Read the following excerpt. It is adapted from a 1941 speech that US President Franklin Delano Roosevelt addressed to the American people following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.
- Yesterday, 7 December 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. . . .
- The attack yesterday on the Hawaiian islands has caused severe damage to American naval and military forces. I regret to tell you that very many American lives have been lost. In addition, American ships have been reported torpedoed on the high seas between San Francisco and Honolulu.
- Yesterday, the Japanese government also launched an attack against Malaya.
- Last night, Japanese forces attacked Hong Kong.
- Last night, Japanese forces attacked Guam.
- Last night, Japanese forces attacked the Philippine Islands.
- Last night, the Japanese attacked Wake Island.
- And this morning, the Japanese attacked Midway Island. . . .
- I ask that the Congress declare that since the unprovoked and dastardly attack by Japan on Sunday, 7 December 1941, a state of war has existed between the United States and the Japanese empire.
Adapted from Franklin Delano Roosevelt, ‘Pearl Harbor Address to the Nation’
Results
