Prange And Pearl Harbor: A Magnificent Obsession

Coming up next it was our nation's first experience with an enemy spilling American blood on American soil. The attack on Pearl Harbor still stands out as a day of infamy when twenty four hundred men lost their lives and an enemy shocked us with its treachery and audacity. But Pearl Harbor is also the story of a historian who spent a lifetime researching the complexities of this watershed battle the meticulous and inventive Japanese planning and America's sleepy indifference that nearly led to its own undoing. He wrote the definitive book on the battle by which all other accounts are measured. A book that almost wasn't published. A casualty of the author's own obsession finally saved by an unlikely cast of characters. It's a fascinating story behind this story and it's all part of this Pearl Harbor commemoration special frame and Pearl Harbor a magnificent obsession.

Well I don't I mean you want me to go on and on and on. Right. I mean you know it was one of the most powerful moments in American history when a single event shattered the tranquility of one age and savagely ushered in another

as a nation we were stunned by the swiftness and brutality of the attack. Twenty four hundred Americans dead our Pacific fleet in shambles and an enemy now poised to assert itself throughout Asia and the Pacific. Sixty years later questions about the attack on Pearl Harbor still linger in the minds of many Americans. Was this tragedy inevitable or were there warning signs that it was coming. Did we ignore those signs or did America as some maintain choose to ignore them so that it might enter the war. One man would have an enormous impact on how this infamous sneak attack by Japan would be understood by Americans and Japanese alike. He made it his life's work to unearth every detail of the attack research and

interview virtually every survivor on each side of the conflict and shed light on the perplexing almost bizarre chain of events that culminated that Sunday morning December 7 1941. The story of Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor is also the story of the man who created the definitive work on the tragedy. Gordon W. prang arrived at the crossroads of history as much by chance as by opportunity. He grew obsessed with the story pouring his life and soul into not years of research but decades his work almost wasn't published as his life ended before the final chapter. But prangs legacy was rescued by a quirky character who understood prangs passion and genius like Pearl Harbor. It's a

story of tragedy and triumph. Within days of the attack America began to mobilize for war. Rush of enlistments was the first sign of the American will to victory. There was a production rally of industry and labor to the task of forging the weapons to defeat the Axis enemies mechanized equipment turned out through the air at an enormous rate for overseas a battleship for oceanic fighting and for the nation answered the call. And it was a major commitment. Nearly 18 million served mostly men from a population of 120 million. Everybody knows somebody that was in the war as college campuses emptied a young man at the University of Maryland pondered what he could do for his country.

Gordon W. Bryan was a newly minted history professor. His expertise was contemporary German history prior to arriving at Maryland in 1937. He'd earned his Ph.D. on German politics. He studied in Europe and spent considerable time in Berlin where he observed the tumultuous political scene in Germany in the 1930s. The tactics of the ruling Nazi regime caught his attention and Prang wrote his first book on the speeches of Adolf Hitler. So when prang enlisted in the Navy he was stunned when officials ordered him to prepare for duty in the eventual occupation of Japan. When my father was at the Naval School of military government Columbia University he actually went maybe to the Commodore Navy official whatever and said You know I've been thinking I'm a German scholar I should be in German I should be training to go to Germany.

I guess the converse said Lieutenant prang German scholars are a dime a dozen. You'll do just fine in Japan. This interview is over. The war ended and Prang was assigned to Japan to work in the occupation. But it wasn't long before his military obligation ended. He was eager to return to his academic career at the University of Maryland but fate had yet another hand to play for crying as he prepared to ship out for home. The military made him a surprising offer. They needed someone with prangs talents to write the history of the U.S. military action in the Pacific beginning with Pearl Harbor and ending on a climactic day when General Douglas MacArthur accepted the surrender of the Japanese on the deck of the USS Missouri on the path of under at the place indicated brain reluctantly accepted and only after a colleague persuaded him it would be

