Pearl Harbor Deck Logs and Witnesses

On December 7, 1941, United States citizens were stunned by the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor. This Inside the Vaults video short from the National Archives highlights the deck logs that chronicle the events of the attack from the point of view of the men on board the ships in the harbor. The logs — created as routine administrative documents — give modern readers a sense of the shock, surprise and confusion felt by the soldiers and sailors who experienced this pivotal moment in American history. National Archives employees Lopez Matthews and Eliza Mbughuni read from the firsthand accounts in U.S. Navy deck logs.

Excerpts from several deck logs are featured in an article in the 2011 Winter issue of Prologue. http://www.archives.gov/publications/prologue/2011/winter/ph-decklogs.html. View the Prologue YouTube playlist at http://bit.ly/NjAArn.

Inside the Vaults includes highlights from the National Archives in the Washington, DC, area and from the Presidential libraries and regional archives nationwide. These shorts present behind-the-scenes exclusives and offer surprising stories about the National Archives treasures. See more from Inside the Vaults at http://bit.ly/LzQNae.

Excerpts from several deck logs are in an article in the Winter issue of Prologue: Quarterly of the National Archives and Records Administration. http://www.archives.gov/publications/prologue/2011/winter/ph-decklogs.html

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