Edited by Gerald Boerner
Commentary
Today we follow-up yesterday’s exploration of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor with a look at the Congressional Declaration of War that occurred on this day in 1941. Along the way, we will examine the international conventions define early in the 20th century to guide how hostilities are to be declared — the essential requirement is the Declaration to be made BEFORE hostilities commence. That requirement was NOT met in the attack on the US Navy’s Pacific Fleet in Pearl Harbor on that fateful morning in 1941.
This would help explain how that one event turned an isolationist public attitude toward the war into a quest for vengeance. This fervor is comparable to the cries “Remember the Alamo” or “Remember the Maine” in previous conflicts. Our national resources were mobilized and it only took about six months during which the Doolittle Raid on Tokyo and the defeat of the Japanese carriers at Midway to start turning the tables in the Pacific.
So let us proceed with our exploration of these declarations of war… GLB
These Introductory Comments are copyrighted:
Copyright©2010 — Gerald Boerner — All Rights Reserved[ 3258 Words ]
Quotations Related to DECLARATION
“The main American naval forces were shifted to the Pacific region and an American admiral made a strong declaration to the effect that if war were to break out between Japan and the United States, the Japanese navy could be sunk in a matter of weeks.”
— Hideki Tojo
“The other salient characteristic of the Declaration is its universality: it applies to all human beings without any discrimination whatever; it also applies to all territories, whatever their economic or political regime.”
— Rene Cassin
“The ultimate end is a nation that lies under the concept of the Declaration of Independence. The Declaration of Independence is such an extraordinary statement – it was designed by people skeptical of government, local or national, but in particular national.”
— Malcolm Wallop
