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Home , Attack on Pearl Harbor

The Attack on

On the morning of , 1941, A Japanese dive- swooped low over the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor- the largest U.S. naval base in the Pacific. The bomber was followed by more than 180 Japanese warplanes launched from six aircraft carriers for an hour and a half. Japanese planes were barely disturbed by American antiaircraft guns and blasted target after target. By the time the last plane soared off around 9:30 a.m., the devastation was appalling.

For , the attack on Pearl Harbor was a stunning victory. The Japanese navy all but crippled the entire U.S. Pacific Fleet in one blow. In Washington, the mood changed from outrage to panic. At the White House, watched closely as her husband, with a “deadly calm”, absorbed the news in , each report more terrible than the last. Some 2,400 people had died, another 1,178 wounded. These losses constituted more damage than the U.S. navy had suffered in all of WWI.

The next day, President Roosevelt addressed Congress and asked for a declaration of war against Japan, which Congress quickly approved. Three days later, Germany and Italy declared war on the U.S. Read the speech FDR gave as he asked Congress to declare war, and answer the questions that follow.

“Yesterday, December 7, 1941 – a date which will live in infamy – the of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by the naval and air forces of the . The U.S. was at peace with this 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. 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 this time, the Japanese Government has deliberately sought to deceive the United States by false statements and expressions of hope for continued peace. I regret to tell you that many American lives have been lost…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 at all measured be taken for our defense. But 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 will win through to absolute victory. Hostilities exist. There is no blinking at the fact that our people, our territory and our interest 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 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.”

On a separate sheet of paper, answer the following in complete sentences.

1. Underline all the words that FDR uses to describe the attack. (at least 5) 2. What two main reasons does FDR give that suggests this was a “sneak attack”? 3. Most people favored isolationism before the attack on Pearl Harbor – how do you think this event changed people’s opinions? Why?

The Atomic Bomb

In 1939, President Roosevelt decided to support research leading to the development of an atomic weapon. Progress was slow at first, but in the summer of 1941, British scientists reported that an atomic bomb could be developed in two years. Their announcement convinced Roosevelt and his advisors to commit fully to the development of the new weapon. The “” involved the efforts of over 100,000 Americans, most of whom did not know what they were working on due to the strict secrecy surrounding the project. The federal government also authorized the unheard-of sum of two billion dollars for research and development of the atomic bomb. For almost three years, the Dream Team of scientists worked feverishly to produce a bomb. On July 16, 1945, before dawn, the first atomic bomb in history was detonated. When it exploded, it caused a flash and a fireball that could be seen outside the New Mexico state line. After the blast, a mushroom-shaped cloud rose over 40,000 feet in the sky. The force was so great that a team of observers seven miles away were knocked backward. Windows were shattered over 125 miles away. In the spot on which the tower holding the “gadget” had been, a 1,200 foot wide crater was all that remained. In short, the test was a success. On August 6, 1945, an American B-29 bomber, the “Enola Gay”, dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, a medium-sized Japanese city. The five-ton weapon, nicknamed “Little Boy”, exploded with tremendous force 1,900 feet above the city. The blast killed approximately 100,000 people, some instantly while others died several months later as a result of their injuries. Many thousands below the bomb when it detonated were simply vaporized, while many more thousands were crushed to death as the shock wave toppled buildings throughout the city. After the Japanese High Command still refused to surrender unconditionally, a second atomic bomb flattened Nagasaki on August 9th, resulting in over 70,000 deaths. On the same day that “Fat Man” was dropped on Nagasaki, Soviet forces crossed into and pushed the Japanese army back. After much debate among his closest advisors and military leaders, Emperor ordered his government to surrender five days later. The terms of the surrender allowed Hirohito to remain as emperor, though with no more real power. The effects of the bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki were horrific. The temperature at the center of the blast at the moment of detonation was 100 million degrees. People located at “ground zero” were instantly vaporized; the remains of their bodies left shadows permanently burned onto pavement and walls. People located further away from the center received deadly burns. People that initially survived the blast were seen with strips of skin peeling off or hanging from their bodies as they wandered through what had once been their home. People died weeks, and even months, later from radiation poisoning. Victims lost their hair, threw up blood, and grew increasingly weak until they died. The bombing was arbitrary – schoolchildren, elderly hospital patients, mothers and babies, even twelve captured American navy pilots were all killed. President Truman was returning from the Conference when he received the news of the Hiroshima bombing. “This is the greatest thing in history!” he shouted. When several press members raised the issue of the moral implications of the bombings in the coming weeks, Truman consistently defended his decision to use the bombs: “We have used it against those who attacked without warning at Pearl Harbor, against those who have abandoned the pretense of obeying international laws of warfare. We have used it to shorten the agony of war, in order to save the lives of thousands and thousands of young Americans.” Historians and members of the public continue to debate Truman’s decision to use the atomic bomb to end II. Truman himself defended his decision to his death, although Albert Einstein, the anti-war advocate who had started it all with his letter to President Roosevelt, regretted ever having sent his letter. By 1990, the United States and the Soviet Union had 70,000 nuclear weapons in their collective arsenals. In today’s world, eight nations have nuclear capabilities, while two others (North Korea and Iran) are pursuing nuclear weapons research and deployment.