The USS Arizona after the December 7th attack. [3]
World War II, the deadliest war in global history, lasted from 1939 to 1945. Initially, under President Roosevelt, the United States's foreign policy was one of isolationism, but on June 22, 1941, everything changed: Japan attacked naval fleets at Pearl Harbor, and the US entered the war.
President FDR officially declaring war on Japan [1]
The secrecy and surprise of the 1941 Pearl Harbor attack resulted in the destruction of many U.S. ships and the deaths of more than 2,400 people.
"December 7, 1941 - a date which will live in infamy - the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan." [2]
The USS Arizona after the December 7th attack. [3]
A first draft of Roosevelt's "Day of Infamy" speech. [4]
[5]
[6]
As men were shipped off to the warfront, women played an instrumental role in keeping the homefront afloat. Donating time and energy towards the war, women became clerical workers, skilled technicians, test fliers, and more.
A cartoon encouraging women to join the warfront [7]
A World War II flier meant to attract female employees [8]
Below is a recording of an interactive timeline displaying the key events during World War II to historically frame the story of the female codebreakers. [9]
Prior to the attack on Pearl Harbor, the American intelligence field was in its infancy. Men were out of the question, as they had been shipped off to the Army and the Navy, so the agencies turned to women.
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Footnotes:
1. President Franklin D. Roosevelt Declares War on Japan (Full Speech) | War Archives, YouTube, 2011.
2. "FDR's 'Day of Infamy' Speech: Crafting a Call to Arms," Prologue Magazine, Winter 2001, accessed February 10, 2020, https://www.archives.gov/publications/prologue/2001/winter/crafting-day-of-infamy-speech.html.
3. "FDR's 'Day."
4. "FDR's 'Day."
5. "FDR's 'Day."
6. "FDR's 'Day."
7. Chris Treadway, "Pow! Learn about women comic book artists of World War II at Richmond talk," East Bay Times, last modified September 15, 2017, accessed February 29, 2020, https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2017/09/15/pow-learn-about-women-comic-book-artists-of-world-war-ii-at-richmond-talk/.
8. "U.S. Coast Guard. A recruiting poster from World War II." In Dictionary of American History, 3rd ed., edited by Stanley I. Kutler. Vol. 2. New York, NY: Charles Scribner's Sons, 2003. Gale In Context: U.S. History (accessed January 25, 2020).
9. Liza Mundy, "Code Girls; Gallery," Liza Mundy, accessed January 25, 2020, http://www.lizamundy.com/code-girls/gallery-2/.