Logo for Selected Documents on the Pearl Harbor Attack, December 6, 1941 – December 8, 1941 | Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library & Museum

Selected Documents on the Pearl Harbor Attack, December 6, 1941 – December 8, 1941 | Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library & Museum

Collection Overview

Title: Selected Documents on the Pearl Harbor Attack, December 6, 1941 – December 8, 1941Add to your cart.

Primary Creator: Archivists of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Library and Museum

Extent: 0.5 Cubic Feet

Arrangement: Series I is arranged alphabetically after the president’s papers and Series II is arranged numerically.

Scope and Contents of the Materials

This artificial collection is composed of photocopies of original documents identified from the holdings of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library pertaining to Pearl Harbor, specifically the events of three days: December 6, 7, and 8, 1941.  The items are a collection of documents gathered from other collections found at the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library. The criterion for selecting the historical content is solely based on the date range—December 6, 1941 to December 8, 1941.  Selected materials include: documents, diaries, telegrams, letters, memoranda, and photographs.

Library staff has endeavored to make this research collection as comprehensive as possible; this collection does not represent the entirety of materials in the Roosevelt Library documenting the events of Pearl Harbor.  There is a vast amount of documents relating to the lead up to Pearl Harbor attack itself, and the aftermath.  To simplify matters only the immediate before and after dates are available within this collection.  The Pearl Harbor Guide is available for researchers seeking additional information, including documents related to: Indo-China, Japanese-U.S. Relations, Magic, and WWII.

The Pearl Harbor artificial collection includes: President’s Official File (OF), President’s Personal File (PPF), President’s Secretary File (PSF), Master Speech File (MSF), Map Room Papers, Francis Biddle Papers, Charles Fahy Papers, William Hasset Papers, Henry Morgenthau Jr. Diaries, Frank A. Schuler Papers, John Toland Papers, and Claude Wickard Papers.

Administrative Information

Repository: Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library & Museum

Use Restrictions: Copyright Notice: The writings of Franklin D. Roosevelt within this collection are in the public domain. The official writings of United States government officials within this collection are in the public domain. The writings of Eleanor Roosevelt within this collection are subject to Mrs. Roosevelt's literary estate. All other materials are subject to the United States Copyright law, 17 U.S.C. 101, et seq.

Related Materials: Please refer to A Guide to Pearl Harbor Resources in the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library for further Pearl Harbor inquiries.

Other Note: Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library is the first presidential library and the only presidential library used by a sitting president.  The library houses documents, objects, and photographs pertaining and relating to President Franklin D. Roosevelt (FDR).  FDR was in office during the events of Pearl Harbor and the library houses materials about the attack.

Box and Folder Listing


Browse by Series:

[Series 1: Documents, December 6, 1941 - December 8, 1941],
[Series 2: Photographs, December 7, 1941],
[All]


Series 2: Photographs, December 7, 1941Add to your cart.
Still Photographs – Images comprising this series are selected from the FDR Library’s General Photograph Collection, folder: WWII: Hawaii: Attack on Pearl Harbor. Listed here are original captions taken from the photographs themselves, along with a Library control number. Unless copyright information is stated in the image caption, all of the photographs in this series belong in the public domain. This means that, to the best of our knowledge, the materials may be freely used by the researcher. However, for copyrighted materials, it is the researcher’s responsibility to determine the limits of Fair Use as defined by sections 107 to 118 of the copyright law and to obtain permission from the copyright holder for further use.

Photo ID: NPx61-189 or Px61-524, December 7, 1941Add to your cart.
"USS Shaw - Hit by three bombs which exploded her forward magazine, the 1,500 ton destroyer Shaw lies a twisted mass of wreckage in the heavily-bombed floating drydock YFD-2. Note the bow of the Shaw lying on its side in the foreground. Part of the drydock, at right, is under water while the other side is listing heavily. Both the Shaw and the drydock are not back in use." (Official Navy Photo from OWI)

Photo ID: Npx65-458a, December 7, 1941Add to your cart.
Original caption reads: "This is the wreckage-strewn Naval Air Station at Pearl Harbor following one of the Japanese sneak attacks on the morning of December 7, 1941.  In the background, an explosion sends a mass of flames and smoke high into the sky."  Archivist note:  Aside from the wrecked wing in the foreground, the nearest planes are Vought OS2U "Kingfisher" observation floatplanes that would have been launched from battleships for fleet reconnaissance.  An older Curtiss SOC "Seagull" biplane observation floatplane is behind them.  To the left is a Consolidated PBY "Catalina" flying boat.

