Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1942-12-03

were SnJOylug OUT hospitality III
Washington while their war
lords were busily engaged in
carrying out a long-planned
campaign to attack our forces
at Pearl Harbor. The plan was
I'd destroy enough of our Pacific
feet to give the japanese Navy
the balance Of power. 1t was
just a year ago
Remember that President
December Roosevelt and Sec
Z. 1941 rotary Hull hope
fully struggled to
maintain peace with the war
bent yellow men. Just a year
ago President Roosevelt dis
patched special plea to EN-
peror Hirohito to use his influ-
ence to spare the two nations a
destructive war. It was only a
year ago that leaders of the
isolationist and non-intervention-
list groups beloved up and down
the country that there was no
need for the United States to
make such tremendous expendi-
lures for armament. 1t was
just a year ago this coming
weekend that Pearl Harbor was
attacked.
And it was just a year ago
that this very dastardly attack,
disastrous as it was, did for
America what no man or set of
men had been able to do. 1t
produced national unity. 1t put
an immediate stop to any
thought Of II being possible for
the United States to remain out
Of the war. It produced D wave
Of patriotism which has seldom,
if ever, been equalled in our
history. Overnight those who
had been loudest in their de-
mands that we do almost any
thing to avoid belligerency took
their places in the ranks of
American patriots who accepted
the challange of Japan and in
sisted that we spare nothing in
our determination to rid the
world of war-makers.
The day Of Pearl Harbor,
December 7, 1941} will stand
out as a big day in American
history. It win even be a big
day in world history because
historians win calmly reckon
that date as the beginning of
the end Of this second world
war. The day Of Pearl Har-
Dor, by being the spark which
caused the greatest transition of
national unity the world has ever
seen, can well be observed as a
jointly important date. 1t will
primarily mark the entrance of
this country into the war. But
it will also be noted for the inn
portance that date and episode
played in the history Of our
country and Of the world.
What Japan has realized (and
probably now recognizes) is the
reverse of what Admiral Togo,
Corporal Hitler and Private Mus
solini expected. They figured
that destruction of our naval
and air power at
Thought one of the worlds
We Would strongest outposts
Not Fight would SO brighten
and cripple weak
America that the isolationists
would shout louder and longer
and our free institutions and
clumsy methods would prevent
the United States taking any
really active part in the war.
We hope they have learned that
we don't need to raise our boys
as soldiers in order to place
superior fighting men on our
ships and at the front. We hope
they have learned of the trans
formation Of our world4leading
industrial organization into the
worlds greatest producer of
ornaments. We hope that they
have learned so well that the
lesson will be indelibly i'm
pressed on possible future war
lords who might reckon as
badly.
In the year since Pearl Har-
bor Japan has real cause for
questioning the decisions Of her
leaders. Except for the early
victories when she fully com