Pearl Harbor: A Documentary

Detailing the events leading up to Pearl Harbor, this program explores how post-WWI Japan's need to acquire new sources for raw materials for her rapidly expanding industrial base eventually helped give rise to aggressive military campaigns. The increasingly imperialist nation invaded Manchuria, set her sights on China, and later, with the war in Europe against Germany occupying the French and Dutch, moved quickly to overtake colonial holdings in Indonesia. Fearful of losing strategic military installations in the South Pacific, the U.S. took a stand against Japan with economic sanctions, setting the stage for the later bombing of Pearl Harbor. Extra features on the 3-hour DVD include stories of rescue and escape at Pearl Harbor, the remarkable salvage effort in the aftermath of the bombing, an examination of why the military ignored clues of the impending Japanese attack, and a look at Pearl Harbor in retrospect. Pearl Harbor: A Documentary does an especially nice job of putting the attack in historical context, describing a series of events over 25 years that would lead to a 30-minute raid that devastated the American Pacific fleet. Combining color and black & white newsreel footage with eyewitness accounts, the program also contains scenes of gore that may not be appropriate for younger students. Highly recommended. Aud: H, C, P. (L. Stevens)