Here are two videos—one audio only—placed on YOU TUBE - of Great Britain Prime Minister Winston Churchill and United States President Franklin D. Roosevelt - both proving stunning speeches to their respective nations explaining that each has declared war on Japan for its attack on the United States base at Pearl Harbor on the island of Oahu in Hawaii.
On December 7, 1941, along with Pearl Harbor, Japan also attacked Malaya... Hong Kong... Guam... Philippine Islands... Wake Island.... Thailand... Shanghai.
On December 8, 1941 - Midway Island was attacked by Japan. Did you know all that?
On December 11, 1941 - Burma was attacked.
December 16, 1941 - it was British Borneo's turn to be attacked.
January 11, 1942 - Dutch East Indies and Dutch Borneo.
Solomon Islands... Java... Singapore... Sumatra... Bali... New Guinea... Andaman Islands... hell, even India!
Of course... they also attacked Australia on February 19, 1942.
Personally, it was one hell of an offensive! Ballsy, even. I still think they spread themselves out too thinly and too quickly. I believe they under-estimated their enemy, just as the rest of the world under-estimated Japan's technological strength.
I think they (Japan) believed that their lightning strikes against all these countries would divide their enemy's forces... which it did... as well... the choice of a lightning attack on everyone at once would cripple each country and subjugate them quickly... and while it certainly appears as though the Japanese attack on everyone all at once was a well-thought out military action... poking the United States as it did... that was a freaking big mistake.
They (Japan) only hit one military base on a US protectorate - Hawaii - but there were certainly larger American forces available to strike back... and they did. Hard.
You have to recall... that the United States was NOT involved in WWII for over two full years! Countries like Great Britain, Australia, New Zealand and Canada were in it form the get-go, up against the Germans and Italians (and then the Japanese).
The US saw the rise of Nazi Germany, but felt that WWII was Europe's problem.... even though its ally, Great Britain was taking a good walloping from the Germans. (I almost wrote 'Kraut' - yeesh. Sorry.) But where was the U.S.?
But... if you listen to Churchill's speech you'll note just how fast THEY were to join the US in its war against Japan. I'm not pointing fingers, though... even though I was born in England, to parents from India and now live in Canada... all three countries that were in WWII from the get-go. The U.S. certainly put forth a mighty effort to halt the Japanese and German war machines, and without them, this might have been a different looking world.
You can thank Japan for tossing rocks at the mighty U.S. eagle. That's just my opinion though... I haven't read anything that would support my thought.
Anyhow... Up first: FDR:
And now... Churchill:
There's no need to 2013-judge the actions of those of 1940 with hate or rhetoric... unless you were there or lost someone directly to those actions...then, perhaps you have that right... but 70 years is a long time to hate.
I present these video documents not to stir up Yankee pride or British pip-pip colonialism or to hiss wetly at the villainous Japanese... this is our planet's history. It's just good to know it.
Cheers
Andrew Joseph
PS: While the image at the very top is NOT my copy of Life magazine from September 25, 1939, I do indeed own a copy... mine won't fit onto my scanner. I do recall that at time, an informal poll was taken, and though small, some people (Americans) did support Nazi Germany in this then two-week-old World War II. I say 'recall' because I haven't looked at the magazine in 25 years and I don't have it available to me here at work. Yes... I have a strange memory. I can't even remember what I had for dinner last night... but I can recall that poll!
83% support Allies
1% support Germany
16% Neither side or don't know
As for that the US should do:
Fight with Allies now - 3%
Fight with Allies if they are losing - 13.5%
Send supplies to Allies, but not Germany - 20%
Sell to both sides cash and carry - 29%
No aid to either - 25%
Help Germany - 1/10th of 1%
Don't know and Others - 9%
Okay... I looked up that info... but I knew where to look!
So... why bring it up? To avoid finger-pointing. Not me, of course... I'm a pointer. 'There it is. There it is. There it is.
Kudos if you got where those repeating comments came from. Th-th-th-that's all folks. AJ
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