The telegram that first spread the news of Pearl Harbor, from Dec. 7, 1941Museum of World War II Boston
There should be no question as to why this telegram was classified as “urgent” by Lt. Cmdr. Logan Ramsey, when he sent it on Dec. 7, 1941. The news — AIRRAID ON PEARL HARBOR X THIS IS NO DRILL — was directed to all U.S. Navy ships that were present in the Hawaii area, and the blunt force of that message is key to understanding its historical significance, says Kenneth Rendell, the founder and director of the Museum of World War II in Natick, Mass., which houses the telegram.
“The big thing about Pearl Harbor was that it really was a surprise attack,” he says. “The war in Europe was what everybody was focused on.”
If an attack did come in the Pacific, most observers thought the first target would be a place closer to Japan such as Hong Kong. The surprise is underscored by the personal memorabilia of U.S. sailors and airmen stationed in Hawaii prior to that day. “Their photograph albums are full of beach scenes and hula girls,” Rendell says. “It was very peaceful, so [the attack] was a total shock.”
Read TIME’s original coverage of Pearl Harbor, here in the TIME Vault: National Ordeal
After Pearl Harbor: Rare Photos From the American Home Front
The exposed wreckage of the battleship USS Arizona.
Bob Landry—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesThe USS Arizona's wreckage.Bob Landry—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesDamaged battleship in the background days after the attack on Pearl Harbor.Bob Landry—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesAmerican bombers fly over Hawaii, December 1941.William C. Shrout—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesVice Admiral Joseph "Bull" Reeves, Waikiki Beach, December 1941. Bob Landry—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesA rally at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, December 1941. George Strock—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesA poster at the Brooklyn Navy Yard calls for vigilance, December 1941. George Strock—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesThe Brooklyn Navy Yard by night, 1941.George Strock—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesA Naval officer — dwarfed by the vessel in his view — gazes at a cruiser's propeller at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, 1941.George Strock—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesA worker on break at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, 1941.George Strock—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesOne of the earliest vessels on display at the Brooklyn Navy Yard: the Intelligent Whale, a 19th-century hand-cranked submarine.George Strock—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesA hastily constructed defense bunker, Hawaii, early 1942. Bob Landry—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesTraining with gas masks in Hawaii, early 1942. William C. Shrout—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesAmerican troops in Hawaii, days after the attack on Pearl Harbor. William C. Shrout—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesTroops in Hawaii, early 1942. William C. Shrout—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesMen dig a post-Pearl Harbor defensive trench in Hawaii, December 1941. William C. Shrout—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesTroops shore up defenses in Hawaii in the weeks after Pearl Harbor. William C. Shrout—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesPost-Pearl Harbor training and patrol in Hawaii, early 1942. Bob Landry—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesYoung defenders beside a mounted machine gun, Hawaii, December 1941. William C. Shrout—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesA sign points the way to Pearl Harbor on Dec. 15, 1941, a week after the attack.William C. Shrout—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesAboard an American warship, Pearl Harbor, early 1942. Bob Landry—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesA sailor chalks a message to America's fighting men from the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations on a warship at Pearl Harbor. "Your conduct and action have been splendid. While you have suffered from a treacherous attack, your commander-in-chief has informed me that your courage and stamina remain magnificent. You know you will have your revenge. Recruiting stations are jammed with men eager to join you."Bob Landry—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesMilitary man, Pearl Harbor, December 1941.William C. Shrout—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesAn American warship's crew shows its spirit, Pearl Harbor, early 1942. Bob Landry—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