the opportunity of a lifetime. His family was set up in a large home near Tokyo with a gardner cook and servants. Praying was accompanied by his wife Ann and his young son Winfred. My parents never discussed second world war with me when I was a little boy in Japan even though I went to yo Yogi elementary school started there. And there were officers kids. We really didn't discuss it. We just played. And when I was living in Japan we lived in as one Japanese area said a guy and my only friends there were Japanese boys and play with them constantly and I'm sure they knew who I was. And I'm sure that they had lost somebody following the Americans or British. And yet I was as safe as I'm sitting in here praying joined the historical section of the military intelligence division known as G-2 which was charged with monitoring Japanese reaction to the occupation and watching

for insurgent activities. For praying it placed him at a historical ground zero as praying resurged MacArthur's military history. He realized there was more opportunity here than just Max memoires. He would write his own book. But this story would be unique. It would be the Japanese perspective on Pearl Harbor. While many historians could assemble the American viewpoint virtually no one but prang had such access to the Japanese who actually pulled it off. He came face to face with the key strategists of the attack Commander Minoru again the genius chairman who planned the attack and the pilot commander mid-to Frucci do Kendo was sometimes too willing too risky in his judgment when he should have been more careful said Captain Mutsu Fujita who led the air attack against Pearl Harbor.

Gwenda was like a daring quarterback who would risk the game on one turn of pitch and toss. He was a man of brilliant ideas. Sometimes however his ideas were too flashy and needed a practical hand for their realization. Crane had to know everything. Interview after interview preceded he started inviting them over his house guests and eventually interviewed each man more than 100 times. After a few years prank completed MacArthur's military history and finally returned to Maryland as he settled back into campus life and teaching. One student caught his attention a fellow from the south who was quick enough to earn a track scholarship. Yet equally quick and prangs history seminars he was a campus cutter and Prang became intrigued with this athlete scholar. It

would prove to be a prophetic relationship with class. I would sit them back and I could answer a lot of the questions with all Ijok and I couldn't because in Virginia if you don't know history you're in trouble. Both Biloela women 16 IBM post-House of Burgess the James Al-Khalili Williamsburgh your pal the Civil War. So what. He took a liking to me and so I got to know him and he made me kind of go fight with working on his definitive work on Pearl Harbor. He was going to finish this work and was going to be the big book by himself had there was quite a character he had classes on Friday night. We would meet on Friday night. People would come for fraternity parties and told his art. And you know uniforms and the big fat cats were big in my day and so they would come to his class at the library a little puny like a library it was in those days 40 people would come and hear a

great brag talk about World War 2. Then we'd all go off and tell me as the book progressed prang became obsessed with detail. His home began filling with dozens of filing cabinets. His office jammed with books papers maps and documents frames exhaustive research raises many new questions as it answers. How did the Japanese sail undetected for thousands of miles. Did they maintain complete radio silence. How were they able to refuel over such a distance. He realized he had many more questions for Gandalf Lucita and the others. Perhaps he could invite them to his home in America. Cheetah spent many months here in 1964 and at other times likely 63 and Watanabe was here. Yes otos. And

Ohio Ohio Ohio began when I was a little boy in Washington Heights and Fertitta spent some nights sleep in the same room while I was in and I complained of my peers because I wore the light on and he wanted the light off but those are low. I had no idea who these people were they were just there. And yes when they were in a house we never really talked about the Second World War we we just. How're you doing how's your family How's this. They were interested in me when I was going to college or I was in high school what I was doing and most of the time I was telling them about you know how much I disliked the New York Yankees and baseball was big in Japan so they could relate to that. He didn't want me as an aggressive young kids talk into these Japanese

officers about the Second World War in a negative way. Oh and also we knew that this was serious business you know. So I guess we're just like I said showed the proper respect prangs earliest work was serialized in a Reader's Digest article printed in Japan. It was immediately seized upon by Hollywood. Got involved with the movie what came out for what we call a terrible terrible terrible at the time because it was for that day it was ahead of its time. It's actually a very good flick. It really really is. But at the time it was two documentary you had a great cast. And well BOD's and both of people like that but with no sex. No no no no. I'll do it. But now it's become very very very definitive much more so I think than the future of movies which have the THAWLEY love

