War Preparations, July through December 6, 1941

CHRONOLOGY OF EVENTS

July

Red Cross Women’s Volunteer Motor Corps starts first regular duty after several months of training. General Short completes tentative plans for three types of alerts in Hawaii: defense against sabotage, defense against air, submarine and surface attacks, and defense against all out attack including landing. Many persons in Hawaii are affected as the U.S. "freezes" Japanese and Chinese assets. Japan retaliates by freezing U.S. funds in Japan.

August

Six mobile radar stations are received in Hawaii, supplementing three permanent stations received in June. Mayor Lester Petrie of Honolulu announces he will appoint a rent control committee to arbitrate grievances.

September

Between 7,000 and 8,000 union workers march in Honolulu's Labor Day parade. It is the largest display of labor's strength in the history of the islands. The Board of Supervisors appropriates $60,000 for medicine supply in case of emergency. Tokyo asks Japanese consul general in Honolulu for more detailed reports on ships in Pearl Harbor.

October

The Navy files suit to condemn 117 acres near Pearl City peninsula for enlargement of Pearl Harbor naval station. Hawaii USO established as outgrowth of mayor's entertainment committee.

November

Although Japanese government has suspended all Japanese ships from sailing to U.S., the Taiyo Maru makes a special trip to Honolulu so that persons stranded in Japan can return home. Both U.S. Army and Navy receives a "war warning" dispatch from Washington, D.C., saying hostile action can be expected "at any moment." On November 27, 1941, the Japanese naval attack force which will attack Oahu on December 7, moves out of rendezvous in Tankan Bay, in northern Japan.

December

FBI intercepts phone conversation from Japanese consulate saying Japanese had been instructed to burn all papers. Admiral Kiimmel is informed by Naval Intelligence that it is unable to locate four of Japan's ten aircraft carriers; also, that Japanese diplomatic and consular posts in Hong Kong, Singapore, Batavia, Washington, and London have been instructed to destroy most codes and ciphers at once and burn secret documents. FBI suspects possible code in telephone conversation between a Honolulu Japanese and a Tokyo newspaperman. All Navy commanders in Pacific are authorized to destroy confidential papers.