Little has been revealed about the earliest moments of the "date which will live in infamy"... until now...

PEARL HARBOR: 24 HOURS AFTER

Premieres Wednesday, December 7 at 8 pm ET on HISTORY(R)

November 9, 2011 - Although December 7 will forever be remembered as Pearl Harbor Day, little has been recorded about President Franklin D. Roosevelt's first responses to the news of Japan's attack on U.S. soil in 1941. HISTORY(R) will mark the 70th anniversary of that pivotal moment in world history with a new 2-hour special spotlighting secrets and little-known details about FDR's reactions in the earliest hours of the "date which will live in infamy."

PEARL HARBOR: 24 HOURS AFTER, premiering Wednesday, December 7 at 8 pm ET on HISTORY, offers an in-depth look at the critical 24-hour period after news of the assault reached the President. Drawing on exhaustive research and new information provided by the FDR Library, the special offers a rare and surprising glimpse at the man behind the Presidency and how he confronted the enormous challenge of transitioning the nation from peace to war.

There was no direct phone line between Pearl Harbor and the White House. As information slowly trickled in and word of the bombing got out, panic gripped the White House. FDR's unique style of leadership enabled him to galvanize the American people in the wake of a grave and potentially demoralizing attack. He proved both decisive and deceptive, skillfully managing information - at times keeping the facts a secret from Congress and the public - to maintain morale and avoid leaks to the enemy.

The special features acclaimed historian Steven M. Gillon, author of the recently released Pearl Harbor: FDR Leads the Nation Into War (Basic Books). Gillon earned his Ph.D. at Brown, taught for several years at Yale and Oxford, and is now a Professor of History at the University of Oklahoma, as well as Resident Historian for HISTORY. He is the author of numerous books and articles on modern American history and politics, including The Kennedy Assassination: 24 Hours After and Ten Days That Unexpectedly Changed America.

PEARL HARBOR: 24 HOURS AFTER is produced for HISTORY by Time Travel Unlimited. Carl H. Lindahl is Executive Producer for HISTORY. Produced, Written and Directed by Anthony Giacchino for Time Travel Unlimited.

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HISTORY(R) and HISTORY(R) HD are the leading destinations for revealing, award-winning original non-fiction series and event specials that connect history with viewers in an informative, immersive and entertaining manner across multiple platforms. Programming covers a diverse variety of historical genres ranging from military history to contemporary history, technology to natural history, as well as science, archaeology and pop culture. Among the network's program offerings are hit series such as American Pickers, Ax Men, American Restoration, Ice Road Truckers, Top Gear, Pawn Stars and Top Shot, as well as acclaimed specials including Gettysburg, America the Story of Us, WWII in HD, 102 Minutes That Changed America and Life After People. HISTORY has earned four Peabody Awards, 11 Primetime Emmy(R) Awards, 12 News & Documentary Emmy(R) Awards and received the prestigious Governor's Award from the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences for the network's Save Our History(R) campaign dedicated to historic preservation and history education. Take a Veteran to School Day is the network's signature initiative connecting America's schools and communities with veterans from all wars. The HISTORY website, located at www.history.com, is the leading online resource for all things history, featuring over 20,000 videos, images, audio clips, articles and interactive features that allow visitors to dig deeper into a broad range of thousands of historical topics.