Photo ID: Px65-472 or Px66-316(10), December 7, 1941Add to your cart.
"Wrecked Seaplane - One of the 30 U.S. Navy planes wrecked by Japanese bombs and bullets during the air attack on Pearl Harbor. The plane was on OS2U, an Observation Scout built by Vought-Sikorsky" (Official Navy Photograph)

Px65-762(3), December 7, 1941Add to your cart.
"USS Arizona, at height of fire, following Japanese aerial attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii" (Gutierrez Collection/Photo from OWI)

Photo ID: Px66-316(3), December 7, 1941Add to your cart.
Pearl Harbor Bombing— "USS Utah—Rescue parties are working in opening in the hull of the USS Utah, a target ship, sent to the bottom of Pearl Harbor during the Japanese air attacks." (Official U.S. Navy from OWI).

Photo ID: Px66-316(4), December 7, 1941Add to your cart.
"USS Oklahoma rescue crews are shown here working on the upturn hull of the 29,000-ton battleship USS Oklahoma, which capsized in Pearl Harbor after being blasted by Japanese war planes.  Holes were burned throughout the hull to permit the rescue of some of the men trapped below.  Note one of the Oklahoma’s launches in the foreground, the battleship, USS Maryland, is in the background."  (Official U.S. Navy Photo from OWI).

Photo ID: NPx66-316(5), December 7, 1941Add to your cart.
Pearl Harbor Bombing - "USS California - the 32,600-ton battleship, USS California is shown being towed to dry dock at Pearl Harbor T.H. This ship was raised from her shallow resting place by means of cofferdams" (Official U.S. Navy Photo from OWI)

Photo ID: Px66-316(9), December 7, 1941Add to your cart.
Pearl Harbor Bombing - "Raider is Hit - This Japanese Bomber, a thin line of smoke trailing in its wake, was struck by anti-aircraft during the attack on Pearl Harbor. More than 100 Jap planes are estimated to have taken part in the attacks, at least 28 of which were shot down by U.S. Navy gunners." (Official U.S. Navy photo from OWI)

Photo ID: Px66-7(28), December 7, 1941Add to your cart.
Wing from Japanese bomber shot down on the grounds of the Naval Hospital during the attack on Pearl Harbor, Honolulu, Hawaii. (Official U.S. Navy Photograph)

Photo ID: Px67-240, December 7, 1941Add to your cart.
Pearl Harbor attack - Dead Man

Photo ID: NPx72-81, December 7, 1941Add to your cart.
USS West Virginia and USS Tennessee after attack on Pearl Harbor (Graff Collection/U.S. Navy Photograph)

Photo ID: Px74-20:1239, December 7, 1941Add to your cart.
Hanger destroyed during the attack on Pearl Harbor. (Graff Collection/U.S. Navy Photograph)

Photo ID: Px74-20:1240, December 7, 1941Add to your cart.
Hanger and plane destroyed during the attack on Pearl Harbor. (Graff Collection/U.S. Navy Photograph)

Photo ID: Px74-20:1241(1), December 7, 1941Add to your cart.
Pearl Harbor attack - Family (Graff Collection/U.S. Navy Photograph)

Photo ID: Px74-20:1243, circa December 7, 1941Add to your cart.
Plane destroyed during the Pearl Harbor attack on December 7, 1941. (Graff Collection/U.S. Navy Photograph)

Photo ID: NPx74-20:1244, December 7, 1941Add to your cart.
Battleship Row "as seen from one of the first Japanese torpedo planes" during the Pearl Harbor attack. (Graff Collection/U.S. Navy Photograph)Battleship Row as seen from one of the first Japanese torpedo planes (Graff Collection/U.S. Navy Photograph)

