Most of us remember where we were when he gave “The date that will live in infamy” speech. The most significant thing was the announcement that President Roosevelt would speak to the nation, I think it was about 11:30 AM on December 8. We had essentially lost all the capital ships and numerous lives. And it was apparent that they had a very successful operation. Driving back around 1:30 PM, I turned the radio on and I heard this: “Japanese were bombing Pearl Harbor.” I pulled off to the side and listened. On December 7th, I had gone home, which was Livingston, New Jersey. In north Jersey every Saturday and Sunday, the German American Bund would get out and march. There was an extremely strong movement, mainly Republican, who were isolationists: “Do not send our boys to die in Europe.” Then we had extremists like Charles Lindbergh and Father Coughlin. Many of the Manhattan Project veterans we have interviewed for our “Voices of the Manhattan Project” website recall the impact Pearl Harbor had, both on their own life and the US at large.īill Tewes: Before Pearl Harbor, this country was very divided. Many men signed up to serve in the armed forces, and women and children did whatever they could to support the war effort at home. The attack against Pearl Harbor and the declarations of war caused a wave of patriotism across the US. The next day, Congress declared war against Japan a few days later, Nazi Germany and Italy declared war against the United States. Two battleships and 188 aircraft were destroyed, and many other ships and aircraft were badly damaged. 2,403 American civilians and military personnel were killed and 1,178 wounded. On December 7, 1941, the Japanese launched a surprise attack against the U.S.
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