article_snippet: In February 1942, fears of a Japanese air raid and invasion struck LA.
article_snippet: On 23 February, a Japanese submarine allegedly shelled the Elwood Oil Field near Goleto, north of Los Angeles.
article_snippet: Army Chief of Staff General George Marshall reported in a memorandum to President Roosevelt dated 26 February 1942 that as many as 15 airplanes may have been involved.
article_snippet: ‘This invasion scare became the subject of Steven Spielberg’s high-rolling comedy movie ‘1941’ (1979) that shows how fear ensnares people in a web of obsession and conflict fuelled by rumours and the media,’ said Watson.