East Tennessee State University East Tennessee State University
Digital Commons @ East Digital Commons @ East
Tennessee State University Tennessee State University
Electronic Theses and Dissertations Student Works
5-2008
Pearl Harbor and 9/11: A Comparison. Pearl Harbor and 9/11: A Comparison.
Chad L. Nielsen
East Tennessee State University
Follow this and additional works at: https://dc.etsu.edu/etd
Part of the Cultural History Commons, and the United States History Commons
Recommended Citation Recommended Citation
Nielsen, Chad L., "Pearl Harbor and 9/11: A Comparison." (2008).
Electronic Theses and Dissertations.
Paper 1928. https://dc.etsu.edu/etd/1928
This Thesis - unrestricted is brought to you for free and open access by the Student Works at Digital Commons @
East Tennessee State University. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Theses and Dissertations by an
authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University. For more information, please
contact [email protected].
Pearl Harbor and 9/11
A Comparison
_____________________
A Thesis
presented to
the faculty of the Department of History
East Tennessee State University
In partial fulfillment
of the requirements for the degree
Masters of Art in History
_____________________
by
Chad L Nielsen
May 2008
_____________________
Dr. Stephen Fritz, Chair
Dr. Henry Antkiewicz
Dr. Tom Lee
Keywords: Pearl Harbor, September 11, 9/11, 911, World War II
2
ABSTRACT
Pearl Harbor and 9/11
A Comparison
by
Chad L Nielsen
Pearl Harbor and 9/11 have been compared together since the 9/11 attacks. This thesis analyzes
the two from the viewpoints of the politicians, the media, and finally the effects on culture.
Sources were gathered from newspapers, books, journal articles, government resources, and
internet web sites. Pearl Harbor and 9/11
are similar on the surface, but upon looking into further
circumstances, dissimilarities are found between the two events. With sixty years between the
two events the outcome and delayed reactions are different, but the initial response is similar
3
Copyright 2008 by Chad L. Nielsen, All Rights Reserved
4
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
There are so many people to thank. First, thank you very much to my thesis committee,
Dr. Stephen Fritz, Dr. Henry Antkiewicz, and Dr. Tom Lee for assisting in the thesis process.
Especially thank you to Dr. Fritz for all the corrections on the paper and taking a risk with me
and pushing on to meet deadlines. I appreciate my family, both mine and my in-laws, and all the
support they have provided. I am also very overwhelmed in the interest and support of this
project from friends and those who hear about the subject. But I especially thank my wife Alisa
for all the help she has provided on this thesis and my schooling.
5
DEDICATION
To my wife Alisa and my son Emery
6
CONTENTS
Page
ABSTRACT……………………………………………………………………………………….2
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS……………………………………………………………………….4
DEDICATION…………………………………………………………………………………….5
Chapter
1. INTRODUCTION ..........................................................................................................8
Pearl Harbor…………………………………………………………………….....9
9/11…………………..…………………………………………………………..13
2. POLITICAL VIEWPOINTS……….............................................................................15
President………………………………………………………………………….16
World Leaders……………………………………………………………………20
Intelligence……………………………………………………………………….23
Involvement……………………………………………………………………...27
3. THE MEDIA…………………………………………………………………………34
Radio……………………………………………………………………………..35
Newspaper………………………………………………………………………..36
Conspiracy Theories……………………………………………………………..37
Music……………………………………………………………………..………39
Film....……………………………………………………………………………43
Television………………………………………………………………………...48
4. CULTURE…………………………………………………………………….………52
Reaction………………………………………………………………….………53
Unity and Disunity……………………………………………………….………56
Monuments………………………………………………………………………58
Rituals……………………………………………………………………………63
Memory…………………………………………………………………..………65
5. CONCLUSION………………………………………………………………………69
7
BIBLIOGRAPHY………………………………………………………………………………72
VITA…………………………………………………………………………………………….77
8
CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION
In modern military history two events have become iconic in their status in the American
society. These events are the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941 and the attacks against America on
September 11, 2001 (9/11). On December 7, 1941, the American naval base Pearl Harbor was
attacked by forces of the Empire of Japan. On 9/11 the World Trade Center was attacked by
militant Islamic men. These men hijacked two planes and crashed the planes into the World
Trade Center in New York. A third plane was hijacked and crashed into the Pentagon in
Washington DC. A fourth plane crashed into a field southeast of Pittsburgh due to resistance
from the crew and passengers.
The American presidents at the time of the attacks both gave speeches shortly after the
attacks. The speeches were designed to inform and to reassure the American people. Franklin
D. Roosevelt, the president at the time of the Pearl Harbor attack, gave a speech to Congress
which was recorded so the American people knew what had occurred.
1
George W. Bush, the
American president during the September, 11
th
2001, event, addressed the nation later on
September 11th. In the speech President Bush informed the public of an attack occurring on
America soil. He spent much of his address explaining the things the government knew
regarding the attack, and the government’s reaction, and finally delivering comfort to the
American people.
2
1. Our Heritage in Documents, “FDR’s “Day of Infamy Speech: Crafting a Call to Arms,” Prologue
Magazine 33 no. 4 (Winter 2001), http://www.archives.gov/ publications /prologue/2001/winter/crafting-day-of-
infamy-speech.html (accessed October 9, 2007).
2. CNN, “Text of Bush’s Address,” CNN.com./U.S, http://archives.cnn.com/2001/US/09/11/bush.speech.
text/index.html (accessed February 4, 2008).
9
The public underwent many emotions in the aftermath of Pearl Harbor.
3
There was fear
of a believed imminent attack. Americans felt anger, and some wanted revenge on the Japanese.
There was a prevalent fear of an imminent invasion of the United States. Disbelief was
demonstrated as American citizens wondered how this attack on Pearl Harbor had succeeded.
The actions inspired by the emotions were varied. Some Americans expressed their emotions by
music. Patriotism and Nationalism were seen by increased recruitment into the armed forces.
The Japanese-Americans were anxious of how the Pearl Harbor attack affected their portrayal in
society.
Pearl Harbor
The attack on Pearl Harbor and the resulting United States entrance into World War II
had its beginning before the actual assault. Prior to American entry into World War II, the U.S
had frozen Japanese assets in America on July 26, 1941, and August 1, 1941, and then placed an
embargo on the export of oil to Japan. These actions were done in response to Japanese actions
in French Indo-China. The Japanese had invaded Indo-China and had driven the French from
their colony. These dealings resulted in Japanese and American negotiations concerning the
resumption of trade in exchange for Japan to stop its militaristic advances. Eventually these
negotiations stalemated and Japan decided something needed to be done. So a military action
was decided upon by the Japanese in lieu of diplomacy.
Admiral Yamato had been planning a sneak attack on the American base at Pearl Harbor
located on the island of Oahu in Hawaii. The plan was to attack the American Pacific fleet and
3. American Folklife Center, “After the Day of Infamy: “Man on the Street” Interviews Following the
Attack on Pearl Harbor,” The Library of Congress, http://memory. loc.gov/ammem/afcphhtml/afcphhome.html
(accessed October 2007).
10
give the Japanese Empire time to consolidate its victories in the Pacific. Its targets were the
American carriers.
The Japanese launched their first wave of aircraft in the early morning at about 7:00 a.m.
A radar operator saw planes on his radar unit then passed the report to his superior who was a
junior officer. The officer disregarded the radar operator’s notice claiming that the planes were a
flight of American bombers that were expected to arrive that day.
4
An American destroyer, the
U.S.S Ward, was informed by an American minesweeper about a submarine off Pearl Harbor.
The destroyer found the sub and sank it. The sub was a Japanese midget sub.
5
When the
message was sent about the submarine to Pearl Harbor, the leaders there sat on the report
awaiting confirmation instead of feeling threatened by the close range of the Japanese submarine.
An attack was expected but sabotage was thought more likely. To protect against sabotage
American planes were parked wingtip to wingtip so they were easier to guard.
The United State’s carriers were away on assignments. Many of the Navy personnel had
spent a leisurely time on shore the night before and were not prepared when they were attacked.
The first wave of Japanese aircraft roared over Pearl Harbor at 7:53 a.m. on Sunday Morning.
One hundred-eighty three Japanese planes, primarily dive bombers and torpedo bombers,
attacked Pearl Harbor. The first wave hit the area known as Battleship Row in which the
American Battleship force was docked. The American planes parked along the airfield were
easy targets. The U.S.S Arizona, a battleship, was hit with a bomb that penetrated the forward
magazine and exploded. The ship broke in two and sunk in nine minutes along with most of its
crew. The Americans fought back with antiaircraft weapons from the ships and on the ground.
4. Stanley Weintraub, Long Days Journey into War: December 7, 1941 (New York: Truman Talley Books,
1991), 221.
5. Ibid.
11
Shotguns and service rifles were also used to fire on the planes. American soldiers had to use
axes to open the ammunition containers. Amazingly, some of the Japanese planes were shot
down, and others were damaged mainly by small arms fire. As soon as the Japanese dropped the
first bombs, a telegraph was sent to Washington DC informing the leaders of the attack.
The second wave of one hundred seventy-two planes attacked Pearl Harbor within an
hour of the end of the first attack. This wave was met by a ready American defense. In the
second wave the Japanese attacked more ships and assaulted the base repair facilities. The USS
Nevada attempted to leave the harbor. The Japanese aircraft tried to sink the Nevada in order to
prevent any vessel from escaping. In the end the commander of the Nevada purposefully ran the
ship aground near Hospital Point to avoid blocking the harbor entrance for other ships to escape.
6
The Japanese pilots urged a third strike on Pearl Harbor to finish off the ships and to hit
the fuel tanks, but the Japanese commanders declared the attack successful and decided not to
risk a third wave. This decision was influenced by the fact the Japanese did not know where the
American carriers were located. Another factor that was considered by the commanders was that
the second wave had faced stiffer resistance. It was feared a third wave may take heavier
causalities.
7
In Washington DC the Japanese ambassador delivered a message declaring their
intention to cut off diplomatic ties with the United States within an hour of the first attack on
Pearl Harbor. This was conveyed to Cordell Hull who was the Secretary of State. Hull already
6. Stanley Weintraub, Long Days Journey into War: December 7, 1941, (New York: Truman Talley Books,
1991), 281.
7. Ibid., 412.
12
knew about the attack when the Japanese diplomats handed him the notice of severed diplomatic
ties. He responded by loudly and angrily ordering the Japanese out of his office.
The total Japanese losses were twenty-nine aircraft and five midget submarines.
8
Every
vessel that served in the Japanese attack force was later sunk by the Americans during the war.
Admiral Yamato was shot down on a tour of Japanese positions when the Americans deciphered
the route he was flying.
9
He was targeted for planning the Pearl Harbor attack. The Japanese
bought themselves only six months with the raid on Pearl Harbor, then the tide slowly turned
against them. For those six months the Japanese were the rulers in the Pacific. No one was able
to stop them. Vice Admiral Nagumo, the commander of the Japanese Task Force, commented
concerning the attack on Pearl Harbor he “believed all his men accomplished were ‘to waken a
sleeping giant, and to fill her with a terrible resolve.’”
10
The American death toll was around 2,400 people with 18 ships either sunk or
damaged.
11
Eight of the sunken ships were battleships. Unfortunately for the Japanese the age
of the battleship was at an end and by extension the battleships were obsolete. So the loss of the
battleships hurt but was not a critical loss. The new naval powers were the carriers. Of all the
ships sunk or damaged only three American ships in the harbor never fought again. The
Americans suffered 300 aircraft destroyed or badly damaged. The majority of the destroyed
planes never made it off the ground.
8. Richard Holmes, Battlefield: Decisive Conflicts in History, ed. Martin Marix Evans. (Oxford: Oxford
University Press, 2006), 250.
9. Max Boot, War Made New: Technology, Warfare, and the Course of History 1500to Today (New York:
Gotham books, 2006), 266.
10. Richard Holmes, Battlefield: Decisive Conflicts in History, ed. Martin Marix Evans. (Oxford: Oxford
University Press, 2006), 250.
11. Emily Rosenberg, A Date Which Will Live: Pearl Harbor in American Memory (Durham: Duke
University Press, 2003), 9.
13
Vice Admiral Husband E. Kimmel and Lieutenant General Walter C. Short were the
commanding officers at Pearl Harbor. Both of these men were later forced to resign in disgrace
following charges of dereliction of duty. For the rest of their lives they spent their time trying to
obtain a new trial or have their ranks reinstated. Neither was successful in either attempt.
12
9/11
On Tuesday September 11, 2001, America was once again attacked. This time America
was attacked not by a nation, but by fundamental Islamic terrorists. At first the American
government did not know who had attacked the United States. Around eight o’clock am United
Airlines Flight 175 and American Airlines Flight 11 departed from Boston both heading for Los
Angeles. The planes were hijacked shortly after takeoff and diverted towards New York City.
At 8:01am United Airline Flight 93 left Newark, New Jersey, for San Francisco. Then at 8:10am
American Airlines Flight 77 departs Washington’s Dulles airport for Los Angeles. These planes
were also hijacked after takeoff.
13
American Airlines Flight 11 crashed into the North Tower of the World Trade Center at
8:46am.
14
Shortly after, around nine o’clock, United Airlines Flight 175 sped into the South
Tower of the World Trade Center. Meanwhile the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) shut
down every New York airport in an attempt to prevent any more planes from being hijacked.
15
The first plane that flew into the towers was viewed as an accident. When the second plane
12. Emily Rosenberg, A Date Which Will Live: Pearl Harbor in American Memory (Durham: Duke
University Press, 2003), 127.
13. A.D. Williams, “September 2001Timeline,” September 11 News, http:// www.september11news.com/
DailyTimeline.htm (accessed October 9,2007).
14. Ibid.
15. Ibid.
14
struck, it was then considered a coordinated attack and not an accident. The assault continued at
9:45 a.m. when American Flight 77 flew into the Pentagon. At 10:10 the last hijacked plane
United Flight 93 crashed into a wooded area near Shanksville, PA.
16
This plane crashed due to
resistance from the passengers on the plane. Other then this instance of confrontation there were
no other known attempts to stop the hijackers.
