US Presidency
1942

In a democracy there is always a solemn pact of truth between government and the people, but there must also always be a full use of discretion, and that word discretion applies to the critics of government as well. This is war. The American people want to know, and will be told, the general trend of how the war is going. But they do not wish to help the enemy any more than our fighting forces do, and they will pay little attention to the rumor-mongers and the poison peddlers in our midst. To pass from the realm of rumor and poison to the field of facts: the number of our officers and men killed in the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7th was 2,340, and the number wounded was 940. Of all of the combatant ships based on Pearl Harbor â€“ battleships, heavy cruisers, light cruisers, aircraft carriers, destroyers and submarines â€“ only three ( were ) are permanently put out of commission. Very many of the ships of the Pacific Fleet were not even in Pearl Harbor.