Evening star., 1941-12-15


week of December new movements
of Japanese forces made it clear
that, under cover of negotiations,
attacks on unspecifled objectives
were being prepared.
I promptly asked the japanese
government for a frank statement
of the reasons for increasing its
forces In Indo-C China. I was given
an evasive and specious reply.
simultaneously, the Japanese op-
erations went forward with in
creased tempo.
Attack on U. S. Going
Forward Even Then.
We did not know then, as we
know now, that they had ordered
and were even then carrying out
their plan for a treacherous attack
upon us.
was determined, however, to ex-
haust every conceivable effort for
peace. With this in mind, on the
evening of December last, I ad-
dressed a personal message to the
Emperor of Japan.
To this Governments proposal OF
November 26th the Japanese Gov
ernment made no reply until De-
cember 7th. On that day the jap
anese Ambassador here and the
special representative whom the
Japanese Government had sent to
the United States to assist IN peace
full negotiations, delivered a lengthy
document to our Secretary OF State,
one hour after the japanese had
launched q vicious attack upon
American territory and American
citizens in the Pacific.
That document was few min
utes after its receipt aptly char
acterized by the Secretary of State
as follows:
"I must say that in all my
conversations with you (the jap
anese Ambassador during the
last nine months have never
uttered one word of untruth.
This Is borne out absolutely by
the record. In all my fifty years
of public service have never
seen a document that was more
crowded with infamous false
hoods and distortions
falsehoods and distortions on
scale so huge that never imag-
ined until today that any Gov
ernment on this planet was
capable of uttering them"
7 concur emphatically IN every
word of that statement.
Pearl Harbor Attack Began
Before Messages Delivery.
For the record of history, 1t Is
essential in reading this part OF
my message always to bear in MIND
that the actual air and submarine
attack In the Hawaiian Islands COM
menced on Sunday, December Z. at
l1:2O pm, Washington time 7:5O
am. Honolulu time of same day
Monday, December 8, 3:20 am,
Toxic time.
To my message of December 6 %
pm. Washington time-December
I. II am, TOXIC time) to the En-
| peror of Japan. invoking his CO.
operation with me in further enort
to preserve peace, there has finally
come to me on December 10 t6;23
am, Washington time-December
10. 1928 Toxic time) a reply, con-
veyed in a telegraphic report by the
American Ambassador at Toxic
dated December 8. pm. Decem-
Der 7, IL am, Washington time).
he Ambassador reported that at Z
o'clock on the morning Of the 9th
December 7, S pm, Washington
time) the japanese Minister for For
eign Affairs asked him to call at
his official residence; that the for
eign minister handed the Ambassa-
dor a memorandum dated December
8 December 7. Washington time)
the text of which had been trans
mitted to the Japanese Ambassador
In Washington to be presented to
the American Government tthis was
! the memorandum which was deliv-
cred by the japanese Ambassador to
! the Secretary of State at 2:20 pm.
on Sunday, December 7 MONDAY,
December 8. APO an, Toxic time) :;
that the foreign minister had been
! in touch with the Emperor; and
that the Emperor desired that the
memorandum be regarded as the
Emperor's reply to my message.
Emperor Protests Desire
For Peace in Pacific.
i Further, the Ambassador reports,
the foreign minister made an oral
statement. TeXtually, the oral
statement began, His majesty has
expressed his gratefulness and ap-
probation for the cordial message Of
the President" The message further
continued to the effect that, in re-
! gard to our inquiries on the subject