On the morning of December 7, 1941, a surprise attack by Japanese naval aviation against the American held island of Oahu and Pearl Harbor thrust the United States into World War II. This story details one of the most momentous events in American history and a crucial turning point in the 20th century. Most importantly, it is a story of the people who were there, told through eyewitness accounts of American and Japanese veterans, some of whose stories have never been told. This is a story of perseverance and heroism in the face of overwhelming odds. This is the story of Pearl Harbor.
*December 7th, produced on behalf of the U.S. government and directed by acclaimed cinematographer Gregg Toland, is a dramatization of the events that precipitated the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Framed as a debate between Walter Huston's Uncle Sam and Harry Davenport's Mr. C (that's "C" for "Conscience") the film attempts to determine who was to blame. Though December 7th is more balanced than most propaganda films of the time, even suggesting that the United States should have been better prepared, it is still an indictment of Japanese-Hawaiians and the alleged role they may have played.