Photo ID: Px74-20:1245, December 7, 1941Add to your cart.
Car driving past smoke during the attack on Pearl Harbor. (Graff Collection/U.S. Navy Photograph)

Photo ID: Px75-22(12) or Px74-20:1247, December 7, 1941Add to your cart.
Pearl Harbor attack - Man deceased in vehicle. (Graff Collection/U.S. Navy Photograph)

Photo ID: Px74-20:1256, December 7, 1941Add to your cart.
Bomb blasted bridge and funnels of sunken ship after the attack on Pearl Harbor. (U.S. Navy Photograph)

Photo ID: Px74-20:1258, December 7, 1941Add to your cart.
Damaged plane after Pearl Harbor attack (Graff Collection/U.S. Navy Photograph)

Photo ID: Px74-20:1260, December 7, 1941Add to your cart.
Pearl Harbor damages on shore (Graff Collection/U.S. Navy Photograph)

Photo ID: NPx75-22(13), December 7, 1941Add to your cart.
"Shattered remains of a Japanese pilot whose plane was brought down during Pearl Harbor attack" (Graff Collection/U.S. Navy Photograph)

Photo ID: NPx81-50(22), December 7, 1941Add to your cart.
"The USS West Virginia (BB-48) after Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor" (Toland Collection/U.S. Navy Photographs)

Photo ID: NPx81-50(29), December 7, 1941Add to your cart.
"USS Arizona (BB-39) burning after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor" (Toland Collection/U.S. Navy Photographs)

Photo ID: Px81-50(30), December 7, 1941Add to your cart.
"USS West Virginia, USS Tennessee and USS Arizona after Pearl Harbor attack" (U.S. Navy Photographs)

Photo ID: NPx81-50(31), December 7, 1941Add to your cart.
"Burning and damaged ships at Pearl Harbor" (Gutierrez Collection/U.S. Navy Photographs)

Photo ID: Px81-50(34), December 7, 1941Add to your cart.
"The USS Shaw (DD-373) in floating dry dock after the Pearl Harbor attack" (Toland Collection/U.S. Navy Photographs)

Photo ID: Px81-50(43), December 7, 1941Add to your cart.
"First Army photo of bombing of Hawaii. Japanese submarine beached at Bellow Field, T.H." (U.S. Air Force photo/Toland Collection)

Photo ID: Px81-50(68), December 7, 1941Add to your cart.
"Small boats searching the harbor for survivors after Pearl Harbor attack" (Toland Collection/U.S. Navy Photographs

Photo ID: Px81-50(68), December 10, 1941Add to your cart.
Original caption on front reads: "USS Arizona (BB39)  - View from ahead looking aft, 10, Dec. 1941". Original caption on back reads: "Damages to the ships of Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, after the surprise Japanese attack on 7 Dec. 1941". Archivist note: conflicting dates on the photo. (Gutierrez Collection/Official Navy Photograph)

Photo ID: Px81-50(204) or NPx74-20:1289, December 7, 1941Add to your cart.
Carrier fighter planes left one by one under "Z" flag for Pearl Harbor attack at 7:49 am Honolulu Time (Toland Collection)

Photo ID: Px83-7(82) or NPx81-50(65), December 7, 1941Add to your cart.
USS Arizona (BB-39) after attack on Pearl Harbor by the Japanese (Gutierrez Collection)

Photo ID: NPx83-7(81)Add to your cart.
USS California (BB-44) after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii (Gutierrez Collection/Official Navy Photograph)

Photo ID: Px83-7(85), December 7, 1941Add to your cart.
"Japanese planes in action over Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. The USS Narwhale (SS-167) in the foreground was not hit" (Gutierrez Collection/Official Navy Photograph)

Photo ID: Px83-7(87), December 7, 1941Add to your cart.
"Burning and damaged ships at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii after Japanese attack. (L-R) USS California, USS Maryland, USS West Virginia, and the keel of the capsized USS Oklahoma. (Gutierrez Collection/Official Navy Photograph)

Browse by Series:

[Series 1: Documents, December 6, 1941 - December 8, 1941],
[Series 2: Photographs, December 7, 1941],
[All]