thoise this was not going to be a made for TV you know I wanted this to be historically accurate. Accuracy was everything down to the coloring of the planes to and that he wanted it right. My father wouldn't even go to the premiere. I think he saw it like a week later or something. My mother dressed up in a coma when we all went down and we had a good time and a couple of my father's was a lady that was a feature writer for the other post of the star Claire Crawford Clara Crawford was a guy that my father and then my father wanted to go to bed every night at nine o'clock here he was the

nice first teacher and he just wasn't going to go dance or he didn't like crowds. Prang realized his book must include the American perspective as well as the Japanese and the project continued to grow. He's writing this and as he writes it he gets into the revision of a theory about whether Admiral Kimmel was guilty and the Navy is trying to get him to tell that side of the story. And then you get the Japanese view and then you get that Roosevelt. No. The thing begins to develop from one to two of the three. GOLDSTEIN graduated from the University of Maryland went on to a career in the Air Force retired then returned to academia. But he kept in touch with his old professor from Maryland unaware that Pearl Harbor and praying would one day touch his life again. Every year he'd write make friends with God. I've just finished another chapter and I'm in their fourth and fifth in five to 77 he hasn't finished yet and he's right me and I go and see his

family the one day and night I get a phone call from me and he's dying. I can't. So he asked me to come up to my island to see if life will. Probably worse than this one. That's hard to believe what it was. And he had all these papers and all these for like his and all this stuff. And so he wanted me to go to McGraw Hill I try to call McGraw-Hill with Publisher for 30 years. The only thing Dr. Gordon. There is the definite danger that you may get yourself so lost in research and more research one detail leading to another that the book gets harder and harder to write every day. There comes a time in any such research and writing project such as yours that you have to turn your back on the unsolved details and produce the finished book by God. Gordon I hope that 1964 sees that great event three separate salesmen have come up to me with the query where oh where is that big pearl harbor book. I

get all sorts of calls for it but interest is going to die and I answer them. So we get up there to say we don't waiting to do with this guy. And look we really got a good book. We really think this is where do and well we don't want to mess with. Hey it's going to be the 40th anniversary why don't we do something. Well if you can do it in one by my god how the hell would I do it one by Goldstein gasped along with prangs assistant Catherine Dillon because they knew what praying had written over three decades. Something close to ten to twelve thousand pages. What do you do we used to watch you cut me a bath and you type and she's typing on the words a minute. A hundred twenty three is live for me and you know it's really tough to cut. This is a tough job and people think you can take the paragraph all you can do that no computer after editing millions of prangs words Donald Goldstein has become prangs voice from the grave.

Well we can imitate. I mean I can write like play because I can play. But I mean if you understand me in other words we've seen his work so much that we it's hard now to tell what the what is it. It's his style. We were doing is frankly for the love we think of the money. We didn't think it was a bestseller. We thought it was a good story to tell while they played it with great and then they started selling now and then but you know what we were sold what was their prangs version of the attack on Pearl Harbor. That struck such a chord with the American public. Not only had he written an incredibly compelling story but one extremely rich with astonishing detail based on hundreds of personal interviews thousands of documents all extensively footnoted with the precision of an academic. It was the fruit of that magnificent obsession.

Thirty seven years in the making. Coming up in praying and Pearl Harbor a magnificent obsession. See the details of the Japanese technological advancements that led to their devastating success at Pearl Harbor and discover the wonderful Japanese treasure that Gordon W. prangs brought back to America which recently returned to Japan to the people's delight right after this short message. Prangs level of detail emerges with the first hint of an attack nearly a year

before the operation. At an embassy cocktail party the Peruvian ambassadors cabinet picks up this story that the Japanese are going to attack Pearl Harbor. He tells coord he tells the ambassador to the American ambassador who tells how they affect Secretary of State. And they said no quid. Prangs research refuted the conventional wisdom of the time. That said the Japanese couldn't save those 6000 miles without detection. Or refuel multiple times over such a vast distance. Was very very tough. The ships are Pincian and they had to delay the attack 20 minutes because the little waves were full but this is the northern Pacific. The waves are pitching back and forth. Then. This is important too. One of the myths about history are that the Japanese were broadcast what they claim. And we've got the documents a little drawdown. Of all the papers that the American trained we were tracking and we were picking it up in this cold

