Dec. 7, 1941, when the Japanese bombed Pear Harbor, is known as a ?day of infamy? in American history. The following day, Alan Lomax, then "assistant in charge" of the Archive of American Folk Song (now the Archive of Folk Culture at the American Folklife Center), sent a telegram to fieldworkers in 10 localities across the United States, asking them to collect "man-on-the-street" reactions of ordinary Americans to the bombing of Pearl Harbor and the subsequent declaration of war by the United States.

A second series of interviews, called "Dear Mr. President," was recorded in January and February 1942. Both collections are included in ?After the Day of Infamy: "Man-on-the-Street" Interviews Following the Attack on Pearl Harbor.?

The recordings feature a wide diversity of opinion regarding the war and other social and political issues of the day, such as racial prejudice and labor disputes. The result is a portrait of everyday life in America as the United States entered World War II.

For images of that war, go to the black-and-white photographs of the Farm Security Administration-Office of War Information, which are a landmark in the history of documentary photography. The images show Americans at home, work and play. In its latter years, the project documented America's mobilization for World War II. You can view these in American Memory at ?America from the Great Depression to World War II: Black-and-White Photographs from the FSA-OWI, 1935-1945.?