Oct. 12 Lecture: Pan Am & the Navy in WWII

Few technological advantages had as much impact on WWII victory in the Pacific as Pan American Airways, a civilian corporation that played a huge military role.

On Saturday, October 12 at 10:30 am, join historian Michael Svanevik, a former commissioned officer in U.S. Army Intelligence, as he evaluates the indispensable wartime role of Pan American Airways. More information here.

President Franklin Roosevelt referred to the airline as his “chosen instrument.” Before Pearl Harbor, while not exclusively military, the airline engaged in a series of delicate operations that ultimately assured wartime success. Roosevelt worked closely with Pan American president Juan Trippe, who, after war commenced, refused the offer of a commission as a general in U.S. Air Force. During initial hours of combat, it appeared to some that Japan had gone to war with Pan Am, not the United States. At war’s end, the airline was lauded as an essential element in American military successes.