way back in San Francisco. Well this is December 7 1941. This is not technology as we know it today. This is the sun is very low. It had to skip across. I mean this is real tough. So they could communicate they had to use them for code you know a b c and whatever without the flashing lights and make that around and they had to refuel three times and they did it in the rough seas. I went last get to myself. I flew into Tokyo airport and I said please tell me because I don't care. Tell me are we. No we never booked radio silence. Maybe once or twice somebody broadcast. That's a great feat. One of the great Themyscira beats of all time I think. In addition to the logistical problems of attacking Pearl Harbor there were major technological hurdles that had to be overcome. Such as inventing a shallow depth torpedo. They had a wooden fin on. The idea was that they would then when they hit the water would kick away and that would straighten the

torpedo up because otherwise the top bidder would have gone down too deep and sunk in the mud by having a wooden fence which when it hit the water disengaged it kind of like a. Parachute would kick up you know. And that forced the torpedo to not go deep but to run shallow and they did it only about two or three months before the attack Phantasie. And that was one way we kept the nets open to go we didn't that would be like this. It was a tragedy of errors that led up to that fateful day. One centered on a new technology that had been installed just days earlier. Radar. Black Hawk sees this big blown away. They were a bunch of ships too and B-17 do it from this day. An incident. They come in with no ammunition. A fellow named Colonel landed to lead them in there. Get shot up. But they're coming in. But they're cause they're coming from the east and they get this big blip on the screen. But they always knew that you got this is this it for people to know what it was they were up there

practicing. So Lockhart picks this up. And he passes it on to his guy. And he picks it up up at about 130 seven miles out. And he reported it to come at Tyla with a Dudely on percentiles read the newspaper and listen to the story. Tyler says hey they're probably are. Don't worry about that. And that's what happened. There was the Japanese sub that was sunk near the entrance to Pearl Harbor just an hour before the attack. Kimmel was not at all certain this was a real attack. He later explained it and we had so many false reports of submarines in the outlying area. I thought well I would wait for verification of the report. And so the previous cries of wolf through Kimmel off stride at the very hour when the predators were heading for the phone.

The incredible destruction of U.S. air power right away occurred for one key reason. Short who was a commander didn't really understand a pilot. And so what he did was he lying these planes up from the bunker to be easy to watch you would have yourself for five or six people hanging around. And so you could do that. The Japanese were hoping that the fleet would be Atla-Hi over Maui now the 3 on DVD. Parallel was only 30 to 40 feet deep. Every ship that was sunk at Pearl Harbor is up to Arizona and Utah. And look at the old go ball which was dug up and then sunk for the whole. World live to fight another day.

There were had those ships in the Bay Harbor and also had to bring her up. And you see the margin right now so reappearance after weeks on the water. Like a symbol of great peril the harm done by the enemy. And like the tragedies of today there were stories of great heroism but also stories of heartbreaking tragedies. One of the most powerful. Dozens of men were trapped below dead in a capsized chips of her own heart. Tapping incessantly waiting and praying for rescue. That would come. Too late. I was the West Virginia. They were cut down of or five dead. And so they were pounding on the wall. Ding ding ding ding. And they could hear it. And when they finally got them out I've written on the wall was December 23rd. Ironically of the 31 ships that was attacked people at Pearl Harbor.

All Japanese ship was sunk by the end of the war and I believe all the ships of Pearl Harbor only to the Utah and Arizona still there was the Oklahoma. So it works in reverse. But there were other reasons the Americans so profoundly underestimated the Japanese. A dark side of human nature that we know now the Japanese shared with us. On possession of Japan was not very good. I mean this is a national geographic magazine you get to the big guy you know big is the big thing we wrestle. The Japanese were not humans. They were never on the scale of evolution to apes. You know it's never kill that dirty Germans get Hitler. But let's

get the dirty Japs and maybe because from our European heritage more people from Germany than any other of a group of people. And so it may have been there but it's never kill the dirty German hands the of you had it's good Hitler but if kill the dirty Japs smash the Japs yap yap yap up. Yes yes. So the Japanese didn't think much about it. They thought that we had too many holes too many Czechs too many Slavs too many Jews and this amalgamation of race would go against us you know would make a dog of the few or just pure Yamato race. I. Think. We're too bright and I think that upon the world that Americans don't even know which end the youth may throw the other pin. Boy what a gentleman. And there was yet another factor that had a critical impact on this moment in history.

