WWII Pearl Harbor Attack Newsreel “Japs Bomb USA”
This short and apparently hastily assembled newsreel shows the events of December 7th, 1941 and expresses deep outrage at the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Due to classification issues at the time the film was made, very little of the damage to Pearl Harbor itself is shown; rather the film focuses on damage to civilian areas of Waikiki and Honolulu. Due to the lack of material available there are some laughable errors in the rather earnest film, including the presence of a plane with British markings around the 1:40 timecode mark. Other footage includes: Emporer Hirohito reviewing his troops, Secretary of State Cordell Hull speaking with Japanese ambassadors, Waikiki during bombing attack, emergency hospitals during the Pearl Harbor attack, refugee center at University of Hawaii, a Japanese miniature submarine is seen beached, and President Roosevelt declares war. There is a lot of U.S. Navy footage in the film as well, including submarines, battleships, and other vessels. The USS Phelps (DD-360) is briefly seen during fleet maneuvers.