“A day which will live in infamy”

Part 2

• Hideki Tojo became the prime minister of Japan on 16th October 1941. Tojo was in command of the Japanese military also, and so was the virtual dictator of Japan.

He decided that it was in their best interest to attack the US’ Pacific Fleet so that they could take over Indonesia and Burma for their oil.

On December 7th, 1941, A surprise attack was launched by the Japanese Admiral Yamamoto on the American naval base at Pearl Harbor. The Americans had heard about the attack from encrypting a message, but they did not know when or where it would come.

Japanese representatives were in Washington negotiating with the United States.

In two hours, 2400 Americans were killed, 18 ships were sunk or damaged, including 8 battle ships.

Roosevelt described the date as “a day which will live in infamy.”

After bombing Pearl Harbor, the Japanese seized Guam and Wake Island.

After the attack on Pearl Harbor, Hitler honored a pact with Japan and declared war on the United States. The debates over isolationism in the United States were over. World War II was now a true world war, and the United States was fully involved.

The United States government and all Americans mobilized to prepare for war.