The differing emphasis both nations placed on the importance of the military and American society. We don't like one so a lot of times the best and brightest don't always fall into a motor. That doesn't mean that these guys are bad. You have a different layer in Japan and they are the best and brightest were in the Navy to die for the emperor was a minor thing one could do. To be in the Japanese Navy was it she number one. This is it. In America the best and brightest worked for us all our coal Westinghouse. Chase Manhattan what have you. So that their best and brightest attacked us at Pearl Harbor we had some good people that were not the best and brightest. Once the war begins then we get the best the brightest then we get the people who are then becomes. And we wear them out because they have a wheelbarrow economy. People could say well they couldn't beat us no. Their economy was based on agriculture like a mystical

view you get together with. You put the ship where they started the war with 10 or 11 carrier the end of the war with all the war three or four we had to with 20. They could not replace the ship with that. But they're bested by the way in the Navy they were trained to do this. We had Frank Sinatra Burt Lancaster when the boxing match from here to eternity. BOOKER You know I mean this was the life that these guys were the best of brightest. Thirty years later we underestimated them. Yeah. And within one hour and then a drop of bombs dropped Toyoda's a drop and you know hey you know bullets shot bullets they were rampant. They will a. They will buying a why and because we thought there were so little by God we let them do it again. And then we that what happened here what happened here. You know right now they're in trouble. But this was 10 years ago. Gordon prangs saved another chapter of Japanese post-war history.

Yet it wouldn't be recognized two years later. It involved an unusual aspect of the occupation that was known as the civil censorship detachment or CCD. It was a vast censorship operation. The Allies imposed on the Japanese to monitor any possible resurgence of military activity. Every form of communication radio telephone mail. Was monitored and checked for propaganda nationalism and militarism. But the largest component of the operation was publication's censorship. A single copy of each newspaper magazine and book had to be inspected and kept on file that allied command. The logistics were daunting. Thousands of people. Were involved. If we just scale it down to the civil censorship detachment at the height. Somewhere to 5000 to 7000 would have been involved not in print censorship. Which is meant the prank collection is all

about. But all these other things opening the mails and listening to telephone conversations. It was quite a problem for the publishing industry particularly for the press and the news agencies that wanted to be. Right on the cutting edge of news but they had to wait sometimes 24 hours sometimes 48 hours sometimes weeks to get word back from our censors. We could delete words we could delete. Passages and we could suspend. And hold up. And we could totally suppress if we found that something violated our rules and the Japanese would then have to do the best they could to cover up the last words because they were not allowed to put any Lipsius or any other marks that would indicate that anything had been taken out in some cases they had to substitute at the last minute a whole new article. Albert Salik mind was a 20 year old soldier who had been assigned to the CCD. It was a period when political freedom freedom of political expression was being encouraged.

The political prisoners had been released from jail including communists who'd been jailed by the Japanese before during war. Labor unions were being encouraged where they had been banned opposition political parties were being encouraged to exist. So. It wasn't an effort to suppress expression so much as put limits on it. And most of the strictures applied to the conduct of the occupation itself after four years of occupation the censorship operation was coming to an end. Praying was preparing to return home to Maryland. And he realized the fate of all archived Japanese newspapers books and magazines was in question. Recognizing the historical value of the material prang used his considerable influence to bring it home to the University of Maryland

tells me he's got all these papers coming. So we go down to the harbor Balma. And the ship has got this big container we got out of I mean we fill up our truck like Allied Van liner us number one you know with papers I mean we're unloading this grab me and one other grad student at a one with some friends takes us about two days to unload this monster of document. This is down at the University of Maryland library. That's the Gordon Brown collection. And boy it's something else. I mean he's got hundreds of magazines and books and documents about the occupation of the brain or how the heck he got them. It wasn't until years later that historians realized how rich and varied the collection was. After they started prying open those basement crates it it only covers a short span of time. But it is a deep.

