December 1941

US and World Events plus Additional Resources

   
 
 
 
 

A draft of Eleanor’s radio address the night of the attack on Pearl Harbor. That day, Mrs. Roosevelt set aside the previously prepared text for her regularly scheduled broadcast for the Pan-American Coffee Bureau. Instead, she became the first public figure to speak to the nation about the attack.

She urged her listeners to rally behind the President and his Cabinet as they led the nation in war, called on women and young people to support the war effort, and sought to calm fears. She confidently proclaimed, “Whatever is asked of us, I am sure we can accomplish it; we are the free and unconquerable people of the U.S.A.”