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Frances PerkinsFrances Perkins
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industrial machine-producing nation of the world, as it would be if they had won the world war. It would be a great thing for Japan as the head of the East Asia co-prosperity sphere, to have Germany as its best friend instead of England as its best friend.

At any rate, I don't recall that this declaration of war raised any questions that evening. I don't recall its raising any questions subsequent to that. It certainly didn't raise any in my mind. I'm not sure that a ninety percent canvass of responsible people in the United States wouldn't have shown that they had the same reaction that I did. I don't recall a single word being said that night, but there may have been. So far as I recall when the message went to the Hill the next day I don't think there was anything more than very superficial objection in Congress.

The rest of that evening was taken up with the wording of this message, changing it slightly. I remember members of Congress saying, “Now, I tell you, Mr. President, the country will be with you. There won't be a man in the House against you. There won't be a man in the Senate who won't rise to this. We must show ourselves united before the world. There will be no opposition.” There was that kind of political assurance.

In the meantime, of course, I was aware that the press services were telephoning in, that McIntyre and Early





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