Deep deep deep you have newsletters stamp collectors newsletters. Tuberculosis. Sanitarium. Newsletters all the way up to the mass circulation newspapers all the little struggling literary and sports magazines. If it's radio broadcasting. It's all there. Every subchief you could think of including the new religions in Japan so it is just a gold it was a treasure relatively few documents were censored. But they are the most fascinating. This is an example of a book that was suppressed and the censors actually write directly on the cover using colored pencil. This is a book about prostitution. It addresses some of the issues related to prostitution. During this period prostitution eventually was somewhat institutionalized during the period to service the G.I.. That was a process that

was obviously too delicate an issue. But I think it was not prostitution per se but more of the fraternization between the Japanese women and the guys that caused this to be suppressed. This is a short story by Thomas Zaki and she writes about planes flying overhead. There's an implication that she fantasized about the pilots in those planes and the whole story was suppressed. And I think it implied fraternization. Yet the irony of the US using censorship as it implemented democracy never fails to amaze. If one looks at the center ship now some of it almost seems archaic. It's very difficult in retrospect to understand why we bothered. I think that. The know Americans the first reaction I had when I learned of the censorship practice was that it seemed so out of. Character for a

country that has our constitutional values to do such a thing. And what sent what was censored often seem trivial. And my own take on it is that we'll learn more about the United States than we will about the Japanese if we look at what was censored by the CCD the censored words are still haunting today. What is were. I do not accept cruelty in every war no matter how beautifully dressed up. I detect ugly demonic intent. And I have for those black hearted people who are not involved directly themselves constantly glorify war and Fannie's flames. What is it that takes place when people say holy war just war. Murder arson rape except. Of course. We respect the sincerity of the

members of course by their speech. They died for the highest cause. Having this so-called person of patriotism the deep sense of calm. And done the same. Fighting is the human instinct of self-preservation. Yet the collection inspires a sense of pride among the many Japanese and Japanese American staff who tend to it even as it invokes difficult memories. One of the staff members told me she's very proud to be a part of history. So I think that it's a general feeling. We're fascinated by the collection resources we have. The collection of occupation documents is better known in Japan than the U.S. recently an exhibition of censored children's books was on

loan in Tokyo. For those who still remember and those who should remember this important period of history. Well when I was a primary school student these publications were available and we had some pocket money. But. The price of the magazine was beyond the reach beyond our reach. We didn't have enough pocket money to buy it. Of course it was a matter of priorities. We first of all we used the money to buy something today. So this was kind of like a luxury. Looking at this really about those memories. Christine. I don't think it's good for people to skip the trade. In fact quite the opposite it's very important for us to pass on to future generations. Exactly what happened and the defeated countries particularly the particularly the defeated countries Germany and Japan and so on. It's their responsibility to make sure that they pass on the truth of what has happened. To. TV and. To. Future generations.

But it is prangs lifelong obsession with the story of Pearl Harbor that he will be best remembered for. There are so many aspects of the attack that ultimately had such a profound effect on America to this very day. When prang and Pearl Harbor a magnificent obsession continuums prang meets the revisionist of American history head on. And see how the impact of Pearl Harbor changed America to what it is today. All after this short message. Some historical revisionists actually claim that America permitted the

attack on Pearl Harbor so that it might enter the war. Prangs reaction was a forceful retaliation with the facts. I think what the Americans have missed the boat and playing dead was you got to tell the Japanese side we treated the Japanese like they never planned it. They never did this thing. If we let them do this. No we didn't let them do it. We got caught unaware they caught us with our pants that. Prangs story is a story of developing a torpedo that doesn't stick in the mud. So how was the shall develop a bomb that will penetrate. Seventeen hundred fifty pound bomb penetrated that can do it what his toy is one of refueling at sea when the water is bad. The weather was awful. It's the planning and execution of a great attack which was very successful. I mean they come in into the lion's den. They kill the cubs they get out. They lose 29 airplanes. 57 59 men five midget submarines and one

