The Hawaii State Archive is cataloging files and information from the , Pacific War Memorial Commission, recording how the state raised funds to mark the , Dec. 7, 1941,  , Pearl Harbor , strike by , Japan.
It’s a tale that involves a nationwide funding travel, many architects with wildly diverse visions, some presented memorial locations and an unexpected funding push by , Elvis Presley , and his questionable manager,” Colonel”  , Tom Parker.
” We’ve always had these files, but we never really jumped into them”, said status Archivist , Adam Jansen.
The state library has an unique idea sketch of Alfred Preis, an Austrian-born architect, that the state archive has in possession of the latest USS Arizona Memorial. When World War II broke out, Preis was thrown into a tent with other suspected “enemy creatures” because of his Austrian heritage—along with several other” suspicious” people.
In the end, Preis was free and worked for the Hawaii Territorial Department of Public Works before opening his own company in Oahu. In 2022 the , U. S.  , National Park Service , set up a free momentary show at the Pearl Harbor National Memorial on Preis ‘ life and works, and the files were revisited.
The state library offered to loan Preis’s original picture to the NPS, but the organization chose to stick with a small-scale copy and hired their own archives to work through the documents.
” We knew we had the gathering, but we weren’t distinct exactly how we got the drawing”, said Jansen. ” So once we dug into that, it turns out that the , Pacific War Memorial Commission  , gifted it to Gov. ( William ) , Quinn, and so we received it through that avenue. And thus we started looking into the , Pacific War Memorial Commission”.
The Pacific War Mar Memorial Commission  , was established by the , Hawaii , territorial Legislature in 1949 and was tasked with figuring out how to build memorials commemorating World War II in the Pacific. However, it was also anticipated that private donations would help it come up with its budget, which would cost$ 500,000.
Records in the library show what could have been, with many suggested possible memorials around  , Oahu , to celebrate the attack. Among suggested chapel sites were , Pearl Harbor , itself and Red Hill—which in recent years has become controversial because of the covertly built underground fuel land that sits 100 feet above the groundwater most , Oahu , people rely on for fresh water. In , November 2021, fuel from Red Hill tainted the Navy ‘s , Oahu , water system, which 93, 000 people rely on, and the serv Âice has been working to shut down the facility.
The documents also reveal wildly different interpretations of existing memorials, including a concept for a USS Arizona Memorial that included an proposed platform over the battleship’s wreckage.
Ultimately,  , Hawaii , went from being a territory to a full-fledged state in , August 1959. But even so, in the years after World War II and as the Cold War ramped up, commemoration of the , Pearl Harbor , attack and Pacific battles took a back seat for federal officials. As the , Pacific Memorial War Commission  , sought funds, it looked nationally for help on the state and grass-roots levels.
” We have documents here, in 1960 there was a nationwide initiative to release proclamations from the ( state ) governors to encourage folks to donate”, said Jansen,” There’s 24 states in here that I counted, plus several city initiatives as well doing the same”.
The federal government would ultimately step up to help bring the project to its completion line, according to Hawaii’s newly formed state government’s pledge of$ 50, 000 in public funds.
By 1961 only about$ 300, 000 had been raised. However, that year a unique opportunity came along. Presley was on-island filming one of his movies, and his manager, Parker—who had been recognized as a , Kentucky , colonel and preferred to be addressed as” Colonel Tom” —offered to have Elvis do a one-day benefit concert to raise money.
Archivists found that they had flyers, letters and contracts, including those signed by Parker—who signed all documents as” The Colonel”. Ultimately, Presley’s one-day show raised over$ 52, 000. While the show made a dent in what the commission needed,  , Hawaii , would have to raise a lot more cash to make any memorial a reality.
In the end, the federal government intervened. By 1963, then-President , John F. Kennedy , visited , Hawaii , to see the USS Arizona Memorial.
State archivists hope to make records and documents available digitally in two years for the 85th anniversary of the , Pearl Harbor , attack. But it’s a delicate process.
” We have the capability”, said Jansen. ” We just need to do it very carefully, because given its age, it is possible that it could fall apart”.
Jansen asserted that the goal of digitizing records is to make them accessible to those who might not have the time or ability to visit the archives physically. However, he emphasized the importance of keeping the actual documents in order.
Notably, heat waves, hurricanes and other weather-Âconnected disasters have threatened data servers and raised questions about the long-term stability of digital archives. Jansen said it’s important to have multiple copies—physical and digital—of historical documents like these.
According to Jansen,” It’s an unfiltered look into the past, so we can get history directly from those who were there and those who shaped it.” ” At the end of the day, we can rebuild things. ( But ) these were people’s lives—fathers, sons, husbands. Therefore, keeping them in mind is crucial as a society.
Though the digitization of the , Pearl Harbor , documents is still in progress, the state archives are available to the public both online and in person to those interested in learning about Hawaii’s history. For information, go to. ———Remembering Pearl Harbor The , National Park Service , will observe the 83rd anniversary of the , Pearl Harbor , attack by focusing on the theme of” Forging Ahead” to recognize the role younger generations play in preserving and honoring those who sacrificed on , Dec. 7, 1941. The following events are planned :—USS Utah Ceremony, 4:30 p. m. Friday, USS Utah Memorial. Event is open to the public, but visitors must have access to , Ford Island , ( military or government ID ). —National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Ceremony, 7:30 a. m. Saturday, Pearl Harbor National Memorial. Open to the public. ( To plan your visit, go to. ) —USS Oklahoma Ceremony,  , 2 p. m. Saturday, USS Oklahoma Memorial. Open to the public, but visitors must have access to , Ford Island , ( military or government ID), —Blackened Canteen Ceremony,  , 5 p. m. Sunday, USS Arizona Memorial. Invitation only.
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