In conjunction with the 75th anniversary of Pearl Harbor, a renowned World War II and military historian and author will talk about the Asia Pacific War at an upcoming event on the University of Kansas campus.

Ronald Spector, professor of history and international affairs at the Elliott School of International Affairs at George Washington University, will present “The Asia Pacific War: Forgotten, Remembered and Imagined,” at 7 p.m. Dec. 2 in the Malott Room of the Kansas Union, 1301 Jayhawk Blvd. The lecture is free and open to the public.

Spector’s lecture opens “The Attack on Pearl Harbor, a Pacific History,” a two-day conference organized by the KU Center for Military, War and Society Studies, directed by Beth Bailey, a KU Foundation Distinguished Professor of History. Dec. 7 marks the 75th anniversary of Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor, which ultimately led to the United States entering World War II in both the Pacific and European theaters.

“At this time of national conversation on the role of the United States in the world, especially in Asia and the Pacific, Professor Spector’s public lecture on the significance of the Pearl Harbor attack and the Pacific War could not be more timely,” Bailey said in an announcement from KU.