“…a date which will live in infamy…” – December 8, 1941
Today is the 70th anniversary of the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Following is a reflection on that critically important event in U.S. history–and the words by which we remember it–originally posted one year ago.
Franklin Roosevelt was President of the United States for over twelve years and during that time, he spoke some of the most eloquent and memorable words in American history. Among these quotes is his sober and iconic description of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor: “a date which will live in infamy…,” which is far more powerful than how it was initially conceived and written: “…a date which will live in world history.”
The bombing of Pearl Harbor commenced 70 years ago today at 7:55 am Hawaiian time, which was 12:55 in Washington, DC. Roosevelt was talking with his close aide Harry Hopkins when he was interrupted with a call from Secretary of War Henry Stimson providing him with news of the attack. Roosevelt quickly convened with advisers and by 5:00pm began dictating to his secretary Grace Tully a request to Congress for a declaration of war on Japan. He revised the typed draft (pictured, left), replacing “world history” with “infamy.”
At 12:30pm the following day, December 8, 1941, Roosevelt addressed a joint session of Congress and the millions of Americans listening on their radios. Leaning against the podium, Roosevelt firmly proclaimed:
Yesterday, December 7th, 1941 — a date which will live in infamy — the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan.
Roosevelt then detailed the diabolical nature of the attack by explaining how Japan had at the time of the attack been engaged in diplomatic discussions with the United States. He soon recited one sentence paragraphs to emphasize the danger of Japan’s expansionist aggression (“Last night, Japanese forces attacked Hong Kong. Last night, Japanese forces attacked Guam…”) before concluding:
Hostilities exist. There is no blinking at the fact that our people, our territory, and our interests are in grave danger.
With confidence in our armed forces, with the unbounding determination of our people, we will gain the inevitable triumph — so help us God.
I ask that the Congress declare that since the unprovoked and dastardly attack by Japan on Sunday, December 7th, 1941, a state of war has existed between the United States and the Japanese empire.
The Declaration of State of War with Japan was unanimously approved in the Senate and fell only one vote short of unanimity in the House (Jeannette Rankin of Montana, a pacifist and the first woman elected to Congress, voted against it.) At 4:00pm, Roosevelt signed the declaration and the United States was an official combatant in World War II. Three days later, the U.S. would also be at war with Germany and Italy; just 100 hours after enduring the forever infamous act of treachery of December 7, 1941.
