The Lost Top- Secret Pearl Harbor Mission

In the early days of World War II, as conflict raged across Europe, the United States maintained a conservative distance, hoping to avoid being drawn into the fray. Still, with rising pressures and trade vetoes heightening the strain between the U.S. and Japan, it became decreasingly clear that American involvement in the war was getting ineluctable. Amidst these uncertain times, a prominent citizen in Honolulu knew an important discussion of chairman to Hawaii. This is the little-given story of the misplaced top-secret Pearl Harbor charge and the vital part played by Harry B. Soria, Sr.

HarryB. Soria, Sr. was a well-known radio personality in Honolulu during the late 1930s and early 1940s. His achievements in broadcasting, including the first remote live music broadcast and the first ever- broadcast telephone call in Hawaii, had made him a ménage name in the Hawaiian home. It was these veritable chops that attracted the attention of the U.S. Navy, which saw the strategic eventuality in Soria’s moxie as a radio host.

Soria used to conduct bowdlerize work of trans-Pacific radio telephone dispatches. He used to control and cover the suppression of trans-Pacific long-distance switchboards and keep a record of all calls.

As chaos erupted and Pearl Harbor came under fire, Soria was at his post, decoupling long-distance calls to help prevent sensitive information from being transmitted and strictly logging every call he interdicted. His part placed him at the heart of the communication network during one of the most critical moments in American history.

Later that day, Soria set up himself harkening in on a discussion of monumental significance — a call between President Franklin D. Roosevelt and Joseph Poindexter, the governor of the Territory of Hawaii. As losers fell and bank bagged over Pearl Harbor, Roosevelt and Poindexter bandied the immediate response to the attack and the way that demanded to be taken in its fate. It was during this call that Roosevelt instructed Poindexter to place Hawaii under Martial Law, a decision that would have far-reaching counteraccusations for the home and its occupants.

Soria recorded every detail of this major discussion in his logbook. Still, the contents of that logbook would remain a riddle, as Soria noway revealed the details of what he’d proved that day. His unvarying commitment to the pledge of secretiveness he’d taken meant that he carried the weight of that knowledge with him for the rest of his life.

Previous to his death in 1990, Harry Soria, Sr. made a decision that would ensure his story remained shrouded in a riddle. Understanding the significance of the information he held and the trust placed in him by the U.S. Navy, he chose to burn his logbook, taking its secrets to the grave. As a result, neither his family nor the nation ever learned the full extent of what occurred during those critical moments on December 7, 1941.

While numerous secrets from history ultimately come to light, the story of Harry B. Soria, Sr. and his top-secret Pearl Harbor charge remains largely innumerous In flashing back to Harry B. Soria, Sr., we recognize not only his service but also the profound riddle he left behind — a memorial of the complex and frequently unseen vestments that weave together the fabric of history.