Long passed family member was deployed on a submarine war patrol with fully loaded and authorized torpedoes on board— which left Pearl Harbor early October 1941 5 weeks before the attack- carrier escort picket and war patrol. They knew the Brits had cracked the Jap codes— all general officers in Pacific knew. The Brits withheld a lot of info,intentionally. They knew where the Jap fleet was, and when they had left, and held off telling us. All that hoorah about the long “translation” of the jap message is a lot of bull, and why it was essential for FDR to court martial Kimmel and Short— to hide what he’d done, and the disinformation that had aircraft wing to wing out in the open against “sabotage”-— criminal. Like still allowing Saudis on US air bases, when they could be trained in their own country. Has to stop.
But the main point is that “weapons free” to attack any Japanese shipping encountered (with rather broad conditions to be considered “hostile”). Then 6 hours out of Pearl, got the “this is no drill” message and spent the next 14 hours trying not to be sunk by our own destroyers and aircraft. Vivid appalling memories of the aftermath— and lifelong hated FDR for the lying socialist he was, and as he said “that ugly dyke b-—h Eleanor was a freaking commie- why would he marry such a physically ugly woman?”. Memory from back in the 60’s. A warrior— ran Filipino guerillas into small islands- Leyte Gulf and the Slot, with Aussie Coastwatcher volunteers (both of whom were discovered, and beheaded by Jap officers). Had great affection for the Filipino fighters he worked with— brave as hell, and loyal.
My grandfather was a chief reporter and was near the president often. He swears FDR got up and did a bit of a jig because he couldn’t contain his joy over the unfettered war declaration he was declaring.
Yes, FDR used a wheel chair but he could stand up and move around when he had a mind to.
Of course saying what he saw back then would have gotten him fired, if not worse.