Seventy years ago today, the Japanese launched a sneak attack on the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor. Over 3,600 Americans were killed or wounded. The United States lost several battleships, including the U.S.S. Arizona (pictured above) with 1,177 killed on board.
Here’s the actual radio announcement of the attack:
Americans of that generation remembered exactly where they were and what they were doing when they heard the news, a generational milestone repeated on November 22, 1963 with the assassination of President Kennedy and September 11, 2001 with the jihadist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.
The following day, President Roosevelt requested a Congressional declaration of war:
Here is the text of the President’s speech:
Yesterday, December 7, 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 United States was at peace with that nation, and, at the solicitation of Japan, was still in conversation with its government and its Emperor looking toward the maintenance of peace in the Pacific.
Indeed, one hour after Japanese air squadrons had commenced bombing in the American island of Oahu, the Japanese Ambassador to the United States and his colleague delivered to our Secretary of State a formal reply to a recent American message. And, while this reply stated that it seemed useless to continue the existing diplomatic negotiations, it contained no threat or hint of war or of armed attack.
It will be recorded that the distance of Hawaii from Japan makes it obvious that the attack was deliberately planned many days or even weeks ago. During the intervening time the Japanese Government has deliberately sought to deceive the United States by false statements and expressions of hope for continued peace.
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.
Japan has therefore undertaken a surprise offensive extending throughout the Pacific area. The facts of yesterday and today speak for themselves. The people of the United States have already formed their opinions and well understand the implications to the very life and safety of our nation.
As Commander-in-Chief of the Army and Navy I have directed that all measures be taken for our defense, that always will our whole nation remember the character of the onslaught against us.No matter how long it may take us to overcome this premeditated invasion, the American people, in their righteous might, will win through to absolute victory.
I believe that I interpret the will of the Congress and of the people when I assert that we will not only defend ourselves to the uttermost but will make it very certain that this form of treachery shall never again endanger us.
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 7, 1941, a state of war has existed between the United States and the Japanese Empire
While overall, I wasn’t a huge fan of the movie overall, director Jerry Bruckheimer — a rare conservative in Hollywood — told the story of the attack in Pearl Harbor with very realistic footage of the attack itself, shown here in three parts from the director’s cut version:
Much like with Steven Spielberg and the memorable opening of Saving Private Ryan, Bruckheimer captured the horror of war through the use of contemporary special effects and tools not available to previous generations of filmmakers. Yes, both sequences are graphic, but so is war itself.
Of course, the Arizona was a total loss, unable to be salvaged, and was converted into a memorial for all of those killed in the attack:
All of those killed on board are still entombed in the ship, which still leaks oil.
It’s worth noting that, as of today, more Americans were not alive on December 7, 1941 than were. We are losing members of the World War II generation at the rate of at least 1,500 per day. This is a generation that defeated both the Great Depression and the combination of Nazism, fascism and Communism. The Greatest Generation, as NBC’s Tom Brokaw called them, whose only shortcoming was giving us the next generation of baby boomers, the most spoiled, self-centered, narcissistic generation ever, a generation that has brought America to the brink of ruin, something the Nazis, Jap fascists and commies couldn’t do.
