^*From the sortie of the task force through the attack, the interplay of events becomes increasingly complex and dramatic. Tokyo time was nineteen and a half hours ahead of the special U.S. military time zone for Hawaii, and fourteen hours ahead of Washington, D.C. Eastern Standard Time. For example, the War Council meeting began at 1200 in Washington; this was 0630 in Hawaii and 0200 on November 26, Japanese time. Keeping this time variation in mind will assist in following events, while the use of the military twenty-four-hour time scheme avoids the confusion of A.M. and P.M. See Hearings Before the Joint Committee on the Investigation of the Pearl Harbor Attack . . ., Part 12, pp. 341–44 for comparative time charts.