Pearl Harbor Eye Witness Account

Pearl Harbor Eye-Witness Account by Dorothy Harman Neff

Bainbridge News & Republican, May 28, 1942

 

The dramatic, eye-witness account of Pearl Harbor and the sneak attack on Hawaii in all its vicious unexpectedness were brought home to the spell-bound audience at the Women's Club tea, Monday, when Dorothy Harman Neff, recently returned from Honolulu, T.H., addressed the Club at the home of the President, Mrs. Edward Danforth, at the last official meeting of the season.

 

Mrs. Neff, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Martin Harman of this village [Bainbridge, Chenango Co., NY], returned to the states from the Islands about a month ago by clipper, after having resided in Hawaii for one year.  Mrs. Neff's husband, Foster George Neff, is stationed at the Hawaiian Air Depot at Hickham Field, which was heavily bombarded during the assault.

 

Beginning her speech with the start of the war December 7, Mrs. Neff related that she was in bed on the historic Sunday morning when she was awakened by the noise of heavy bombing and shell fire, at about eight o'clock.  There had been a considerable number of maneuvers and Mrs. Neff, as did most of the others in the Island, at first believed the din to be contributed by army practices.  However, the noise continued with such volume that sleep was impossible so she arose to hear a boy running down the street, informing the residents to turn on their radios.  Complying with this, she was shocked and astounded to hear an announcer say "This is the real McCoy--the Islands are being attacked!"

 

At first, stunned, by the totally unexpectedness of this announcement and its relativity to the gun fire which now took on a grim meaning, the civilians were unaware of just who was doing the attacking.  Later, however, Mrs. Neff, with the others, learned that the attacking bombers and fighters, discerned the ugly rising sun on a low-flying bomber and was aware that Japan, with diplomats in Washington, was executing the attack.  The Bainbridge woman, who lived in an apartment house on beautiful Waikiki Beach, from her porch viewed the attack and firmly announced Monday that she saw Jap planes bombing U.S. Destroyers patrolling the shore and that none of the shells made even a close hit as she watched.  The misses all fell into the water with terrific force, throwing up huge geysers of water but not making a single hit on the United States patrols.

 

Mrs. Neff's first reaction was of acute rage.  She, with the others, was just plain "mad."  And the rage was intensified by the helplessness the civilians found themselves in, unable to do more than watch the bombings.  Mrs. Neff, with foresight, boiled a large quantity of water and prepared a big pot of soup as she expected the gas supply to be turned off.

 

Everyone was cautioned to stay off the streets and under cover, and after the attack, an appeal was made by radio for blood donors to be used in the appalling number of casualty treatments.  Mrs. Neff, who had previously given her blood in October, donated again on December 10, along with all the other able civilians who responded whole-heartedly to all pleas for help of every sort.  Mrs. Neff pointed out an interesting fact.  Violators of black-outs were punished by being forced to donate blood for the blood banks instead of having to pay fines.

 

On the morning after Pearl Harbor, Mrs. Neff's young Japanese maid reported for work very tearful and repeating how very sorry she was that circumstances were as they were.  A Japanese business man, who had been in the employ of Japan, committed suicide a few days after the attack and left a note to his workers, saying that he had made a grave mistake and urged his workers to be loyal to the United States.

 

After December 7, the Islands immediately made preparations to foil any further Jap bombardments.  The Islands were completely blacked out every night and this blackout is still in force.  No cars are allowed out unless they are operated by those on their way to work, doctors and army and navy personnel.  The auto headlights are painted black with the exception of a small circle which is painted dark blue. 

 

There is a plentiful supply of clothes, but there is not a large selection.  Gasoline was allowed to the extent of ten gallons per month, a figure which has been raised since Mrs. Neff's return to the States.  A bit of the culture of the beautiful islands was exhibited by Mrs. Neff in the forms of Chinese antiques, jade dragons, black mandarin coats and several gorgeous sarongs.

 

Mrs. Neff repeated the statement that the Hawaiian Islands are one of the most beautiful group of scenic splendor in the world.  The existence there prior to Japan's dirty work was almost ideal and it is hardly possible to imagine that the lovely resorts are now clothed in darkness. 

 

To show us how war affects Hawaii, Mrs. Neff quoted a few prices which should make us ashamed to even mention a shortage of anything.  Eggs sell at 85 cents a dozen, oranges at 5 cents each.  For two weeks at a time, it was impossible to obtain butter.  Sugar, being grown in the Islands, was not rationed.  The Chinese dishes which have long been a culinary pride and boast of the Island's finest restaurants are now unobtainable.  Candy is very scarce and one of the shortages most keenly felt in the scarcity of oranges.  The Orientals, especially, miss this fruit, as they consume many more oranges than the white population of the islands. 

 

On her return to this country, the first night in San Francisco was spent by Mrs. Neff, as all those who return from a war-torn nation, watching the millions of twinkling bright lights of San Francisco, after many long weeks of black nights. 

 

The Woman's Club is very grateful to Dorothy Harman Neff for a wonderful speech by a woman who saw history made at Pearl Harbor.