, and Planning for Defense
Adm. J. O. Richardson's memo on defense deficiencies at Pearl, Jan. '41.
Adm. J. O. Richardson's memo regarding Pacific Fleet responsibilities under CNO Plan Dog, Jan. '41.
The Naval Base Defense Air Force Operation Plan No. A-1-41.
detailing the possible types of enemy attack on the Hawaiian Islands and discussing defenfse and search requirements.
The Availability and Disposition of Patrol Planes on morning of 7 December, 1941/Report of Army-Navy Board of 31 October, 1941 ("The Martin-Bellinger Report")
detailing the status of aircraft on the Hawaiian Islands and discussing search requirements.
Pacific Fleet Confidential Letter NO. 2CL-41
Subject: Security of the Fleet at Base and Operating Areas
(Hart Exhibit #4.)
Joint Coastal Frontier Defense Plan, Hawaiian Coastal Frontier and Fourteenth Naval District
(Short Title: HCF 41 14ND-JCD-42)
(Hart Exhibit #5.)
Letter from CNO to Commander-in-Chief, Pacific Fleet
Letter from Commander-in-Chief, Pacific Fleet
And Letter from CNO to all District Commanders
Regarding Anti-torpedo baffles (nets) for protection against torpedo planes.
(Hart Exhibits #17, 18, and 19).
Pacific Fleet Confidential Letter 14CL-41
Subject: Task Forces-Organization and Missions
(Hart Exhibit #21.)
Air Defense of Pearl Harbor
Establishing Liason and Defining Responsibilities between Navy and Army
(Hart Exhibit #23.)
Joint Committee Exhibit No. 120, Availibility of search aircraft in Hawaii on Dec. 7th, 1941.
Exhange of Letters between SecNav and SecWar
Discussing air security of Pearl Harbor
(Hart Exhibit #40.)


Japanese Pre-war Policy and Planning
Memoirs of Prince Konoye Fumimaro
Premier of Japan during part of the pre-war period.
Joint Committee Exhibit No. 8 "General survey concerning the attack on Hawaii" from Japanese sources after the war. Included are statements on the planning of the attack and force structure.
Exhibits of the Joint Committee, Pt. 12, pp. 431-441 The "Separate Volume":
"Combined Fleet Operations in the War Against the UNITED STATES, GREAT BRITAIN and the NETHERLANDS will be conducted in accordance with the Separate Volume. ", Yamamoto Isoruku.
(This is the "Separate Volume" mentioned as having been destroyed in Japanese Monograph No. 97, Pearl Harbor Operations: General Outline of Orders and Plans.)
The 14-part Message
which was to be delivered to the U. S. State Dept. at 1 p. m. on December 7, 1941.
Minutes of the conference
called to write the Japanese declaration of war.



Warnings and Portents
Joint Committee Exhibit No. 78, The Kra Alert
Joint Committee Exhibit No. 79, The Dutch Alert



The Attack: Events, Locations of Forces, etc.
Testimony of Captain Outerbridge, CO of the USS WARD, the destroyer which fired the first shots on the U. S. side in an attack against a midget sub trying to enter Pearl Harbor before 7 a. m. on Dec. 7th.

Reproduction of the Bishop's Point Radio Log
which shows WARD's reports to Com 14th.
Naval Balance of Forces
Allies and Axis comparative naval strength, computed for May 1, 1941 and December 7, 1941.
(Exhibits of the Joint Committee, Pt. 15, pp 1901-06.)

List of ships present at Pearl Harbor at the time of the Japanese attack, Dec. 7, 1941.
Disposition of the U.S.Pacific Fleet at 8 a.m. on 7 Dec 1941
(Less ships at Pearl Harbor.)
(Exhibits of the Joint Committee, Exhibit No. 6, items 9 and 5.)
"NARRATIVE OF EVENTS OCCURRING DURING JAPANESE AIR RAID ON DECEMBER 7, 194l"
from the ships in harbor, compiled into one narrative by the Navy after the attack to show how each ship saw the event. At the end is a report on ships' damage and plans for repairs.

 

The "Magic" Background To Pearl Harbor




PDF

HTML



PDF

HTML

Volume 1

Volume 1







Volume 2

Volume 2



Volume 2 Appendix

Volume 2 Appendix

Volume 3

Volume 3



Volume 3 Appendix

Volume 3 Appendix

Volume 4

Volume 4



Volume 4 Appendix

Volume 4 Appendix

Volume 5

Volume 5









Index







Warning! These files are up to 324 megabytes in size.


What is this? I will allow the original writers to tell it for themselves:

FOREWORD​

​

The Department of Defense is releasing for public use and research this multi-volume study giving the "MAGIC" or communications intelligence background of the 1941 Pearl Harbor disaster. In its review of classified records pursuant to E. O. 11652, the Department of Defense decided that it was in the public interest to declassify the intelligence which the U.S. obtained from the communications of its World War II enemies. This study contains a major part of the communications intelligence which the U.S. derived from intercepted Japanese communications during 1941.
The documentation presented here is both voluminous and significant. The large volume of intelligence concerning Japanese secret plans, policies, and activities which U.S. cryptologic specialists produced will augment the information already available on Pearl Harbor from Congressional and other public hearings. Of particular importance in this study is the correlation of the intelligence with the discussions of Secretary of State Hull and Japanese Ambassador Nomura in the critical months before Pearl Harbor. Scholars no doubt will find new challenges in this voluminous intelligence information as they examine not only the decisions made by the U.S. but also the intelligence which influenced and occasionally prompted those decisions.

End quote.

The Pearl Harbor History Associates are happy to be able to bring this work to the Internet after decades of being hidden in the stacks or costing $100+ for each volume on the used market. We hope this will be useful in the study of the events leading up to the attack on Pearl Harbor and the study of events leading to wars whenever they occur. Our greatest wish is that by learning more about how wars start we can learn more about how to prevent them, and some day will come the time when we will "study war no more."

 

A Chronological Collection of Documents Relating to the U.S. Entry Into WWII.

 

The Myths of Pearl Harbor
A collection of files intended to correct
some of the many misconceptions and myths
about the Pearl Harbor Attack.
Suggestions for further additions are requested!

 

U.S. Congressional Documents regarding declaration of war.

 

NAVY DEPARTMENT COMMUNIQUES AND PERTINENT PRESS RELEASES, DECEMBER 10, 1941 to May 24, 1945
CNO Wartime Reports to SECNAV
United States Naval Chronology of World War II
"Report on the Navy and the War" published Oct. 12, 1943, by the Office of Public Relations, Navy Dept., for the Senate Committee on Naval Affairs.
"Investigation of Charges that American Naval Vessels are Convoying Ships or Have Destroyed German Navl Vessels" Published 29 July, 1941, by the Senate Committe on Naval Affairs.
"The Decline and Renaissance of the Navy, 1922-1944" (Brief History of Naval Legistlation from 1922 to 1944 Pointing Out the Policy of the Government During These Years and Steps taken in Recent Years to Rebuild Our Navy to its Present Strength.) Published by the Senate Committee on Naval Affairs, June 7, 1944.
The Washington Naval Arms Limitation Treaty of 1922, signed by Great Britain, France, Italy, Japan, and the United States.
Naval Policy Statements by US Presidents through 1924. (Compiled by Theodore Roosevelt and updated in 1924.)