Third and fourth terms of the presidency of Franklin D. Roosevelt
On the morning of December 7, 1941, the Japanese struck the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor with a surprise attack, knocking out the main American battleship fleet and killing 2,403 American servicemen and civilians. The great majority of scholars have rejected the conspiracy thesis that Roosevelt, or any other high government officials, knew in advance about the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. The Japanese had kept their secrets closely guarded, and while senior American officials were aware that war was imminent, they did not expect an attack on Pearl Harbor. Roosevelt had anticipated that the first attack would take place in the Dutch East Indies, Thailand, or the Philippines.
List of Medal of Honor recipients for the Attack on Pearl Harbor
The Japanese fleet that attacked Pearl Harbor also struck elsewhere in the Hawaiian Islands that day, trying to disable the U.S. Marine base on Sand Island at Midway Atoll. For his actions during that engagement, a 16th Medal of Honor was awarded to a Marine who died at Sand Island on this first day of the Pacific War.The definitive book about the December 7 Medal of Honor recipients is "PEARL HARBOR'S HIDDEN HEROES" by Colonel Charles A. Jones U.S. Marine Corps Reserve (Retired). The book covers not only the December 7 Medals but also the Hammerberg Medal and the sole Medal of Honor (posthumous) for the Battle of Midway 1942, Captain Richard E. Fleming U.S. Marine Corps Reserve.