This Day in History
Lacking any inspiration today, there is this.
One of the most well-known speech openers, I think, of American History.
But it was also a declaration of war, delivered the day after the "unprovoked and dastardly attack by Japan."
Tensions had been mounting for decades though, as Japan was looking to expand. In 1931, they invaded Manchuria. When the League of Nations condemned the move, Japan withdrew from the organization, and remained in occupation until 1945.
In 1937, a clash in Beijing led to another Sino-Japanese War. In December, they carried out six weeks of mass killings and rapes known as the Nanjing Massacre.
In response, the United States began passing sanctions, including trade embargoes. We provided economic support to the Chinese Guomindang forces. In 1940, Japan signed the Tripartite Pact with Germany and Italy, at war with the Allied forces.
The goal at Pearl Harbor was to obliterate our Pacific Fleet. The attack was a surprise, but not a single aircraft carrier was present, and the bombers missed oil tanks, ammunition sites, and repair facilities. In June 1942, we won a major victory in the Battle of Midway.
But the war was far from over.
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