![]() ![]() ![]() The American public did not fully understand the threat against our democracy. He was brilliant in his careful calibration of action, first providing moral support for England and the Allies, then providing military equipment, trading British Naval bases for old destroyers, and shipping tanks and planes under the lend lease program. Faced with an American citizenry and a congress strongly opposed to getting involved with the European war, FDR knew he had to wait for public opinion to turn in his favor before he could act. In some ways, he had been preparing for this moment for years - since Germany invaded Poland in September 1939. It expressed his outrage, his sense of betrayal and his complete confidence that in the end the United States would avenge this treachery. The speech was short, just under 7 minutes long. “With confidence in our armed forces - with the unbounding determination of our people - we will gain the inevitable triumph - so help us God.” He was honest, direct and absolutely clear: Within hours of the attack he dictated the first draft of one of the greatest speeches of the 20th century, arguably one of the greatest speeches in American history. READ: In Wake of Pearl Harbor, FDR guided the narrativeĪt the worst moment of his life he rose to the occasion, providing desperately needed vision and confidence to a staggered nation. ![]() READ: Security for FDR in Hyde Park escalated during war FDR took the weight of the free world on his paralyzed legs and carried America into the future - away from our isolationist past and into the age of the global superpower. Britain and Russia were on the verge of collapse.īut as the smoke cleared from the mangled wreckage, it revealed a truly great leader. The Nazis controlled Europe and North Africa. President Franklin Roosevelt’s beloved Navy lay in smoking ruins in Pearl Harbor, as the Japanese empire launched well-coordinated attacks across a 4,000-mile front. It was the worst day of his presidency, the worst day of his life - and the worst military defeat in American history. He wrote this article for the Journal detailing the creation of Roosevelt's historic "Day of Infamy" speech, delivered on Dec. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum. Sparrow is the director of the Franklin D. Watch Video: New exhibit at FDR Library highlights first hours post-Pearl HarborĮditor's note: Paul M. ![]()
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