By 9:30 a.m. all accessible traveling routes into New York City on the ground or in the
air were closed and the FAA stopped all domestic flights in the United States as a precaution.
The South Tower of the World Trade Center collapsed at 10:05 am, and the White House was
then evacuated. Meanwhile at 10:10 a.m. a section of the Pentagon collapsed from the impact of
the explosion. Finally at 10:28 the North Tower collapsed.
17
The action of the Islamic terrorists was a shock. Unlike the Japanese at Pearl Harbor
there were no diplomatic ties or association with the terrorists to give indications of a threat.
About 3,000 people including the terrorists were killed by the actions on September 11, 2001,
most being killed in the towers in New York City.
18
16. A.D. Williams, “September 2001Timeline,” September 11 News, http:// www.september11news.com/
DailyTimeline.htm (accessed October 9,2007).
17. Ibid
18. Ibid.
15
CHAPTER 2
POLITICAL VIEWPOINTS
A nation relies on its government in many ways. When natural disasters hit and an area
is devastated, people call on emergency aid. When a country is attacked, a nation will rally
behind its leaders to prevent what occurred from happening again.
After having lunch in the Oval Office on Sunday December 7, 1941, President Franklin
Delano Roosevelt received a phone call from the Secretary of State. In this phone call Roosevelt
was informed of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. On September 11, 2001, while President
George W. Bush was observing a class at Emma E. Booker Elementary School he was informed
by an aide of the first and second terrorist attacks by plane. Within a day of both attacks on
America each president addressed the nation.
A nation’s leaders can only prevent the tragedies that may be inflicted on their country by
the information given to them. Due to the quantity of data gathered by the nation’s intelligence
agency decisions have to be made if the information given truly constitutes a threat to be
concerned about or not. In the cases of Pearl Harbor and 9/11 there may have been intelligence
that was not listed as a high priority concerning the possible attacks.
Politically, for six years after Pearl Harbor the American people had united behind its
leaders, and World War II had ended both in Europe and the Pacific. The United States was well
thought of due to its joining the war and subsequent rebuilding of Europe after the war. Six
years after 9/11, America is still engaged in the War on Terrorism. Politically support for the
war has eroded both inside the country and by those countries who once lent their assistance.
The United States is not well thought of due to others’ views of its international policy.
16
President
President Roosevelt received the news of a military act on the nation in the Oval Office
by a phone call from Secretary of State Frank Knox.
19
Knox notified him there had been an air
raid against Pearl Harbor. Roosevelt was meeting with several advisors and government officials
at the time of the call. His reaction to the news that Pearl Harbor had been attacked was to say,
“It was just the kind of unexpected thing the Japanese would do. At the time they were
discussing peace in the Pacific they were plotting to overthrow it.”
20
The President had been
engaged in negotiations with Japan prior to the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor. The talks had
stalemated and Roosevelt found out why when America was attacked. The Japanese had been
buying time, engaging in diplomatic maneuvering while they prepared to deliver a surprise attack
hoping to destroy the American Pacific fleet. Roosevelt had sent a message to the Japanese
informing them of America’s final position. His message had been purposefully delayed for ten
hours by members of the Japanese government in order to make sure there was no last minute
halt to the Pearl Harbor operations. President Roosevelt knew the distance from Japan to Pearl
Harbor and discerned it was too far for this to have been a quick decision and then immediately
executed from Japan.
President George W Bush was at Emma E. Booker Elementary School in Sarasota
Florida for a photo op when two planes purposely flew into the World Trade Center. The
president was told of the first attack and believed it was a tragic accident. He continued with his
19. Our Heritage in Documents, “FDR’s “Day of Infamy Speech: Crafting a Call to Arms,” Prologue
Magazine 33 no. 4 (Winter 2001), http://www.archives.gov/ publications /prologue/2001/winter/crafting-day-of-
infamy-speech.html (accessed October 9, 2007).
20. Stanley Weintraub, Long Days Journey into War: December 7, 1941 (New York: Truman Talley
Books, 1991), 247.
17
previous plans at the elementary school not believing there was any threat. Then, while
observing a second grade class he was with, he was informed by his chief-of-staff, Andy Card, of
the second attack. He then went to another classroom to find out more of what was going on.
From there the President was able to contact people in Washington. From this phone
conversation, President Bush was informed more about the situation. He was then quickly taken
to Air Force One and then to Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana. He placed the American
military on alert and allowed the government’s emergency plans to go into effect.
21
President Roosevelt did not seem completely shocked by the attack on Pearl Harbor. The
world was at war and he knew there was a chance the nation was going to somehow be brought
into the conflict. President George W Bush had no preconception that a possible attack was
imminent.
Both Presidents gave speeches to the nation informing them what had occurred and the
information that was currently known regarding their respective situations. President Bush
addressed the nation at 8:30 pm EST on September 11, 2001 for five minutes. In his speech
Bush acknowledged the attacks and informed the country the American government was still
trying to find out who was behind the assault and reassured the American citizens of its safety.
Roosevelt went before Congress on December 8, 1941. In his six minute speech Roosevelt
requested a declaration of war against the Empire of Japan. By the end of the day Roosevelt had
received the desired declaration of war. America was now at war with Japan.
One common item that was covered by both speeches is the claim both attacks were
deliberate. Both Presidents discussed the damages incurred by America. President Roosevelt
21. A.D. Williams, “President Bush 9/11/2001,” September 11 News, http://www.september11news.com/
PresidentBush.htm (accessed October 2007).
18
only said there had been casualties to American military forces.
22
Besides the small reference
admitting harm had been done to the United States President Roosevelt did not dwell on
causalities. President Bush spent time in his speech describing the destruction. He mentioned
the pictures of the planes impacting the towers and the imagery of the collapsing towers
weakened by the impact.
23
The two speeches both mentioned God. Roosevelt claimed Americans were righteous in
fighting against the Axis and were going to prevail against the Japanese Empire. Righteous is a
term that connotes religion. He said in his speech “With confidence in our armed forces, with
the unbounding determination of our people, we will gain the inevitable triumph -- so help us
God.”
24
Bush called for prayers from the American people for the victims of 9/11. President
George W. Bush cited the 23
rd
Psalm, and ended his speech by saying, “God Bless America.”
25
Roosevelt assumed the American people were united in the face of the infamous attack.
He mentioned the American people did know how to interpret the Japanese attack. The idea of
22. Our Heritage in Documents, “FDR’s “Day of Infamy Speech: Crafting a Call to Arms,” Prologue
Magazine 33 no. 4 (Winter 2001), http://www.archives.gov/ publications /prologue/2001/winter/crafting-day-of-
infamy-speech.html (accessed October 9, 2007).
23. CNN, “Text of Bush’s Address,” CNN.com./U.S, http://archives.cnn.com/2001/US
/09/11/bush.speech.text/index.html (accessed February 4, 2008).
24. Michael E. Eidenmuller, “Franklin Delano Roosevelt: Pearl Harbor Address to the Nation,” American
Rhetoric Top 100 Speeches, http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches /fdrpearlharbor.htm (accessed February 3,
2008).
25. CNN, “Text of Bush’s Address,” CNN.com./U.S, http://archives.cnn.com/2001/US
/09/11/bush.speech.text/index.html (accessed February 4, 2008).
19
this consensus was the closest mention of unity by Roosevelt.
26
Bush specifically talked about
unity as America meets the threat it is faced with.
27
Due to the difference in technology, Bush knew more of what happened compared to
Roosevelt. Roosevelt only knew Japanese military forces had attacked Pearl Harbor. These
foreign military forces had inflicted damage on the American Pacific fleet. Roosevelt gathered
information throughout the next day until he stood before Congress a little over twenty-four
hours after the attack. Bush knew much more about the circumstances regarding 9/11. He gave
his speech the same day as the attack and had more information as to what had happened than
Roosevelt did when he gave his speech. The disparity in intelligence for Bush was due to
television and the internet which broadcast pictures of the attack. President Bush described a
few of the victims deaths by referring to where they were at the time the planes crashed and their
professions. President Roosevelt was still receiving information on casualties and damages
inflicted on Americans when he gave his address. Thus, President Roosevelt did not know the
causality count at Pearl Harbor when he gave his speech to Congress.
When Roosevelt gave his speech he knew one piece of vital information regarding Pearl
Harbor that President George W. Bush didn’t have when he gave his speech to the American
people after 9/11. Roosevelt knew who had committed the attack on Pearl Harbor. The
knowledge of who had attacked the United States was not known to President George W. Bush
President George W. Bush told the nation his administration was looking for the perpetrators.
This knowledge of who had attacked allowed Roosevelt to ask for a declaration of war against
26. Michael E. Eidenmuller, “Franklin Delano Roosevelt: Pearl Harbor Address to the Nation,” American
Rhetoric Top 100 Speeches, http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches /fdrpearlharbor.htm (accessed February 3,
2008).
27. CNN, “Text of Bush’s Address,” CNN.com./U.S, http://archives.cnn.com/2001/US/09/11/bush.speech.
text/index.html (accessed February 4, 2008).
20
the Japanese empire a day after the attack. With this declaration of war Roosevelt was able to
focus American anger concerning the attack on the Japanese. President Bush was at a
disadvantage because first he had to find the enemy, and only then could he order American
forces to strike back. The terrorists who committed the 9/11 attacks were not as easily found as
the Japanese Empire was in 1941.
When Roosevelt requested a declaration of war against Japan there was only one
nonconforming vote. Jeanette Rankin, a republican representative from Montana, was the sole
dissenting vote. World War II was the last official declaration of war by the United States.
America has been leaning since World War II towards an authorization of military force instead
of a declaration of war. The authorization of military force permits the military to defend
America. There was no declaration of war relating to the War on Terrorism.
World Leaders
The world and its leaders reacted to the two events in varying ways. In 1941 Germany
and Italy waited a few days before declaring war on the United States after the declaration on
Japan was official. In response to the declarations of war by Germany and Italy the United
States declared war on Germany and Italy. After Pearl Harbor England was glad America was
finally fully committed to World War II. With the entrance of America into the war, England
and Russia were no longer the main countries standing against Nazism.
After 9/11 many nations expressed their condolences and sympathies towards the
American people. The leader of Cuba expressed its sympathy for the attack. Cuba has
previously been a destination for hijackers who have taken over American planes because Cuba
is known as a safe zone for them. This made Cuba’s expression of sympathy for America
21
unusual. Another abnormal leader who commented on the attack was the Libyan leader
Muammar al-Gaddafi. Qaddafi had at times been accused of supporting terrorism and was
viewed as a leader of a rogue state by American officials. Muammar al-Gaddafi’s comments
were uncharacteristic because he advocated Muslim aid groups to give to the United States in
light of the 9/11 events. For him to suggest aid be given to the United States was unique. There
were some countries who expressed sympathy and condolences who have continued to support
America through its war on terrorism. England is a prime example of this.
Some countries spoke about retaliation. This was the stance of Vladimir Putin in
Russia.
28
Other countries such as Malaysia urged the United States to not seek revenge. This
was done in the fear of causing more harm by inviting additional attacks and causing collateral
damage to those the United States strikes out at.
29
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), upon hearing about the 9/11 attacks,
instituted Article 5 of the NATO charter which declares an attack against one member nation is
an attack against us all. This was the first time this clause has been used.
30
Some members of
the European Union declared the tragedy was directed at democracy itself. There was more
reaction to 9/11 than after Pearl Harbor in the international community. England supported
American actions after Pearl Harbor and 9/11. The United States did enter into wars after Pearl
Harbor and 9/11. After Pearl Harbor there was World War II that America entered, and after
9/11 the United States entered War on Terrorism.
28. A.D. Williams, “International Reaction,” September 11 News, http://www.september11news.com/
InternationalReaction.htm (accessed October 7, 2007).
29. Ibid.
30. Ibid.
22
Pearl Harbor was different from 9/11 because there were more comments from World
leaders regarding the events of 9/11. The reason for more reactions may be due to more
countries available to give statements. Many countries had been occupied by the Axis powers
prior to Pearl Harbor and were not able to comment on America’s entry. Although there were
more responses from world leaders after 9/11, many of those leaders who commented
sympathetically on the terrible nature of 9/11 were not willing to assist with the War on
Terrorism.
An additional difference between the world reactions after Pearl Harbor and the reactions
subsequent to 9/11 were the declarations of war. Following Pearl Harbor the U.S. declared war
on Japan and in turn Germany and Italy declared war on the U.S. America had joined England
and Russia with the intention of defeating the Axis states. The Allied powers, although suffering
from its own difficulties that resulted from the conflict between Roosevelt, Churchill and Stalin
were able to last until Nazi Germany was defeated.
After 9/11 the United States organized a coalition to fight Terrorism. This coalition is not
united.
31
Following 9/11 America did not officially declare war. Despite this, the United States
still went to war against Terrorism. The U.S. invaded Afghanistan trying to capture Al-Qaeda
and deprive them of a base of operations. Additional differences include that in 1941 America
was gearing up for war. Pearl Harbor accelerated the military growth significantly. In 2001
America was not on a war footing. In fact America was more concerned with the economy.
32
The objectives of the attacks were different. For Pearl Harbor the overall Japanese objective was
31. Randolph Hennes, “December 7 and September 11,” Columns Magazine (December 2001),
http://www.washington.edu/alumni/columns/dec01/911_pearlharbor .html (accessed March, 2008).
32. Ibid.
23
to gain territory. The terrorist’s objectives were not to seize and control territory. Their
objective was to cause fear.
33
Intelligence
A prominent outcome from the attack on Pearl Harbor was the need for better
intelligence. Many people accused the attack of being an intelligence failure. American citizens
have asked since Pearl Harbor how we missed information that may have warned us about the
impending attack.
As December 7
th
drew closer, foreign radio traffic, inquiring about Pearl Harbor
increased. Various questions dealing with the conditions at Pearl Harbor including the number
of ships present, and their positions in the harbor were requested by code.
34
The inquiries
concerning Pearl Harbor were in the military and diplomatic Purple codes of Japan. The
Japanese leaders wanted to know if there were torpedo nets or other preventive measures to
protect against an air attack. It became clear to American code breakers something was going to
happen or the United States was supposed to believe something would happen.
