Roosevelt's Executive Order after Pearl Harbor

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. 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 public as much as it has me and any anti-war sentiments will be quickly washed away, we must be prepared for some degree of resistance for further entanglements in another European war. As commander-in-chief, I do not need to remind you of your solemn responsibilities to protect the nation’s interests at home and abroad, and these responsibilities have now assumed new importance and relevance as never before in the country’s history. Therefore, it will be vitally important for all of you to mobilize the available resources towards defeating the Japanese Empire, including serving as key boosters. As you also know, the American public has not been particularly in favor of America’s entry into the war in the first place, and the country was guided by neutrality acts in 1935, 1937, and 1939, and the military draft was only approved by a one-vote margin in the lower house in 1940 (Kaplan, 2000).
It remains unclear at present whether the attack on Pearl Harbor was limited to the Pacific Theater or if the Japanese Empire is planning on a full-scale invasion of the U.S. mainland. Therefore, all members of the U.S. armed forces are to be placed on full alert until further notice and contingency plans for a response to an attack on Pearl Harbor are to be consulted and communicated to me immediately with follow-up planning scheduled for the next several days. for this purpose, my advisor, Harry Hopkins and other members of my staff will be in contact with each of you about this need (Hopkins, 2014).
In addition, I am hereby ordering the Secretaries of the Army and Navy to begin planning for a retaliatory air raid on the Japanese capital, Tokyo, at the earliest possible opportunity. This retaliatory raid will serve to buoy lagging domestic morale and to provide a concrete lesson to the Japanese military leaders and people that their home island is not safe from attack by the United States and its allies (Okerstrom, 2017). Based on my preliminary discussions with the Secretary of the Navy about this retaliatory attack, I believe such an attack is possible and desirable even if it is incapable of delivering a serious military blow to the Japanese capital based on the above-described benefits.
Tomorrow, I intend to address a televised joint session of the U.S. Congress to inform them of what has happened at Pearl Harbor and to request that they immediately approve a declaration of war against the Empire of Japan. My staff is making final arrangements for this speech now, but I can tell you at this point that the Japanese leadership will be held accountable for the American lives that were lost at Pearl Harbor and we will ensure that this nation is never able to wage war against anyone again when we are finished with them.
Finally, it is my intention to create a “Joint Chiefs of Staff” that is comprised of the secretaries of all of the armed forces at present and any new branches of the military that are created in the future to facilitate military responses to unforeseen attacks such as Pearl Harbor (Rearden, 2012). The details of this initiative will also be worked out in the coming weeks and months, but this remains a high priority for the country’s military services and I expect each of you to keep me informed about your progress towards achieving this goal.
Good luck and God bless the United States of America.
President of the United States
References
Hopkins, J. (2014, Fall). The Hopkins touch: Harry Hopkins and the forging of the Alliance to defeat Hitler. The Historian, 76(3), 603-605.
Kaplan, M. A. (2000, October). Why Roosevelt wanted Japan to attack Pearl Harbor. The World and I, 15(10, 288.
McInerney, T. J. (2012, Winter). FDR goes to war: How expanded executive power, spiraling national debt, and restricted civil liberties shaped wartime America. The Historian, 74(4), 831-835.
Okerstrom, D. R. (2017, Summer). Target Tokyo: Jimmy Doolittle and the raid that avenged Pearl Harbor. The Historian, 79(2), 353-355.
Rearden, S. L. (2012). Council of war: A history of the joint chiefs of staff. Washington, DC: Office of the Director, Joints Chiefs of Staff.