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December 7, a Date That Lives On

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CINCPAC Naval Dispatch from Pearl Harbor, December 7, 1941

Driving to work this morning, I noticed the flags of federal office buildings lowered to half-staff. Quite often, that means that a member of Congress or a notable government official has died, so my heart always leaps into my throat if I don?t already know the specific reason why.

And then I remembered today?s date: December 7, 2007. For many Americans, that awful morning two-thirds of a century ago?December 7, 1941?still feels ever-present, an attack on U.S. soil that resonates strongly even in our 21st-century lives.

Pearl Harbor and its aftermath are well-represented in the collections of the Library of Congress. A good place to start is our ?Today in History? page, which includes links to the archive of ?man-on-the-street? interviews organized by folklorist Alan Lomax almost immediately afterward. Another highlight of the collections is the original naval dispatch from the commander-in-chief of the Pacific fleet, or CINCPAC, which contained only nine ominous words: “AIR RAID ON PEARL HARBOR X THIS IS NOT DRILL.”

(Image: Detail of CINCPAC naval dispatch, Dec. 7, 1941)

Comments (3)

  1. I remember where I was on this date do you?

  2. I remember where I was on this date do you?

    🙂

  3. What are the chances of getting an rss on the LOC’s today in history page?

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