35
So much
information was coming in, intelligence analysts were unable to process all the data. Some of
the intelligence was from phony sources and was designed as red herrings. Other signals coming
33. Randolph Hennes, “December 7 and September 11,” Columns Magazine (December 2001),
http://www.washington.edu/alumni/columns/dec01/911_pearlharbor .html (accessed March, 2008).
34. Stanley Weintraub, Long Days Journey into War: December 7, 1941 (New York: Truman Talley
Books, 1991) 77.
35. Ibid., 102.
24
in were from real ships such as fishing ships which were not military vessels.
36
The amount of
incoming data resulted in additional sorting of the incoming sources.
American military personnel believed they had found the key to knowing when Japan
was planning to attack when they discovered the “Winds Execute” message. This message in
code was designed by the Japanese to describe diplomatic relations. It gave a direction and a
weather condition to indicate where Japan was to encounter trouble diplomatically. The message
was attached to Japanese news broadcasts. The directions were East Wind rain, North Wind
cloudy, West Wind clear.
37
This code was only used in the possibility of a loss of diplomatic
relations with various nations. In addition there was a means to identify the opponent whose
relations were suffering by adding an additional word. The word was added to the beginning and
end of the broadcast. This was identified by the addition of one of the following Japanese words.
Higashi meant Japan-US relations, Kita meant Japanese-Russia relations, and finally Nishi meant
Japan-British dealings.
38
There are few people who believe the final “Winds Execute” message
was ever sent about the relationship with the United States and Japan.
Another issue with intelligence was the Americans did not know where the Japanese
were going to strike. The entire Pacific Ocean offered potential targets for the Japanese. Most
Americans believed the Philippines were the Japanese target and not Pearl Harbor. There were
some Americans who believed Pearl Harbor was a viable objective for the Japanese. Rear
Admiral Patrick N.L Bellinger, commander of Patrol Wing Two, which were PBY Catalina
36. Stanley Weintraub, Long Days Journey into War: December 7, 1941 (New York: Truman Talley
Books, 1991) 102.
37. Pearl Harbor History Association, Inc, “The ‘Winds Code,’” Blogs@ibiblio, http://www.ibiblio.org/
pha/pha/congress/app-e.html#469 (accessed October 7, 2007).
38. Ibid.
25
reconnaissance aircraft, and Major General Fredrick Martin, who was the Commander of the
Hawaiian Air Force, “predicted a carrier air attack from the North 200 miles out, and that the
attack would come at dawn on a Saturday or Sunday.”
39
In the last days of November 1941 a warning went to the German ambassador to Japan
announcing there might be trouble with the United States. This message was intercepted by
American Intelligence. Unfortunately because the United States military had dispatched a war
warning to all American military bases just three days earlier, it was viewed as being redundant
to issue another warning. The intercepted message was never forwarded to Pearl Harbor.
American codebreakers decrypted messages, and sometimes military leadership watered
down warnings concerning the trouble with Japan prior to sending the message. The watering
down was accomplished by omitting Pearl Harbor as a possible target. This was viewed as
necessary because Pearl Harbor was so far away from the Japanese home islands and to be
viewed as a likely target. Pearl Harbor wasn’t viewed as a target even though the British had
succeeded in a similar attack against the Italian Navy at Taranto earlier in the war using. This
attack had demonstrated ships in harbors were vulnerable to attack.
40
Another big clue
something was going on in Japan was the intercepted messages that ordered the Japanese
consulate staff to burn their secret documents.
41
No federal agency prior to Pearl Harbor had been assigned to watch the Japanese
consulate in Honolulu. This was a mistake because Takeo Yoshikawa, one of the personnel, was
spying on Pearl Harbor. Due to the geography of Oahu Island and the location of Pearl Harbor
39. Dale O Smith, “Pearl Harbor: A Lesson in Air Power,” Air Power History 44, no. 1 (Spring 1997), 51.
40. Ibid. 46
41. Editorial, The New York Times December 1951.
26
being surrounded by higher ground, his task was simple. He sent messages detailing which ships
were located where and alerted the Japanese to the lack of preventive measures.
42
These
messages kept the Japanese military leaders up to date on defensive preparations and which
vessels were in the harbor until right before the attack on Pearl Harbor. On Saturday December
6
th
there was a heightened interest in Pearl Harbor.
43
This attention was noticed by American
personnel due to above normal average of radio messages being intercepted. Several messages
were intercepted asking for updates on the status of Pearl Harbor.
One such message was to the German ambassador. This message continued a discussion
dealing with Japan attacking the Soviet Union while it was involved in fighting Germany.
Japan’s response was to declare it was instead going to capture American shipping with supplies
meant for the Soviet Union.
44
Germany wanted the Japanese to prevent the Soviet Union freeing
up the forces it was holding in reserve for a Japanese invasion instead of attacking the United
States. With this failure of intelligence and the resultant attack on Pearl Harbor, and to assure it
would never happen again, the United States created the Central Intelligence Agency after World
War II.
On December 6
th
Admiral Kimmel held a meeting to discuss the fears of the Philippines
being attacked and the current tension with Japan. Admiral Kimmel asked what precautions
might be useful in implementing in Pearl Harbor given the distance from Japan to the Pearl
42. Ron Laytner, “The Last Samurai,” Edit International, http://www.editinternational.com/index.php?pag
=stories.php?cat=3f5121f82466f (accessed October 8, 2007).
43. Stanley Weintraub, Long Days Journey into War: December 7, 1941 (New York: Truman Talley
Books, 1991), 77.
44. Ibid.
27
Harbor base. After a discussion over possible safeguards, the group finally decided not to take
any additional preventive measures at Pearl Harbor.
45
This discussion regarding the Philippines as the most likely target was a topic that had
been discussed over and over among the upper echelons of the staff at Pearl Harbor.
Contingency plans had been drawn up by the leaders in case it became necessary to defend Pearl
Harbor, but resources were lacking to adequately defend Pearl Harbor from an aerial attack. The
two main inadequate assets were antiaircraft weapons and aircraft. All the other defensive plans
were believed to have adequate material needed for their successful fulfillment.
46
Involvement
Due to the mounting tension between Japan and the United States, there was anxiety
among some Japanese American citizens. After Pearl Harbor the fear of any individual who was
of Japanese decent became prevalent. Many believed they were spies and saboteurs for Japan.
People with Japanese ancestors were uneasy. There was a large population of Japanese-
Americans living in the United States. This population consisted mainly of first and second
generation Japanese. The first generation was called the Isei. The second generation was called
the Nisei. Many of these people were American citizens.
47
The United States feared sabotage or
assistance to invading soldiers. There was widespread concern on the West Coast because it was
believed the West Coast was vulnerable to attack or invasion by the Japanese and there were
45. Stanley Weintraub, Long Days Journey into War: December 7, 1941 (New York: Truman Talley
Books, 1991), 84-85.
46. Ibid., 77.
47. Ibid., 238.
28
many Japanese living on the West Coast. There had been reports of American shipping being
torpedoed off the West Coast.
Japan attacked and conquered several locations during the six months it had gained from
Pearl Harbor. These included British and American territory. Places from Hong Kong to the
Philippines were invaded and taken by Japanese forces. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066
on February 19, 1942. All people of Japanese Ancestry were barred from the Pacific Coast.
This Executive Order was designed to prevent acts of sabotage. Due to this order 120,000
Japanese-Americans were sent to ten so called relocation centers for internment away from areas
deemed sensitive. The centers were in places such as Utah and Colorado. “Across the United
States, for little reason but vague fear, Japanese were being taken into custody. Except in the
West, most were treated with courtesy.”
48
The largest group of Japanese Americans was in Hawaii. “Secretary Knox was the most
vigorous proponent of Hawaii evacuation.”
49
Interesting enough, Hawaii did not intern its native
Japanese population. This can be explained by the lack of any action on the part of any
Japanese-American acting against the United States either during Pearl Harbor or in the
immediate aftermath. It is possible the military leaders had not seen anything untoward and thus
saw no need for relocation in Hawaii.
A Part of Order 9066 the US government required loyalty oaths from the Japanese-
Americans. The government passed a questionnaire around to the men who had been interned.
This survey was both confusing and controversial. Two of the contentious questions were
48. Stanley Weintraub, Long Days Journey into War: December 7, 1941 (New York: Truman Talley
Books, 1991), 635.
49. Michael Slackman, Target: Pearl Harbor Honolulu (Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 1990), 250.
29
numbers twenty-seven and twenty-eight. Question twenty-seven asked “Are you willing to serve
in the armed forces of the United States on combat duty, wherever ordered.”
50
The men were
then asked question number twenty-eight which stated, “Will you swear unqualified allegiance to
the United States of America and faithfully defend the United States from any or all attack by
foreign or domestic forces, and forswear any form of allegiance or obedience to the Japanese
emperor, or any other foreign government, power or organization.”
51
Those who answered no to
both of these questions and refused to take a loyalty oath to the United States were taken to
prison. This group of men was called the no-no boys.
52
A small number of Germans and Italians
were interned like the Japanese-Americans. The lesser number compared to the Japanese
Americans was due to the idea America was not being immediately threatened by German or
Italy.
Many Nisei or second generation Japanese-Americans had never lived in Japan during
their lives. Some viewed the United States as their home and wanted the opportunity to prove
their loyalty to the United States. This chance finally arrived with the formation of military units
consisting of Japanese Americans only. Two combat units were formed. First was the 100th
Infantry Battalion. The next unit formed was the 442nd Regimental Combat Team (RCT).
Between the 100th Infantry Battalion and the 442nd RCT a total of 18,143 individual decorations
were awarded to these units. Included in these awards were 9,486 Purple Hearts.
53
The 442nd
RCT was the most decorated American unit in World War II.
50. We Be Us Group, “Japanese Internment,” Thinkquest, http://library.thinkquest.org/trio/TTQ04160/
Complete% 20Site/loyalty/question.htm (February 14, 2008).
51. Ibid.
52. Ibid.
53. Michael Slackman, Target: Pearl Harbor (Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 1990), 257.
30
After 9/11 and the subsequent connections drawn to Pearl Harbor there were many Arabs
and Muslims who wondered if internment of those with Middle Eastern origin was going to
occur. No one in the United States in a position of authority even mentioned anything remotely
resembling internment. There were instances of Muslims or Arabs having themselves or their
property attacked.
54
There are examples of people who looked Muslim or Arabic, such as the
Sikhs, being attacked. After a short time the government intervened on the side of the Muslims
and Arabs. The FBI labeled any attacks against Muslims or Arabs as hate crimes. The label of
hate crimes increased the seriousness of the attacks and increased the punishment for the crime.
“In the first weeks after September 11, the leaders of the United States and Britain were
at pains to confirm aloud that theirs was a war not against Islam, nor even just Islamic terror, but
against terrorism.”
55
The United States government and the media have made efforts not to
incite reprisals against immigrants by stressing the differences between the peaceful Muslims
and a small group of fanatics who twist Islam to their advantage.
Both the Japanese and Muslim populations in the U.S. received hostile treatment at the
hands of other citizens due to their race or religion as revenge for attacks against America. For
the Japanese this was internment imposed by the government on the whole community. In some
cases those who were viewed as Arabs or Muslims whether rightly or wrongly were threatened
by individual actions from other citizens.
54. Jeffrey Kaplan, “Islamophobia in America?: September 11 and Islamophobic Hate Crime,” Terrorism
and Political Violence 18 (2006): 2.
55. M. Mamdani, “Good Muslim, Bad Muslim: A Political Perspective on Culture and Terrorism,”
American Anthropologist 104 no. 3 (September 2002): 766-775.
31
The government did step in to resolve both situations. The internment of Japanese-
Americans after Pearl Harbor was ended in 1944 when Roosevelt repealed Executive Order
9066.
56
However, the camps were not completely closed until 1945. Compensation was ordered
in 1968 by the United States Government. The first of these payments were awarded by
legislation in 1988. Ronald Regan signed House Resolution 442, known as the Civil Liberties
act on August 10, 1988, which apologized and announced the Government had been wrong and
allowed for $20,000- 25,000 paid to each survivor of the camps.
57
At the time the award was
allotted there were 60,000 former internees still alive. The first payments were distributed
during the 1990s. This relocation to internment camps of the Japanese citizens was viewed as
evil chapter in American history.
Although similar circumstances occurred, there were differences in the reactions against
the Japanese and Muslims. After Pearl Harbor the US government was responsible for the
internment of people with Japanese ancestry. The government was not responsible for the
retaliation against the Muslim community in the aftermath of 9/11. Individuals at the grassroots
level were responsible for the reprisals. The United States stepped up and declared the attacks
against Muslims as illegal and said these offenses will be prosecuted. The United States has not
offered compensation for any damages done to Muslim property or from attacks by American
citizens. Damages were given to the survivors of the Japanese internment camps during the
1990s. Another difference between the Japanese-Americans and the Muslim victims is the
Muslims have not yet demanded a chance to prove they are loyal American citizens.
56. Audrey Kobayashi, “The Uprooting of Japanese Canadians and Japanese Americans during the 1940s:
Security of Whom?,” Canadian Issues (Fall 2005): 28.
57. Ibid.
32
Politically six years after the events at Pearl Harbor the United States citizens had rallied
behind their government and achieved victory in World War II in 1945. Because the end of the
war America was rebuilding Germany and Europe the United States was looked upon favorably.
After the war The United States was considered favorably by most nations. World War II has
been called Americas last unified conflict.
Six years after 9/11 America is still involved in a war. Instead of World War II the
current altercation is the War on Terrorism. America formed a coalition of countries including
longtime allies such as Britain and other nations, who were willing to assist in attacking
international terrorism. Al Qaeda is still in existence despite the attempts by U.S. and other
countries. Domestic support for President Bush’s policy has been receding. Although united for
a short time after the 9/11, attacks the American public is no longer united.
The opinion of the world is slowly turning against the United States. This trend can be
readily seen in Europe as several countries are now disapproving of American policy. The new
Prime Minister of England, Gordon Brown, is not as supportive as Prime Minister Tony Blair
was. European leaders are critical of the Bush administration’s approach to diplomatic relation
with other countries.
Both President Roosevelt and President George W. Bush handled attacks on the United
States during their Presidency. For Roosevelt it was Pearl Harbor. President George W. Bush
dealt with 9/11. In addition to the reactions by the American presidents, was the response of the
world to the assaults on America. Few world leaders commented on the Pearl Harbor attack.