large submarine. We could even do that in an exercise today if we had this exercise bringing the whole fleet across the Pacific. We could do it. So prangs story is their story and its effect upon us. Most stories today are not their story. They are the American story about what it could have should have had a man a father and all that. Frank was adamant when it came to assigning responsibility for the myriad misjudgments that culminated on that fateful day. Radar picked the plane's up an hour and 10 minutes before. That's not Roosevelt's fault. That's not somebody else's fault. We should have done some. You think a submarine in the harbor one hour before that's not Roosevelt for that's not prangs for that's the man in charge of the system. If you break you raise up the submarine. That's because you don't want to. You don't want to screw up the job. OK. That's not anybody else's fault but to command. You lie the airplanes up bumper to bumper so you get a bowling ball and a ball of down the middle.

That's not anybody's fault but the commander. You have reports a report by a a admiral Ballenger and a general Martin they were the commanders of the Army and the Navy Air arms who tell Kimball in March that look if the Japanese are coming they're coming from the north they're going to do it on a Sunday morning blah blah blah. He disregards it. They had another report by Colonel following the commander of Hickam Air Base. He tells them this is the way it's going to be done. It's true that Kimmel didn't get all the information. It's true that people thought this but that's the way it was. Why. Even today yesterday is today more like yesterday and the breeze is blowing. So you get this complacency in a command. I think Pearl Harbor is haunting because I think that we got the Americans awareness.

We don't like to get beat. And so. It hard it hurts because it's one of the few times. I mean Vietnam was bad but we didn't get beat with it quick. I mean we got beat but we quit when we got beat. I mean these guys came into the den and went into hours they changed the world. This group. That. Is the one that bothers most Americans. There was a study that we're negotiating with these guys and it was us and the bodies of Japanese too and a Japanese legend of life. When you live sleep you kick them a little bit. We give them 30 minutes and then you kill. And the idea was that they were going to want us one hour before the attack. But but the trouble is that we had broken the code not the military. We knew that attack was going to take place taking place and they're still in the embassy. Typing with one finger. You should have got the American guy to type with him it didn't really matter. And so when did the liberal method the bomb the ball and then you got 18 year old kids out there.

These guys are not even high school grad. They're being attacked by Japanese airplanes. As sneak attack. And so they're they're mad. They hate the Japanese too. They did not then that. This was that the Japanese. Are you with me. Well there's a surprise. It was a fluke and I tried to tell them an American like theology. Surprise is the same thing. But to them surprise the evidence. Nowhere do prangs words resonate so profoundly than at Pearl Harbor especially for those who are the guardians of one of our nation's most inspiring memorials that of the USS Arizona. Gordon prangs book at dawn we slept just perhaps the finest written on the Pearl Harbor attack. If you were to equate that with Gettysburg every like Ghatak tense Gettysburg campaign this book is a pinnacle in the understanding of what happened here on that tragic day December 7th

1941. His thorough research has allowed us to peek into areas of the Pearl Harbor attack which led up to it. What happened during and what happened after. When I say that it allows us to peek in rooms we're able to see from both sides what was going on when these dramatic decisions were being made especially prior to the attack on Pearl Harbor. There is no book like it Gordon praying and Pearl Harbor are synonymous and his shadow cast over this particular site. Because often visitors ask us what's the best book on Pearl Harbor. And if they are serious students of this event there's no other. The attack on Pearl Harbor changed more than America's role in the new alignment of world powers. Something profound happened that day in America's kitchens factories and school yards. Changes that would forever reshape how Americans define their roles with

each other. World War II changed. It took the New York Jew. And the California slicky boy. And the Mormon from Salt Lake City and the the the hick from Georgia and put them all in these units. They'd never seen each other before. People had never been outside of Dundalk Maryland. They'd never been outside of Baltimore. And now you put them in these units and they got together and they begin to see this Jewish guy with this big thing on his yarmulke. And this Mormon guy and this Islamic guy pray and then and it unified this country in that way it gave us the GI bill before the G.I. Bill. People in that aspect just now never really got a chance to do two things on the G.I. Bill. Educated this country when the rich went to school before that. I mean I remember when the Beeny took this thing off and

