Those words spoken to President Franklin Roosevelt by British Prime Minister Winston Churchill on this day 78 years ago.

On December 7, 1941, at around 1:30 p.m., President Franklin Roosevelt is conferring with advisor Harry Hopkins in his study when Navy Secretary Frank Knox bursts in and announces that Japan had attacked Pearl Harbor. The attack killed more than 2,400 naval and military personnel.

For weeks, a war with Japan had appeared likely since negotiations had deteriorated over the subject of Japan’s military forays into China and elsewhere in the Pacific during World War II. FDR and his advisors knew that an attack on the U.S. fleet at the Philippines was possible, but few suspected the naval base at Pearl Harbor would be a target.- History.com

These words were spoken by the Japanese just a few days and hours earlier…

Niitakayama nobore 1208 –  a coded message: “Climb Mount Niitaka, December 8.”  The signal meant that war with the United States would commence on December 8, Japan time, or December 7 in Hawaii.

The message, which translated means “Climb Mount Niitaka 1208,” was uttered over the radio from the Japanese battleship Nagato and relayed to a transmission station in Tokyo. From there, it was relayed to another station before reaching the fleet and setting off the infamous surprise attack.  – Stars & Stripes

“Tora, Tora, Tora” –  indicating that the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor had commenced and everything seemed to be going well for the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN).   Well, at least until the slumbering Giant got woke.

Beware Of The Sleeping Giant

We are so grateful and thankful to everyone, from all of the Rosie the Riveters to General Douglas MacArthur, and, most of all, to the heroes that made theultimate sacrifice to help America win the war in the Pacific.