This was because the world was engaged in a World War at the time. There were many
comments in the aftermath of 9/11 from world leaders. These comments came from many
33
different heads of countries. One of the more surprising comments was from Cuba. Most
nations that commented condemned the terrorist act. Pearl Harbor and 9/11 were viewed as
intelligence failures. The perceived failures have been used as criticisms of the respective
President. There has been blame leveled declaring how known information was not acted on.
After Pearl Harbor there was organized opposition to those with Japanese ancestry. The
government was the antagonist against the Japanese. The American population of Japanese
ancestry was viewed as threats. Due to Executive Order 9066 those with Japanese Ancestry
were placed in internment centers otherwise known as relocation centers. In the aftermath of
9/11 American citizens struck out at some Muslims. This time the government was tasked with
the responsibility of protecting an ethnic group. This is different from when the government was
the one acting against those with Japanese Ancestry.
Six years after Pearl Harbor World War II had ended. The United States was rebuilding
Europe. Politically the United States was viewed favorably by most nations with the exception
of the Soviet Union. Six years after 9/11 America is still engrossed in the war on terrorism. This
war has no end in sight for the foreseeable future. The world opinion is turning against America
due to its dealings with other countries.
34
CHAPTER 3
THE MEDIA
The American public’s reaction to Pearl Harbor was not surprising. “Most Americans
initial reactions were shock, horror, and anger. These feelings were soon joined by the desire to
get even, fear over more invasions, dismay that young men would have to go to war again, and
above all hatred for Hirohito and the Japanese Empire, Hitler and Nazi German and, to a lesser
degree, Mussolini and Fascist Italy.”
58
The media reacted to the attack on Pearl Harbor in its own
way. As soon as the information was available, the news of the event was on all the radio
stations and plastered in big print headlines of the newspapers. Within a short period of time
music dealing with the attack was created. A movie in production quickly added references to
Pearl Harbor to the film. This Movie was entitled A Yank on the Burma Road. In addition after
the war movies were produced for entertainment purposes instead of propaganda. The
government used newsreels to help keep the people informed and morale up. The media assisted
the government by creating training manuals and producing propaganda. One of the biggest
names to help with propaganda was the Walt Disney Studios. There have been many books
written of the events and aftermath of Pearl Harbor and still to this day books are written and
movies produced concerning Pearl Harbor.
The events of 9/11 inspired a variety of reactions. The media brought out the attitudes of
the American public. The radio had been overtaken as an information medium by television and
the internet. Newspapers and magazines carried news of the attack with bold headlines. Artists
began producing music to express themselves and in many cases to help cope with their feelings.
The music was varied and covered several genres. There was music with patriotic themes.
58. John Bush Jones, The Songs that Fought The War: Popular Music and the Home Front, 1939-1945
(Lebanon: Brandeis University Press, 2006) 116.
35
Other music had militant themes. Many songs called for revenge or framed the tragedy in
violent rhetoric. Other songs were dedications to the armed forces. The events of 9/11 have
inspired songs on other topics. These topics have included the Civil War and World War II.
There have been songs created for the War on Terrorism.
In the short time since 9/11 there have even been movies produced focusing on this event.
Several television programs have used the subject of terrorism as plot devices. These television
shows include the show “24” which because 9/11 has had a plot line where terrorists initiate a
nuclear attack on LA.
Radio
The radio was one of the main ways of getting information after the attack on Pearl
Harbor. Almost all American households had a radio. The majority of people found out what
had happened at Pearl Harbor by way of the radio. As soon as the reports of the attack on Pearl
Harbor were available, the radio stations stopped everything to let those listening know what was
happening.
Roosevelt held fireside chats with the American people throughout World War Two.
These chats were little speeches explaining what was going on, helping the people understand
about the war and who the country was fighting against, and as morale boosters. Music was
played through the radio and some of the songs about Pearl Harbor were heard over the radio.
Prior to 9/11 radio had been overtaken by television as an information medium. The
incident on 9/11 was seen on TV as it happened. This was different from Pearl Harbor as many
Americans found out about the attacks from the radio broadcasts. The radio is still used as a
means of listening to music and news. Much of the popular music for 9/11 was heard on the
36
radio. This was the same for Pearl Harbor when many songs relating to Pearl Harbor were heard
over the radio.
Newspaper
Newspapers carried news of World War II. After Pearl Harbor large newspaper
headlines ran with various pictures of burning ships and other pictures of the destruction. During
the war newspapers had correspondents on assignment with the soldiers to get stories concerning
the events. These correspondents then needed to telegraph their offices to give them the stories
so the office could print the stories. With the narrative coming from the front lines the events
were made known faster than before. The United States Government put restrictions on the
information that was printed about the war in fear that an enemy might obtain information that
was detrimental to the United States. Usually the newspapers information was supplemented by
the newsreels to provide a clearer picture of the events. The need for two sources to give
information was necessary because of governmental restrictions on the printing of information.
The newspapers and magazines announced 9/11 on their covers. Major American
newspapers ran headlines in special editions for 9/11, 2001.
59
Newspapers, in addition to the
headlines, used large color pictures that were seen on the front pages. Magazines covers showed
a variety of images of the attack and images relating to the attack. The magazines did not react
as fast as the newspapers did. Some of the earliest magazine articles dealing with the 9/11
attacks in New York and Washington D.C were dated September 12, for People magazine, and
Time Magazine came out with articles on September 14
th
. Not as fast as the newspapers special
same day editions but still very fast. However most of the magazines came out with editions
59. A.D. Williams, “USA Newspaper Headlines,” September 11 News, http://www.september11news.com/
USANewspapers.htm (accessed February 14, 2007).
37
speaking of the attacks around the 17
th
of September. The magazines began showing a variety of
images related to the attacks. Pictures of the buildings after the airplane impact were seen.
Other images such as the pictures of the New York firemen raising the American flag in the
rubble were used. Pictures of President George W Bush were prevalent. Not only magazines
such as People and Time and news magazines such as US News and World Report, but business
and finance magazines began running covers dealing with the 9/11 events in the first two weeks
after the attack. Two weeks after the attacks the attentions shifted away from the attacks and the
inflicted damage. The new focus was Bin Laden. His face became common on magazine
covers.
60
Newspaper headlines showed the news of the attacks at Pearl Harbor and 9/11. Pictures
of the attacks were printed in the newspapers. These newspapers were one of the ways
Americans were notified of the attacks. There were magazines of various types that showed
pictures of the attacks on their covers and in their stories. The images on these newspapers and
magazines of burning ships and the burning towers have become iconic. The newspapers along
with the television and internet seemed to create the conceptual framework for understanding the
events of and after 9/11.
Conspiracy Theories
The media has exerted its influence in other ways. This has been by the spreading of
conspiracy theories. Pearl Harbor and 9/11 has been the target of many contrary purposed
explanations concerning the attacks. These ideas usually have some common components. It is
common for conspiracy theories relating to Pearl Harbor and 9/11 to claim the government had
60. A.D. Williams, “USA Newspaper Headlines,” September 11 News, http://www.september11news.com/
USANewspapers.htm (accessed February 14, 2007).
38
forewarning of the attack but maliciously withheld information to insure the attack succeeds.
The development of conspiracy theories was fast and became widespread in the aftermath of
Pearl Harbor and 9/11.
The major conspiracy theories for Pearl Harbor are based on one main topic with
variations. The common topic was President Roosevelt pursued policies that were designed to
create an excuse for America to enter World War II. These policies, which have been purposed,
of refusal to sell scrap metal to the Japanese and a freezing of Japanese assets in America forced
the Japanese to strike back. Another frequent theme for Pearl Harbor conspiracy theories is
America had broken the Japanese naval code by December 1941. With the naval code broken, it
is claimed America knew everything the Japanese were planning but took no actions.
Those who produce the conspiracy theories for Pearl Harbor are called revisionists.
61
There are two different schools of revisionism for Pearl Harbor. The Functionalists believed
President Franklin D. Roosevelt followed policies designed to bring the United States into direct
conflict with Japan, but he was not aware of the plan to attack Pearl Harbor. The other school is
entitled the Intentionalists believe President Franklin D. Roosevelt purposefully set up America
for the attack and then knew when the attack was going to occur.
62
There are any more conspiracy theories concerning 9/11. The dissemination of
conspiracy theories in the aftermath of 9/11 was assisted by the internet. The plots relating to
61. David Silbergeld, “Pearl Harbor: It Was More Than a Movie,” National Defense Magazine (August
2001) http://www.nationaldefensemagazine.org/issues/2001/Aug/Pearl_ Harbor.htm (accessed March 13, 2008).
62. Ibid.
39
9/11 have taken on many forms. Some people claim explosives were used to collapse the World
Trade Center. Other claims say a missile hit the Pentagon and not a plane.
63
There have been so many conspiracy theories it is hard to pinpoint a single common
theory or even a few dominant theories. In an internet search through Google.com using “World
Trade Center conspiracy” as the search phrase over 628,000 Web sites were listed. More than
3,000 books on 9/11 have been published; many of them reject the official consensus that
hijackers associated with Osama bin Laden and Al Qaeda flew passenger planes into U.S.
landmarks.
64
Like Pearl Harbor there are accusations President George W Bush was aware of
the attack and let it happen so he was able to involve America in a war.
Conspiracy theories are attractive and as such have been very prevalent. In the cases of
Pearl Harbor and 9/11 many theories have been created as people have come up with alternate
views of what actually happened. Conspiracy theories relating to 9/11 and Pearl Harbor usually
claim there was prior knowledge by the President.
Music
Popular musicians reacted by quickly producing songs concerning the attack on Pearl
Harbor and World War II. These songs covered many genres. “Their songs about America at
war were of three distinct and different kinds--patriotic, militant, and Axis bashing.”
65
Hillbilly
music, which later will be referred to as country music, had more hits than any other category.
The reason Hillbilly songs did so well was due to the patriotism that was felt through the music
63. The Editors, “Debunking the 9/11 Myths: Special Report,” Popular Mechanics (March 2005) http://
www.popularmechanics.com/technology/military_law/1227842.html (accessed February 16, 2008).
64. Ibid.
65. John Bush Jones, Songs that Fought The War: Popular Music and the Home Front 1939-1945
(Lebanon: Brandeis University Press, 2006), 117.
40
and lyrics. These songs usually spoke of daily life and what was happening to the people at
home.
One of the first and the most classic World War II patriotic songs was written by Don
Reid, in collaboration with Sammy Kaye, who wrote the music. This song was called Remember
Pearl Harbor.
66
The song was played often on every radio station in America. Kaye and Reid’s
song was not so much about the actual attack on Pearl Harbor but was more of a battle cry.
Reminiscent of The Alamo battle cry which rallied American soldiers to remember the stand at
the Alamo this song was meant to do the same. The song even mentions the famous “Remember
the Alamo” slogan. This was an obvious attempt to use popular history memory to incite
contemporary emotions.
Another popular song was Praise the Lord and Pass the Ammunition. This song was
about a Chaplain who took up a ship’s gun after the gunner was no longer able to fight and who
started firing at the Japanese aircraft during the attack on Pearl Harbor. However, the real story
was of a Chaplain on the U.S.S. New Orleans who walked down the line of men who were firing,
telling them to “Praise the Lord and pass the Ammunition”
67
This song was produced to cheer up
the men as they fought the Japanese and seemed to offer a religious blessing to the war.
The music of the times topics were varied. Some portrayed putting the enemy back in
their place, such as the song Let’s put the Axe to the Axis.
68
Others boasted of quick victory and
getting ready to go to places such as Yokohama or Tokyo, as in Good-Bye Mama (I’m off to
66. “Remember Pearl Harbor,” Pearl Harbor Remembered, http://my.execpc. com/~dschaaf/songnew.html
(accessed October 27, 2007).
67. Ibid.
68. Ibid.
41
Yokohoma).
69
Many songs called for revenge. Some songs demonized the Japanese. The song
We’re Gonna Have to Slap the Dirty Little Jap. (And Uncle Sam's The Guy Who Can Do It)
70
spoke of how the Japanese needed to be stopped and Uncle Sam was going to do just that. Music
has a strong effect on people and how they feel. This genre played a major role in the war effort
throughout the entire war not just directly after Pearl Harbor. Songs helped shape popular
understanding of the war and what it was about.
Similar to Pearl Harbor, musicians reacted to 9/11 by creating songs. The songs that
were created fell into three categories. There was patriotic music, militant music, and finally
there were other songs. The other category includes music that is dedicated to those serving or
who has served in our military forces or to those who have died serving in the U.S. armed forces.
It includes other songs that have been inspired by 9/11 and discuss other American wars
including the Civil War, World War II, and the Iraq War.
The music created as a reaction, to 9/11 covers many genres. Country music was prolific
in its production of songs dealing with 9/11. “Though its writers weren't even in New York on
Sept. 11, country music, more than any other genre, has wrestled successfully with the emotions
arising from that day.”
71
The first category, which is patriotic music, can be seen in Aaron
Tippin’s Where the Stars and Stripes & the Eagle Fly.
72
In this song the artist claims only
patriotic people are wanted in the United States. Another example of patriotic music is Alan
69. “Remember Pearl Harbor,” Pearl Harbor Remembered, http://my.execpc. com/~dschaaf/songnew.html
(accessed October 27, 2007).
70. Ibid.
71. Brian Mansfield, “Country Music, in 9/11 Time,” USA Today (September 8, 2002) http://www.usa
today.com/life/music/2002-09-05-sept11-country_x.htm (accessed February, 1, 2008).
72. Aaron Tippin, Where the Stars and Stripes & the Eagle Fly, Lyric Street, CD, September 10, 2002.
42
Jackson’s song Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning.)
73
In this song Alan Jackson
talks about reactions Americans had to the 9/11 attacks. He covers the entire gambit of emotions
that were felt by Americans. The emotions ranged from denial the attacks happened, gathering
with loved ones for comfort. Paul McCartney wrote a song entitled Freedom as a means to
honor the dead. This song was written after he witnessed the September 1th attack in person.
74
Bruce Springsteen created a 9/11 inspired album entitled Rising.
