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This week marks the 70th anniversary of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941. In remembrance of that day, our guest is historian Craig Shirley, whose newly released book, December 1941: 31 Days that Changed America and Saved the World, reveals the interrelated economic, social, and political events that shaped the United States in the lead-up and entry into World War II.
Using in-depth research, Shirley uncovers many little-known facts about the mood of the country before and after the attacks, including the cultural attitudes and day-to-day lives of average Americans.
Among the facts revealed by Shirley:
·Following December 7th, the laws passed against Japanese Americans were so excessively constraining that an American citizen of Japanese descent could be arrested and interned for owning a camera.
·Americans didn’t know the full details of Pearl Harbor until weeks after the actual attack.
·Leading up to December 7th, enlistment numbers were so low that the Navy was considering instituting what would have been the first and only Navy draft in U.S. history. After Pearl Harbor, the enlistment numbers were so high recruitment stations needed to expand their hours.
·In the days following the attack on Pearl Harbor, several Japanese subs off the west coast of the U.S. staged attacked on merchant vessels, sinking at least two.
To learn more, visit www.craigshirley.com