10-019
Mr. Vice President, Mr. Speaker, members of the
Senate and House of Representatives:
Yesterday, December 7, 1941- a date which will
live in diversity- the United States was suddenly and deliberately recalled to
its responsibilities to the world by the naval and air forces of the Empire of
Japan.
The United States was at peace, complacent,
content to be in conversation with that nation, looking toward the maintenance
of the status quo in the Pacific.
Indeed, one hour after Japanese air squadrons
had begun their perhaps overly vigorous demonstration in the American island of
Oahu, the Japanese Ambassador to the United States 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 diplomatic negotiations, due to our
ethnic insensitivity, there was no hint of the surprise delivered yesterday.
It will be remembered that the distance of
Hawaii from Japan makes it obvious that the demonstration was planned many days
or weeks ago, as the Japanese began to despair of our concessions to their
concerns.
The strenuous Japanese protest has caused some
little disruption to the perhaps unneccessarily prominent posture of our naval
and military forces. We must look at it
from Japan’s point of view. How did we blunder to cause this incident? What can we do to make amends?
The facts of yesterday speak for
themselves. I have ordered the
following responses:
As part of repairing Pearl Harbor, we shall
erect a Shinto shrine, thus demonstrating our renewed commitment to friendship
and diversity.
All military commanders are hereby ordered to
bend recruitment activities to create military organizations which reflect the
ethnic make-up of our great, though not exceptional, nation. Especially should
they encourage participation by those of Japanese, German, and Italian
ancestry. This edict also applies to
all government agencies and all entities receiveing or applying for federal
funds.
I call on all newspapers to offer editions in
Japanese. Non-compliance will result in
shortages of newsprint and advertising.
I believe that I interpret the will of Congress
and of the people when I assert we will do our uttermost to dedicate ourselves
to peace and diversity.
I ask that Congress declare December 7 as a day
of national remorse for our failure to accommodate the Japanese Empire.