The Final Blow: Japan’s Attack & America’s Entry into War
About This Footage
Reel 7 of War Comes to America chronicles the final events that propelled the United States into World War II. The reel opens with German U-boats attacking American merchant ships, showing periscope views, torpedo launches, and explosions. As newspaper headlines scream of repeated U.S. ship sinkings, Congress repeals the Neutrality Act, allowing U.S. merchant ships to be armed. Meanwhile, Japanese troops move into Indochina, further escalating tensions. In a fateful moment, Japanese diplomat Saburo Kurusu departs for the U.S., while at sea, a Japanese task force sails toward Pearl Harbor. Footage captures Kurusu’s arrival in San Francisco, the aerial approach to Oahu, and the unfolding attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. A combination of recreated and actual footage shows the devastation, including Japanese aircraft launching, explosions at Battleship Row, and the smoldering aftermath. The film closes with images of Kurusu and Japanese Ambassador Nomura arriving at the White House, mere moments before news of the attack reached U.S. officials—a day that changed history and led America into war.