Franklin D. Roosevelt - For a Declaration of War (1941)

At 7:53 a.m. on Sunday, December 7, 1941, the first assault wave of Japanese fighter planes attacked the U.S. Naval¹ base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, taking the Americans completely by surprise.,The first attack wave targeted airfields² and battleships. The second wave targeted other ships and shipyard facilities. The air raid lasted until 9:45 a.m. Eight battleships were damaged, with five sunk. Three light cruisers, three destroyers and three smaller vessels³ were lost along with 188 aircraft. The Japanese lost 27 planes and five midget submarines which attempted to penetrate⁴ the inner harbor and launch torpedoes⁵.,Three prime targets; the U.S. Pacific Fleet aircraft carriers, Lexington, Enterprise and Saratoga, were not in the harbor and thus escaped damage.,The casualty list at Pearl Harbor included 2,335 servicemen and 68 civilians⁷ killed, and 1,178 wounded. Over a thousand crewmen aboard the USS Arizona battleship were killed after a 1,760 pound aerial bomb penetrated⁸ the forward magazine causing catastrophic explosions.,News of the "sneak⁹ attack" was broadcast to the American public via radio bulletins, with many popular Sunday afternoon entertainment programs being interrupted. The news sent a shockwave across the nation, resulting in a tremendous influx¹⁰ of young volunteers into the U.S. Armed Forces. The attack also united the nation behind President Franklin D. Roosevelt and effectively ended the American isolationist movement.,On Monday, December 8, President Roosevelt appeared before Congress and made this speech asking for a declaration of war against Japan, calling the previous day "...a date which will live in infamy¹¹...",             Mr. Vice⁶ President, Mr. Speaker, members of the Senate and the House of Representatives:,