a change day revolutionized how things were going on. It changed the role of women. What it really did there in terms of is that women became those people that put the baby kept in check. They went off into the into the fields of went and did things that women never never did before and that never was the same after that. Gordon Chang also was changed by Pearl Harbor in ways he could never imagine. Like many Americans of the time he knew little of Japan its people or its customs. On the eve of World War Two. By the standards of that day I was fairly well educated and I say fairly. Famishing football on the beach and of academia. Yes I'm one of the major nations and greatest peoples on this earth. He admired Japanese for hard work and their industriousness

and he came to like them. And I think most Americans who were there who even who had fought in this horrific war came to like and respect the Japanese. Now that they were interacting with them even though we were victorious there was this sense of respect. And I think both my parents shared in that respect they were they were captivated by this ancient culture. And its literature and its art. And. You know what the Japanese represented. Even prang would later admit that the military's seemingly illogical decision to send a German expert to Japan was a fortuitous moment but later I came to realize that the captain had done me a tremendous favor by his firm decision.

He gave me a whole new world. A lifetime's direction and a host of wonderful Japanese friends. I would never have met otherwise. Pearl Harbor and pricing change Donald Goldstein's life beyond measure as well who could do this for both my mentor. I mean really. Yes and it changed me made me. I mean I was N-nothing. And now you know I'm still a loving but people think I'm something and fill up a little bit. But everybody be critical why didn't you put this in a way or is that why did you leave this out. I mean that's the way the great Peach sprang was a great fact that he would come to class and he would be today he be the golf ball he'd be if bin ein Berliner a Kennedy or he would be whatever the guy the guy had his had. He was very dynamic and the member of the people's names in a room and they fall and yes it is a shame because you see he never finished but in a way he did finish.

I mean we finished the work the Japanese commander's most influential and the attack on Pearl Harbor saw their lives changed as well. Minoru and the brilliant and brash mastermind of the attack went on to become a general and Japan's self-defense Air Force. The new military organization allowed by Japan's revamped Constitution. Gwenda's war record later paved the way for a successful political career and he became a prominent and independent leader in the upper house of the diet. Japan's equivalent of the United States Senate. He died in 1989 at the age of 85. Midsole for Cheeta the pilot who once wore a jaunty mustache out of admiration for Adolph Hitler and uttered the famous words Torah Torah Torah had a surprising future in store. Hailed as a hero after the war Lucido found his old job as a former frustrating. But after reading a religious pamphlet at a train

station Fujita converted to Christianity. Soon he was consumed with preaching the gospel in the land of the rising sun. Where it was not always well received. In 1952 he met the American evangelist Billy Graham and appeared on his television show The hour of decision making on its way to Pearl Harbor with hate in his heart. With one of my cue to destroy I now 11 years later he can talk to you about the grace of God and the love of God. I accept my savior. When you accepted Christ as your savior the change came. But Ferrucci his image was later tarnished by marital scandal and by those who doubted his conversion. It was questioned whether Frucci to ever abandon his Shintoists beliefs that he was gone.

For he was a man who had survived real hard live through the Battle of Midway narrowly escaped death at Hiroshima and attended the surrender aboard the USS Missouri. Could such a samurai warrior ever believe he was not divine. Mizuho Fujita died at the age of 73 in 1976. Pearl Harbor today has a quiet serenity that almost belies its connection to the past. But the memory of what occurred in these waters flows like a powerful current to places and times that can not be forgotten. Beneath the dappled sunbeams are a thousand stories that will never be heard. These rusting hulks are more than iron and steel. They are the spirit of a great generation who paid the ultimate price for what many take for granted.

Like tragedies of today. This monumental event forced America to shed a layer of innocence. And exposed a raw nerve. And like the droplets of oil that still rise to the surface these memories signal a moment when America was changed. For. Gordon W. prangs manuscripts produced five additional books on the war in the Pacific. At dawn we slept the untold story of Pearl Harbor has been rereleased for the 60th anniversary of the attack the Gordon W. Prine collection at the University of Maryland College Park is made accessible and being preserved by the University of Maryland libraries. Additional support for their collection comes from Japan's national diet library.

The Nippon foundation the Center for Global Partnership and the U.S. National Endowment for the Humanities. Go. To