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>> IRVING SWANSON, FORMER HOUSE READING CLERK: President Roosevelt came down to declare war against Japan

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and we did. And, I called the roll and took the vote.

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>> FRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT, 32ND PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Yesterday, December 7th, 1941--a date which will live in infamy--

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the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked

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by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan.

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The United States was at peace with that nation and, at the solicitation of Japan,

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was still in conversation with its Government and its Emperor

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looking toward the maintenance of peace in the Pacific.

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Indeed, one hour after Japanese air squadrons had commenced bombing

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in the American island of Oahu, the Japanese Ambassador to the United States

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and his colleague delivered to our Secretary of State

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a formal reply to a recent American message.

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I ask that the Congress declare that since the unprovoked and dastardly attack by Japan

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on Sunday, December 7, 1941,

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a state of war has existed between the United States and the Japanese Empire.

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>> SWANSON: Well, I remember one thing, of course, we had one vote against war.

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And, it was a lady from Montana--Jeannette Rankin.

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And she voted against war. She was a strict pacifist.

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She voted against World War I

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because felt that way and then she didn’t run--at that time,

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one term--and then all of those years up until World War II was declared,

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she was elected again for one term and she voted against it.

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And, I remember this vividly because she was down in the front row of the chamber,

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which was right in front of me,

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and she was crying like a baby.

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And, Everett Dirksen, who she admired, and who was a dear friend of mine, too,

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came down, put his arm around her and

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tried to get her--because he told me that he tried to get her to vote present,

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but she would not vote present, she voted against the war.

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>> SAM RAYBURN, FORMER SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES: 388 Members voted ''aye'', 1 voted ''no'',

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the rules are suspended, and the resolution is agreed to.

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>> SWANSON: And I think it was two days later,

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we declared war on Germany and Italy

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And, the President did not come down to the chambers of Congress.

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And, I acted as proxy for the President and read his message

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asking for the declaration of war against Germany and Italy,

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and of course, I took the vote again on that.

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Delay invites greater danger.

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Rapid and united effort by all of the peoples of the world

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who are determined to remain free will insure a world victory

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of the forces of justice and of righteousness over the forces of savagery and of barbarism.

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Italy also has declared war against the United States.

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I, therefore, request the Congress to recognize a state of war between the United States and Germany,

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and between the United States and Italy.

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Franklin D. Roosevelt, The White House, December 11, 1941.

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After that, Speaker Rayburn, who I worked intimately with--

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and I was all alone at that time because the other two people that were involved in my work

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were--one was dying of cancer and the other was in his 90s,

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so I had to handle the whole thing and it was a terrific job with 435 people out there.

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And, so, the Speaker said, ''Irv,'' he said,

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''You know, this is a momentous thing,'' and he said, ''Would you like this gavel?''

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And I said, ''Only,'' I said, ''If you would sign it.''

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And, of course, he signed it and dated it and everything.

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This is the gavel, I have here right now, that I am going to give to the House Museum.