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The Attack on Pearl Harbor:
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The White House Reacts
Word of the attack reached President Roosevelt as he lunched in his oval study on Sunday
afternoon…
On Monday, President Roosevelt signed the declaration of war granted by Congress. One day
later both Germany and Italy, as partners of Japan in the Tripartite Pact, declared war on the
US.
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Grace Tully was a secretary to President Roosevelt and published her experiences in the
White House soon after his death. In the early afternoon of December 7, she was relaxing in
her Washington home when she received a phone call:
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Shortly before 5:00 o'clock the Boss called me to his study. He was alone, seated before his
desk on which were two or three neat piles of notes containing the information of the past two
hours. The telephone was close by his hand. He was wearing a gray sack jacket and was
lighting a cigarette as I entered the room. He took a deep drag and addressed me calmly:
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'Sit down, Grace: I'm going before Congress tomorrow. I'd like to dictate my message. It will be
short.'
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I sat down without a word; it was no time for words other than those to become part of the war
effort.
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Once more he inhaled deeply, then he began in the same calm tone in which he dictated his
mail. Only his diction was a little different as he spoke each word incisively and slowly,
carefully specifying each punctuation mark and paragraph.
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'Yesterday comma December 7 comma 1941 dash a day which will live in infamy dash the
United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the
Empire of Japan period paragraph.'
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The entire message ran under 500 words, a cold-blooded indictment of Japanese treachery
and aggression, delivered to me without hesitation, interruption or second thoughts.
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'I ask,' he concluded, 'that the Congress declare that since the unprovoked and dastardly
attack by Japan on Sunday comma December 7 comma a state of war has existed between
the United States and the Japanese Empire period end.'
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"The Attack on Pearl Harbor: The White House Reacts, 1941", EyeWitness to History, www.eyewitnesstohistory.com (2005).
Vocabulary: infamy: being well known for an evil act
1. Who is the author of this document? _________________________________________________
2. When did this take place? Be specific in your answer. ___________________________________
3. In normal speech, one does not say punctuation marks. In lines 22-25 and lines 28-30, the
punctuation marks are spoken out loud. Why is it stated in this message? What is the President
doing? _________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
4a. The Latin root dict means to say. How does knowing the meaning of the root help you to
understand the meaning of the words dictate on line 16 and diction on line 21? What is the
meaning of each of those words in the context of this passage?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
4b. The word indictment on line 26 uses the Latin root dict, but has a different meaning. Looking at
lines 26-27, what clues are provided to help you understand what the word might mean?
_____________________________________________________________________________
5. Based on the context of this passage, what is the most precise meaning of the word incisively
on line 21?
a. clearly
b. sharply
c. bitingly
d. brightly
7. The word unprovoked on line 28 has multiple meanings. What is the meaning of the word in
this context?
a. unnecessary
b. bottomless
c. unjustified
d. needless
8. What is the purpose of the message from the President? _________________________________