75
The militant songs included Lets Roll by Neil Young. The “importance of ‘Let's Roll’
lies in the fact that it is one of the first original songs with popular radio support that directly
addressed 9/11.”
76
Other militant songs included Toby Keith’s Courtesy of the Red, White, and
Blue (The Angry American.) This song demonstrated the Americans desire for revenge for
9/11.
77
Another militant song was Country artist Darryl Worley’s song “Have you Forgotten.”
This song declared America was looking for a war after the events of 9/11. Worley asks in the
lyrics, have you forgotten the images of 9/11 and the suffering those in the tower went through
during the attack. The artist asks these questions before wanting to hear about us not going to
war.
78
The song is meant as a pro war song by justifying what happened to America as a reason
to strike back.
73. Alan Jackson, Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning), Arista, CD, March 23, 2004.
74. Paul McCartney, Freedom, Capitol, CD, November 13, 2001.
75. Thom Jurek, “The Rising Review,” Yahoo Music, http://music.yahoo.com/read/ review/14253263
(accessed February 21, 2008).
76. George Sanchez, “Popular Music after 9/11: Putting Politics Into Verse,” Friction Magazine (October
16, 2002), http://www.frictionmagazine.com/song/news/911music_print .html (accessed February 14, 2008).
77. Toby Keith, Courtesy of The Red White and Blue(the Angry American), Dreamworks Nashville, CD,
November 9, 2004.
78. Darryl Worley, Have you Forgotten, Dreamworks Nashville, CD, April 15, 2003.
43
There has been an outpouring of music from musicians outside the professional circuit.
These songs range from using artists songs as scores for remembrance to amateur musicians
composing songs. On the internet several popular songs that were written prior to the attacks on
9/11 have been used to create remembrances of the attacks. This was done to songs such as In
the Arms of an Angel by Sara McLachlan, and Hero by Enrique Iglesias. Others songs remixed
include Enya with Only Time and Styx’s Show Me the Way.
79
In addition, artists such as Lee
Greenwood are seeing a surge in interest in songs written previously. Lee Greenwood’s song
God Bless the USA is one of these songs that are experiencing a revival again.
Many have felt cathartic release in putting their feelings down into musical form. In the
aftermath of Pearl Harbor and 9/11, attacks Americans have created a variety of music. This
music covered all genres. Several different categories exist. There are patriotic music, militant
music, and other music. A similarity between 9/11 and Pearl Harbor is both had patriotic and
militant music. The difference was Pearl Harbor’s song had a third category, Axis bashing. For
9/11 there was no Axis bashing music. This was due to no Axis powers. The enemy was an
amorphous group instead of nations.
Film
During World War II movies were important to the war effort. Movies produced in
Hollywood were used as propaganda and as training manuals. An example of a company that
produced for the government was the Disney Company.
80
The newsreel presented before the
79. Bradley Johtzen, “9/11 2001... Never Forget what happened to the innocent thousands.” 9/11 Tributes,
Setember 11 Tributes and Memorials to the Victims, Families, and many Heroes of September 11, 2001, http://
www.jontzen.com/tribute.htm (accessed February 14 2008).
80. Disney, Roy, E, Maltin, Leonard, Walt Disney On The Front Lines The War Years, DVD. (Burbank,
CA: Walt Disney Treasures).
44
movie started became an important information source during World War II. A newsreel was a
depiction of what was going on in the news. As the war progressed the violence and realism of
the war was shown in the newsreels. The federal government became concerned with the
realism and violence portrayed in the newsreels, for “…as government condoned the graphic
depiction of political war-related violence for propaganda purposes in newsreels, filmgoers were
exposed to increasingly stark documentary images onscreen by mid-1943.”
81
Franklin D Roosevelt’s speech to Congress on December 8, 1941, requesting a
declaration of war on Japan, was filmed for newsreels and also broadcasted on the radio so the
people of the United States had the opportunity to see and hear what he said. This had a
significant effect on the populace in the feelings of support towards what the president was
saying; because an image was there not just a voice. Once the United States was involved in the
war, the government set restrictions on what and how the war was to be portrayed.
The first mention of Pearl Harbor in a movie produced in America was A Yank on the
Burma Road. This movie was already in production when Pearl Harbor was attacked. The
movie script was changed so Pearl Harbor was mentioned by the characters even though the plot
had nothing to do with Pearl Harbor. There is a theme in several post Pearl Harbor movies of
American military personnel who somehow find out about the imminent attack on Pearl Harbor.
Despite their efforts they are unable to warn authorities in the United States about the impending
attack. This is the theme for the films Submarine Raider (1942) and the serial Adventures of
Smilin’ Jack (1943).”
82
The American movie studios eventually did create a film regarding
81. Chinen Sheri Biesen, Blackout: World War II and the origins of Film Noir (Baltimore: John Hopkins
University Press, 2005) 71.
82. McLaughin and Parry, We’ll Always Have the Movies, (Lexington: University Press of Kentucky,
2006), 73.
45
Pearl Harbor which showed both the American view and the Japanese view of. It took
Hollywood thirty years after Pearl Harbor to make the movie. This movie was Tora, Tora, Tora.
The majority of films available after the first six months after Pearl Harbor were morale
boosting films. The cinemas not only showed newsreels for information, but movies for
propaganda. The films themselves gave some news by helping to serve “two purposes: first, to
fill in the narrative gaps in the news reports and turn them into complete, coherent narratives;
and second, to invest the places in the Pacific theater with value.”
83
Interestingly prior to Pearl Harbor the Japanese were not depicted as enemies in any
movies. “Once the United States entered the war, far more Hollywood films focused on
historical events-actual places, battles, and campaigns in the pacific theater than in the European
theater.”
84
The first movie produced for propaganda purposes after Pearl Harbor was the Why We
Fight series. This series was produced by Frank Capra. The first part of Why We Fight is
entitled The Prelude To War. The Why We Fight series was originally designed because the
typical American serviceman did not know why America was fighting or very much about the
Japanese. “Prelude to War had originally been intended for military personnel, not for civilian
audiences; than after a White House screening, President Roosevelt had declared, ‘Every man,
woman, and child must see this film’”
85
This film was then released commercially in the
cinemas. Usually there were several movie choices to see, but when Prelude to War was
released to the public it was the only movie choice in the cinemas.
83. McLaughin and Parry, We’ll Always Have the Movies, (Lexington: University Press of Kentucky,
2006), 71.
84. Ibid.
85. Dick F. Bernard, The Star-Spangled Screen: The American World War II Film (Lexington: University
Press of Kentucky, 1985), 2.
46
Another movie released for propaganda purposes was John Ford’s film December 7
which was proposed by Colonel William B. (“Wild Bill”) Donovan, who was the head of the
Office of Strategic Services (OSS). The first draft of the film was viewed as not having a clear
message and the project was shelved. In 1943 the film was cut to thirty-three minutes and
distributed for public showing. For this film Ford won an Academy Award for Best Short
Subject. In this shortened version there were “three distinct sections: the bombing of the U.S.
fleet, a memoralization of the dead (emphasizing America’s class and ethnic diversity,) and a
promise of military victory.”
86
In The memorialization part in December 7 various ethnic groups
Americans rise up as ghosts to talk to the viewer showing this was a war for all people on
America.
Movies that mention Pearl Harbor in a plot set after the end of World War II have
common themes. They portrayed the anxiety in American serviceman about being able to leave
the war behind them and the ability to fit back into civilian life. The movies mention picking up
the pieces in Germany after World War II was over, but here is no mention of picking up the
pieces in Japan after the war. Americans believed Japan deserved less than the others Axis
powers because of the cowardly sneak attack by the Japanese Empire.
After the end of World War II American censorship was lifted. The government began to
allow the film studios to write movies about the war for entertainment instead of for propaganda.
There were dramatizations of certain events throughout the war that were made into movies. On
the fiftieth anniversary of Pearl Harbor a movie titled Pearl Harbor was produced by Paramount.
Although it received great hype before it was released, most reviews after its release were not
86. Emily Rosenberg, A Date Which Will Live: Pearl Harbor in American Memory (Durham: Duke
University Press, 2003), 19.
47
very positive. Normally the critics said the only good part of the movie was the depiction of the
attack on Pearl Harbor.
Because 9/11 a few movies have been created regarding the events of 9/11. These films
included World Trade Center. This movie discusses the story of a port authority policeman who
responded to the emergency of 9/11. The film entitled Flight 93 is about the passengers of Flight
93, which crashed into the fields near Shanksville, PA. This plane crashed due to resistance
from passengers. These films have largely been dramatic recollections of the day’s events.
Another movie was Fahrenheit 9/11 written by Michael Moore. This movie was intended as a
critical examination of America after 9/11.
Films have done their part in keeping alive the memory. There have been movies written
as propaganda, mainly produced during World War II. After the war the government allowed
studios to make films for entertainment instead of political need. Films such as Tora, Tora, Tora
have told the Japanese perspective and American perspective on Pearl Harbor. Although not an
official remembrance of the 60
th
anniversary of Pearl Harbor the film Pearl Harbor was released.
The film was heavily anticipated, but upon its release did not fulfill all the hype.
Unlike at the time of Pearl Harbor there are no newsreels that play before the movies in
the cinema. The role of the newsreels has been replaced by the internet and the major news
networks television broadcasts. For Pearl Harbor and 9/11 there has been many movies
produced. The movies handling of the 9/11 and Pearl Harbor attacks have differed depending on
the purpose of the film. Some movies such as Fahrenheit 9/11 have been critical of the events
and the authorities.
48
Television
There were many productions created for television concerning 9/11, most were
documentaries. One documentary simply titled 9/11 originally broadcasted on CBS was not at
first going to be about the attacks on the World Trade Center. This production was initially the
story of a rookie firefighter who worked seven blocks from the World Trade Center. During the
actual filming the attack on the towers occurred. The brothers who produced the film were then
able to take film of the rescue effort inside of the twin towers to retain the original focus of the
movie about what firefighters do.
87
Another television movie was In Memoriam: New York City,
9/11/01, created for HBO. This film, while lasting only sixty minutes, is a combination of audio,
video, and finally photography. This film shows images of attacks on the World Trade Center.
It has the then New York’s mayor, Rudy Giuliani’s description of his arrival at Ground Zero.
88
Ground Zero was the name given to the site of the World Trade Center after the attacks. CNN
created a documentary regarding 9/11; the documentary is titled America Remembers-The Events
of 9/11. Depicted is the CNN coverage of the attack and then goes into a timeline of the
events.
89
There is another documentary film created by a photographer who works with the New
York Fire Department entitled WTC 9-11-01: Day of Disaster. This film differs from others
because it was taken a short time after the collapse of the World Trade Center.
90
87. Brian Henke, “Plot Summery for 9/11 (2002) (TV),” The Internet Movie Database, http://www.imdb.
com/title/tt 0312318/plotsummary (accessed February 16, 2008).
88. “In Memoriam: New York City, 9/11/01.” HBO. http://www.hbo.com/docs/ programs /9_11/ (accessed
February, 16 2008).
89. An onymous, “Plot summary for WTC 9-11-01 Day of Disaster (2006) (V)” The Internet Movie Database h ttp://www.
imdb.com/title/tt0795501/plotsummary (accessed February 16, 2008).
90. Andrea LeVasseur, “CNN Tribute: America Remembers - The Events of 9/11 (2002) Review
Summary,” The New York Times, http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/ 265208/CNN-Tribute-America-Remembers-
The-Events-of-September-11th/overview (accessed February 16, 2008).
49
Television has become an influential medium. Most Americans learned of the 9/11
attacks by watching them live on television. The images of the devastation wrought by the
terrorist attacks were shown numerous times in the days following the attacks. Many
psychologists were worried about the images effecting people. Television shows reflect
American culture. In the immediate aftermath of 9/11 many shows were canceled or substituted
for other programs due to content. The USA show The Siege was canceled because the plot
dealing with Arab terrorists who want to destroy New York actually happened.
91
Even movies
were affected as the Time Warner movie Collateral Damage was pulled from release.
92
TBS
temporarily replaced violent movies with family friendly movies.
93
Video retailers showed an
increase demand for terror films by consumers.
94
Media has had an effect on the availability of information on Pearl Harbor and 9/11.
Radio brought all the information quickly and to a large audience in 1941 especially Franklin
Delano Roosevelt’s speech on Dec 8
th
to Congress. Newspapers were another way the people
got information. The newspapers provide a more visual nature than the radio. Most Americans
subscribed to at least one newspaper at this time. Television was the way most people received
news concerning the attack on 9/11.
Music, books, and film have kept the memory of Pearl Harbor very much alive from the
time of the actual event to the present day. There is a large library of books written about Pearl
Harbor. Some are just overviews, others are very detailed. The music immediately after Pearl
91. Lyn Spigel, “Entertainment Wars: Television Culture after 9/11.” American Quarterly 56 no. 2 (2004),
http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/american_quarterly/v056 /56.2spigel.htm (accessed October, 2007).
92. Ibid.
93. Ibid.
94. Ibid.
50
Harbor spoke of the need to fight Japan. The music talks of revenge against Japan. There is
even the use of racial stereotypes in the music. As we get farther away from Pearl Harbor, the
music becomes less aggressive towards the Japanese. The outpouring of music immediately
after Pearl Harbor served another purpose. To many Americans it was cathartic to get their
feelings out in music. This was a good release mechanism even if there song didn’t get
published or if it received poor airtime. This also became very true after the attacks on 9/11.
The extensive media network combination of newspapers, radios, movies, and finally
newsreels created a more comprehensive picture of Pearl Harbor. These different genres of
media were able to respond to the attack on Pearl Harbor by reflecting the views of society.
The media along with encouraging and providing news to the American public can have a
negative effect on the people whom they influence. The American public had very little to cheer
about during the first six months of 1942. The ability to get the news fast did not help during the
early Japanese victories in the Pacific given that all they were reporting was Japanese success
whenever they attacked. There were common themes in society after Pearl Harbor. These
themes were a sense of horror and outrage against the Japanese for the attack. There was a need
for revenge against the Japanese for their dastardly surprise attack. Some Americans had the
feeling of being betrayed by America because we were not ready for the attack. Many
Americans claimed the Japanese started this fight but we will finish it. The talk and attitude was
extended to the entire Axis powers not just Japan. The Japanese attack united the nation and
brought all public opinion to agree on abandoning isolationism and joining the Allies in working
towards the defeat of the Axis powers consisting of German, Italy, and finally Japan.
