Roosevelt's Executive Order After Pearl Harbor Letter

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THE WHITE HOUSE

Washington, D.C.

T O P S E C R E T – E Y E S O N L Y

EXECUTIVE ORDER

Date: December 7, 1941

To Members of the Cabinet and Secretaries of the Army and Navy

From: Franklin D. Roosevelt, Commander-in-Chief

Subject: Japanese Empire Attack on Pearl Harbor

As you are keenly aware, the Empire of Japan attacked the American naval base at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii Territory earlier this morning, killing and injuring thousands of American soldiers and sailors as well as numerous civilians; however, the casualties continue to be counted at this point but I will keep you apprised of any new developments. In sum, much of the U.S. Pacific Fleet has been devastated, with many ships sank outright or seriously damaged. The attack did spare our now-priceless aircraft carriers which happened to be at sea when the attack occurred. The sneak attack by Japan has been confirmed by numerous official U.S. and allied sources and the reports are regarded as completely credible at this point. In other words, gentlemen, we are at war for all intents and purposes, lacking only a formal declaration by the U.S. Congress.

Let me be absolutely clear from the outset on this matter. It is my unwavering and absolute intention that the United States will win this war against Japan and any other nations that would threaten our democracy through to absolute victory, and let no one, friend or foe, turn us aside from this ultimate objective. Although we have experienced serious and meaningful debate in recent months concerning whether the United States should expand its Lend-Lease and Bases for Destroyers operations to Great Britain and actually join the war in earnest with boots on the ground, this decision has now been made for us.

Indeed, the entire world witnessed Japan’s treachery and subterfuge by attacking Pearl Harbor without an official declaration of war, and even though we had some hints that something along these lines was in the works by the Japanese military, we still held out hopes for reaching a diplomatic solutions to our numerous national political and ideological differences.

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Nevertheless, the Japanese Empire has struck the first blow in this war and the die is cast. This means that the United States holds the moral high ground, at least, and if ever there was a just war, the one we find ourselves now engaged in is certainly just such a conflict. The naval base at Pearl Harbor will be rebuilt bigger and better than ever, of course, but the damage to the country has already been done and there is no turning back now.

We should not underestimate our foe. The Empire of Japan has demonstrated its ability to project its military might throughout Asia, and its troops are battle-hardened and fanatical in their devotion to the Japanese homeland and their emperor. It is my understanding that members of the Japanese armed forces are not only willing to die for their country, they are eager to do so because there is no more honorable death to the Japanese people and troops that die fighting Japan’s enemies are regarded as immortal national heroes. In other words, we have a real fight on our hands.

While I expect the sneak attack by Japan to infuriate the American….....

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