Oral History Interview with Thomas Gillette, May 7, 2012

Oral History Interview with Thomas Gillette, May 7, 2012

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Track One 1:28:41

Description

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Thomas Gillette. Gillette was 10 years old when Pearl Harbor was attacked. His father was commander of the shipyard. At a party hosted by Gillette's family in November 1941, he overheard captains discuss the potential of being dragged into the Philippines; none of them suspected an attack at Pearl. His uncle, a senator from Iowa, warned Roosevelt that the Japanese fleet was sailing eastward; he believes the President intentionally withheld this information from Kimmel. Narrowly surviving the attack, Gillette and his mother boarded the first convoy to the … continued below

Physical Description

1 sound recording (1 hr., 28 min., 40 sec.)

Interviewers

Publisher

National Museum of the Pacific War
Place of Publication: Fredericksburg, Texas

Audiences

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Provided By

National Museum of the Pacific War/Admiral Nimitz Foundation

Established in 1967, the Museum honors the 8 million Americans who served in WWII in the Pacific Theater by sharing their stories with the world. Located in Fredericksburg in the restored Nimitz "Steamboat" Hotel, the Museum partners with the Texas Historical Commission to preserve the historical resources of the era.

Description

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Thomas Gillette. Gillette was 10 years old when Pearl Harbor was attacked. His father was commander of the shipyard. At a party hosted by Gillette's family in November 1941, he overheard captains discuss the potential of being dragged into the Philippines; none of them suspected an attack at Pearl. His uncle, a senator from Iowa, warned Roosevelt that the Japanese fleet was sailing eastward; he believes the President intentionally withheld this information from Kimmel. Narrowly surviving the attack, Gillette and his mother boarded the first convoy to the mainland along with 2,500 women and children, while Gillette's father stayed behind to oversee ship repairs. Having lived amongst Japanese in Hawaii, his family was shocked by the practice of Japanese-American internment. His father joined the family at Bremerton where he successfully reorganized the mismanaged shipyard and was promoted to admiral. Gillette went on to earn degrees in marine engineering and naval architecture and was commissioned in the Navy in 1952 at the age of 21, following in his father's footsteps and supervising ship repairs.

Physical Description

1 sound recording (1 hr., 28 min., 40 sec.)

Subjects

Keywords

Library of Congress Genre/Form Terms

Library of Congress Subject Headings

World War, 1939-1945

University of North Texas Libraries Browse Structure

Language

English

Item Type

Sound

Identifier

Unique identifying numbers for this recording in the Portal or other systems.

Accession or Local Control No: OH03502
Archival Resource Key: ark:/67531/metapth1609993

Relationships

Oral History Interview with Thomas Gillette, May 7, 2012, [transcript] ark:/67531/metapth1606186

Collections

This recording is part of the following collections of related materials.

National Museum of the Pacific War Oral History Collection

This oral history collection depicts an instrumental era in American history. In these transcripts of interviews with World War II veterans are personal experiences with the war, from the Doolittle Raid and D-Day to the Battle for Bataan.

National Museum of the Pacific War Digital Archive

The Digital Archive presents digitized collections from the Center for Pacific War Studies collections at the National Museum of the Pacific War. Collections and material are continuously being added and represent only a small portion of the archives' physical holdings.

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