51
On 9/11 Americans watched as terrorists using planes attacked the United States.
Through pictures on television, internet, newspapers, and finally magazines Americans saw for
themselves the results of the attack. The images of burning buildings ingrained themselves on
the American consciousness. These images sparked reactions. Americans and the world spoke
out in anger and to console. As it has done in the past, music became a form of expression.
Music was created that dealt with the attacks. The topics were diverse. Some of the music was
patriotic. There was some music that advocated militancy. There is music that was dedicated to
American troops either currently serving, or who have sacrificed for their country.
Films have been produced relating to 9/11. The films have covered everything from a
chronological account of 9/11 to controversial films such as Fahrenheit 9/11. There were many
television movies that were made about 9/11. Some movies focused on one group such as the
rescue personnel. Although radio was not as vital in disseminating information like it was in
1941 it still played a role. This role was to play some of the music about 9/11. Newspapers and
magazines included pictures of 9/11. The newspapers issued special editions on 9/11.
Magazines put on their covers images of 9/11. Many of these pictures that were placed in the
newspapers and in magazines have become iconic representations of 9/11. After a few weeks the
pictures switched from pictures of the attacks and the resultant devastation to pictures of Osama
Bin Laden.
52
CHAPTER 4
CULTURE
The Pearl Harbor attack was viewed through many different lenses and profoundly
affected Americans and citizens of other nations, including the people of the Empire of Japan. In
the case of Japan, the attacks changed the Japanese citizen’s perspective, especially after losing
World War II. The attitudes of Americans were varied. The Japanese Americans also were
changed by the attack on Pearl Harbor. They became anxious and fearful of retributions against
them from angry non-Japanese descendent American citizens. They were scared of being
deported or being relocated to one of the internment centers. Other Americans were shocked and
angry because of the attack on Pearl Harbor, wanting to go to war.
Cultural memory is important to nations as it assists in organizing the memories of a
nation’s past. This cultural memory is instilled primarily by memorials. In 1967 a memorial was
constructed to Pearl Harbor. The monument was put up over the sunken battleship Arizona.
9/11 has its own memorials being created. There are currently three memorials being
constructed. One memorial is for the victims of the World Trade Center. The second monument
is for the victims of the Pentagon attack. Finally the third monument is being created at the
Shanksville, Pennsylvania crash site for the Flight 93 crew and passengers. These monuments
are designed to create a lasting cultural impression.
The unity of a population is needed for any undertaking in society. This is especially
necessary in wartime. An issue American culture has dealt with in relationship to Pearl Harbor
and 9/11
is censorship. Censorship in the newspapers and in letters was prevalent after Pearl
Harbor. In the aftermath of 9/11 there was control and restrictions on Americans. This was done
53
in the Patriot Act and in the allowing of wiretaps. Occurring in reaction to the use of airplanes as
missiles, American airports have increased their security.
Reaction
The American government in an attempt to preserve the history of Pearl Harbor and 9/11
took recordings of average Americans out on the streets. The reaction from the Pearl Harbor
collection, which is entitled “After the Day of Infamy: Man on the Street interviews,” includes
audio recordings of interviews done in the streets of various American cities. Included in the
collection are written transcripts of the interviews. The interviewers literally walked or stood on
the street and talked to people who passed by. In the case of the “After the Day of Infamy: Man
on the Street” interviews the topics, that were mentioned by those being interviewed included
Civil Rights, various history topics such as the Monroe Doctrine and World War I, minorities,
the economy, censorship, children, military preparedness and readiness, recruitment to the armed
forces, and finally public opinion.
95
The 9/11 attacks are recorded in a collection known as “September 11, 2001
Documentary Project.” The 9/11 Documentary project not only includes these audio interviews
it includes some videos and pictures. Both documentary collections demonstrate the wide
variety of concerns and opinions society as a whole demonstrated in the wake of the attacks.
The “9/11 Documentary Project” covers topics such as Afghanistan, Osama Bin Laden,
George W. Bush, children, Christianity, civil liberties, Disaster relief for New York, the District
of Columbia, Memorials, Patriotism, Press Coverage, Rescue workers, and finally the
95. American Folklife Center, “After the Day of Infamy: “Man on the Street” Interviews Following the
Attack on Pearl Harbor,” The Library of Congress, http://memory. loc.gov/ammem/afcphhtml/afcphhome.html
(accessed October 2007).
54
economy.
96
There are some similarities in the concerns and topics that American citizens
discussed after 9/11 and Pearl Harbor.
The effort the United States used in keeping alive the memory of the attack was
astounding. To Americans, Pearl Harbor was viewed as an event that was important to
remember, and vital to keep in mind the lessons that were learned on December 7, 1941. “The
phrase “Remember Pearl Harbor!” strikes an impressive array of responses in the minds of
Americans. Patriotism, pride, loyalty to country, sensitivity to the lessons of history, aspirations
for no more war, and sincere hopes for a peaceful world”
97
are all included.
There were a few attacks against Muslim Americans after 9/11. These attacks were
initiated from the grassroots level instead of from the federal government. There were reports of
individual Americans striking out at Muslim Americans and those who were perceived as being
Muslims or Arabs. People were attacked regardless of whether they were Muslim or not. Even
looking like the stereotypical image of a Muslim was enough to possibly be assaulted. On a
positive light there was no attempt to forcibly relocate Muslim Americans like the Japanese
Americans had been after Pearl Harbor. Some Muslims feared it would happen again and they
will be the ones in internment camps.
98
No one suggested such an action towards Muslims after
9/11.
The outcomes of war affect the reaction of one country to other countries response. “By
any measure, the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor was one of the decisive events of the 20th
Century. For Americans it was the greatest military disaster in memory-one which set them on
96. American Folklife Center, “9/11 Documentary Project,” Library of Congress, http://memory
.loc.gov/ammem/collections/911_archive/subjectA.html (accessed October 7, 2007).
97. Toru Watanabe, “American Perceptions of the Pearl Harbor Attack,” The Journal of American-East
Asian Relations 3 no. 3 (Fall 1994), 276.
98. Rick Hampson, “Fear ‘as bad as after 9/11,” USA Today (December, 12 2008), http://www.usatoday.
com/news/nation/2006-12-12-arab-americanscover_x.htm (accessed February 21, 2008).
55
the road to becoming the world’s greatest military power. For Japanese, the attack was a
momentary triumph that marked the beginning of the nations’ painful and protracted transition
from empire to economic colossus.”
99
The United States desires to keep the memory of the
attack on Pearl Harbor. The Japanese prefer the memory to be forgotten.
In Japan after the end of World War II the American remembrance of Pearl Harbor was
viewed as an evil thing. “Pearl Harbor for many Japanese is often seen as a "mistake" and a
reminder of the tragedies of war and the devastations that followed the use of atomic bombs in
Hiroshima and Nagasaki.”
100
The Japanese are puzzled at the effort that is spent by the
Americans in remembrance and the loud proclamations of the cowardly nature of the sneak
attack.
Even six years following Pearl Harbor with the war finished, most citizens of Japan still
believed the Americans despised the Japanese. The Japanese Emperor Hirohito felt the
American concept of remembering Pearl Harbor translated to harboring the feelings of revenge
against the Japanese people. The atomic bomb that was dropped on Hiroshima became the
instrument of revenge for Pearl Harbor according to the Japanese.
Hirohito promised the people of Japan after World War II “to work to contribute to world
peace.”
101
On December 7, 1941, Hirohito’s goal was to promote peace in the Pacific Ocean and
throughout the world.
102
The policy Hirohito declared after World War II was the same. This
was to promote peace. Despite the same goal the means were different. The cost of peace in the
99. Toru Watanabe, “American Perceptions of the Pearl Harbor Attack,” The Journal of American-East
Asian Relations 3 no. 3 (Fall 1994), 278.
100. East West Center, “Pearl Harbor: History, Memory, Memorial,” East-West Center, http://education.
eastwestcenter.org/asiapacificed/ph2007/2007index.htm (accessed March 12, 2008).
101. New York Times, December 8, 1947.
102. Ibid
56
Pacific in the intervening six years was tremendous. The military establishment and its attempt
to create world peace resulted in “the deaths of many thousands of men by land and by sea and in
the air, the fire bombs rained down on Tokyo, the final horror of Hiroshima.”
103
His second
attempt on peace in the word was not done through military means, but by diplomatic means.
Unity and Disunity
After the attack on Pearl Harbor the majority of the American people were united in the
effort to fight in World War II. There was an increase in the military recruitment after Pearl
Harbor. The citizens who stayed at home and did not or were unable to join the military did
many things to help the war effort. American citizens bought war bonds, and planted victory
gardens. Many women, who normally were at home, entered the workforce in the factories;
Americans accepted the rationing on gas and gathered scrap metal, nylons, and rubber for
donation. The strong unity of the people lasted until the war was over in 1945.
To this day there is a sense of this belonging amongst those Americans who experienced
World War II. The logic of unity is not only left to those who were direct survivors of Pearl
Harbor, but it has become a part of American culture and myth. This bond can be seen in the
terms used to describe World War II. Those who were alive during the World War II years,
especially those who fought in World War II, have been called the greatest generation.
104
This
phrase was coined by NBC news anchor Tom Brokaw. The reason Brokaw made this claim was
because the members “came of age during the Great Depression, won World War II without
expecting any special thanks, and then built modern America.”
105
103. New York Times, December 8, 1947.
104. Emily Rosenberg, A Date which will Live: Pearl Harbor in American Memory (Duke University
Press: Durham, 2003), 120.
105. Ibid.
57
After the attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon the Americans became united.
This unity lasted for a very short time. It was only a few weeks after the attack when the
American television stations went back to their regularly scheduled lineups. The lack of unity
has continued to spread throughout President George W Bush’s tenure as president. There was
much bickering and name calling after the War on Terrorism began as Americans asked why we
were caught unprepared and hurt so badly.
The initiation of censorship is a common American reaction to events. There have been
several instances throughout U.S. history when censorship and restriction of personal rights have
been put in place in a said attempt to protect citizens. Abraham Lincoln did exactly this in 1860
with the outbreak of the Civil War. Lincoln ordered the right of free speech lifted and allowed
people to be held indefinitely without being charged with a crime. He also suspended the writ of
Habeas Corpus.
One of the greatest changes to affect the America culture was the increase of security
after the attacks. There was the propaganda during World War II designed to increase the
security of America, and after 9/11 there was the increase of security in American airports. This
increase of security has an effect on modern culture. In addition the ever increasing number of
prohibited items on flights has caused the need to be careful of items carried onto planes.
Because the hijacking of the plane on 9/11 were done by a specific group of people, stereotypes
have emerged and forms of profiling of passengers for additional security measures and unease
by passengers have increased disuniting the people.
The unification of the American people proceeding Pearl Harbor made the nation
stronger and assisted in the victory of World War II. The lack of unity after the attacks of 9/11
has confused the people. The increase of security and censorship have been regarded in a
58
negative way because 9/11 and even though the internment of the Japanese Americans was later
seen as an embarrassment to the United States, at the time the majority of Americans believed it
was needed to be done along with the increase in censorship for protection.
Monuments
A way for people to remember the past is in the production of monuments to significant
events. These monuments become part of the culture. Pearl Harbor is considered one of
America’s important military actions. With its significance, a monument has been built to
remember what happened.
When designing the monument at Pearl Harbor the designers wanted the USS Arizona
which was sunk in the attack with most of its crew as the focal point. So the building was
constructed over the USS Arizona without ever touching it. This memorial was built in 1962.
The Arizona is the “nation’s only major naval memorial vessel associated with disaster.”
106
It
was designed to dip in the middle to symbolize the nadir of America’s fortunes during World
War II. The ends of the monument rise to signify the outcome of the World War II. To reach the
memorial a ferry transports viewers to the site. Inside on the walls of the memorial is inscribed
the names of all those who lost their lives at Pearl Harbor. Prior to boarding the ferry there is a
short film designed to help those continuing on to the memorial to remember the crew was
unable to be taken out of the ship and the Arizona is a tomb. Although the Arizona lies at the
bottom of Pearl Harbor, its dead were listed as being buried at sea.
107
The purpose of the Arizona war memorial, as defined by the architect Alfred Preis, is “in
honor and commemoration of the members of the Armed Forces of the United States who gave
106. James Delgado, “Memorials, Myths, and Symbols: The Significance of the Arizona Memorial,” The
Valley Forge Journal, 318.
107. Ibid., 320.
59
their lives to the country during the attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on December 7, 1941.”
108
The Arizona is a naval memorial in addition to being a shrine for those who died fighting for the
United States and its ideals. A ritual at Pearl Harbor is throwing flowers into the water above the
vessel.
The Arizona has been viewed with many different perceptions by the American public. It
has been perceived as a memorial to the perception of war. Other Americans view the memorial
as the need for military preparedness and alertness. The memorial has been viewed as a symbol
for the Cold War era because the memorial was built during the Cold War. To those who
protested Vietnam the memorial demonstrates the futile nature of war.
109
The Americans tend to see the Arizona memorial as one viewed from the angle of war,
110
many Japanese visitors to Pearl Harbor view the monument as one for peace. The idea of a war
memorial with a theme for peace for the Japanese is because all their World War II memorials
have a theme of spreading peace.
111
Some Japanese tourists see the Arizona Memorial in the
context of the prelude to the rest of the war in the Pacific and, finally, the dropping of the atomic
bombs against the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The Pearl Harbor memorial was purposely
designed to avoid discussion of the atomic bomb. This was done in an attempt to avoid
controversy and also keep the memorial focused on its objective of remembering the event of
Pearl Harbor.
108. James Delgado, “Memorials, Myths, and Symbols: The Significance of the Arizona Memorial,” The
Valley Forge Journal, 320.
109. Ibid., 325.
110. Yaguichi Yujin, “War Memories Across the Pacific,” Comparative American Studies Vol 3 no. 3
(September 2005): 350.
111. Ibid., 351.
60
Furthering the Japanese perspective of the Pearl Harbor site is the view among the
Japanese they are responsible for the existence of this memorial. The Japanese believe because
their ancestors were the ones who attacked Pearl Harbor, the Japanese people in a sense created
the memorial.
112
Some Japanese who visit the memorial feel a need to apologize to the United
States for the attack.
113
In the case of 9/11 there are three memorials currently being built. These memorials are
one for each of the crash sites on 9/11. The memorial for the World Trade Center had designs
submitted and families of those who died were given a vote on the designs. The Ground Zero
memorial, which is the World Trade Center site, is entitled Reflecting Absence. The design
consists of two reflecting pools below street level with waterfalls cascading down their sides.
This memorial is designed to encompass both those who died in the Pennsylvania field and the
Pentagon attack. Another group of victims included in this memorial were those killed in the
bombing at the World Trade Center in 1993. This is being done even though the other sites are
creating their own memorials.
114
The names of the victims will be inscribed around the two
pools. There is an eight acre Memorial park that includes 300 oak trees. Additionally there will
be a Memorial Museum at the site.
115
The Pentagon monument is called Memorial Park. This will consist of 184 benches
called Memorial Units. Each of the benches will represent one victim of the attack. The benches
will have the name of the victims engraved on them and will be arranged in age order from
112. Yaguichi Yujin, “War Memories Across the Pacific,” Comparative American Studies Vol 3 no. 3
(September 2005): 353.
113. Ibid.
114. National September 11 Memorial & Museum, “Building a National Tribute,” National September 11
Memorial & Museum at the World Trade Center, http://www.national911memorial.org/site/PageServer?pagename
=building_home (accessed February, 2008).
115. Ibid.
61
youngest to oldest. The way the benches face and the illumination of the pools underneath the
benches will represent if the victim was in the airplane or in the Pentagon building when the
person died.
116
Finally there will be Paperback maple trees planted at the Pentagon memorial. This
maple was chosen because it is one of the last maples to lose it leaves. It was chosen in an effort
to attempt to present the suspension of time.
117
In addition there will be an age wall along the
western side of the memorial that will increase in height one inch for every year in the victim’s
ages from three inches to seventy inches.
118
This wall starts at the marker for the youngest victim
and continues throughout the memorial.
The memorial project in Shanksville, Pennsylvania where Flight 93 crashed is called 40
Memorial Groves. The memorial will have a wall with the names of the victims engraved on it.
At the center of the memorial will be a bowl shaped area.
119
This bowl was a natural landmark
prior to the crash. The forty memorial groves made up of Red and Sugar maple trees are for the
passengers and crew who died in the crash. The focal point of the Flight 93 monument is the
area called Sacred Ground; this is where the plane actually crashed. There is a plaza along the
side of Sacred Ground where the public can view the crash site. There is overlook called the
Western Overlook where the families of the victims first saw the crash site. The entrance to the
monument is called the Entry Portal. The Entry Portal marks the location where Flight 93
116. Kaseman Beckman Amsterdam Studio, “Pentagon Memorial Design Description,” Pentagon Memrial
Project, http://memorial.pentagon.mil/description.htm (accessed February 25, 2008).
117. Ibid.
118. Ibid.
119. US Department of the Interior, “The Design,” National Park Service, http://www. nps.gov/flni/
parkmgmt/the-memorial-design.htm (accessed February 25, 2008).
62
entered the Bowl.
120
Prior to getting to the Sacred Ground there is an area called the Wetlands.
This offers a counterpoint to the crash site by showing an area full of life.
These three monuments together are designed to create a lasting impression on people,
and provide a tribute to those who died on 9/11 by telling the victims stories. The different
designs present their material using a variety of methods. Some of the schemes are similar to
each other, but each one has its own individuality. All of the memorials use trees in their
designs. In George L Mosse’s book Fallen Soldiers: Reshaping the Memories of Both World
Wars he remarks on the symbolic use of nature in memorials because the use of nature shows the
much longer lifespan of nature and rebirth cycles.
121
The World Trade Center memorial uses oak
trees while the Pentagon Memorial and the Flight 93 monument use maple trees. All three of the
memorials engrave the names of the victims.
The World Trade Center memorial is different from the other 9/11 monuments because it
is designed to be all-inclusive of the 9/11 events. As such it has a museum unlike the Pentagon
and Flight 93 memorials. The Pentagon memorial uses benches and flight 93 monument uses
groves of trees as markers to distinguish each victim. With the use of markers differentiating
each victim the Pentagon memorial and the flight 93 memorial differ from the World Trade
Center which does not distinguish each individual. The 9/11 World Trade Center memorial
includes a list of names, but it doesn’t separate the words into individual markers. The use of
inscriptions of victim’s names is common among memorial sites. Especially common is the
carving of names on walls. There are many European monuments to World War I and World
120. US Department of the Interior, “The Design,” National Park Service, http://www. nps.gov/flni/
parkmgmt/the-memorial-design.htm (accessed February 25, 2008).
121. George L. Mosse, Fallen Soldiers: Reshaping the Memory of the World Wars (New York: Oxford
University Press, 1990), 44.
63
War II that list all of the people from a certain location, such as a city, who died. The names are
inscribed on a wall.
122
There are even common war memorials in the United States that have
names inscribed on walls. A common example is the Vietnam Wall in Washington DC.
The Pearl Harbor monument is a cultural icon of America. Numerous visitors come to
Pearl Harbor yearly. Some visitors explore in the museum, others sit and watch the short film
that prepares visitors for the trip to the memorial itself and those who take the ferry out to the
memorial are able to view the Arizona and see the names of all those who died at Pearl Harbor,
and finally see the oil stained water.
123
The Pearl Harbor monument differs from the 9/11
monuments because they do not include any ruins from the attacks as a major part of the
memorial. The monuments also differ in the people which they honor. The World Trade Center
and Pentagon memorials honor those who died due to terrorism, the flight 93 memorial honors
the brave passengers who fought back, and the Pearl Harbor monument honors those who fought
in war. Both Pearl Harbor and the 9/11 memorials include the names of the victims.
Rituals
There are no current rituals for the three memorials to 9/11 because they are still being
built. However there have been rituals that have been associated with 9/11. The government has
done certain rituals in observance of the 9/11 attacks. These rituals included reading the names
of the victims every year on the anniversary of the attack. Servicemen, such as fire departments
and police departments, read the names of those firemen and policemen who died on 9/11. In
addition, the government has the family and friends of the victims walk to Ground Zero and visit
122. George L. Mosse, Fallen Soldiers: Reshaping the Memory of the World Wars (New York: Oxford
University Press, 1990), 86.
123. New York Times, December 7, 1980.
64
the two reflecting pools that symbolize the foundations of the World Trade Center. The
government holds a moment of silence on 9/11. Every year on the anniversary President George
W. Bush has laid a wreath at each of the three 9/11 sites and has addressed the nation. Usually
this communication is a mix of tribute to those who passed away due to the events of 9/11 and a
status report on how the country is doing on the War on Terrorism. A new addition to the rituals
started in 2006 with the announcement of 9/11 as Patriotic Day.
The government is not alone in ritualizing the remembrance of 9/11. When the families
are allowed into Ground Zero and taken to the reflecting pools, the families of the victims have
placed flowers in the reflecting pools as a practice of remembrance. These pools often are left
overflowing with flowers. Many of the families of the fallen participate in sponsored events by
various groups. The families have given interviews to share their stories. Additional rituals and
memorials have been created by those who were not directly affected by 9/11. This work has
been done usually by individuals or small groups such as charities. The candlelight vigil and
prayer services that were initially done by the government are occasionally revived by these
individuals and groups.
Ritually when taking the tour and travelling to the Arizona Memorial many people will
leave flowers in the water above the USS Arizona in remembrance of those who died.
Previously on the anniversary of the attack people gather to remember the events and raise the
American flag on the superstructure of the Arizona which was above the water, but these rituals
have stopped and only on significant anniversaries ceremonies are held.
65
Memory
Another large aspect of culture is how people remember the past. Because Pearl Harbor
many books have been written and personal accounts have been recorded and archived. There
are pictures and even some recordings of the events. These memories have either been kept by
the individuals or are in place at museums or with the government in some form. With the
advances in technology websites have been written to keep the memories of Pearl Harbor
through the collections of pictures and such.
Due to the more recent attack and the technology when 9/11 came about, the way in
which its memory of this event is being kept is similar and very different to Pearl Harbor.
Shortly after 9/11 the people of New York responded with spontaneous pictures and other
memorabilia placed on walls or any available space. Collections have been amassed of these
memories. Many of the spontaneous placing of pictures, flowers, and stuffed animals in New
York were lost when after a time these items began to be taken down and were not saved but
thrown out in an attempt to clean up. Many times there was no record kept of these items before
they were removed. There is a 9/11 quilt,
124
which is based on the idea of the AIDS Quilt where
people have been encouraged to create a quilt square of their memory of 9/11 and send it in. The
9/11 quilt creators want it placed in a museum preferably at Ground Zero but definitely at least in
New York, and other memorial items still need to find homes.
The internet has been an important and widely used resource of recording the memory of
9/11. There were many websites created by groups or individuals to remember the events of
9/11. These websites preserve memories through collections of pictures and stories. Some sites
124. United In Memory™, Inc, “United In Memory 9-11 Victims Memorial Quilt™: A Legacy of Love,”
United in Memory, http://www.unitedinmemory.net/history.html (accessed October 29, 2007).
66
have places where dedications of varying sorts and varying media can be recorded. The Legacy
website
125
has allowed people to create video postcards as dedications or as remembrances.
Another form of tribute is website guest books in which people are encouraged, even if they
don’t know anyone personally who was victimized on 9/11, to sign or write something. A digital
archive was created called The 9/11 Digital Archive which boasts over 12,500 personal
testimonies relating to 9/11 and its aftermath.
126
There are sites that feature a victim of the day
and tell a short story about the person. There are even larger collections of digital items on the
variety of remembrance websites which have not been included in other compilations. Due to the
sheer amount of recorded memories, it has become difficult to officially document all of them.
There are many collections of pictures, paintings, children’s drawings, and audio files
concerning 9/11. Most of the more unique forms of memory have been collected by the federal
government either through the Library of Congress or through other government departments.
For every item accepted into the Library of Congress there are many others that are not accepted.
The memories that have been accepted into the Library of Congress are varied. These items
include pictures, thoughts, and finally reactions in a variety of mediums. There are recorded
audio accounts, digital collections of pictures and videos, and many physical items such as
pictures and drawings which have been sent into the Library of Congress and collected and put
into their 9/11 images collection.
On December 8, 1941, Franklin Delano Roosevelt said December 7
th
will live in Infamy.
The attack on Pearl Harbor has been kept alive and remembered in several different ways. One
125. Legacy. “Remember September 11, 2001.” Legacy. http://legacy.com/Sept 11/Home.aspx (accessed
October 29, 2007).
126. Center for History and New Media and American Social History Project/Center for Media and
Learning, “Saving the Histories of September 11, 2001,” The September 11 Digital Archive, http://911digital
archive.org/ (October 29, 2007).
67
of the ways it is viewed is from the Japanese perspective. The Japanese have learned from Pearl
Harbor and World War II how to leave empire building and became powerful by economic
means. The American people have diverse outlooks on Pearl Harbor. Some Americans view
Pearl Harbor as a call for eternal vigilance to prevent another disaster. Other Americans see
Pearl Harbor as a call to arms that united the nation. Even others see Pearl Harbor as something
that needs to never be forgotten. Japanese Americans were nervous due to Pearl Harbor.
Retaliation came in the creation of ten relocation centers called internment camps. This creation
of the relocation camps was accomplished by Executive Order 9066.
September 11, 2001, was a day of shock and terror for Americans. With attacks on the
World Trade Center and the Pentagon, then finally the plane that crashed in Shanksville, PA
Americans was taken aback. There have been calls from Americans asking why we were caught
unawares on 9/11. Muslims living in America experienced tension after the attacks. This time
there was no government attempts to relocate or punish any ethnic groups. Instead a few
individual actions were undertaken against Muslims. Some Muslims or those who looked
Muslim were attacked. These attacks were few in number. The government was able to take the
moral high ground and step in and stop the attacks.
There have been monuments created for Pearl Harbor and 9/11. The Pearl Harbor
monument was created over the USS Arizona in 1962. The monument is a popular site for
visitors to Hawaii. Inside the monuments on its walls is inscribed the names of those who died at
Pearl Harbor. The Pearl Harbor memorial is just not for Americans. A large segment of the
visitors are international visitors.
68
There are three 9/11 memorials currently being constructed. Each of the monuments has
very unique and interesting designs. The first memorial is the 9/11 memorial. This memorial is
being constructed at Ground Zero in New York City. The memorial will include the names of all
those killed in the 9/11 attacks and those who died in the 1998 attack on the World Trade Center.
The names will be inscribed along the edges of two pools. The next 9/11 monument is the
Pentagon monument called the Memorial Park. This memorial will have a bench for every one
of the 184 victims with their name etched into it. Underneath the benches will be an illuminated
pool. The pool indicates whether the victim was in the Pentagon or in the aircraft. The final
9/11 memorial is for Flight 93. Flight 93 crashed in a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania. This
monument is set in a natural bowl where Flight 93 crashed. The victims will be marked with 40
groves of trees. Each grove of trees represents a victim that was on the plane when it crashed.
In addition to the official memorials there are many other attempts to memorialize the
events of 9/11 and Pearl Harbor. These include rituals both by the Government and by the
victims’ families. A large amount of various dedication audio files, images, and other items have
been created. Many individual websites have been created that have forms of remembrance such
as personal testimonies or dedications to the victims exist. There was a spontaneous creation of
pictures and items being left in various places in New York City to remember the events of
September 11, 2001.
69
CHAPTER 5
CONCLUSION
Though the two attacks in America of 9/11 and Pearl Harbor are similar events the attack
on Pearl Harbor and the attacks on 9/11 are far more different than they are similar. The politics
after Pearl Harbor shows after America was viewed mostly in a positive way. This viewpoint
was shared by American citizens and by foreign nations. Partly, this was due to American
assistance to the Allies during World War II. To a degree responsible for this support of
America was the Untied States policy of rebuilding Europe. Even though part of the reason for
rebuilding Europe was to keep the Soviet Union contained, there was still support for Americas
rebuilding efforts. After Pearl Harbor the American people were united all the way through
World War II. After the war America was the most powerful nation in the world. This is
different in the case of 9/11. The American public has slowly disapproved of President Bush’s
policies regarding the War on Terrorism after a short period of unity in the immediate aftermath
of 9/11. Now the popular opinion of America throughout the world is slipping even among
those America considered allies.
The media’s reaction to Pearl Harbor and 9/11 allowed the news of Pearl Harbor to be
spread quickly through American society. The media acted as a representation of the feelings of
many people and as an influencer by selecting topics and presentations through the various
mediums including books, film, newsreels, and finally music. Music was important in the
remembering of Pearl Harbor and 9/11. One of the additional consequences of music was
allowing people to express themselves and come to terms with the events. Another reason why
music is so important after Pearl Harbor and 9/11 is it demonstrated the gambit of emotions
70
dealing with the attack on Pearl Harbor and 9/11. These emotions went from patriotic to denial,
and even desiring revenge.
There are many images in regards to 9/11 and Pearl Harbor that are well known and are
able to provoke emotions. For example, one of the most famous pictures of Pearl Harbor is the
picture of the Arizona superstructure burning in Pearl Harbor. A well known picture of 9/11 is
firemen raising the American flag in the rubble of Ground Zero. A difference in the media of
Pearl Harbor and 9/11 is after a few weeks the images that had been shown of the 9/11 attacks
vanished off television and other media outlets. The images relating to Pearl Harbor and by
extension the entire Pacific theater became more able to be seen and graphic especially in the
newsreels.
127
The cultural response to Pearl Harbor was multifaceted. Opinions are different on the
lessons learned from Pearl Harbor. Some Americans claim eternal vigilance is the most
important thing to remember. Others view a call to arms as the necessary response.
128
The
fallout from Pearl Harbor affected the Japanese and Japanese Americans. The Japanese
Americans become nervous of a backlash against them due to Pearl Harbor. Through the
experiences of the Japanese after Pearl Harbor and the rest of World War II and the occupation
of Japan after World War II the Japanese have given up military force and have dedicated
themselves too gaining power by economic strength instead.
127. Chinen Sheri Biesen, Blackout: World War II and the origins of Film Noir (Baltimore: John Hopkins
University Press, 2005) 71.
128. American Folklife Center, “After the Day of Infamy: “Man on the Street” Interviews Following the
Attack on Pearl Harbor,” The Library of Congress, http://mem ory.loc.gov/ammem/afcphhtml/afcphhome.html
(accessed October 2007).
71
The culture of the American people has undergone various changes. Questions have been
raised asking why America was unprepared for attacks on the World Trade Center, the Pentagon,
and the aborted attack by Flight 93. There was no talk of relocating the Muslim-Americans to
camps. After the 9/11 attacks it was not the Federal government that acted against the Muslims
but instead it was a few individual American citizens who struck against a few Muslims.
Like most nations the United States creates monuments. The United States created
memorials for Pearl Harbor and for the 9/11 attacks. These memorials were each different in
their designs. One thing common among these monuments was the different memorials were
used as remembrances of the victims of the attacks. Each memorial used different means to
memorialize the victims. There were benches in the Pentagon Memorial Park, while the victims
were represented by groves of trees in the Shanksville, Pennsylvania memorial. The 9/11
memorial itself served up the plainest representation of the victims of 9/11 like the Pearl Harbor
memorial wall the simple inscription of the names of each casualty. Pearl Harbor and 9/11
although defeats show the best of the human spirit. The heroic efforts by the soldiers at Pearl
Harbor fighting with various small arms against aircraft are comparable to the efforts of the
resisters in Flight 93 and the rescue personnel and emergency services who rushed into the
World Trade Center to save lives.
The assaults on America on September 11, 2001 and at Pearl Harbor in 1941 both were
unexpected and cowardly. They were covered by many different forms of media from the
movies to music and both have been remembered in many ways. It is the reactions of the people
both in the United States and in the world and the actions after which make these events
dissimilar.
72
BIBLIOGRAPHY
American Folklife Center. “After the Day of Infamy: “Man on the Street” Interviews
Following the Attack on Pearl Harbor.” The Library of Congress. http://memory.loc.
gov/ammem/afcphhtml/afcphhome.html (accessed October 2007).
American Folklife Center. “9/11 Documentary Project.” Library of Congress. http://
memory.loc.gov/ammem/collections/911_archive/subjectA.html (accessed October 7,
2007).
Anonymous. “Plot summary for WTC 9-11-01 Day of Disaster (2006) (V).” The Internet Movie Database.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0795501/plotsummary (accessed February 16, 2008).
Bernard, Dick F. The Star-Spangled Screen: The American World War II Film. Lexington:
University Press of Kentucky, 1985.
Biesen, Chinen Sheri. Blackout: World War II and the Origins of Film Noir. Baltimore: John
Hopkins University Press, 2005.
Boot, Max. War Made New:Technology, Warfare, and the Course of History 1500 to Today.
New York: Gotham Books, 2006.
Center for History and New Media and American Social History Project/Center for Media and
Learning. “Saving the Histories of September 11, 2001.” The September 11 Digital
Archive. http://911digitalarchive.org/ (October 29, 2007).
CNN. “Text of Bush’s Address.” CNN.com./U.S. http://archives.cnn.com/2001/US/09/11/bush.
speech.text/index.html (accessed February 4, 2008).
Delgado, James. “Memorials, Myths, and Symbols: The Significance of the Arizona Memorial.”
The Valley Forge Journal; 31-326.
Disney, Roy E, Maltin, Leonard. Walt Disney on the Front Lines: The War Years, Burbank, CA,
Buena Vista Home Entertainment.
East West Center. “Pearl Harbor: History, Memory, Memorial.” East-West Center. http://
education.eastwestcenter.org/asiapacificed/ph2007/ 2007index.htm (accessed March 12,
2008).
Editors, The. “Debunking the 9/11 Myths: Special Report.” Popular Mechanics (March 2005)
http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/military_law/1227842.html (accessed
February 16, 2008).
Eidenmuller, Michael E. “Franklin Delano Roosevelt: Pearl Harbor Address to the Nation.”
American Rhetoric Top 100 Speeches. http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/fdr
pearlharbor.htm (accessed February 3, 2008).
73
Hampson, Rick. “Fear ‘as bad as after 9/11.” USA Today (December, 12 2008). http://www.usa
today.com/news/nation/2006-12-12-arab-americanscover_x.htm (accessed February 21,
2008).
Henke, Brian. “Plot Summery for 9/11 (2002) (TV).” The Internet Movie Database. http://www.
imdb.com/title/tt0312318/plotsummary (accessed February 16, 2008).
Hennes, Randolph. “December 7 and September 11.” Columns Magazine (December 2001).
http://www.washington.edu/alumni/columns/dec01/911_pearlharbor .html (accessed
March, 2008).
Holmes, Richard. Battlefield: Decisive Conflicts in History. Edited by Martin Marix Evans.
Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2006.
“In Memoriam: New York City, 9/11/01.” HBO. http://www.hbo.com/docs/programs/9_11/
(accessed February, 16 2008).
Jackson, Alan. Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning). B0000BV1HH. Arista. CD.
March 23, 2004.
Johtzen, Bradley. “9/11 2001... Never Forget what happened to the innocent thousands.” 9/11
Tributes, September 11 Tributes and Memorials to the Victims, Families, and many
Heroes of September 11, 2001. http://www.jontzen.com/tribute.htm (accessed February
14 2008).
Jones, John Bush. Songs that Fought The War: Popular Music and the Home Front 1939-1945.
Lebanon: Brandeis University Press, 2006.
Jurek, Thom. “The Rising Review.” Yahoo Music. http://music.yahoo.com/read/review/
14253263 (accessed February 21, 2008).
Kaplan, Jeffrey. “Islamophobia in America?: September 11 and Islamophobic Hate Crime.”
Terrorism and Political Violence 18 (2006): 1-33.
Kaseman Beckman Amsterdam Studio. “Pentagon Memorial Design Description.” Pentagon
Memrial Project. http://memorial.pentagon.mil/description.htm (accessed February 25,
2008).
Keith, Toby. Courtesy of The Red White and Blue (The Angry American). B00063F8CG.
Dreamworks Nashville. CD. November 9, 2004.
Kobayashi, Audrey. “The Uprooting of Japanese Canadians and Japanese Americans during the
1940s: Security of Whom?” Canadian Issues (Fall 2005): 28-30.
Laytner, Ron. “The Last Samurai.” Edit International. http://www.editinternational.com/index.
php?pag=stories.php?cat=3f5121f82466f (accessed October 8, 2007).
74
Legacy. “Remember September 11, 2001.” Legacy. http://legacy.com/Sept11/Home.aspx
(accessed October 29, 2007).
LeVasseur, Andrea. CNN Tribute: America Remembers - The Events of 9/11 (2002)
Review Summary.” The New York Times. http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/265208/
CNN-Tribute-America-Remembers-The-Events-of-September-11th/overview (accessed
February 16, 2008).
Mamdani, M. “Good Muslim, Bad Muslim: A Political Perspective on Culture and Terrorism.”
American Anthropologist 104 no. 3 (September 2002).
Mansfield, Brian. “Country Music, in 9/11 Time.” USA Today (September 8, 2002) http://www.
usatoday.com/life/music/2002-09-05-sept11country_x.htm (accessed February, 1, 2008).
McCartney, Paul. Freedom. B00005QK3W. Capitol. CD. November 13, 2001.
McLaughin, and Parry. We’ll Always Have the Movies. Lexington: University Press of Kentucky,
2006.
Mosse, George L. Fallen Soldiers: Reshaping the Memory of the World Wars. New York:
Oxford University Press, 1990.
National September 11 Memorial & Museum. “Building a National Tribute.” National
September 11 Memorial & Museum at the World Trade Center. http://www.national911
memorial.org/site/PageServer?pagename=building_home (accessed February, 2008).
Our Heritage in Documents. “FDR’s “Day of Infamy Speech: Crafting a Call to Arms.”
Prologue Magazine 33 no. 4 (Winter 2001). http://www.archives.gov/publications/
prologue/2001/winter/crafting-day-of-Infamy-speech.html (accessed October 9, 2007).
Pearl Harbor History Association, Inc. “The ‘Winds Code.’” Blogs@ibiblio. http://www.ibiblio.
org/pha/pha/congress/app-e.html#469 (accessed October 7, 2007).
“Remember Pearl Harbor.” Pearl Harbor Remembered. http://my.execpc.com/~dschaaf/songnew.
html (accessed October 27, 2007).
Rosenberg, Emily. A Date Which Will Live: Pearl Harbor in American Memory. Durham: Duke
University Press, 2003.
Sanchez, George. “Popular Music after 9/11: Putting Politics Into Verse.” Friction Magazine
(October 16, 2002). http://www.frictionmagazine.com/song/news/911music_print.html
(accessed February 14, 2008).
Silbergeld, David. ”Pearl Harbor: It Was More Than a Movie.” National Defense Magazine
(August 2001). http://www.nationaldefense magazine.org/issues/2001/Aug/Pearl_
Harbor.htm (accessed March 13, 2008).
75
Slackman, Michael. Target: Pearl Harbor. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 1990.
Smith, Dale O. “Pearl Harbor: A Lesson in Air Power.” Air Power History 44, no. 1 (Spring
1997).
Spigel, Lyn. “Entertainment Wars: Televison Culture after 9/11.” American Quarterly 56 no. 2
(2004). http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/american_quarterly/v056/56.2spigel.htm (accessed
October, 2007).
Tippin, Aaron. Where the Stars and Stripes & the Eagle Fly. B00006IK2M. Lyric Street. CD.
September 10, 2002.
United In Memory™, Inc. “United In Memory 9-11 Victims Memorial Quilt™: A Legacy of
Love.” United in Memory. http://www.unitedinmemory.net/history.html (accessed
October 29, 2007).
US Department of the Interior. “The Design.” National Park Service. http://www.nps.gov/flni/
parkmgmt/the-memorial-design.htm (accessed February 25, 2008).
Watanabe, Toru. “American Perceptions of the Pearl Harbor Attack.” The Journal of American-
East Asian Relations 3 no. 3 (Fall 1994).
We Be Us Group. “Japanese Internment.” Thinkquest. http://library.thinkquest.org/trio/TTQ
04160/Complete%20Site/loyalty/question.htm (February 14, 2008).
Weintraub, Stanley. Long Days Journey into War: December 7, 1941. New York: Truman Talley
Books, 1991.
Williams, A.D. “International Reaction.” September 11 News. http://www.september11news.
com /InternationalReaction.htm (accessed October 7, 2007).
Williams, A.D. “President Bush 9/11/2001.” September 11 News. http://www.september11news.
com/PresidentBush.htm (accessed October, 2007).
Williams, A.D. “September 2001Timeline.” September 11 News. http://www.september11news.
com/DailyTimeline.htm (accessed October, 2007).
Williams, A.D. “USA Newspaper Headlines.” September 11 News. http://www.september11
news.com/USANewspapers.htm (accessed February 14, 2007).
Worley, Darryl. Have you Forgotten. B00008S6C7. Dreamworks Nashville. CD. April 15, 2003.
Yujin, Yaguichi. “War Memories Across the Pacific.” Comparative American Studies Vol 3 no.
3 (September 2005): 345-360.
76
Zimmerman, John C. “Pearl Harbor Revisionism: Robert Stinnet’s Day of Deceit.” Intelligence
and National Security 17 no 2 (June 2002): 127-146.
77
VITA
CHAD L NIELSEN
Personal Data: Date of Birth: July, 8 1980
Place of Birth: Logan, Utah
Parents: Mark R Nielsen and Cheryl Ann Farnes Nielsen
Marital Status: Married
Education: Public Schools, Gainesville, Florida and Snelville, Georgia
B.A. History, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah 2005
M.A. History, East Tennessee State University, Johnson
City, Tennessee 2008
Professional Experience: Graduate Assistant, East Tennessee State University,
College of Arts and Sciences, 2006-2008
